I live in Atlanta. I went to college for English and Writing, and work as the marketing coordinator for the Atlanta office of a national commercial real estate firm. I never enjoyed cooking while growing up but now it is becoming one of my favorite pastimes! I love cooking fresh, healthy meals...anything with lots of veggies and herbs (especially garlic, dill, and hot spices -- not necessarily all together ;)! I enjoy cooking with fish, chicken, spicy foods, peppers, and veggies, veggies, veggies! I also enjoy meeting people with different ethnic backgrounds and experimenting with their cooking techniques and recipes; one of my favorites was a delicious mango salsa that I have yet to see on AR...the recipe was given to me by a talented Brazilian cook. I hope to share it with you soon -- yum! My family wasn't huge on experimenting with cooking, so most of my learning I've done since I left home. One thing I always appreciate, though, is our preparation for Thankgiving and Christmas. The squash casserole my mom passed down to me (which I also need to post here) is absolutely heavenly, and I am excited to focus on that while she prepares some of the other staple holiday dishes. In the last year, I have begun to branch out and cook things I would never consider making before. I use more fish, shrimp, and different cooking styles. I try to find ways to use unique fruits and vegetables in my food, which in itself is a constant work of progress that makes learning to cook satisfying to me! About three years ago, I attempted to work with ground turkey for the first time, and wasn't even sure what color it was supposed to be when it was done cooking! (yikes) I "made" a turkey meatloaf, but pulled it out of the oven when it was still mushy and pink...needless to say, I was horrified and threw it in the garbage. Maybe next time! :)