I have a summer fruit, vege & herb garden, do lots of canning and I also make homemade fruit wine. I'd classify myself as an intermediate cook, as I am not a 'chef' by trade and feel a person is never too old to stop learning new & different things. I am cooking a lot more these days at home since I retired, due to the economy and because we enjoy healthy cooking a lot more than the local restaurants' cooking. I am lazy when it comes to going to the grocer to pick up exact items per recipes, so you will notice adjustments in my reviews due to that. I will use what I have @ home. I raise backyard/urban chickens and integrate their manure into my mulch/compost bin for my garden. My husband loves my tacos, & guacomole; I make a fantastic spanish omlett & I love to BBQ Brisket & Ribs, Texas style, as we really don't have any good BBQ here that I have found yet. I make homemade Marzipan @ Christmas; my kids love much more than the store bought, even from Germany. Homemade Borsch (Russian Soup), biscottes, Filet of Sole & Salmon Braised in Cream (French), which impressed my boyfriend that doesn't like fish very much, enough that he asked me to marry him. Not an easy feat for someone hitting 50, ladies. Canning pickles...I love the German type and have recently found a nice recipe on line. Hoping to get enough cukes this year from my garden to try the recipe out.