One of the questions I'm asked, is how I come up with my recipes. The truth is, I get my inspiration for my recipes from various sources.

Restaurant Menus:
This is one source for my inspiration. How many times have you been into a restaurant, and had a dish that was just so good, you had to try making it for yourself at home? I know I have. At least one of my better recipes was inspired by a dinner I had on my first anniversary at a local Italian restaurant. It's a simple matter to translate the main ingredients from the restaurant dish to your own kitchen. But to get the subtle flavors, you'll have to experiment a bit with herbs and spices to get it to taste the same. I often settle for something similar instead of exactly the same.

Contents of the Cupboard/Refrigerator:
Some of my best recipes have come from simply experimenting. I'll start with whatever I've taken out of the freezer to thaw... steak, chicken, or whatever, and then look through the cupboard and refrigerator to get some ideas on how to cook the meal. There's almost always something around your kitchen that you can use for a marinade or a sauce. You just need to have a good idea of what flavors will go well together. Just use your imagination.

Cookbook/Magazine Recipes:
You've probably seen several recipes in cookbooks or magazines that you'd like to try, or have tried. I find cookbooks, magazines, and the food section of my local newspaper to be an excellent source for recipe inspiration. If I find a recipe that I like, I'll either take the recipe, change some things a bit, and add my own touches to make it my own. Or, I may take various elements from several recipes, and combine them to create a new recipe. Another possiblity is taking a recipe, written for one main ingredient, and adapting it to use another main ingredient. Take the recipe below, for example. Pasta all'arrabiata is a common Italian recipe, in this case, instead of using arrabiata sauce for pasta, I've put it on chicken.

Don't settle for the same old meal. It's easy to find inspiration to jazz your dinners up a bit. Just look through your cookbooks or cupboards, and let your imagination run wild.

CHICKEN ALL'ARRABIATA

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg
1 Tbsp water or milk
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to season
2 Tbsp margarine
2 cloves of garlic, chopped.
1 14 oz. can of tomatoes
1/4 cup wine (red or white, whatever you prefer)
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 dash worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano

Preaheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, beat together the egg and the milk or water.

Put the flour on a plate, and combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on another plate. Season the flour with salt and pepper.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, and then dip it into the egg. Dip the chicken in the bread crumbs and parmesan, making sure to coat the chicken.

Place the chicken into a baking dish, with 1 Tbsp of the margarine, and bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over med. high heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped garlic, and cook until garlic is golden... DO NOT OVERCOOK!

Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the side of a spoon or spatula.

Add the wine, red pepper flakes, worcestershire sauce, and oregano. When the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until thickened.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven, and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.

Tim Sousa is the webmaster of a free recipe site, Classy Cooking.