Actually, we do! Well, I do. I like having recipes to give me an idea of what it would take to make something that might resemble something else. But I look at recipes like guidelines, not orders. It’s no secret that I love to improvise. I love spontaneity and the novel pleasures that arise when a happy collusion occurs between ingredients. But I’m not a trained chef or baker. I’m just a chick who enjoys playing with food!  If you think about it, over 365 days, if you eat between 4 and 5 times a day (including snacks or preparing food for others) — you have 1,500 chances to experiment!  And if you are trying to lose weight or eat healthier you have an ever greater reason to make adjustments to keep yourself interested and on track. Pan Riffing is my place to share my “riffs”  — those moments of sheer serendipity where a basic recipe off the web is made better because it’s adjusted for me! Since I’m often asked to share my recipes, I thought it would good to show you how I bend the rules. I encourage you to take what I have done and make it your own, too!