I went to college for chemistry and although my career choice has me mixing up stuff in the lab, one of my favorite pastimes is to experiment in my own personal laboratory (the KITCHEN!!!!). I am always trying new recipes or doing a little "R&D" on recipes that I find, to add my own flavor (figuratively AND literally!). Anything and everything!!!! Cooking is my way of showing affection to those that I love, my therapy at the end of a rough week, my comfort on a cold and rainy day. I am always on the look out for new things to cook. Luckily for me, my BF has an open mind and a broad palette. He is not afraid to try something outside of the "meat and potatoes" category and he is a willing "guinea pig" for all of my experiments. I don't really have many, as I do not have children. But many of my fondest childhood memories are in the kitchen...helping my mom make Christmas cookies, using a leftover piece of pie crust to make my dad a personal pie, my dad making us pancakes in animal shapes. If I should ever have children, I look forward to having them help me in the kitchen. I am always happy when I successfully adapt a recipe to fit what I actually have in my cupboard at the time. And I was thrilled when I did some home canning for the first time ever a few years back and actually won some ribbons at the Bloomsburg State Fair. LAYER CAKES!!! They always taste great, but for the LIFE of me, I cannot get them to look nice at all. Which is why I tend to stick with bundt cakes or quick breads. I am going to make it my own personal challenge