Since January 3, 2004, I've been practicing living a healthy lifestyle. Because of this, I've lost 65 pounds so far! Now I'm trying to expand my cooking abilities, especially by trying healthier recipes or altering existing recipes to be healthier. I'm a fantastic baker of PIES! Strawberry Rhubarb, blueberry, apple... if it's a fruit pie, I'm a natural. I also love baking quick breads, cookies and so forth. But I'm also trying to expand my horizons by trying new recipes for soups, veggies and so forth. Every year for Chrismas my mother always made persimmon Christmas pudding with hard sauce. YUM! My brothers and I would always help her bake gingerbread cookies and springerle cookies, two Christmas favorites! Also, my grandmother has always been a superb cinnamon roll baker. SUPER YUM! These are things I am trying to continue. Like I said, pies. It's one thing I'm really good at and my family always hopes I'll bring a homemade pie to family gatherings. Oh, the usual problems overcooking or undercooking things, but the biggest tragedy for me is that I am often afraid to try new recipes or recipes that seem complicated. I tend to stick to things I know I can do well as I fear failure. And that's the biggest tragedy. That's why I love this site. It helps to see other people and their triumphs and tragedies. It encourages me to try new things!