I am a 25 year old who does tech services for health care software, living on my own for the first time (since I was 22) and discovering how much fun it is to cook. My grandmothers, mother, various aunts, uncles and cousins are amazing cooks, and I am loving recreating the family recipes - and making up my own. My fiance also loves to cook and we like to make up things together, or cook old favorites from his family. I have very little experience with very fancy foods, or cooking meat (partly due to the limitations of a graduate student stipend). Other than cooking, I am a Catholic science/fantasy/scifi/mythology geek, and love bike riding, (very amateur) photography, journalling, reading and writing. I love homemade Italian and Maltese food from recipes that have been passed down through my family (I make my own sauce from freshly picked tomatoes) but I also love Asian and Mediterranean foods and stir fries. I like making soups, chillis and stews too. I love using eggplant, any kind of leafy green, bell peppers (especially red) celery, broccoli, potatoes, basil, garlic, rosemary, and also buying new and exotic fruits or vegetables or spices to try - I'm adventurous! Also, the spicier the better, and the bolder the flavors, the better! Also, I'm trying to be health (and environment) conscious so like to find alternatives that are healthy - this is easy in Madison with the plethora of farmer's markets and supermarkets with good selections of organic foods. I also have a knack for coming up with great cookies. I am a chocoholic, and also love peanut butter, caramel, coconut, hazelnuts, Nutella, and cinnamon Making homemade tomato sauce from scratch, and huge dinners with lots of fresh basil and garlic along with my mother and paternal grandmother. My Awesome Chocolate Cherry Cookies - I am a chocolate fanatic, and also love dried fruits and nuts (especially cherries, apricots, raisins, cranberries, almonds and hazelnuts), and one day came up with the idea of chocolate cherry cookies. Everybody who has ever tried these cookies adores them. Also, the first time my parents came to visit me in Madison, I suprised them with a multicourse, home cooked Italian meal, just like Mom used to make! With a special twist - the pizziola (Italian meatloaf) was made with ostrich meat. My parents raved about it for days. Once, I tried to make a cherry pie for my boyfriend (years ago) and forgot to drain the frozen cherries, resulting in a very soggy crust! Also, the recipe seemed to call for too much sugar, or I didn't mix it well enough, so it was like eating a pie with chunks of rock candy! At least he ate it, haha.