I love cooking without recipies ... like others here ... seeing what you can make from leftovers and stuff around the house.
Also big holiday meals, and parties. My wife throws shoe parties and I cook for all the women. This is great fun. Also every time she buys shoes I buy headphones, so it works all around.
One pot and slow cook -- this is what I focus on for the big gatherings (making mulitple dishes like this). And I like to cut down the fat by using e.g. turkey instead of beef, chicken instead of pork, skim milk instead of cream, reduced-fat cheese, that sort of thing. I like big heavy cast iron pots in a convection oven (rather than the electric slow cookers).
At xmas, my brother-in-law, who follows recipies closely and cooks classic Italian, shares my kitchen. I do throw-together. My dishes often tie or beat his, IMHO anyway! One of the guests last year actually said to him "Don't you feel bad, you slave all day on your dish, and Larry just whipped something up and it is just as good!".
Plus he listens to Bose.