Can anyone give me a simple four person dinner recipe? One thats a good start for trying out cooking?

I want to start cooking, but dont know where to go. any ideas?Can anyone give me a simple four person dinner recipe? One thats a good start for trying out cooking?
POTATO SOUP


4 large baking potato


2/3 cup butter


2/3 cup flour


7 1/2 cups milk


1 garlic clove, minced


1 cup sour cream


6 green onion, chopped


14 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled


2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated


--Heat oven to 350F and bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour. (You can bake the potatoes before hand). Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Slowly blend in flour with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended. Cook the roux (flour in the butter) until a very pale golden. Gradually add milk to the roux, garlic and season to taste, whisking constantly. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the interior and set aside. Chop up half the potato peels and discard the remainder. When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potato. Add green onion. Whisk well, add sour cream and crumbled bacon. Heat thoroughly. Add cheese a little at a time until all is melted inches or sprinkle onto tops of individual bowls along with more green onion and bacon.





Enjoy!Can anyone give me a simple four person dinner recipe? One thats a good start for trying out cooking?
CHICKEN N' BISCUIT





1 tube of refrigerated biscuits (8 count)


1 can of cream of chicken soup


1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


1/2 cup sour cream


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded


(or you can buy the canned chicken instead - 2 large cans)





In a casserole dish; mix soup, cheese, sour cream and chicken. Place biscuits (uncooked) on top. Bake according to directions on tube of biscuits - until biscuits are done


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Italian Baked Ziti Casserole





One pound ground meat


One 28 oz. jar prepared spaghetti sauce (or your own homemade sauce)


One 16 oz. package of ziti noodles


1 cup Parmesan cheese





Brown hamburger and pour off excess fat.


Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain pasta.


Mix meat, spaghetti sauce and pasta. Place in greased casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese.





Bake in 375 degree oven for twenty minutes or until golden brown on top.





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Chicken Spaghetti





4 to 6 chicken breasts, cooked, reserve broth


1 bell pepper. green or combination


1 onion


1 can cream of chicken soup


1 can cream of mushroom soup


1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, (with green chiles)


1 can stewed tomatoes


1 package spaghetti, (1pound)


1 package shredded cheddar cheese, (1pound)





Cook spaghetti in broth.





Chop chicken and saute with pepper and onion in a large skillet until vegetables are softened. Add soups, Ro-Tel, and stewed tomatoes. Cook on low until bubbling, then stir in chicken and spaghetti.





If skillet is not oven safe, transfer to a lightly greased baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese and bake at 350° F. for 20 to 30 minutes.





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Fast Cajun Chops Recipe





1 T. paprika


1 t. seasoned salt


1 t. rubbed sage


1/2 t. cayenne pepper


1/2 t. black pepper


1/2 t. garlic powder


4 lean boneless center-cut pork chops, 1/2-inch thick


2 t. butter





Combine paprika, salt, sage, cayenne and black peppers and garlic powder; coat chops well on both sides with this seasoning mixture. Heat butter over high heat just until it starts to brown. Put chops in pan, reduce heat to medium.





Fry on both sides until dark brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
baked chicken (pieces, not a whole one) Season heavily w/ what you like, bake around 375 for about an hour covered, uncover, to brown and crisp skin 15-20 mins.


baked potatoes - wash and toss in the oven afer the chicken


microwave bagged veggies


rice - use a boxed rice-a-roni.
Quick and Easy. Go to www.kraftfoods.com. The recipes are easy and they give very good directions on how to do it. This was my favorite web site when I started cooking and I still go back time and time again just to find a new recipe.
Here are a few E-Z recipes you might want to try. Good Luck %26amp; enjoy.





COLA CHICKEN





4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts


%26gt; %26gt; 1 cup catsup


%26gt; %26gt; 1 12oz. can cola (pepsi, coke, etc.)


%26gt; %26gt;


Put chicken in a non-stick pan. Mix together catsup and cola, pour over chicken.


Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook 45 minutes.


(turning chicken a few times, while cooking...to prevent from


sticking to pan)


Uncover, turn up the heat and continue to cook until the sauce becomes


thick and adheres to the chicken.


It turns into the most incredible BBQ sauce. Yummmm!





You can double the recipe and use more pieces of


chicken....wings...would be ideal...add some hot sauce....presto ';Hot


Wings';! Not tried this, yet.





I have used Ribs, just as good.





