A California girl turned Chicago dame, I fell in love with city living, but not eating out- it's all to easy to get lazy and call for delivery, any hour of the day. I like to cook but often don't have a lot of time, I'm a jewelry maker, rabid reader of fantasy/sci-fi and the Classics, have one foot in the gothic life-style, dabble in fashion design and makeup artistry, hate spiders, worship cats (I have 3), adore fairy tales like Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, and live for anything Tim Burton does. I love casseroles: often high on the carbs, but they're always so comforting. I especially love regionally inspired casseroles- you get the flavors of world cuisine in a one-pan wonder. Similarly, I really appreciate the slow cooker my mother gave me as a moving gift- you mean I can leave it on all day and it cooks FOR me?!? As vegetarian city girls, my roommate and I usually sacrifice cooking time to public transportation, hectic retail hours, and busy cocktail schedules, so we look forward to meals we can prepare fresh in a short amount of time with minimal fuss (i.e. dishes). I'm also a big fan of baking: I love making sweets for my nearest and dearest friends, and picking recipes to tickle their individual tastes. I think the easiest way to show someone they're loved is to bake them something sweet from scratch. Nana's Green Gelatin Salad during the holidays, Aunt Laura's Jack Daniels Sweet Potatoes, Mom's Olive Deviled Eggs. . . my family doesn't exactly fly in the face of tradition, but they sure know how to put a unique spin on old favorites! I mastered a recipe for Chicken Paprikash on the first try, and everyone raves when I make it. Since becoming a vegetarian in February 2007, I've been working on a meatless version. . . Tried a recipe for an oat bread that was a disaster! Not an experienced bread baker, I didn't notice the abnormally large amount of baking powder the recipe called for- a quick phone call to a trusted friend saved the recipe (and the day) and I have a new favorite bread =)