I live here on the Central Coast (California), literally surrounded by fields of row crops and orchards of apples. Cooking is my hobby. It has the advantage of meeting a daily need and even children think twice about interrupting someone who is preparing their dinner. I am currently an omnivore, but avoided eating meat for many years so my cookbook collection and cooking experiences are slanted towards the vegetarian end. Plus, we usually do a CSA so that means that cooking is organized around using up the box. I like that challenge. I recently went back to work full-time, after years of being part-time, so I have less time to cook than previously. But, I am still willing to put in the time to make something homemade: jam, lasagna, ricotta, tomato sauce. Past culinary obsessions: fruit desserts, panna cotta, quince, celery root, farro.