I was born and raised in California, then met my boyfriend on the Internet and moved to Texas in 2004 to be with him and his teenaged son (aka "The World's Pickiest Eater"). I always considered myself "non-domestic" but I guess Texas has brought out the homemaker in me; now I am really into cooking, decorating and learning crafts. Our budget is very tight, so as a way to help control that, I started cooking everything at home, and that grew into an interest in really learning to cook well. Then I found this site... so here I am! Baking has always been my favorite. I am now learning more about other things, but I still seem to have the best successes with baked goods. None, really. Although my grandmother was an incredible intuitive cook (no written recipes, dang it), she lived in Oklahoma and I lived in California and I never really got to spend much time with her. My mother did not enjoy cooking so it was very quick and simple when I was growing up. So, I am having to create my own traditions, now. I did an Easter brunch for my boyfriend's family last year that included grilled lamb chops, asparagus, individual baked eggs in ham crisps, various baked goodies, fruit cups with yogurt, shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce and a double chocolate Italian cheesecake! Whew! It was fun and I got major raves. Nothing in particular, so far. I'm sure something will happen as I try harder things!