I am a dental hygienist who has an associates degree in commercial food and baking and my husband is a baker. I have been cooking for as long as I could remember. I am a self-proclaimed foodie and food snob! I love cooking gourmet. However, cooking everyday I have to do things a bit simpler. I rarely cook the same thing twice and am addicted to AR! I now have an economical method to my cooking, I see what is on sale then I find recipes to utilize the ingredients. I am amazed how much money I have wasted in the past. I like trying different recipes every time I cook but I love baking desserts (not necessarily cakes), italian, healthy, and of course, gourmet food! My family did not have many cooking traditions. At Thanksgiving we had Sausage Stuffing which was my grandmother's recipe. At Christmas, mom and I would spend two days making over a dozen different cookies, wrapping them up and handing out as gifts. Beef tenderloin with cranberry and gorgonzola sauce. The meat literally melted in your mouth. Triple chocolate mousse torte. My first Thanksgiving in our brand new home...turkey was raw. Also, made my ex boyfriend his favorite dish...baked chicken and Stove Top, I never made Stove Top before and left it on the stove instead of letting it sit. He laughed about me going to cooking school and not being to cook Stove Top! And rice, I can not cook rice to save my life! And who could forget an undercooked cheesecake! The center had a pudding constiency. I was about to toss it however it was scarfed down within minutes. Everyone had dug in with their spoons!