I've been cooking so long I don't even remember learning. By the time I was eight I could make a family meal. Although cooking is fun, I hate the clean up! Most of what I cook lately has to do with time and energy: anything quick, easy to make, very little time in the kitchen. I would love to be home all the time to create masterpieces in my kitchen, but unfortunately I have to go to work every day! I love to make home-made spaghetti sauce and home-made pasta to match. Casseroles are also one of my specialties. You can't beat making a one-pot meal for easy clean up. Every Christmas I spend hours in the kitchen making all kinds of cookies and candies. I especially like the no-bake kinds that go together quickly, and get eaten just as fast. One of the best meals I ever made was a steak-and-shrimp, six course dinner, created and served for my brother and his wife in honor of their 25th wedding anniversary. I spend weeks planning it and cooked all day, and it was worth it! My daughter thinks I missed my calling and should have been a professional. When I was about 8 years old I was making home-made cocoa and accidentally tipped the salt box into the mix. I made the cocoa anyway and pretended there was no problem, but the saltiness could not be hidden from my family!