I've picked up a lot of cooking from watching/helping my mother as well as watching/helping anyone else I've seen cooking. I really like eating at other people's houses because it is a good source of inspiration. I'm pretty good at following (or at least half following) recipies from books, so I try and stay on the lookout for good ideas...periodically I'll just randomly try making a recipie out of my head. I like trying new things...sometimes with good results, sometimes with disastrous results. I used to only bake, and there is still nothing like beating sugar and butter to lower my stress level, but now I'm really trying to focus on main course food. I cooked a French meal for French people and was told it was wonderful...it involved a blue cheese sauce, which involved super expensive cheese (lait cru) and I was terrified it wouldn't work out but it did. I once cooked a pizza...mushrooms and goat cheese and was looking foward to it.....and it came out of the oven...burned to a crisp!