Although I don't always have the time (I'm a Ph.D. student), I really enjoy cooking and baking. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for nearly 10 years, and I now follow a vegan diet. So I'm always on the lookout for more vegan recipes. I like to bake a lot...cookies, muffins, etc. I also have a fondness for breadmaking. I also enjoy cooking East Indian and Mexican dishes. I don't really have any traditions when it comes to cooking. Both my Mom and my Grandma aren't that fond of cooking so I never really learned how. So here I am trying to figure it all out. This December I attempted to make traditional Ukrainian Kolach and it turned out perfectly! I had my doubts before it went in the oven, but it looked gorgeous after it had baked. The croquette recipe that called for COOKED rice but I thought it meant UNCOOKED...we ended up with waaay too many giant-sized croquettes. Everyone still thought they tasted good though.