I love to cook for family and friends. To me, cooking not only provides the nutrition we need to live, but feeds the soul, shows love and affection, and provides an outlet for creativity. Most of my favorite things to cook are tried and true family recipes, sometimes jazzed up with my own variations and additions... Beer Beef Stew, Chicken Pot Pie, Mom's Goulash, Mom's Spaghetti and Meatballs, Nanny's Fresh Raspberry Pie. My favorite cooking tradtions center around Christmas. In my home, it's not Christmas without Homemade Nuts 'n Bolts, Mocha Balls, Ham Pasties, Aunt Mary's Whipped Shortbread and Mabel's Ginger Crinkles. All these recipes, and more, have been passed on with love, from family and friends. My cooking triumphs have come from varying recipes that I've read and sound interesting... or from trying to re-create a dish I/we have enjoyed in a particular restaurant. Some successes have been my Caribbean Salsa with Grilled Chicken, Calina's Inspired Sausage Hotpot, and Secret Ingredient Chili. A Chinese style stir-fry where I used purple cabbage... tasted okay but looked disgusting ! A few baking disasters where I have forgotten a key ingredient. And I leave coleslaw making to anyone but me !