I've been cooking since childhood. I rarely follow a recipe as printed but consider it improvisational material to be adjusted and (hopefully!) improved. Other folks enjoy golf and and tennis -- I love to play with food! Main dishes and appetizers are my favorites, typically those that aren't that involved but look as if a lot of effort and skill went into them. We host Thanksgiving for my husband's large family every year (he's one of 10 siblings) and I love the sacrament of the shared table over this (and every) meal. Have had some success in competitive cooking contests over the years. Most experiments work out well; however, I do not recommend adding mashed bananas to meatloaf. That one didn't work well!