Cooking Lessons part II

Thanks for the comments with tips and tricks. We had a rice cooker at one time, but it tended to leave 2nd degree burns in its wake. (Think "the cornballer" for all those Arrested Development fans out there. Best tv show ever, in my humble opinion)

I guess microwaving is an easy way to make rice too.

I think I will have to check out this "food nanny" as all of her recipes seem do-able. I am a beginner cook, but it seems when I type this into a search engine I get back "how to boil water". I have the basic skills, but not the knack- you know- the creativity or gumption to actually execute the meal.
I hate when you pick up a cook book or a magazine and see a recipe and think "wow that looks great" only to feel overwhelmed by the ingredients. Example. This one calls for white wine. (which I know, cooks out, whatever, but I am not going to buy a bottle of wine to use for one dish- and I don't feel 100% right about it anyway) or another recipe calls for Tarragon. I know this is a spice. I don't know what it tastes like- I never use it in other recipes, and it sounds like it's going to cost a lot for the 1/4 teaspoon that I'm going to need.

Boo hoo, right? Maybe I should just stick to the processed stuff for a little while. Wean myself and my family off of it. www.kraftfoods.com is a website that I really like for making "accessible" meals for people like me. 5 meals in 1 bag, is good too, because it plans everything for you. Ok, so if I want to cut the prices and the calories I can substitute name brands with generic and I can choose lower calorie options when available...

Tonight, I am making home fries (with real potatoes) :) I don't know what else will go with it, but hey it's a start.