Fixed chicken wings, (using the above recipe) but...I


added the spices from a MILD (I don't care for ';HOT';) Buffalo


Wings packet...(the kind you get to bake in the oven).....I thought it


was really good.....(but you/I can't find a 'bad' way to fix chicken).





CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN





1 1/3 cups French’s Original French Fried Onions


4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves


1 egg, beaten





LIGHTLY CRUSH:





Onions in a plastic bag.





DIP:


Chicken in egg





COVER:


With onion crumbs, press firmly to adhere to chicken.





BAKE:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Place chicken on lightly greased baking pan.


Sprinkle with additional onion crumbs, if desired.


Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center.














POOR MAN’S SWISS STEAK


Mix: 1 lb. hamburger


1 cup cornflakes


salt %26amp; pepper to taste


small amount dices onion


Spread in a square baking pan.





Pour: 1 can mushroom soup


1 can water


(combine together, first)


Pour over meat mixture.


Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.








CHILLI DOG CASSEROLE


1 pkg. (8) hot dog buns


1 pkg. (8) hot dogs (use more if you like)


1 can Chilli (15 oz. without beans, use more if you want)


1 small onion (chopped)


2 cups shredded cheese


mustard








DIRECTIONS: Pre-heat oven 350 degrees


In a 9'; x 13'; baking pan, break up hot dog buns (bite size) and spread in pan.


Cut up hot dogs (about 1/2'; size) spread over buns.


Spoon/spred chilli over hot dog/buns.


Sprinkle onions over all.


Squirt mustard over entire mixture (don't spread...just make a few lines both ways across mixture)


Cover with shredded cheese.


Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.


(Hint: If using extra hot dogs %26amp; chilli, don't add extra buns.)





POT ROAST


Your choice of beef (to fit crock-pot)


1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix


1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix


1 pkg. dry Brown Gravy mix


1 cup water


Put beef in pot.


Mix together all the dry mixes….then add water …pour over meat and cover %26amp; cook on high 4-6 hours.


Until meat is tender.


The first time I mad it I didn’t have the Italian Dressing mix….so I added a pkg. of Onion Soup Mix….I have to say I liked that better.


If you use more water you might want to add more Brown Gravy mix….to make a thicker sauce. Was gonna add potatoes and carrots…but never got around to it.








OLD SETTLER’S BEANS


INGREDIENTS:


1/2 lb. ground beef


1/2 lb. bacon


1 chopped onion


Brown in skillet and drain excess grease.





ADD:


16 oz. can Red Kidney Beans (drained)


24 oz. can Pork %26amp; Beans (drained)


1/2 cup white sugar


1/2 cup dark brown sugar


1/4 cup Catsup


2 TBLS. Molasses


1/2 tsp. dry mustard





Mix Thoroughly !


Cook in a crock pot until...hot...hot...hot!








MARINATED VEGGIE SALAD


1 lb. can French style green beans


1 lb. can small peas


1 lb. can white corn


1 - 4oz. jar pimento (chopped)


1 cup shopped onion


1 cup chopped celery


1 cup chopped green pepper


1 cup sugar (I used artificial sweetener)


2/3 cup vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)


1/2 cup cooking oil


1 tsp. salt


1 tsp. pepper





1.)Pour green beans, peas, corn %26amp; pimento in a colander to drain over a


large bowl. Discard 1 1/2 cups of liquid.


2.)Put veggies in a large bowl and fold in onions, celery and green


peppers.


3.)Mix together thoroughly the remaining ingredients and toss with


veggies.


$.)Cover and let sit over night in refrigerator. (The longer it marinates the better.)





Desserts/Snacks





POUND CAKE





Combine:


2 sticks butter


1 2/3 cup sugar





Beat in:


5 eggs (1 at a time)





Add:


2 cups sifted flour


1 teaspoon vanilla


1 teaspoon rum extract





Mix thoroughly and bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.











E-Z Candy


(All recipes are mixed the same.)





Melt ingredients, seperately in microwave until runny.


Mix together and pour into serving dish.


Chill until firm, cut %26amp; serve.





Chocolate Fudge:


16 oz. container of Fudge Frosting


1 bag of Chocolate Chips (any flavor you like)





Peanut Butter Fudge #1:


1 small jar Peanut Butter (18 oz.)


2 bags of Peanut Butter Chips





Peanut Butter Fudge #2:


1 small jar Peanut Butter (18oz.)


