I love baking and pastry. Bread is fun sometimes, and I make things from scratch. Fermenting things is a special hobby of mine. I like things growing in my house, like wine, sourdough, yogurt, sauerkraut... I also like canning, brining, pickling and researching historical recipes. My grandma makes awesome turkey rice soup on Thanksgiving with extra turkey parts, so you can actually eat it before dinnner. Also, I'm trying to make National Pie Day on January 23rd a new one. So far we've done it once, and it was great! Chicken Pot Pie, Beef Wellington Pie, Ham and Cheese Pie, Shepherd's Pie, and of course, dessert pies like creams, custards, puddings, and fruit pies! I had a gingerbread recipe with beer in it that I used at the four seasons, but when I copied it, I left out the sugar. Much later, I tried to figure out how much it would need and tested it. Apparently, it was too much, and the cake was completely stuck to the pan. Oh well. I put it in the kitchen aid with ganache and spiced vodka, and made "rum balls" instead. They were an absolute hit! People ask for them every year. The first time I tried to make italian buttercream, I overcooked the syrup and when I added it to the egg whites, the sugar hardened into sharp jagged rocks!