I love trying new recipes and especially ones from other parts of the country or other countries entirely. roast beef, leg of lamb, beef stew,stir-fry, cakes, pies, cookies, breads... all of it really. My favorite cooking tradition was making pancakes with my mother every saturday morning. We tried many different recipes. As simple as it sounds having a pie crust turn out right for the first time felt like my greatest triumph. I baked a cake for my Mom's birthday when I was 15, and didn't realize baking powder can lose it's effectiveness through time and it was a very flat cake but Mom was a good sport and ate it anyway.