I am a father of 3 children. My wife and I have been married for almost 10 years. Soups are so easy, yet so diverse, we truely love the wintertime, for we can go overboard on soups. Frying comes next (with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans being a family favorite that gets cooked at least once a month). Next to this is sautee and grill items. Hoppin' John and BBQ are my family "traditions"... Breads are by far and away one of those things that you learn through error. I can safely say I feel very comfortable making bread now. I do not recommend bread making machines, as "hands on" tends to allow you to really get to know what bread is, and how it is made. The machines leave something When I was a child, I burnt a steak to death on the grill. The grill took some time to get used to, including chicken (over and underdone), and bbq (over chared). Making bread was also a tragedy originally, with bread that didn't rise, or did but too much, or was burnt. Bread was hard... but now, a true enjoyment.