I was born and raised in the San Diego area and have lived here almost my whole life. I have been cooking since I was probably 7 or 8. I guess my mom taught me the basics but a lot of it was just curiosity and the love of making food for other people. I remember having friends over for sleepovers and making pancakes the next morning (my first cookbook was a Disney cookbook for kids). I remember making and decorating sugar cookies with my family every Christmas. Now my dad and I trade recipes because he, like me, likes to try new things. My goal is to put together a family cookbook with all the recipes I grew up with so that everyone in the family can have one. I really like to try new things. Right now I'm on an Asian kick although I always love to try Italian. I used to like baking more than cooking but that has changed. I like the freedom that comes with cooking - baking is too precise. Usually I enjoy simple recipes that taste great but sometimes I feel the need to try complicated and fancy recipes. Thanksgiving and Christmas is a big time for cooking traditions. I have taken over preparation for most of both meals on those days. Sometimes I try new things but for the most part, I have a hard time deviating from the traditional dishes. Baking is also big during this time. When I was young, I remember making cookies with my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins for Christmas. I also remember cinnamon roll day with my grandma. We spent a whole day making dozens of cinnamon rolls to give to everyone. Now I have my traditonal baking that everyone looks forward to. I try new things every year but always bring back the favorites. I make around 20 pounds of candy and about 600 cookies each Christmas. Every time I try something new and people like it, I consider it a triumph. There are certain recipes though that get requested over and over, like my spinach quiche or French toast casserole for brunches. Also my pumpkin pie is big. When I was 12 or so, I remember wanting to make a chocolate cake with peppermint cream filling. I read the directions wrong and messed up the whole cake. I wanted to start over but didn't have enough ingredients. I was so devastated, my mom went out and bought me new ingredients so I could start over. In the end, the cake wasn't worth the effort put into it.