Married in 2005, no kids, 2 cats and a dachshund. I love slow-cooked Southwestern food--it's always so crowd-pleasing and easy to do. I also really like making vegetarian versions of traditional meat-based dishes and watching my friends and family not even miss the meat. My favorite ingredients are what I grew up with my mother using all the time: green peppers, onions, garlic, and bacon grease. You really can't make good fried potatoes without it. I finally got my own organic herb garden going, and I now use it almost every day with every dish. It makes all the difference in the world. Beef brisket, Mother's Day. It was dry and more leathery than beef jerky. *sighs*