I started cooking for my family at an early age. My mother was a single parent who worked out of town, so I took over making the family meals at about 16 years of age. My best role model was my grandmother. She was an excellent cook and loved to try new things. When she passed away, I got all of her cookbooks. I will always use them and treasure them, and someday, pass them on to my daughters. I love to cook about anything. I keep old recipes and use them often, but I am never afraid to try a new one. My grandma made several family recipes that I still make. I am the only one in the family to still make krautstrudels. They are these yummy little sauerkraut dumlings that I make every year in the fall. It's so funny how the word gets out and I have all of these unexpected guests for the next couple of days after. I also make my grandma's famous Swiss steak. It is a little different than regular Swiss steak in that it has alot of veggies in it. I also make a rhubarb cake that my grandma used to make that relly brings back those childhood memories of summer Sunday dinners at my grandparent's house. I consider it a triumph anytime I cook for my very picky 8 year-old and she actually eats it. I, for some reason, cannot make cinnamon rolls. I really have a problem with anything that needs to rise.