I work in the lab as a med tech at a small specialty hospital in the Milwaukee area. I live with my husband and enjoy doing most of the cooking for us. I work third shift in a seven days on/seven days off rotation, so what I cook is dictated by my schedule. When I'm working I love slow cooker recipes and things that come together quickly on the stove. When I'm off and have the time I enjoy cooking more complicated dishes and even baking (which I'm still getting good at). Due to dietary restrictions (gastric bypass in 2006) I lean towards lean protein, whole wheat, and fresh veggies and sub healthier things in when I can: however I recognize there is a limit and have no problem indulging now and again :) My mom did a great job teaching me the cooking basics early on, and I still rely on some of her staple recipes - my mom is cooking tradition for me. On Christmas night we all sit down to a prime rib roast feast, with all the trimmings. I also love the time I've spent in the nights leading up to Christmas, stirring and forming and garnishing the many Christmas cookies and loaves of zucchini bread we'd give to the relatives :) I'm just happy cooking has turned from a necessity when I was a poor student to a hobby that I choose to do now. I am pretty proud of how impressed my relatives were with the food when I hosted a Christmas party for all the extended family at 19. They later told my mom they never expected I would have kept up with all the older aunts and cousins in the family in terms of food quantity and quality. Hah! I was making a black forest torte back at home to surprise my mom with, and I didn't want to wait for the cake layers to cool completely before adding the cool-whip topping and cherries. The whole double-layer dessert came sliding down, all over the plate and into the fridge. Ever since I've always let the cakes sit hours before frosting. Or try to... there is an incident dubbed "The Chocolate Moat Cake" that happened much more recently than I care to admit.