I love food & entertaining! I like to experiement with new recipes & love to venture out, experience new restaurants, then try to recreate foods I've enjoyed. Baking & cake decorating is another hobby. I find the tedious focus it requires, oddly, somewhat relaxing. Rich Pasta Dishes, Roasted & Grilled Meats & Vegetables, all Seafood variations, anything incorporating Asparagus (my fave veggie), Decorated Cakes & all sorts of Pies (especially custard & fruit types) The day of cooking that has always been at the center of Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations; Grilling out with family & friends; My parents' delicious steaks (Mama's marinade/Daddy's grilling) - better than any restaurant I've ever tried; As a child, helping my Grandmama make her homemade German Chocolate Cake & my Mama make her homemade Chocolate Meringue Pie & savoring them afterward; Daddy's homemade chicken & dumplings. Recreating my Mama's Chocolate Meringue Pie & Grandmama's German Chocolate Cake on the 1st try; Decorating my son's 1st, 2nd & 3rd birthday cakes - soon to do the 4th; Creating my version of a delicious pasta salad from a Memphis deli - it's always a hit at family gatherings. I still have not mastered my Dad's gravy - after many many tries - just can't seem to get it right. Also, many 'burnt offerings' for roommates while learning to cook on a gas stove.