I've been cooking ever since I was tall enough to reach the stove... I ended up taking over the holiday cooking around 14 years old (my mother was all too happy for a break!), and now cook daily for my boyfriend- my goal is to fatten him up by next year, while simultaneously maintaining my own weight. I love cooking, and feel most at home in the kitchen. When I'm there, everything seems to flow, and the day's worries just melt away. I love to make ethnic dishes, and am currently learning how to use the spice combinations in Indian cooking. When I'm feeling a little homesick, though, I bring out the big pot and wooden spoon, and make practically everything that my grandmother has taught me: pan roasted chicken, risotto a la milanese, lasagna with traditional ragu, pinzetta. The bold, refreshing flavors of traditional italian cuisine just make the world a better place! Also, I enjoy baking, and have a passion for sweets. I've been selling my homemade pound cakes for about a year now. When the cold weather hit, my grandmother would always bring out the chestnuts, pinzetta (a warm Italian 'bread pudding', full of figs, raisins and fennel seed, baked until golden) and hot chocolate that was thick enough to eat with a spoon. Those few things always seemed to warm my soul as I sat in front of the fire. My first rustic apple pie, complete with non-soupy insides and a golden, eggwashed exterior. I was in heaven, and haven't stopped since! One tragedy that I distinctly remember was a vegetable pot pie that I made on a whim. It was so bland and gooey that I promptly threw it all out.