I've been married for 20 years and have six children (two in college). Music, reading, and writing are my occupations when I'm not busy with family obligations. I'm trying to establish a cooking and medicinal herb garden also. I love cooking foods from other cultures. I also love to bake cookies and breads. In my house, the children begin helping with cooking and baking from about age 2. They learn to crack eggs into a cup, stir things, and add ingredients. By the time they reach age 10, my children usually are able to cook an entire recipe (with some supervision). My goal is to raise young adults who are capable and comfortable in the kitchen. My most recent triumph would be the lentil and basmati rice dish that my younger children actually *enjoyed* and asked for *seconds*! I topped it with steamed broccoli in a garlic butter sauce and I actually had no leftovers. My kids are not fond of lentils, so this was quite a success. One summer when I was 16, I made the deviled eggs for a family picnic. They looked and smelled delicious and I was so proud...until my uncle took his first bite. His eyes popped wide open! I had mistakenly and generously sprinkled the eggs with cayenne pepper instead of paprika.