That changed for me when I decided that I wanted Waterzooie, dammit. I hadn't had it in over a decade, there were no restaurants that featured it, so I combed my recipe books. It gave me a surprising amount of confidence.

On the other hand, my sister owns a cookbook, called "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen" and considers the recipes in there to be a little difficult, so I know not everyone has the muse for cooking.