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foodnetwork.com has so many recipes. Sandra Lee has a show called Semi Homemade on foodnework which, like the name states, has you use items that are semi made or made but then add other things to it to create a home cooked meal. Most of those recipes are based on the episode so they will have complementary recipes for sides or other items to go with it.
My one advice when using recipes, make sure you read it over at least once before cooking. I’ve cooked before fully reading the recipe and I’ve missed something here and there and the recipe didn’t turn out the right way. Once I tried it again though, it would come out great.
Also, don’t get discouraged. If it’s something you really want to do you can do it. I also recommend the movie Ratatouille. The motto in it is “Anyone can cook!” (It's also a really cute movie lol)
allrecipes.com is an excellant resource for recipes. It has a ton of recipes that you can try in many different skill levels.
skinnytaste.com has some great, easy, healthy recipes.
I don't really cook either- luckily, DH loves to cook, so he does the majority of it. My cooking skills are non-existent unless I have a recipe to follow- I can't make anything up on my own.
If you haven't already, invest in a crockpot. They're only like, $30. There are a lot of recipes for crockpots that just include, "Open cans. Pour into crockpot. Turn on low for 6 hours." Then voila- dinner!
Real Simple has a ton of really easy to follow recipes. They have a section for easy weeknight meals and recipes that use 5 or less ingredients.
GL!
Start by buying a cookbook. Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (it has a red & white cover) is a good starter cookbook.
Try to make a goal to make 1 new recipe a week. You'll mess up sometimes, that's fine, EVERYONE MESSES UP WHILE LEARNING! Like learning any new skill, practice makes perfect.
Also, watch Food TV. Some things a cookbook doesn't describe well in writing, but watching someone doing you'll be like "oh, that's what they mean!"
I 2nd the Home and Gardens cookbook. I also purchased How to Cook Everything for my FI. It's helped him in understanding the basics.
Some recipes fail to include simple instruction like "grease the pan" but after you've forgotten to do that once, you'll likely never do it again. 
It takes practice so just get in there and you'll figure it out.
Don't be afraid to alter the recipe. I think a lot of people get hung up on them not having all the same ingredients that the recipe calls for. But spices you can switch around, veggies you can switch around, mostly everything can be altered depending on what you have. I'd start with some easy all-in-one meals, where you don't have to worry about side dishes. Cook up some pasta and then in a frying pan start grilling up some garlic and onions (in oil on medium heat), then throw in whatever other cut up veggies. Once the veggies are cooked up stir is some tomato sauce and spices and you've got a bit nicer pasta dish (especially covered in cheese).
Couscous is also super simple to cook up with grilled veggies and meat. Alot of times we'll just make a simple soy/peanut butter sauce or something along those lines to make it flavorful.
I think I'd try to learn sauces - those are usually the most finicky yet flavorful parts of a meal, so once you learn those everything else is pretty easy to switch around.
First – I think the biggest problem that people have is overcoming the fear of being a “bad cook” or someone who “can’t cook”. You CAN cook - 90% of cooking techniques are not difficult and do not require special equipment – but like anything else, you get better as you do it. Most people are not great cooks until they actually start cooking.
"The Joy of Cooking" is old school, but its great for real basic stuff. It has almost everything in it – from super basic stuff like how to bake a potato and cook meat properly, has tons of side dish options, has lots of different salad dressings, sauces, etc. Its great for building a basic cooking foundation.
Real food will fill up your DH better than processed foods or fast foods will. There will be an adjustment period for your palates if you eat mostly processed/prepared foods now because those typically use much more sodium and fat than you will use in cooking.
One of the easiest ways to prepare veggies (especially winter veggies) is roasting them. Oven at around 400, peel and chop white potatoes and sweet potatoes up into bite size pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl, then put them onto a baking pan and bake them until they are crispy on the edges, and cooked in the middle. Other veggies this method works well for: parsnips (similar flavor to a potato, but a little sweeter), asparagus, brussel sprouts, winter squash, etc. If you like things like roasted butternut squash soup – roast the squash like above, then puree it in a blender or food processor with a little chicken stock. Warm in a pot on the stovetop (don’t boil, just warm over low heat), add a little milk/cream and chicken stock until its at the consistency you like, and season to taste. Easy!
