well I've always liked to cook, but really got into it during a vegan phase I went through several years ago. I had to do a lot of research and try new things, and now that I'm not vegan anymore, I still feel that I'm using some skills I acquired back then. life isn't only about cooking, however, as I enjoy collecting Hello Kitty stuff, vampire books and movies, decorating my condo, lots of t.v. shows, etc. deep-fried chicken strips with my own honey mustard, grilled chicken, meatloaf & mashed potatoes, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, tacos & enchiladas, steak on the grill, anything with bacon. my mom cooked pretty much traditional American Midwest food....burgers, spaghetti & meatballs, things like that. but everything she made was delicious! family gatherings and holidays were always filled with tons of homemade food - no boxed mashed potatoes in my house! see blog entry "The Chicken Incident" also, any time I can make something without measuring - when it's totally by instinct, I consider that a success. I don't know.....anything overcooked or too dry....basically when I've had any cooking tragedy in the past, it was because I wasn't really into cooking at that moment! you've really got to cook with love or it won't turn out!