With a new recipe, I like the quantities to be listed so I can get a proportion and "feel" just looking at the recipe, for what the recipe is supposed to be like (both texture and taste). I may automatically adjust some quantities (especially spices and flavors) even the first time I make the recipe, just because I know what I enjoy. I seldom will try a recipe with no quantities listed, unless I am already familiar with a similar recipe. On my old stand-bys, I toss things in without measuring, and substitute one thing for another (since sometimes I get bored with the same-old same-old) until it looks about right. In this way I somewhat follow the way my Mother cooked, with a pinch of this and a dash of that.