I agree with the crockpot suggestion. You can't go wrong with a crockpot! Just dump all the stuff in and let it do all the work. Perhaps you could start with that? There are so many delicious meals you can make using a crockpot.
My favorite recipe website is allrecipes.com Lots of great tips and recipes. I think the best way to learn to cook is just to keep doing it. After lots of practice (and mistakes! They will happen!) it'll get easier and you'll become more comfortable in the kitchen. :)
I agree with allrecipes.com and skinnytaste.com. Both are a wealth of information. I find the recipes on skinnytaste are quick, simple and DELICIOUS.
For a favourite cookbook, I highly recommend the Everyday Food series from Martha Stewart. There are two of them (I prefer the first, Great Food Fast) and the food is really delicious and easy to do. She has tips at the front for how to cook basic items, techniques etc. There's also an Everyday Food magazine which I get that's awesome. It has shopping lists, etc in it. It's all based on people without a lot of time on their hands, so it's not something complicated that will take you all day.
Just a suggestion if you use a website like allrecipes.com - LOOK AT THE REVIEWS! I rarely make anything with few reviews, and always check to see what they say. Once I made a potato dish from there without looking, only to look after and see that they said it took over twice as long to bake it.
The thing you will probably have the most issues with at first is timing. Does your husband cook? Often we make meals together so that timing is never an issue (that way if something I'm making is labour intensive, my husband can jump in and start a side dish etc). And don't worry about elaborate side dishes; even steaming some veggies is great (and healthy).
@abbyful: I couldn't agree with you more!
Definitely start off by getting yourself either the Better Home & Garden's cookbook, or a Betty Crocker cookbook! In the front of those, it will explain all of the different methods of cooking and measuring so that you can familiarize yourself with cooking terminology.
And definitely don't be afraid if you make a mistake! I've been cooking for YEARS, and just the other day, I made something that just plain sucked. If that's the case, try something different!
Also, since you said that your FI eats a ton, try cooking so that it serves more than just the two of you - as long as you're ok with leftovers. I often cook on a Sunday and cook larger meals so that we have them for the week.
Start off with simple recipes that just sound yummy! And break them apart. Read up on the recipe before you begin to make things. Read each step carefully, and look back to it often when you're first starting. Make sure you have all of the ingredients on hand, and sometimes it helps to have them pre-measured and out in bowls in front of you so that you can quickly add them if the recipe calls for that. The key is the preparation beforehand. As you get better and faster at cooking, you can always skip part of the preparation when you get comfortable later.
Good luck!
I also agree with crockpot recips! Try 365crockpot.blogspot.com - all you do is throw in some ingredients, set a timer and a few hours later you have a delicious meal!
Oh the crockpot is so easy! You don't even have to do much, just throw everything in for a half day/full day and you have food ready for you later on!
I really like Tasty Kitchen. There is so much on there. Sometimes it gets overwhelming though!
At first it's hard because you have to go out and buy all the spices since you don't have any, but after a while you will build up enough to stock up your kitchen so the only things you will have to get are meats and dairy and things when they run out.
If you can read, you can probably cook! I love looking through cooking blogs and making what looks appetizing. I'm also a HUGE gan of Williams-Sonoma "New Flavors for ______ " series (they have appetizers, chicken, desserts.. etc..)
If you're a visual person you may want to check out food gawker http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4TO0A4/foodgawker.com/popular/favorites/page/2/
I can spend hours going through those recipes- a lot of them aren't totally healthy but there are a few gems. Last week I got a recipe for pizza dough that was to die for. I'm also trying out curried cocunut chicken and homemade naan tonight.
You may also want to consider subscribing to Food and Wine Magazine. Each issue has a few gems. I also sometimes use allrecipes, I find most their recipes to be a little too heavy on salt/sugar- but again there are some great resources on that website as well!
I used to be in your shoes. My mother actually created two small binders with family recipes and I was always the "tester" because I would need to pin her down on "how much is a handful? a pinch?"
