cjsmith (reply fail, sorry) I'm sad that you used the word "hopeless" here. That says that you don't really think you can do it, and that saddens me, because the rest of your post says that you can.

You know how I learned to cook from a mom that taught me how to use the tools, but never taught me anything but recipes? I got to know the flavors and scents of herbs and spices, and what they go with. Knowing this, I can monkey with what is compatible and what is not, and come up with new things.

First things first is recipes, though. Have you ever gone wandering through websites like Yummly or Epicurious or AllRecipes and said "I wanna make that?"