My biggest cooking regret is that I didn't get my gramma's pie crust recipe before she passed away - it was truly amazing. She made throwing together a Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family look like a piece of cake. She used whole butter & cream in everything she made and somehow always kept her figure. I love to bake and try new recipes. I find food preperation - chopping, mixing, measuring - therapuetic. I had a girlfriend over for dinner one night and as she watched me chop garlic cloves she said "can't you get that stuff pre-chopped in a jar?" I said "Yeah, but why would you?" Christmas cookies, of course! I loved watching my mom ice them as a child and now I use her old tin cookie cutters in my own kitchen every year. Gingerbread men are my favorite. I successfully hosted a food & wine tasting for 10 of my friends in 2005. It took me a week to plan the menu and pair the wines, and 2 full days to prep and cook. They're still talking about it and still asking for the recipes! As newlyweds my husband and I invited our first dinner guests over for some homemade chili. I noticed an unusual taste and realized while putting the leftovers away that the bottom of my pan was covered in burnt chili - I had obviously had the heat too high. Our polite and funny friend said "I thought there was an interesting charbroiled flavor in there - I thought it was your secret ingredient!"