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There are basic rules and terminology you need to learn vs all of us just throwing out recipes. As others have mentioned, grab a cookbook. I also say start watching cooking shows. I think Good Eats is the best for beginners as he goes over everything in detail. Otherwise if you watch other shows you might not understand why you're doing what you're doing.
Roll out or pat out some grand size biscuits. Then add some pizza sauce and some cut up ham, cooked sausage, pepperoni, chopped onions, chopped green peppers and mozarelli cheese. Bake at about 400 until they look done. Instant love affair by your hubby!!!
You can also use split english muffins and do the same.
Another super easy meal is to brown some (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound) ground beef and drain off grease. Add water and 1/2 package of dry onion soup mix or you can use a can of beef broth instead of the soup mix. Add some dried parsley and garlic powder if you want and salt and pepper if needed. Slice up about 3 or 4 or more potatoes and cook until the potatoes are done. Slice some french bread and spread with margarine and sprinkle some garlic powder on top and broil till brown. And perhaps open a can of vegetable and heat. Your man will think you cooked all day.
My advice would be to buy a crock pot. It makes cooking so easy. An example of a good and fairly inexpensive meal is to put a beef roast in with about 2 inches of water. (Wash the meat first.) Put a dry onion soup mix on top of it and some garlic powder and pepper. Let it cook all day on low heat. You can add small potatoes and carrots if you like them. Otherwise for side dishes you might try one of the mashed potato mixes by Betty Crocker that come in boxes in several flavors which are very good and I would serve a frozen vegetable cooked in the microwave or a fresh salad.
When my mom got married she barely knew which end of the stove was up, let alone how to cook anything. But she had a Betty Crocker cookbook and a Good Housekeeping cookbook, and all she did was follow the desired recipes to the letter -- and everything came out perfect. And thanks to this simple method, my mom became the best cook I know!!
Another book to get is The Joy of Cooking. While the recipes are often too complex for a novice, it has lots of good, readable information about various ingredients, how they differ, why some things have to be done a certain way, etc.
I'd recommend using Betty Crocker (the "New" version, which is simpler, not the original which is more old-fashioned -- both books are available) for everyday cooking, and look up the what and whyfore in Joy, if you want to understand more about what makes cooking work how it does.
When I first married, I had no idea how to cook. So I just cooked from cookbooks. Must have been some very good recipes because my hubby, who really liked to eat, was very pleased. (He made good breakfasts and inventive sandwiches). I was so ignorant that I made a manicotti recipe from scratch - noodles and all - because I didn't know I could buy the noodles.
Pepper Beef
1 small roast
1 jar Greek salad peppers (pepperoncini) - (24 oz)
Chopped garlic -- to taste
Place the roast into crockpot. Dump entire jar of peppers and liquid over it. Cook all day on LOW - I cook it for 8 to 12 hours; until it literally falls apart. Depends on how hot your crockpot gets. The newer ones cook MUCH hotter than the old ones.
Notes:
Original recipe called for garlic slivers in slits in roast; I use chopped garlic in the jar
Can use 32 ounce jar of peppers; lots more gravy and yummy pepper that way
The vinegar in the peppers breaks down the fibers in the meat; you can use the cheapest cuts. Don't use an expensive cut of beef!
I have a Nesco countertop roaster that I use like a crockpot, and have come to prefer for the job. Here's my basic Goo For Meat:
1 or 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 or 2 large cans tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1 envelope (or 1/3 cup) onion soup mix
random seasonings of your choice -- garlic, Mrs. Dash, or Italian seasoning (which I buy bulk cheap at Costco so I use by the handful), or anything similar
Mix well and pour over the meat. (It will be a most revolting cat-barf pink; ignore this, it will look much better after it's cooked.)
Add chopped onion, quartered carrots and potatoes, or even something like parsnips or rutabagas, whatever root veggies you like. Cook until meat and veggies are tender, usually a couple hours at 300 degrees. It's better if you brown the meat first, but I usually don't bother.
I do have a crockpot, so I'll have to try some of these! Thanks!
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