16 oz. container of White Frosting





Marshmallow Nougat:


1 small jr Marshmallow Creme


1 bag White Chocolate Chips


1 tsp. Almond Flavoring


1 small bag Chopped Nuts





(I've made this without the flavoring %26amp; nuts....I want to try


rolling


into balls and dipping in a chocolate coating....sounds good to


me.)





I've doubled all the above recipes. The Marshmallow Nougat


recipe...doubled and added a container of white frosting (had an


extra one....so thought....why not!)





I use a double boiler..(prefer the double


boiler)...add chips in first ...then rest of


ingredients.....saving


nuts and flavorings for last.





Kreamy Kool-Aid Pie





1-(6 g) package un sweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix


1-(14 oz.)can sweetened condensed milk


1-(8 oz)container Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed.


1-(9 inch) Graham Cracker Pie Crust (or Cookie crust)


Cool Whip for top (optional)





1. In a medium bowl mix Kool-Aid and condensed milk, thoroughly.


2. Fold in Cool Whip.


4. If desired, spread more Cool Whip on top.


5. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours.





I’ve used: Strawberry…Cherry…Lemon-lime (Key-Lime Pie)….Lemonade (Lemon Pie…might add some yellow food coloring for a more lemony look.)





OATMEAL PIE





INGREDIENTS:


2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal


2/3 cup light Karo syrup


2 eggs, beaten


2/3 cup sugar


1 teaspoon vanilla


½ cup melted margarine, cooled


1 – 9” unbaked pie shell





DIRECTIONS:





Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Mix all ingredients in order given.


Pour into pie shell.


Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.





(I used Karo Brown Sugar Syrup and topped pie with pecan halves. I made 2 pies the same day. The one that sat over night was the better of the 2…(my opinion).





CAKE MIX COOKIES


White Cake Mix


2 Tablespoons water


2 eggs


1/2 cup cooking oil


1 teaspoon almond extract


1/2 cup chopped nuts


powdered sugar





Mix all ingredients, except powdered sugar.





Drop batter (about a teaspoon per cookie) into a bowl of powdered sugar.





Roll in sugar until it is an approximate shape of a ball.





Place ion a lightly greased cookie sheet.





Bake at 350 degrees about 18 minutes, until lightly browned.





Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.





(Use any flavoring or cake mix you desire.)
Take pork chops or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium heat. Brown chicken breasts or pork chops. Cover with spaghetti sauce or cream of mushroom soup. Turn heat to medium low and simmer about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with rice or pasta and a side salad.





I highly recommend the Fix It and Forget It cookbook series. They have great basic slow cooker recipes that are simple and use ingredients most people have on-hand or can easily find. http://www.goodbks.com/fix_it_and_forget…





I also really like this four ingredient cookbook. It's a great place to start, and you can add ingredients and seasonings to taste when you're ready to experiment more.


http://www.amazon.com/Four-Ingredient-Co…
Apple chicken





2 chicken breasts


salt


oil


2 tsp. minced garlic


1 C chopped apple


3/4 C apple juice





Salt each side of the chicken and brown on a skillet for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. Sautee the garlic and apples in the oil. Add the apple juice and let simmer for a few minutes. Place the chicken in a baking pan and pour in the apple mix. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 375 turning chicken over halfway through cooking time.





That serves two. Just double it to serve four. You don't have to double the garlic though.
Baked Mussels in Garlic Butter Sauce Recipe





Ingredients:


2 pounds frozen whole shell mussels


***Garlic Butter***


1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


4 large cloves garlic, finely minced


4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped


Fresh ground pepper to taste





irections:





Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.





Thoroughly beat softened butter, garlic, parsley and pepper with wooden spoon or mash together with fork. Remove and discard top shell of each mussel and place mussels on a baking sheet.





Apply garlic butter mixture to mussels and bake for 7 minutes. Serve garnished with a wedge of lemon and sprig of parsley. Fresh bread for dipping.





This recipe from CDKitchen for Baked Mussels in Garlic Butter Sauce serves/makes 4
CHICKEN ala APRICOT





2-3 lbs. chicken parts


1 small bottle Russian, French or Catalina salad dressing


1 envelope dry onion soup mix


1 small jar apricot or apricot-pineapple preserves


Lay chicken (skin side up) in shallow pan. Mix other ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour (maybe a little longer, depending on how thick the chicken pieces are)... This sounds very strange, but is actually really good..... Serves 4-6





Good with rice and steamed broccoli or asparagus