1. Ask your friends and family for 1-2 of their easiest recipes. Start out simple and work your way up to complicated. Maybe set aside 2 week nights for these receipes then a weekend night for a more complicated dishes.
2. Skip side dishes in the beginning. It's hard to get the timing right of all of the dishes when you first start out, so either make all-in-one dishes (pasta, or something like a stew/jambayla, etc.) or make an easy salad that doesn't need cook time.
3. When looking at recipes, consider how long it will take to clean up as well. When I first started making meals after college, I hated cleaning up because it didn't seem a part of the meal. You can do it together, trade off who cooks/who cleans, be careful in how many dishes you use, or be super impressive and do most of it as you go.
4. In picking recipes, there can be too many choices sometimes so I'll narrow it down by picking a particular ingediant (e.g. I want to make something with...chorizo in it tonight).
5. Don't be intimidated! Recipes often are less complicated than you think that they are and you can learn unfamilar terms pretty easily with the internet. As other posters noted, feel free to change things around even on the first time making it.
Finally, don't feel guilty that you are a non-cooking wife! My feminism is rearing its head, so I will try to stomp it down and just leave it at: Your husband can learn to cook with you and you can enjoy it as a fun activitiy together.
One of the simplest cookbooks to use is Betty Crocker. Better Homes is good, but I think it's a bit harder. Pillsbury is also good.
I have always been very happy with the the recipies from Sunset as well.
The key to these "simpler" cookbooks is that they have test kitchens and when they test the recipies, they will fudge on the recipies to see if they work even with some of the measurements are off (maybe your oven, you ingredients). I'm not sure how "tested" the Joy of Cooking is.
If you use an on-line recipie, it's a good idea to read the comments to get a better idea. Read some of the basic cookbooks to get an idea of what techniques and ingredients are.
Good luck! And be patient.
For easy side dishes, I usually get the steam in the bag vegetables. Some of them even have sauce included in them.
An easy way to start to get comfortable with big dishes is to start simple and give yourself time! Take a Sunday (or whatever other day you have off) and plan to make a few dishes that you can freeze. Find an easy recipe online and go from there. Websites like cookingwithphilly.com have simple recipes that have only a few items to add to your store bought cream cheese. Other products have websites like this as well (check the labels on stuff you already have at home). Although they may not be number one healthwise they do help you to get going.
Once you have a few recipes that you'd like to try your hand at turn on some music, rent a couple of movies and start cooking. We're usually really busy during the week so I like to freeze at least a couple of meals for when I don't have time to cook. You can easily cook 3-4 pan dishes and freeze them depending on how much room you have in your freezer. Good meals for this are lasagna, chicken divine, shepard's pie, casseroles etc.
Once you have mastered being able to see how these easier dishes cook and how the ingredients combine you can start getting more complex. It's all really about practice so the more you cook the better you will be.
Here are some of the more obvious things I wish someone would have told me when I first started to cook: 1. It's much easier to add more of an ingredient than it is to remove what you've already added, so when in doubt gradually increase your measurements to taste. (I modify recipes this way all the time to get the desired taste anyway) 2. You don't have to follow reciepes to a tee. Often times your dishes will turn out better if you substitute ingredients that you more commonly use. 3. even if you are in a hurry it always pays off to be patient and cook at a medium heat. 9 times out of 10 your food will taste much better when it's slowly cooked. On high heats you not only risk burning your dish, but you also strip it of it's flavour. 4. Get fun and be creative. Find basic reciepes and tailor them to your diet wants and needs. If somethign calls for almonds and you prefer walnuts than switch them. Trying to loose weight? Substitute 2% milk for skim etc. etc.
Some other easy recipes are baked chicken breasts. Place them on a greased pan in the oven for about 30-35 mins on 375 degrees. You can coat them or top them with pretty much anything to have different tasting meals. Some things you can use are alfredo sauce, honey mustard, lemon juice and dill etc. Serve this on rice or pasta.
Easy sides are deviled eggs (Martha Stewart has a good recipe), stuffed bell peppers, Crustinis with low fat cream cheese & tomatos with herbs, steamed veggies etc. You can also go buy those pilsbary cresent packs which you can pretty much stuff with anything and bake.
