I taught myself to cook when I was in high school. At that time, I didn't cook much other than chicken dishes, ground beef dishes, pasta dishes, and of course lots of baked goods! I enjoy making my own recipes and rarely use cookbooks except for inspiration. Sometimes I have a difficult time duplicating things I've made since I rarely use exact measurements. But I love experimenting in the kitchen! lamb, chicken, pot roast, pasta, potatoes, and all sorts of breakfast foods My great-grandmother is the main cook in my family. She taught me how to make a mean pot roast. My grandmother was an omelette and grilled cheese master (she was great with a frying pan). My mom makes good comfort foods. One of my favorite family recipes is a Hungarian dish called Chicken Paprikash (paprika chicken). I think this is the dish that defines our family "tradition". I played caterer for my parents' business party (guest list of over 100)...made an Egyptian chicken dish (along with other things) to feed about 150. The task was huge since I don't have industrial-sized cooking equipment! I have made some great desserts (cakes, cookies, etc.) and am pretty proud of my pot roast as well as my homemade alfredo sauce. I've also been told that I make the best twice-baked mashed potatoes ever! The worst dish I ever created was sour cream pork chops. It was a disaster from appearance to taste (and everything in between)! I don't know for sure where it went wrong as I cook with sour cream all the time, but it was completely inedible. I also attempted to make homemade filled pasta (chicken cappelletti), key word being "attempted". It was quickly eaten...by the garbage disposal.