I love to try and cook. I'm pretty good, but I'm not saying I'm great. So that's exactly why I wanted to learn from the best. There's a certain type of bonding that happens when you cook with people you love.

With every job you get more comfortable, you do better, you're more confident.

I learned to cook by watching and helping my mother in the kitchen. I also learned by trial and error. Even though I'm big on recipes, I love to make up my own dishes and when you take a risk in the kitchen, you learn a lot about food!

I'm constantly trying to make myself better, to learn more. I didn't finish college, so I feel like I'm always having to prove myself. I don't want to feel like the smallest person in the room.

Even though my grandparents live overseas and are so far away and we talk as much as we can, we don't see each other that often.

Girls weekend with the 'Vampire Diaries' girls has become a big deal! It's our quality time. It's so much fun to unload and not feel guilty complaining or talking about your insecurities or bonding over things that you thought you were on your own about.

I only want to keep moving up and up in terms of quality and be careful with perception. I don't just want to do things that are the pretty girl with lots of makeup, I want to get into the gritty stuff and get down and dirty and dark and really feed my soul and not my vanity.