I didn't learn to cook until I was married. I was always calling my mother for instructions. Now after 48 yrs of marriage, I think I have mastered the art. In the last 10 yrs my favorite things to cook are dishes that require little time to prepare as I am not able to stand for more than a few minutes at a time due to back pain. My mother, maternal grandmother, and mother-in-law were wonderful cooks and I am still using many of their recipes and methods. I make a to die for fresh spinach pie. I also do a wonderfully tastey and easy lasagna in the microwave using no boil noodles and my own sauce. A Thanksgiving turkey that took two hours longer than it should have. The rest of the dinner was cold before the turkey was done. I don't trust those pop-up things as they either pop up too soon or never pop up at all. Even those new-fangled instant thermometers can't be trusted. I now make all the other side dishes ahead of time and warm them in the micro when the turkey is done.