About 20 years ago I became a vegetarian, so I guess I began to cook out of necessity. Now I am a recipe junkie! With four children it gets a bit crazy in our kitchen. My favorite cooking experience is when the kids and I work together on a meal. In our house, having everyone at the table for dinner is a priority, and it is that much better when each person has contributed something. We like homestyle recipes and healthy vegetarian dishes that are easy to prepare from common ingredients. I'm a pretty basic cook, so a typical dinner in our home would include a main dish like enchiladas or pot stickers, a veggie or bean side dish, a salad and (always) a big bowl of fruit. We also like Amish dishes so I am always on the lookout for veggie versions of potpies and things. My favorite food authors are Nava Atlas and Laurel Robertson - their books are staples in my kitchen. On holidays we always do a special breakfast of eggs benedict (fresh spinach instead of bacon - yum), homestyle potatoes, veggie bacon and a mixed berry salad. We use the good china and the kids make mock mimosas with OJ seltzer. It's a nice family time together before company comes. Vegan chocolate raspberry cake with espresso ganache. Wow! Once I made a BBQ tofu dish for my sister-in-law and her husband. I hadn't tested it beforehand and it was totally inedible! Everyone was polite but the tofu remained on everyone's plate. Taught me to *always* try recipes out beforehand!