I like to think of cooking as an artistic endeavor, creating art with flavor, color, and texture. I love to cook spicy food and I don't just mean spicy hot. I literally have hundreds of spices right in my own kitchen and grow herbs, vegetables, and such in the summer. I don't really have cooking family traditions. I grew up where cooking was more utilitarian. Maybe that is why I love to spice it up so much now! I have mastered traditional Indian curries, Thai street food, artisan chocolates, and hand made pasta. When I was first experimenting with baking cake without a recipe, I put in so much baking powder that even the dog wouldn't eat the wonderful smelling chocolate cake! She would smell it and try, but then just look at me like "what did you do?"