My idea of cooking used to be heating up a box of something, then I realized how much I missed my mom's homemade cooking and I forced myself to learn. Now I love it and am getting more advanced in my repertoire. Pastas, cookies, quick breads, generally things that don't take a lot of time but are really tasty, dips, appetizers, chicken, curries, salads. I try to incorporate a lot of healthy foods as well but there's some sacrifices I'm just not willing to make (low-fat cheese? never!) My mom's a great cook--she cooks a wide variety of meals that are definitely more "gourmet," I love pretty much anything she makes and it's generally on the healthy side (except like me, she loves cheese). My mother-in-law is also a great cook and a completely different style--more "soul food," homecooking, she's had to incorporate much healthier ingredients since she got diabetes though. Finally my husband is an awesome cook! He's a fantastic pizza chef (from making his own dough to sauce) and makes some great homecooked meals like smoked ribs. Pasta dishes are generally my best! What can I say, I love carbs. I make a mean butternut mac and cheese and tortellini with a gorgonzola cream sauce. I've gotten to be a much better cookie baker as well and they turn out tasty nearly every time. I'm also getting more into soups and have started making stuff up. Well since I haven't been cooking that long, I've made tons of mistakes for sure. Sometimes stuff just comes out bland. It took me like 5 times to finally make a chicken soup that didn't taste like nothing.