I have three sons, ages 13, 12, and 9, who are very picky eaters (especially the middle one). Their favorite meal is a bowl of buttered pasta. I try to cook things that they might enjoy trying, but they're not always willing to try new things. My oldest is getting better. He actually eats real food much of the time now! In my spare time I teach second grade. I have introduced my students to cooking and/or new foods over the years. We've even baked cakes in my roaster right in the classroom! I love to try all sorts of new recipes, so I don't really have a favorite thing to cook. I go in phases, really. I've been doing more cupcake and cake decorating lately. I'll try almost anything if I think my family will eat it. I love making the pumpkin pies and other desserts for Thanksgiving. I always like to try one new dessert for each holiday. Baking Christmas cookies is a tradition that goes back as long as I can remember. I've made some pretty cool cakes for my boys' birthdays. They include a firetruck, baseball, football, and Pokeball. I've also used shaped pans to decorate everything from Barney and Elmo, Power Ranger, Jeff Gordon's #24 racecar, a dog and dog house, and most recently, a monkey and a penguin. One of my best triumphs has been teaching my boys to cook. They'll never go hungry. The first time I cooked a turkey I relied on my thermometer to tell when it was done. It wasn't.