I would have to say I'm a traditionalist when it comes to cooking. All of my recipes are starters - since I can never actually follow a recipe exactly, seems I always have something that it 'needs'. I learned basics from my mother, and my grandmother while standing on stools. You could say it's in my blood. Chipotle BBQ Chicken (my own recipe - maybe I'll share it one day ;) Succulent Apple Pie (my own recipe - maybe I'll share it one day ;) Granola Homemade Bread (not in a bread machine) Veggies (usually on skewers) Looking back, some of my most favorable memories are all of us sitting around the kitchen table with our own wax paper, bowls of flour, cookie cutters all over the place... making our yearly Christmas cookies. The smell still transports me to 6 years old... even though we've been known to carry the tradition today when we're all still together. I would have to say that my greatest triumph is that our 2 year old boy LOVES his veggies. I usually make a broth of vegetable starter, and a little chicken starter (Better Than Buillion), and parboil each veggie separately. I always play with my colors, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Put them on skewers, and he'll tear 'em up everytime. My husband and I lived in Columbus, OH for a while, and there we started "Misfits Thanksgiving" since there were so many of us from somewhere else. It's always such a great time, and I really get to stretch my cooking arms and cook once again like I did in my family growing up. We really enjoy it.