Next time you make a stew be sure to add Worcestershire Sauce, or anything with beef, that really helps add a special kick.
if your not sure about spices go to the section of the grocery store that has all the little packages of seasonings and lil recipes on the back. They're actually pretty good, and easy and a nice variety. Also get the seasoning mixes like, Italian seasoning, Tex-Mex, Creole, Steak---Those are really great and give you a nice blend so you don't have to pick and choose with herbs.
Also make sure if you make any dish esp. stew, every time you add tomatoes to something add a bit of salt, or salt them before you put them in, it makes a difference.
An easy thing I used to make was a can of kidney beans, a can of stewed tomatoes (Mexican stewed if you can get them), heat that up in a pot. Then drain it and put it on a tortilla with cheese and some salsa. It's very fast, you could also cook up a bit of ground beef (use some taco seasoning) and make tacos, or dump it all over some lettuce and make a taco salad (use Thousand Island dressing).
Also beef and chicken stock (bullion) is great to add to things to kick them up, just go easy on any additional salt because they have plenty of their own.
And well another good thing is get used to leftovers. That way you can take the time to make a few diff meals in a week and then eat it for a few days. We do that all the time, or you can freeze the leftovers and have your own TV dinners.
I would invest in a few good cookbooks. Go to a store (2nd hands good too) flip through some, make sure they have a ton of pictures and that your drawn to them. I'm very picky about cookbooks, if it doesn't appeal to me I won't use it. Just get a few you like and start going through them and making what?s in them. Once you get used to cooking a bit, some of the more involved recipes are not as intimidating. Hell you might even like it, it's a nice hobby to have.
Ven