I am a southerner who grew up on great home cooked food prepared by my mom. We rarely went out to eat, and I am trying to follow the same suit nowadays. I started learning to cook after I got married and had to call my mom and mother-in-law every time I made anything! Now, I am a little too brave in the kitchen and am not afraid to tackle anything, even if the end result is ... well, not the tastiest, ha! I love grilling fish, home made soups, and rich desserts. I also love trying anything new that I find at the store that week, such as new spice rubs, cheeses, or salad dressings. Our current focus is on being healthy, so I usually stick with lean proteins, whole grains, and veggies on a day to day basis. Every year, my parents and I rotate the holiday meals so we each get to cook one. That way, the whole family gets the traditional meal that we grew up on, as well as my own spin on the traditional spread. After my disastrous first try at potato soup, I finally came up with my own signature recipe that several people have told me is "the best potato soup they have ever had." I also make some great chili that I call "Drunk Deer Chili." I recently made up a gumbo recipe that I am also very proud of and can't wait to make again. The first time I made potato soup was a complete disaster. My mom told me to use flour to thicken the soup, but she left out the part that I have to cook the flour in the fat before I move on. So I added the flour to an already full pot of soup. When it didn't thicken, I added more and more until I ended up with what tasted like flour soup! Ugh! Oh, and one time I tried to make homemade coconut lime sorbet and for some reason, it never froze completely. I never did figure that one out.