I am a 38 y.o. military wife. We are expecting our first child. We love to travel and taste the local flavors. I've been cooking/experimenting since I was about 12. I am a perfectionist and am open to trying new and different cuisines. I'm not afraid to try anything and I have tried some pretty weird stuff in my travels. Fortunatly, I have a husband who loves food, good food and who too, is open to new dishes. I enjoy taking recipe, especially Mexican dishes and tweaking them to make them a bit healthier. I make the best enchiladas, salsa, Mexican stir frys. I'm also known for my lasagna, green beans, stuffing and grilled veggies. For the holidays my entire family gets together. All the women gather in the kitchen to prepare the holiday feast. Each woman is assigned a dish. You know you are really a good cook if you are asked to assist with other dishes or to do some baking. If you are a .. umm.. a not so good cook, you get stuck with dishes. My grandmother, who is personal chef, goes around giving advice. Sometimes she can be seen sneaking in spices to someones dish. We now have evolved into doing progressive holiday feasts. 2-3 host families per household. We start off with appetizers, then salads, entree and lastly desserts. Youth buy the paper goods. Single men buy drinks, ice and coffee! The entire dinner becomes a team effort. The fun part is cramming into cars to caravan across town to the next house. After dessert, the entire caravan drives around town to see the Christmas lights. We end up where we started, have coffe, sing carols and play games. Baking for me is the hardest thing to do. I am a poor baker. So when I made a rum cake last year, I was very proud that everyone like it. My most recent truimph was this last fall. I learned how to make homemade tortillas. I am the only female in my family that never learned how to make them. My mom, over the phone, talked me through the process. They turned out ok. The second go around, I nailed the process. Oh... my husband is very happy!! My earliest - making a cake by myself. It was a surprise for grandma. I thought 2/3 C of water meant add 2 C, stir, and 3 more. I had cake soup. My grandma bout wet her pants from laughter. I was little!! Once, for my own house warming party, I made a chocolate cheesecake. Never baked with cocoa before. I tripled the amount. I wanted extra chocolaty cake. They were polite as they tasted the BITTER cheesecake. When the party ended, I noticed I was throwing away quite a bit of cheesecake. It was then that I tasted my own creation. It was NASTY. I was so embarrassed. Oh... and I did the same thing with cayenne pepper for a Home Economics class in which the teachers were the judges. New recipe for me as well as a new spice. Didn't realize its strength. I liked the smell so added a few extra tablespoons. It was a HOT disaster… oh, but it was worth watching the teachers faces turn red, eyes water and look for something to drink!! I came in last in the contest.