in the example provided by padredeocho, I find a little problem.
one person can cook following a recipe AND do it from scratch. for instance, if the recipe calls for orange juice and you don't grab a bottle of premade juice but rather grab the fruit and squeeze it, or if you use fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones, or make your own chicken stock by boiling pieces of the bird with vegetables and spices instead of opening a can or a box of premade chicken stock, when all these ingredients are used in a preparation that follows a recipe, you ARE cooking from scratch, AND you are following a recipe. both are not mutually exclusive.
maybe padredeocho meant that his mom cooks by following her instinct, inspiration or memory, rather than from scratch.
comments and suggestions are always welcome.
kb