I am ther mother of three young sons and married to a Mexican. This helps me in the kitchen because I always consult with him about different mexican dishes and if the taste authentic. I love to cook mexican dishes. Fried beans and mexican rice are served almost everday in my home. My sons love all the bold flavors of mexican food and of coarse, my husband does also. My favorite, but not usual, tradition would be me cooking in the kitchen and my husband watching my boys. A nice quiet kitchen. However, usually my boys are hanging on my legs and full of needs the moment I step foot in the kitchen. Mexican rice. Yep, this was difficult to master. It has to have a perfect balance of rice and water and most importantly---the lid can not be removed while cooking. That last one, not remving the lid, was the hardest because I love to see what's going on. Usually, the first time I try to make up recipes and wing them as I go along. Now I have created a recipe book for myself and also for my family (who used to call all the time to be walked through a recipe).