I'm a SAHM but also a fulltime grad student working on my phd in literature. i'm married to the smartest, sexiest, kindest, funniest, most most most wonderful BUT pickiest man on the planet (no, really. he doesn't like anything cheesy, creamy, fruity, healthy, or unusual to him in any way ... which is almost everything). my 6 year old son is well on his way to being the same. let's hope the baby becomes more like mom -- although he has been shunning his veggies. when i got married 8 years ago i realized that if i wanted anything other than meat-and-potatoes every day i had to learn to cook. i quickly discovered i love to cook, and i'm really good at it. my friends and my husbands' co-workers beg for me to cook for them; good for my ego and to heck with the picky family :) ! this site is my total resource; i really appreciate everyone who contributes. my soulmate is mexican, and since i was born and raised in texas, i could be by proxy, so we love mexican food. i cook a lot of veggie fare, and i'm drawn to indian/asian as well. and who can count out the baked goods? my family is jewish, and my grandmother was always worshipped for various jewish holiday dishes. my mother was a good cook but hated cooking. i was never close with my grandmother, and my wonderful mom gave up cooking as soon as we were old enough to microwave. needless to say, i didn't get a lot of cooking advice. so, we make our own traditions: lots of beans and asada, colorful cakes on every birthday, romantic meals on anniversaries, pecan-crusted fried chicken for husband-appreciation days, and we go all-out for halloween. (i'm smiling as i type) my husband's family came in for my son's birthday. a big group from both sides of his family (including 2 step-families), solid east-texas stock and solid mexican stock. i made the afore mentioned chicken, and sauteed peppers, and corn bread -- and a buttercream elmo cake, all decorated and the whole she-bang. i had them all stunned. not bad for the bookworm! um ... well, there's the time i served us undercooked chicken, still totally pink in the middle. or a cake when i mixed up baking soda and baking powder. another reason i love cooking is the life lesson you learn -- learn from your mistakes!