I'm a 28-year-old counselor, born and raised in New York City- home to the world's best restaurants and quite possibly the tiniest kitchens...in spite of this I love to cook, especially create new recipes using "ordinary" ingredients! I love Italian and Spanish food, so I cook a lot of recipes from those cuisines, or any dish calling for fresh ingredients and great seasonings or spices. As far as favorite cooking methods, I prefer cooking sauces, chili, or anything in a big pot or pan on the stove, where I am free to use my favorite method, the "taste test". I don't love baking, only because the recipes are so exact- I feel like there's no room to play around. But occasionally my sweet tooth gets me craving cookies and brownies...so when the mood hits, I bake! :) Growing up, whether it was a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas or a just-for-fun gathering, parties centered around a big table of delicious food. Helping my mother menu plan, and then cook, for guests was always so much fun. Now I throw my own parties, and the main focus is great food! That's what life is about- being around the people you love, eating, drinking, and laughing. My cooking style is kind of throw random spices/seasonings onto the meat or add whatever veggies I have to the pasta...more often than not loved ones can't stop eating whatever I put on the table, so I guess every day is a triumph? No "tragedies" yet, thankfully. I'm sure that will change, I have a good 50 or so years left of cooking left ;)