I'm a mom to three great children of my own ages 12-17. I like to cook just about anything. I began checking out cookbooks from the library back in the eighties and would always have a stack of them by the bed for late-night reading. I like to try new things. Every Thanksgiving I make the same meal, except that I can't always get persimmons to make the traditional "Nantz family persimmon pudding". Every Christmas I always make the exact same goodies, especially Finnish cupcakes. My mom only made them at Christmas and they taste like all my Christmas memories rolled up in one flavor. A Japanese friend gave me a Japanese cookbook and a sushi mat when they moved away and I figured out how to make sushi by looking at the pictures with her notes written in! I don't know how tragic it is, but when you cook for teenagers, someone always hates what you've labored over. I'm constantly compiling a mental list of likes and dislikes around the table!