Hooper,
I am a total foodie and gourmet cook. I cook every day for KC, lol! Last night I deboned a chicken, stuffed it with wild mushroom stuffing, rolled it and roasted it, served with sauteed spinach and mashed potatos. If you havent checked it out already gourmet.com is by far the best place for recipes. Its has all the archives of Gourmet & Bon Appetit magazine plus ratings from people who made the dish.
I love eating but I mostly love the creative process of cooking.
My favorite cookbooks are the Silver Palate series and the Joy of Cooking is great for general knowledge. If you want to go crazy get the Larousse Gastronomique, it is the holy grail of cookbooks, like an encyclopedia really, it weighs about 20 lbs.
I think the more you cook the more you will find recipes that are simple but satisfying. If I know Im making something fancy or having a dinner party I do alot of the prep work the day before etc.
Food processors and other gadgets can also save you time and clean up. I also have a little indoor herb garden, I think most home cooks dont know the importance of fresh herbs and things like the quality of the olive oil they use etc.
I also make things in bulk that I know I can freeze like chicken broth, herb butter, etc. You can also freeze leftover wine if you ever have it and use it for cooking!
Hit me up if you ever need recipes, advice etc
ICQ 1374650