I grew up eating my fathers cooking (once an established, professional chef), but didn't get interested in cooking until I was out of the house. I'm now lucky enough to be married to a man who loves to cook and with him as my inspiration, we have so much fun in the kitchen. Anything with wine, high quality beef (especially a thick cut ribeye), thick-cut pork chops with homemade applesauce, tilapia, salmon, and pasta dishes using veggies to replace the pasta. Pirogi (from my father's Latvian side), meatloaf (from my Nana), and trout almondine served with banana flambe (from my mother). BREAD and PASTA! Who knew that homemade, fresh bread and pasta could taste so much better than from the grocery store! I'm no longer baking bread or eating pasta, as it doesn't fit into our lifestyle anymore, but they were both quite a feat to master. My latest triumph is a perfectly cooked, pink in the middle, crispy brown on the outside, thick-cut, bone-in pork chop. Dear God...quite possibly my favorite thing in the whole world right now... Lamb. I love lamb, but I can't cook it to save my life.