I am a professional dancer who loves to eat. I became interested in cooking in college when I realized how much I missed my mom's homecooked meals. Also, eating things made from scratch has made weight control far easier than trying to buy low fat processed food. I'll even eat things made with butter and heavy cream. I have since worked at a well-known upscale kitchen store, where I've learned most of my techniques. I'm really hoping to do a culinary tour in Europe next summer where you stay at a villa and take cooking classes. I love making Italian soups and dishes. Cookies are my specialty though. I hope to expand my baking repetoire. I am first generation Irish so my siblings and I have taken it upon ourselves to create some cooking traditions that don't involve potroast. We have a "fisherman feast" on Christmas Eve where the 3 of us cook a seafood dinner for our family- we stole the idea from the Italians. On Christmas day my mom makes plum pudding which is the richest food I think you can eat. I also really like having lobster feasts during the summer- a New England tradition. I've been asked to provide cookies at 2 weddings. I got rave reviews at one, and the other one is happening next summer. I wanted to make a dish from a magazine so I went out and spent a fortune on the ingredients. It took forever to make, and when it was done I took one look at it and wanted nothing to do with it. I never waste food like that, but I just couldn't get myself to eat it.