I don't enjoy cooking very much - I get annoyed doing all the work just to have something come out as "ehhh". Then my daughter won't eat it or says it tastes like "cow poo". I'm recently single after 10 years marriage to someone who was impossible to cook for and am seeing someone who likes everything - makes a WORLD of difference, and now I'm starting to like cooking a bit. Stuff without a ton of ingredients. I don't like spending a fortune on spices. Since most Italian food comes out good, I enjoy cooking that. Things that make good leftovers are great too. Mom hated to cook, so there's no traditions. Because she didn't enjoy it and considered it a chore, I've got the same attitude. Hmmm...I didn't panic when I didn't have the EXACT ingredients in the recipe I was making last week (Flatlander Chili). I cook like a scientist in a lab - if it's written down a certain way, I make it exactly like that. I typically don't deviate for fear of ruining it. My chili came out just great, so it was a good day for me. Of course, I had read the suggestions of the recipe's reviewers and that's what kept me cool and saved the dish. Maybe a roast chicken that was still raw inside. Because I don't deviate, there's usually no tragedies, just boring.