These days we have an empty nest, which means we have no picky eaters around. We like to eat, but cooking is not a passion. I look for the least complicated way to get tasty results. I collect cookbooks with lots of colorful pictures for inspiration, but rarely follow recipes without introducing my own short cut or special "twist". Soups and bread (using the bread machine for yeast dough). Around the holidays I make waaaay too many cookies! Juanita's Chocolate Lebkuchen recipe on this site is my all time favorite. Having the whole family together for Thanksgiving, or any other special meal throughout the year. I recently tried, for the first time, a cookie recipe I'd clipped from a magazine in 1991, and it was surprisingly wonderful. Who knows what treasures lurk. Also, there was a moment of "Eureka!" learning that 9 seconds in the microwave will soften a cookie and make it seem fresh-baked. I have had too many to recall, but we usually eat them in any case. The paramount rule I have learned is to never experiment with a new recipe when company is coming.