36 years old, divorced, love to cook, have always been interested in food and in food preparation. My brother is a professional chef. I'll try just about anything, but I usually like variations on "comfort foods" - soups, stews, macaroni and cheese, potatoes and the like. Not very healthy, admittedly, but sometimes you just don't care. 8-) We had to make do with very little when I was young, so my mom had to figure out creative ways to use chicken (which was very cheap at the time). My first Thanksgiving dinner in the winter of 2000. I had cooked a huge meal (nearly all of the dishes were from this site, too) for my now ex-husband's family, and I was very, very nervous. But to my utter delight, it all turned out very well, and there wasn't a thing left at the end of the night. I didn't really even get to eat anything, as I was so tired from cooking all day! But that was the day that I knew I'd mastered at least a beginner's proficiency in the kitchen. I was very proud of myself. Two stand out in my mind: 1. The first time I attempted to make mashed potatoes. I left the skins on and I thought I'd be bright and make a "casserole" out of it by adding a can of tunafish. Only one word to describe it: eeeeeewwwwww!!!!! (Well, hey, I was only thirteen. Teehee!) 2. I was around the same age, thirteen or so. It was the first time I attempted to make Jello. Can you believe it? How can you screw up something as simple as Jello? You've just met the person who did! 8-)