My mom worked in a college kitchen and taught me all the techniques of cooking. I cook by smell, eyes and taste, mostly. I love cooking soups and baking pastries. Often when you cook, by the time the food is ready you've been smelling it for so long that much of the pleasure is taken from it by the time you eat. However, my husband and bestfriend have never tasted something I've made that they didn't like, they say.