I would love to be able to cook extravagant dinners, but with 2 young sons and a daughter on the way, time is crucial. Plus my husband is a finicky eater, so it can be a challenge. Pies and cakes, (I don't want to eat them, just bake them) comfort foods like meatloaf, stews, and soups, and light summer salads. I always host Christmas Eve at my home and have made it a tradition to serve beef stew, warm crusty bread, and a homemade pumpkin pie for dessert. My specialties are my pumpkin pies, German chocolate cake, and carrot cake. I have also started making jams and jellies from the goodies (grapes, plums, apples, and cherries) that grow in my own backyard. More than one of my attempts at Asian cooking have ended up as food for the local stray cat population. When life settles down around here, I can't wait to take a class and make some edible outcomes.