I've been cooking for nearly 40 years but only in the last ten years have I felt more confident in my abilities. I've experimented more with the help of All Recipes, the Food Network, and magazines like Quick and Easy and I actually enjoy cooking now! I retired almost a year ago after 30 years of dispatching for the LA County Sheriff's Dept. I'm hoping to do a little traveling and I really enjoy trying new recipes. It's easier now that I have the time. I love using the slow cooker as it's such a time saver after a long day. I love meals that have fewer, fresher ingredients that I can put on the table in an hour or less. And I love making soup with every vegetable I have in my kitchen. I once made a Raspberry trifle which was not only beautiful to look at but everyone raved about how good it was. My mother could not stop sampling it. I was proud of that since I don't really bake much and don't do many desserts. And every Thanksgiving I get compliments on my meal (with the help of some wonderful allrecipes.com recipes). I have a few recipes that people insist that I bring to potluck dinners. Years ago, I tried a recipe for "chili dog pizza" that I thought would interest my family. It was tasty but with the way it looked, my husband wouldn't even taste it! Now if we want a chili dog, I don't make it in pizza form....