I think we can all agree that self-assignments are one of the best tools to get improved in photography; playing around with lighting, changing angles, modifiers ... etc without the pressure of a client around is presumably the greatest tool to get better, particularly if starting out.

I did the same here, given that food photography is my passion, I got mom to make some cupcakes for me, so that I can get some beauty shots of them, was lucky with the tray though, as she got some vintage trays which worked perfectly with my background.