I am a 25 year old graduate student, mental health worker, and recent newlywed, so I am really looking forward to May when I graduate and hopefully have more time to cook! I love spending time with my family, friends, and two cats, Mikey and Bella. I hope that my husband and I are able to buy a house in the next two years so I can have a bigger kitchen and a yard to finally have my own garden and flower bed in. My favorite by far is baking, especially cookies and other sweets. I also went through a phase in high school when I learned how to bake homemade bread. Although I do not have the opportunity to do this as much as I used to, baking bread really calms and focuses me... and fresh baked bread is a great food to share with friends and family, too! My family is one of those that cures all of your ills with food. I remember going to my grandmother's when I was little, and whether happy or sad, a cookie was always the response-- usually chocolate chip. This is the memory that all of my cousins have as well. Now that I'm an adult, my parents always make my favorite comfort foods when things are rough for me- cheesy potatoes, peanut butter pie, mac and cheese, the list could go on and on. And of course, food is part of every holiday, with each family member bringing his or her own special dish. I think my biggest triumphs have been mastering cheesecake and homemade bread; however, I feel triumphant every time someone enjoys my cooking, especially my husband. He's actually fairly easy to please, but regardless, I love hearing his words of praise after his second or third helping of what I've prepared. There was a bad incident with sourdough bread once... hard as a brick and flavorless. As a result, I haven't attempted sourdough since and don't hestitate to buy store-bought if I'm hungry for it. In addition, I can think of at least ten different times that I have managed to spill either flour or some other terribly powdery and messy substance all over the kitchen. I always attribute it to being an overly enthusiastic cook!