Everyday Cooking

I've noticed that when I watch a someone cooking I get so much more than if they just gave me the recipe. This is especially true with family. I will remember eating what a person made and then going back in my mind to seeing them actually make the dish. It may be a secret to put a little less of one ingredient and a little more of another - you have to watch their hands.
For a lot of cooks a recipe is a point of reference, with cooking - not baking. Depths of flavor and an abundance of a certain ingredient change the taste of something all the time. And a real cook will take any food - making a dish their own and it will taste good every time. Also, a real cook is happy to share or show a technique.
Everyday eating is about plain and simple cooking. Just cooking with the flavors available to you at certain times of the year, for the most part, may not need a recipe. Browsing through cookbooks for ideas and inspirations is always helpful, but seeing beautiful whole foods in their natural state just may be all the inspiration you need to put a few flavors together to make one amazing dish.
If you're having a hard time seeing through the obstacle of creating a meal, use just a few ingredients per dish to make it easier on yourself. Then the more you cook, the more you can branch out to add different flavors. For everyday cooking, chuck the recipe book - leave the stress behind and just simply cook.