Why do I cook?: Ranch Dressing

I just finished reading The Amateur Gourmet in which he explores why he started cooking in the first place. Over the years many people have asked why or when I started cooking and I have always struggled with an answer. So I have decided to explore that a bit. I don't know if I can pin-point when it all began. It really has been an evolution with odd turns, set backs and progress. (This may take a few posts)
Often the next question out of someone's mouth is, 'Was your mom a cook?" Again, I always struggle to answer this question. My mom made dinner every night. We didn't eat a lot of processed or packaged food(Until our teen years which I am convinced was self-defense because the three of us ate non-stop and always had friends over. Even so, she always prepared main meals.). She made things from scratch. We were all welcome in the kitchen. There was a time where one of our chores was helping to plan and prepare dinner. (Suddenly we had homemade pizza at least once a week.) So I suppose the answer is yes. On the other hand, I don't think that is what brought on my love of cooking. It was still something that you just did to eat. I still feel like the way we approach cooking is very different. So I don't know if I can chalk it up to that. While I know that the food we ate and made growing up has shaped some of the things I do, I don't think that it spawned it. I did, however, learn that many of the things I asked for in the store were full of "junk". While I didn't know what "junk" was at the time or why it was in the salad dressing I wanted it stuck with me. Now I can find clever ways to avoid the junk....

Dilly Ranch Dressing
( all amounts are approximate)
1/4 cup each mayo, buttermilk and cottage cheese
1/3 of a clove of garlic
1 small slice of onion
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/8 teaspoon each basil and thyme
pinch of salt
fresh black pepper

Whirl it all in a blender (I like to use my immersion blender) until smooth. Adjust seasonings and liquids to get desired flavor or consistency. Go eat some salad.