As the oldest girl in a family of 6 children I spent a fair amount of time helping my mother in the kitchen. I love to experiment and rarely follow a recipe completely. I try to bring a different dish to every family gathering. Baking is not my forte, but I try!(I think it's the following the recipe thing) Anything challenging. I really enjoy trying new herb/spice combinations. My background is Norwegian/Russian. I make lefse (Norwegian potato flat bread)and Vereneky (Russian potato dumplings)every year with my sisters. We have a great time together.