I love to experiment with different recipes. Here in Montreal we have such a wide ethnic variety that most ingredients can be found to make whatever you want. My greatest cooking influence was my best friend Jackie's mother - she used to be able to cook up simple dishes that looked/tasted so good with next to no effort. I love to cook for other people - I love them to sit in my kitchen while I chop/saute away. Also, I am a diabetic of 40 years - so I try to cook "healthy" ... most of the time - but I do like to cheat with rich and tasty foods from time to time - since you only live once! You can read more about me at http://www.diabetes1.org/blogs/Annas_Blog or search for me under the pen name of FatCatAnna! Soups - I discovered how easy it was to make potato soup - and add things to it to make it out of this world. Desserts are a few of my favourite things to cook as well. Too many to list here that's for sure. I come from a British background - where food tended to be bland and cooked till it was - I hate to say this - rubber. No traditions at all - except for El Toro pizza on birthdays. My Mum did not like to cook - but my Dad did and still does most of the cooking now that he's retired.. When I left home at 18 - I didn't even know how to boil an egg - now I amaze myself at how many delicious meals that I can make!!! I thought the turkey was thoroughly thawed out - well - my husbands family are waiting - forks and knives poised in the air - ready to dig in - and the darn turkey was still FROZEN in the centre. Let's just say that we ate quite late that night - bit dried out - but we ate.