I am a teacher and my favorite things to do are cook, read, shop, drink wine, spend time with friends, travel, love on my animals, and exercise! I love to bake but don't do it unless it is for others or it is not too much fun for me...I like to share what I make. I love grilled food, seafood, and anything very flavorful. My favorite is asian cuisine but I don't cook it very often. I really don't have a lot of traditions from my family....I pretty much grew up on hot dogs and spaghetti. I love to create my own recipes. I take ideas and just go with them. Cooking for guests and family members is something I've done more of lately. It is a triumph for me because I have a hard time focusing on more than one dish at a time but I am getting much better at it! I went to a friend's house to cook a big meal for a dinner party. We were hosting it together but she is not a cook. Her oven was seriously messed up and everything burned on the bottom but did not cook all the way through. I was mortified. It was awful.