For years, I have watched the various cooking channels, like FoodTV.  I've TiVo'd my favorite chefs, and saved some of the episodes that have food I want to make.

I play those episodes back with notebook in hand, taking notes on ingredients, temperatures, time, and those handy little tips they throw out there.

I don't cook for friends very often, but when I do, it always rocks the house.  And there's two reasons.

First, I will cook whatever meal I'm going to serve, a few days before the meal.  Yes, literally.  It's a complete practice run.  I eat some, and give the rest away to friends, or folks at church.  This is what the TV folks do.  You don't really think that they are cooking the meal just once, do you?  It's called "editing".  But for me, I use the practice to workout things like timing, getting the spice just right, etc.  Cooking it the second time in just a few days is SO MUCH EASIER.

My second reason why it turns out so well is that I don't try anything new "on my own".  My experimenting could be wonderful, or disastrous...with an equal chance of either.  So, I literally do everything that my favorite chefs do.  I record the programs, which I watch in my kitchen on an under counter TV.  I follow along step-by-step, pausing as needed for me to catch up.  My friends think I'm a super-creative cook, but it's totally copied, from some very original chefs.

Try those two tactics and see if you won't start turning out some wonderful dishes.

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog