I teach special ed, enjoy crocheting (and the other hobbies I've listed). I first learned to boil water at the age of 10 and never looked back. My dad and family recipes that have been passed down are my biggest cooking influences. So that would make my core dishes come from the Irish and German culture. I like to bake all the time but I also like to use anything with chicken in it because you can do so much. baking cookies on Christmas Eve for Santa and chili on Sunday during football season. The first time I read a recipe from a recipe book and cooked it for my dad, since he was sick. He loved it and raved about how good it was. Several first degree burns.