*DISCLAIMER: Robert is the chef in our house. I cook so that we'll survive. He cooks because he likes it and also likes to try new things. I once made something that was so horrid looking I wouldn't eat it. (I believe there was hamburger, stove top, and some type of soup involved. It looked like geriatric dog food.) For Robert, it's different, when he tries things, they work! Also for him, as I like to explain it: "It's chemistry you can eat."
Robert and I got hooked on the show "Top Chef" during its first season and ever since then we have become (somewhat) aspiring foodies. We now watch Top Chef, Iron Chef, the new show Chopped, and a lot of random stuff on the Food Network. We still don't know what half of the words or ingredients are, but we're trying.
Case in point: Robert's birthday. What did he want? His own cheesemaking kit. Behold. 
Robert is making his first batch of mozzarella, which you have to heat up and stretch repeatedly to get the right consistency. 
This is the finished product, along with his cookbook, and the fancy-schmancy $8 organic milk that was used.
In use, grated for our homemade pizza.
The cheesemaking took place before Thanksgiving I believe, but here are some of our more recent attempts.
Strawberry Smoothie Cheesecake and Peanut Butter Pie for the Easter brunch with our small group from church.
Homemade Pesto, in process and complete. It was yummo!
*2nd DISCLAIMER: Though we are aspiring foodies, we like to place GREAT emphasis on the aspiring part. We went to lunch for Boston's Restaurant Week and ate at one of the Top 50 restaurants in the U.S. That same weekend, we ate barbeque and key lime pie. Take a wild guess which one we preferred. What's that saying about taking the people out of the country...
In summary, come and visit us sometime, I promise I won't cook.
