I am an Italian American and this influences my cooking. I learned to cook by reading and trying new recipes. I also exercise daily. Whatever makes my husband or guests happy. For myself, I cook simple and nutritious food because I am diabetic. Each year I make homemade ravioli for the holidays. My process takes about 5 hours so I start the night before (making the stuffing) and finish the next day by preparing the dough and putting them together. I never thought I would learn to cook as well as I have. All one needs to do is read (especially this site) and you can create yummy food. People rarely turn down an invitation. Also, my ice cream sandwiches are always a hit. Once I reversed baking soda and baking powder in a lamb stew recipe and it wasn't the same. It's a good thing only my parents were guests for dinner.