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I always take whatever leftover meat we have from dinner the night before and turn it into a breakfast burrito. I scramble up some eggs with whatever veggies I find in the fridge, throw in the meat to warm it up, top with cheese, salsa, and cilantro if I've got some. Wrap it up in a warm tortilla for breakfast on the go.

I miss my Grandma's cooking period. She'd wake up every morning before anyone else and make homemade tortillas. Not these thin flavorless ones you see at the grocery store. They were thick and soft and so delicious. For the holidays she always made a ton of homemade tamales and for dessert, empenadas with some kind of fruit filling. They were so delicious warm, didn't need any sugar or anything on them. She made steak with beans and papas fritas that I just can't recreate. But then again I just can't bring myself to cook with shortening.

Thanks so much for all of the input! While I love to cook, this is my first place big enough to have a cookout, (luckily I won't be manning the grill). I'm glad to see that I won't have to be doing much cooking during the party. I've just never had the opportunity to make a lot of salads, (my boyfriend hates them, I love them). It gives me an opportunity to try out some new recipes. -Zucchini, I'd love to see your sweet and sour recipe.

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for but in mid-May the National Restaurant Association holds it's annual show at McCormick Place in Chicago. They take over the entire center. Anything having to do with restaurant/hospitality is there (ie food distributors, wine/beer, dishes, chefware). Plus they have seminars for those in the biz, a culinary contest, an ice carving competition, a separate world cuisine show, and this year the national candy show fill run the two days after the show. I think this would be a good place to start, besides Chicago is absolutely beautiful in May.

I saw a magazine article where the made different flavored vodka with vanilla bean, one had chili peppers in it (for yummy bloody mary's), I think another was fruit (watermelon and strawberry?). I think the possibilities are endless. I've tried doing the candy flavored vodkas with jolly ranchers. Trick is with any flavored vodka is to shake it everyday and then strain it really well when you're done. I think when the blueberries are ripe I'm going to try making blueberry vodka and mix it with lemonade. Another tip, if while you're experimenting you don't want to spend a fortune on expensive vodka, buy cheaper vodka and filter it through a brita type pitcher before you flavor it. It's not going to come out Chopin but it's better than it would have been.

There was a quiz like this in the last Food Network Magazine and I thought it was ridiculous. I just love to cook. Sometimes it's from a recipe, sometimes it's based on what delicious fresh veggies I found, if I'm having a party of course I'm going to try and impress, and when I find a specialty food/sauce that I get hooked on, I make up whatever I can just to find new ways to have it. I think the Food Network quiz said that I was a comfort cook, that I just focused on getting food on the table. But when my boyfriend comes home from work and is hungry (you know he's starving when he walks in and says "are we ever going to eat again", : ) slightly dramatic), I throw together the best that I can in half an hour.

My garlic press, I'm surprised I haven't worn it out yet.

I've just started doing this with my mom, kind of. She's recently separated and there's only two of us in my house. There always seems to be about one serving leftover that never gets eaten. So I bought divided storage containers, pack up one meal for her, date it, mark what it is, and stick it in the freezer for her. I deliver the meals to her about once a week and she returns the empty containers. It works out great.