I grew up in and around the Greater Longview Area, and I'm a sixth generation Texan (Let's hear it for G.R.I.T.S.!). Now that I've lived in New York City for several years, I've expanded my cooking repertoire quite a bit. I love food and am always up for experimentation, though I definitely have my tried and true favourites! Meat loaf is not only high on my requested list, but one of my favourite things to make -- I squish the mixture by hand. There's also something very satisfying about making your own wonton soup, and fried wontons. My mother's cabbage rolls recipe is a little labor-intensive, but it's fun, too. Really, I just love spending time in the kitchen. Our family just loves to eat and to cook. Period. :) I've gotten rave reviews for my cornbread, meat loaf, Thai peanut chicken stir-fry, shrimp enchiladas, sweet tea, iced coffee, and cardamom cake. The first time I ever made my cardamom cake, it overflowed all over the oven and made a HUGE mess -- a disaster! I also once somehow made cornbread so rubbery it literally bounced across the floor . . . Practice makes perfect, right?