I'm often a lazy cook. When my husband and I finally manage to get home from work, it's late and we're tired. By the time we get around to thinking about dinner we only have the energy for something easy. I have my 'staples', but every now and then boredom leads me into experimentation. I've really grown a lot as a cook this way. Some good, some not so good, but at least now I know! My Dad was the cook in our family, and since he traveled with the military he liked to bring home new and sometimes strange dinner ideas. Half of which I couldn't spell if I tried. It taught me to be open to new ideas and new foods. Even the ones you don't want to ask too many questions about... I was six and mastered tuna-mac. It marked my independance and cemented a life-long love for a box of macaroni and a can of tuna fish. I've had failed experiments and stupid blunders, but I couldn't call them tragedies. If you learn from them and laugh them off (and always keep a frozen pizza around) then it's easier to refer to them as experiences rather than failures. Who's really going to care in 5 years that you managed to completely destroy a stainless steel and copper saucepan steaming broccoli?