@ktelschow
I love cooking/baking things from scratch, both because it relaxes me and also because the results are usually worth the extra work! If it were a practical decision for my life, I would go to culinary school and become a pastry chef. I always have my ears open because I like to find out what people's favorite foods are so I can surprise them with something on special occassions, when they're sick, or need a little pick-me-up! I think there's something very comforting about both giving and receiving homemade food. I'm also an unabashed cookbook junkie, and taking a cue from my all-time favorite show The Office, my 5 "desert island" cookbooks are "Baking" by Dorie Greenspan, "Tartine" by Elisabeth Prueitt, "The Modern Baker" by Nick Malgieri, the 1953 Better Homes & Gardens, & "The Bride & Groom's First & Forever Cookbook".