I come from a long line of amazing cooks and compared to my mother, I am just a beginner. After the recent purchase of a home, I've been cooking and entertaining several times a week. I love trying a new recipe. I try at least 4 or 5 new recipes a month and am notorious for hosting a party with recipes I've never tried before. I love soups and really enjoy making appetizers and desserts. In our family, everyone congregates in the kitchen. Our kitchen was a major deciding factor for me when it came down to choosing between homes. I love cooking alongside friends and family! A friend of mine told me that one of the soups I make is in his top 5 favorite meals of 2008. A few years ago, I was hosting a party for about 20 people. I was trying all new recipes and most everything came out well except that I didn't give myself enough time to prepare and wound up in the kitchen all night. Luckily my friends kept me company (unfortunately my kitchen at the time didn't have much seating). I wound up having to give up a few things at the end and flew through my cheesecake recipe only to have it flop horribly. It never set and frankly, I thought it tasted horrible.