Hope this helps!
allrecipes.com is hands down the best recipe website out there.
It’s like the amazon.com of cooking websites. --tons of reviews, user submitted pictures and great search features.
When I feel like trying something new it is my go to site. I stick with recipes that are rated highly and I am rarely disappointed.
First off, don't be afraid to fail. We've all had nights where whatever we cooked came out a total disaster, and we ate hot pockets instead ;) I got into cooking in middle school, and still flub up often enough. I just get in too much of a hurry when reading recipes! It took me three tries to get Pioneer Woman's Chicken Fried Steak recipe right, because I didn't realize that you need to dredge the meat twice. Once I finally read the recipe through, my steaks were soooo delicious.
Also, don't worry too much about detailed side dishes. Lots of people save that kind of stuff for holidays only. Have fun making your main dish, then heat up some canned veggies, toss some rolls (yum...crescent rolls!) into the oven, and break open a salad mix. Most of the time the main dish is so yummy that you don't have much room for fancy sides anyway.
A few "more complicated" sides would be things like boxed mac & cheese, pasta salads, or home-made mashed potatoes. All take little effort and no time at all.
Good luck! And enjoy cooking! Have fun with it, and don't worry about a thing
Another book I just remembered: "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?"
It has info about cooking, laundry, etc.; great for when you're first getting started on your own or in any of those topics. I won't make you a great chef, but the recipes are easy and will keep you fed.
I have not seen this book in person, just on TV but I think Look and Cook with Rachael Ray would be good. It provides pictures of the entire process of a recipe. I'm a visual person with some recipes, especially ones I have never done before so I can only imagine just how helpful seeing pictures of what you should be doing.
I agree with TROUBLED. Best advice is to know that you don't have to follow recipes 100%. I get something called SOY VAY which is a teriyaki sauce. Any meat you can generally cook at 350 F and add that sauce hehe. And you can bake veggies and fish at same temp too. I always cook with garlic, lemon, pepper, etc. Crock pot it a good idea too.
Learn how to make easy stuff first, like spaghetti, raviolis, baked chicken, tacos, lasagna, etc. Then start getting into harder things. Everyone can make pasta right? Just boil water with oil, add pasta, heat up sauce, and there ya go. And there are so many diff sauces and pastas right? Add veggies, sausage, chicken, beef, and you have a lot of meals right there. :) Just mess around and you'll figure things out. If you look at complicated recipes a lot, it gets discouraging. Try simple things. Like call your mom or a friend and ask them.
Usually at the butcher department at grocery store, they can season the meat for free for you and tell you what temp to cook the meat. Then bake some potatoes and make some other veggie and you're set. Get creative. Good luck!
Recipe that's cooking at my house in the crockpot today:
pre-seasoned roast from Safeway
red potatoes cut in half
baby carrots
added garlic and pepper, cooked on low all day.
EASY. You can do it!! :)
Just some other suggestions: cookinglight.com, myrecipes.com, epicurious.com, and any cookbook by Ina Garten, aka the Barfoot Contessa.
Also if a recipe calls for a spice or condiment you've never heard of, or if it is super expensive, you can always just do a quick google for any subsitutions. I do it all the time. Good luck!
Oh and yes....I love my crockpot. It is so great just to throw a bunch of stuff in there and come home to a great smelling and fully cooked meal! Even just throwing in some chicken thighs and bbq sauce...and you come home and have pulled chicken! Awesome.
I definitely recommend the crockpot! You can find tons of recipes online or in cookbooks that include very few ingredients, are good for you, and filling.
My husband and I really like Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen recipes because you can search by type of food (salad, poultry), and then I order them by ratings. SkinnyTaste is also great. Just don't be intimidated by long recipes or ones that involve unfamiliar foods. Start small!
I cook quite a bit, but I don't consider myself an awesome chef or anything. However, I mess up sometimes. Once I tried to make homemade chicken tenders with Bisquick mix (there was a recipe on the back). My chicken tenders tasted like chicken biscuits (which weren't as good as they sound). Now it's a running joke between my husband and me.
