I have been cooking since I was about eight years old, when my mother told me to make roast beef. I don't know why anyone thinks roast beef is difficult, if an eight year old could throw it in the oven, how hard can it be? I enjoyed cooking, and had a lot of cookbooks. One of my favorites is the Wartime Edition of the American Women's Cookbook (I have a 1942 edition at home). One of my mother's friends discovered The Galloping Gourmet, and I was hooked! I was about thirteen, and I took over cooking for the family (just my mother and I). I watched a lot of PBS cooking specials, and then I was fortunate enough to have a roomate who is a Certified Professional Chef.

Now, I have son, Spane, who, I am happy to say, likes most of what I make. He really likes vegetables! His favorite vegetables are brocolli and beets.  He is now helping me in the kitchen - he makes salad, measures ingredients, reads recipies to me (the computer with BigOven on it is in the livingroom), and just is joyous helper in the kitchen.

I really like making Italian inspired dishes, and just about anything spicy. Recently, I started baking again - this may be because I live in California, and my heater doesn't work, so when it gets cold, I bake cookies.

I am fortunate to live in Glendale, which has a large Armenian population, and Armenian groceries and butchers. Yum! There is nothing like walking into an Armenian market, especially after they have been roasting barley or grinding coffee beans for Armenian coffee.

I like cooking with the freshest ingredients. My local grocer always has farm fresh produce, and my butcher will cut the meat to order. With that said, I have a foodsaver, so I buy meat in bulk, and vacuum seal/freeze it.