@kitchen conductor
I consider recipes to be "suggestions" which means that no two dishes are ever alike for better or worse-I always cook to music. I learned to cook later in life- when I was first married, the smoke alarm would go off, and my husband would smile and say, "dinner's ready!" I love cookbooks from "clubs", small restaurants or places which have unique (and often strange) foods and recipes to try! Pet Peeves? I'm in Africa from the US, and I miss the wonderful variety of jarred spaghetti sauce the most of anything! I used it for everything--the sauces here are very expensive and full of sugar, corn syrup, etc. Also, the ice cream is awful here! UGH! full of "vegetable fat" and things like that- it all tastes artificial. No ben and jerry's or haagen dazs at all! On the bright side, the donuts and pastries and cakes here are fantastic!And the rich cape malay curries!! And the fresh tropical fruits, and the seafood, and karoo lamb, and.. :)