I love to cook, my family loves to eat, so all is well in my world. I've always enjoyed being in the kitchen and creating meals, but didn't really have time until some life changing events 5 years ago. (Marriage, new job, relocation). My other profile is "Tonysgirl" but I forgot my log on info, so I had to make a new one :P My favorite is trying out anything new, labor or time intensive, lots of hands on tactile stuff. I don't have a bread maker or a food processor, don't need one, I have two hands, a cutting board, a big heavy all purpose kind of knife, and a counter top or two. I have fun trying new recipes especially ethnic foods. I sometimes can't even pronounce what I am fixing, but that's half the fun. I love Mexican food the best followed by Asian and then Mediterranean/Greek. I am starting to delve into Indian cooking now, (not too easy when you have never experienced any of it). Some spices are so hard to find, but what a fun "scavenger hunt" it can be! I am still seeking the perfect recipe for gyro meat that my favorite Greek restaurant back home serves. Check out my Grandma's "brown bean chowder" recipe, it's been a favorite for generations. Holidays and meals have always been really important in our family. And with all the great cooks in our family, you know we all love to eat too! We're very traditional on what's on our holiday buffet table, each holiday has it's own set of foods that just has to be. Mom and I try to sneak other items in, but for the most part, the rest of the family protests if we try to change traditions...lol. I am sharing the wonderful traditions with my kids too as we make cookies, treat and candies for Christmas, hot cross buns, lamb cake, and deviling those colored Easter eggs, along with new traditions we are incorporating like Christmas tamales and cascarones for Easter. I follow in my Mom's tradition and fix everyone's favorite meal and cake/dessert for their birthdays. This first year we were married, (the same year I joined AR) we invited my hubby's side of the family (my new in-laws and family) to OUR house for Christmas dinner. So there I was planning and cooking for about 25 guests, armed with recipes I'd found on AR. I had never even hosted a party before (outside of the jr high slumber parties) much less a holiday dinner for a crowd, but my motto when cooking for others has always been, "the more the merrier", so I was so happy happy happy cooking my heart out for everyone. My stepson and I burned up the motor in my stand mixer making twice baked potatoes, but everything turned out fabulous! Before I discovered this website I was a hamburger helper cook, and now I cook (almost) like a pro! I've come a long way in three short years thanks to AllRecipes and all the others who love to cook out there. Lots of friends and fellow cooks from here also have spawned another awesome site you've got to check out! Come join us at thequalitycook.phpbbnow.co When I was about 12, I was mixing a big bowl of cookie dough. I leaned over and peered into the huge bowl to see, and the next thing I know my ponytail got caught up in the mixer beater and wound up around the beater. So there I was, head stuck in the bowl of dough, laughing and hollering "Mom" to come save me! And then there was the flambe' experiment...which required the use of a whole bag of flour and a canister of oats to douse, made a huge huge mess, but that's another story.