For some of you, cooking without a recipe is like swimming the English Channel without a rescue boat following behind. But not every recipe is a good one, and sometimes you don't have the right ingredients to make it. What do you do? 

You trust yourself. And you trust your taste buds. 

A couple of weeks ago, my sister needed help making dinner for some friends who just had a baby. It was cold and she doesn't cook much, so we made soup. Nothing fancy. Just meat and vegetables simmered with some tomatoes and herbs; you know the drill. But I encouraged her to taste as she went. She'd slurp and think and suggest. "Maybe some oregano?" "I think more salt?" "Some fresh parsley might be nice." We tasted at every stage, and her instincts were good every time. She's not some crazy soup taster; she just took her time, thought about it, and ended up with "the best soup" this couple had ever had. 

The same thing happened to me this week with this mac and cheese. I uses the same building blocks as one I've made before, but I didn't look at a recipe. I just cooked and tasted as I went. At one point, the cheese sauce was too rich, didn't have enough heat, and was a bit one-note. I added red pepper flake, lots of black pepper, and a dollop or two of Dijon mustard to amp up the heat and cut through the richness of the cheese. In just a few minutes, I had the perfect flavor that made me go mmmmm and nod my head really fast. 

I'm telling you, you can trust yourself. Trust your taste buds. Taste as you go, think about what might make it better, and go with it. What's the worst that can happen? Your dinner doesn't taste super awesome and you'll know never to put rosemary in enchiladas again. Your kitchen is supposed to be a fun place, not a stressful one. Change your attitude, and you'll probably change your food.