I think the most important thing you can get is a crock pot, and then any of the Fix-It and Forget-It cookbooks (I think there are 5 or 6 of them now) It's hard to mess up with a crock pot, and most recipes are easy to follow. I would also recommend any of Rachel Rays cookbooks. She makes alot of easy, homestyle recipes that are easy to follow. Also just the plain old Betty Crocker cookbook is a must have for all of your basic recipes. I would suggest you challenge yourself, to make one new dish, once a week, for the next year. That's 52 dishes in a years time. You can coast for years on those. Things I think are a must to learn how to make:
A good basic meatloaf
A marinara sauce
A cream sauce
How to cut up, and fry a chicken
A pot roast with vegetables
gravy
Chicken soup
I would also suggest you just sit and watch the shows on food network, I suggest Down Home with the Neelys, and Paula Deen-both excellent shows that do uncomplicated dishes and walk you through the whole process.
Campbell’s soup emails me every couple days with a new recipe that uses one of their soups. The other day I got "Skillet Lasagna". They're all super easy, super fast and they don't use a ton of odd ingredients. They’re perfect for a beginner or someone with very little time. :) Here's one I got the other day:
Dear Nicole,
The satisfying flavor of steak is enhanced and enriched in this sensational and simple skillet dinner - you'll love the spectacular sauce laced with strips of bell pepper and onion!
Sirloin, Pepper & Onion Skillet
from Campbell's Kitchen
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 20 min.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless beef sirloin steak, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 pound), cut into 4 pieces
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 medium red and/or green peppers, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until it's well browned on both sides. Remove the beef from the skillet. Pour off any fat. Reduce the heat to medium.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the onion and peppers and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring often.
3. Add the vinegar to the skillet and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the soup and water and heat to a boil. Return the beef to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook the beef for 2 minutes for medium or until desired doneness. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Makes: 4 servings.
Kitchen Clip
You'll want to get every last drop of this sauce, so serve these steaks over Cheddar mashed potatoes. Steamed green beans or broccoli make a perfect vegetable side dish, too.
Oh! I love steamed veggies as a side dish. I can make them myself with fresh veggies, but usually I get microwaveable ones. My favorite are the Birds-eye Steamfresh veggies. Pop 'em in the microwave for 5 minutes, and you have a healthy, easy side dish.
Definitely allrecipes.com. It's my go-to recipe site. I own a decent amount of cookbooks, but I go there more often than not. I agree with PPs, though, check the reviews and ratings. I love being able to read reviews from so many users that have made the dish, and can give their assessment of it.
As far as cookbooks, my favorite is Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". It's written in plain English, and for most recipes offers a number of variations to change up the dish.
My advice is don't be afraid to try and fail. I taught myself to cook through trial and error, and there were definitely nights, especially when I first started, that ended with us making a frozen pizza (and there's still the occasional epic fail). If I'd gotten discouraged and quit trying, I'd never have learned to cook.
Speaking of steamed veggie side-dishes, Pampered Chef microwave steamer is awesome! Just cut up the veggies, add 1/4 cup water, microwave 2 minutes (in my microwave at least), drain. Add salt/pepper, spice mixture like Mrs. Dash, and/or butter or olive oil if desired.
http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=251&catId=8&parentCatId=8&outletSubCat=
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Any tips for beginning to cook? I do know how to cook a little, a few recipes, that are easy. I am not really the bake entirely from scratch type of person though, unless it's easy/simple. I just feel overwhelmed when I look at even the easiest recipes online. I also don't know how to create side dishes etc. Any advice on where/how to start? I don't even really have a cookbook. I have a couple but never used them. No one gave me a cookbook for my showers either.
I was thinking of trying to cook at least twice a week at first. We can't keep eating out/frozen food all the time. My other problem is that we go through food so fast because my DH has a big appetite. I feel like we always need to run to the grocery store.
Anyways, I am looking for any easy, healthy recipes that I could cook easily and gather ingredients easily in a grocery store. Any suggestions, sites, recipes, you would like to share?
I just feel guilty that I am a non-cooking wife right now.