I LOVE to make new deserts!! I love to make things better\different, so I play with the recipe after the first time - I do make notes on how I change it though. I involve my kids on cooking - I hope all my boys love to cook as much as I do!! I can make a meal for 5 out of just about nothing! I don't really recall any cooking tragedies - I may have over cooked a stake a time or two - but then again, that depends on who you are serving it too (my brother must like to eat shoe leather - his order usually is followed by "burn it"). :P