I'm fairly adept, as well, and always follow a recipe exactly as written the first time.

I recently sought out and purchased a ($18!) tin of piment d' Espellette for a smoky tomato soup recipe, because it was called for in the recipe. (It was nice, but could have easily substituted a good smoky paprika instead.)

I subscribed to Cook's Illustrated and didn't renew after trying some of the magazine recipes. I was surprised at the mediocre results.