Simple recipe books?!


Question: Okay, I am 19, I am about to move out of my house, I have the expensive habit of dining out at least.... 5 times a week and i'm not talking McDonalds. I LOVE food... good food. But I am going to start having to save money when i am on my own. I do not like Frozen dinners... i am a big health stickler.


ANYWAYS. All the recipe books are super complicated wtih 20 ingredients. I am a poor college student and I just want a a recipe book with simple, healthy meals. Does anyone have any suggestions?


Thanks in advance!


Answers: Okay, I am 19, I am about to move out of my house, I have the expensive habit of dining out at least.... 5 times a week and i'm not talking McDonalds. I LOVE food... good food. But I am going to start having to save money when i am on my own. I do not like Frozen dinners... i am a big health stickler.


ANYWAYS. All the recipe books are super complicated wtih 20 ingredients. I am a poor college student and I just want a a recipe book with simple, healthy meals. Does anyone have any suggestions?


Thanks in advance!

Here are some of the books I've given my daughter and have used myself. Super easy!

1001 Short, easy recipes:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104...

How to boil water: (Has everything basic in it, with lots of pictures!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/104-...

Gooseberry Patch: 5 Ingredients or less:
http://www.amazon.com/Ingredients-Recipe...

The great thing about ordering from Amazon, is you can get the books used for usually half the price (or ask your mom).

Of course, the internet is a good option, too. Here's a few of my really easy favorites to get you started:

Cola Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup ketchup
1 cup cola
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in 9x13 casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix ketchup, cola, and Worcestershire, pour over chicken. Cover, bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Beef and Potato Casserole

4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 ? pounds lean ground beef, cooked, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed vegetable beef soup
? tsp each salt and pepper

In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 3 qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered 1 hour and 30 minutes at 350 or until potatoes are tender.

Tater Tots and Beef

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 (2 lb) pkg. frozen tater tots

Pat beef into 13 x 9 baking dish. Spread soup over beef, cover with grated cheese. Top with tater tots. Bake covered 1 hours at 350. Uncover last 15 minutes.


Easy Creamy Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-3oz package cream cheese
1-8oz carton sour cream
3-4 green onions, chopped

Place chicken in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and good seasoned salt. In saucepan, combine soup, cream cheese and sour cream on low heat just until cheese melts and ingredients mix well. Pour mixture over chicken, sprinkle green onions on top. Cover, bake at 300 for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice.

Nacho Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts (or 8-10 chicken thighs)
2 cans nacho cheese soup
? cup milk
3 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Place chicken in large baking pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a spicy seasoned salt. Combine soup, milk, and worchestershire sauce in saucepan until just heated through. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Cheesy Pepper Steak

1 ? pound sirloin steak, cut in strips
Seasoned salt
1-16oz pkg. frozen bell pepper and onion strips, thawed
1-16oz pkg. cubed Mexican processed cheese

Sprinkle steak with seasoned salt. Coat large skillet with non-stick vegetable spray and cook steak strips for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove steak from skillet and set aside. Stir in vegetables and ? cup water and simmer for 5 minutes or until all liquid cooks out. Add cheese and turn heat to low. When cheese melts, stir in steak until heated through and serve over hot cooked rice.

Tangy Spareribs

5-6 pounds spareribs
1-6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
? tsp garlic powder
Spicy seasoned salt
Pepper

Place spareribs in shallow baking pan, meat side down and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Roast at 375 for 30 minutes. Turn ribs, roast another 15 minutes and drain off fat. Combine orange juice, Worcestershire and garlic powder and brush mixture on ribs. Reduce heat to 300. Cover ribs, roast 2 hours or until tender and baste occasionally.

Quick Chicken Casserole

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey
1-16oz. package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1-10oz. can cream of chicken soup with ? cup milk
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1 ? cups crushed cheese crackers

Combine chicken, broccoli, soup, mayo, and cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Pour into buttered casserole dish and spread cheese crackers over top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Lemonade Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (6oz) can frozen lemonade, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder

Place chicken in greased 13x9 casserole dish. Combine next 3 ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover, pour juices over chicken and cook another 10 minutes uncovered. Serve over hot, cooked rice.


Good luck!
Chris

Look on Amazon for cookbooks called 'Cooking with 3 Ingredients' or 'Cooking with 5 Ingredients'. You can pick up these cookbooks for like $2-3 apiece (used) and they're great for beginner cooks. Also, try www.recipezaar.com. It lets you sort recipes by rating so you can only try the tried-and-tested, highest rated recipes for a better chance of success.

HA! Don't sweat it! I really hate kraft for their affiliations with phillip morris - but their recipes on the website are free and you don't have to buy their ingredients.

check out their website if you're strapped for cash - my favorite link to look at before I go grocery shopping is the 1bag = 5dinners. All the recipes are there and you can buy the store brand ingredients. I've really fallen in love with some of their recipes - if you really need to have a book at your hands when you're cooking - they will mail you a free recipe magazine, like, quarterly or something. I've got a few issues and they're all well-splattered. OH WOW! I just looked and saw that they even have an online archive of their mags. Good luck!

You can get by for the rest of your life with just one cookbook and that is the "Joy of Cooking!" Since its been around for 50 or more years and is very popular it is tested to the teeth...and you should be able to find one in a used bookstore.

One of the things it is so good at is the explanations about how to do things that can be unfamiliar to a young cook. They don't just list things and use words that you may not fully understand...Its like having your very own Granny there explaining things to you...OK now i am getting cutesy Sorry.

In addition, even though it contains all the usual day to day foods; it also has ehnic and party style recipes.

I have been recommending this book for 30 years esp for men that want learn how to cook so they can entertain at home...again it is the explanations that make this a winner.

edit: beware of the Rachel Ray type books a lot people have complained about the recipes not working out. And the internet is a good source after you understand how to do things...videos help,too





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