Go to this website. Now.

[languid]

I never really learned how to cook *real* (non-dessert or bread) food until I got married and had a reason to sit down and eat with someone on a daily basis.  Before that, I would cook from time to time, but it was always a crapshoot.  I had maybe a 30% success rate.  At some point, while trying to build a repertoire of meals, I ran into this site:  Simply Recipes.  It was a godsend.  When I follow recipes from this site, my success rate is closer to 80% or 90%.  

This dish (pictured) is called "Mom's Chili Beans" and it is excellent.  Every time.  It's fast, inexpensive and even better the next day.  I used canned beans and 7% fat turkey, but other than that, FOLLOW THE RECIPE EXACTLY.  It's the cilantro at the end that really does it.  

Other recipes I've had success with are Classic Baked Chicken, Morroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken Breasts, Italian Sausage Spaghetti (I use smoked turkey sausage since I don't eat pork, and sometimes use Quinoa instead of pasta), Shrimp Cakes (I used white potatoes and Panko crumbs), Spicy Corn Fritters, Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Toasts, Strawberry Mascarpone Tart, Suzanne's Best Brownies, and Suzanne's Chocolate Cake (there's a great story that accompanies this one.  Oh, and I cut the recipe in half and put it in a 9x13 pan.  Same cooking time.).

Ahhh... I'm hungry now.