After we first got married in June of '05, my husband and I survived on frozen pizza, t.v. dinners, and lots and lots of spaghetti. I'm no holly homemaker...but I got pretty darn tired of eating junk or going out every night. So, I decided to learn to cook! It's been an adventure, for sure. When I'm not making a mess in the kitchen, I'm busy with my work as a freelance writer. Currently, I write for CharityGuide.org, About.com, and a local magazine. Things I love include: reading, collecting books, watching teen angst movies from the '80s, listening to music, trying to fix up the old house I just bought, growing stuff, eating chocolate, and collecting stuffed monkeys. My husband and I love to eat Italian. I cook a lot of chicken and like imitating Italian restaurants. Few things are more fun than eating a candlelit dinner with fresh bread and herb-infused olive oil dipping sauce. Every Christmas, my mom would make the traditional holiday cookings. I loved rolling out the sugar cookie dough (and usually snuck so many bites I got sick!). Grandma Martin's brownies (with frosting!) were also a favorite. I've finally made it to the point where I can make a few really good meals. This site has been a big help (thanks, guys). Before I found it I bought tons of cookbooks and only liked one or two recipes in each one. Kind of like when you buy a c.d. and there's only one good song on the whole thing. So many, so many. When I was in college I was notorious for starting kitchen fires. My first year in the dorms I was responsible for three fires, one of which actually required us to use the fire extinguisher to put out the grease on the stovetop (I was trying to make my mom's ableskevers...) I've also been known to completely ruin frozen pizza and rolls made from pre-made and sliced dough. Sad, huh?