Recipes - why they dont work for me

I longingly finger glossy recipe books - ogle at those written in magazines , drool over the pictures and finally get up my courage to try one of them on a saturday afternoon. So i shop for all the stuff i need gather them on the kitchen counter and with total dedication get into it. After i marinate, grind, saute, stir and grill or bake the stuff i turn out is a far cry from what i thought it would turn out to be. For a long time i thought it was my fault which i strange coz am a decent cook turning out perfectly enjoyable meals and an occasional exotic dessert ,too. I mentioned this to my Mother one day and the Keeper of all Mysterious Knowledge aka Mother told me why they never work so i pass it on to you. She said " They always leave out a key ingredient : if it is mentioned in the list of required items then they never tell you when to put it in or they tell you when to put something in but leave it out of the list so you never know how much. Ha- i thought so that is the flaw! "and" she continued " it isthe same with crochet or knitting. I pass on the wisdom to you so either only go by your mother's aunt's or some other kind souls recipe that was told to you properly and when you want the stuff in glossies just order or go to a restaurant.