A to B through Z

Recently I read a blog by a pretty popular homebrewer about how he uses miller light to test new varieties of hops before throwing them into full batches of beer. Using a bland, familiar base to become acquainted with an unknown variable seemed like a brilliant idea to me and I made a quick note to try this out some time. A few days later it dawned on me that this is precisely the method I used to work my way through my mother's spice rack as a teen. When my friend Dustin was visiting a few weeks ago he kept poking me about how I plan meals, how I think about cooking, and why I wasn't using a recipe. As usual, I shrugged and probably gave an unhelpful and sarcastic answer. I have a few good cookbooks (Joy of Cooking is my jam) and obviously an internet brimming with shitty advice, but mostly this goes ignored or lightly-referenced. There are a handful of tried-and-true recipes that Ann has faithfully transcribed but I couldn't tell you where she keeps "our" c