I like to cook things that people really enjoy. My mom definitely influenced how I cook & how I see food. My family spent two years in Europe and both of us had to learn how to cook in a whole new environment. We were given a cookbook titled "More With Less," published by the Mennonites. Since I couldn't read labels or mixes, this taught me how to cook everything from scratch. Now that I live in the US again I am really enjoying having so many mixes available to cut down on cooking time. I love all desserts!! Especially things with an unusual ingredient. I think beverages could play a much bigger role at parties (we rely so much on soda pop!) so I've really enjoyed all the great beverage, punch, juice recipes here - especially ICED MOCHAS!! Bravo! I just began my own family - no traditions yet.