Easy Recipes for First Time Cooking

Whether you've just moved out for the first time, or you've just never been too comfortable in the kitchen, learning to cook can be a daunting task. Armed with a few easy recipes, any first time cook can gain experience and confidence in the kitchen.

One of the easiest ways to start cooking is to find some easy-to-follow recipes. Begin your search by looking for something easy to cook for each meal of the day, from breakfast all the way to dinner and dessert. Read on for some easy recipe inspiration and ideas for a first time cook.

Breakfast

Quiche
A quiche is basically a big omelette in a pie crust. They're great for serving a few people for breakfast and can easily be reheated for a lunch.
You'll need: 4 eggs, 2 cups of milk or half and half, and salt and pepper for the egg mixture. You can decide what kind of mix-ins you'd like to add, but about 6 ounces of shredded or crumbled cheese is a good starting point. You'll also need a 9-inch unbaked pie shell.

1. Start off using a store-bought pie crust.
2. Combine the milk and eggs and beat them until smooth.
3. Sprinkle some cheese in the bottom of the pie shell and then pour the egg mixture over the cheese.
4. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the egg mixture.
5. At this point you could add in any diced vegetables or meat.
6. Bake the quiche in your oven for 40 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Once it's cooked, you can slice it up like a pie and serve.

Pancakes
Once you're more comfortable cooking, you can easily create your own homemade pancake mix, until then, and just for convenience, use a store-bought mix. Following the instructions for measuring, combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until it becomes a smooth, but thick batter.

1. Grease a skillet with a non-stick cooking spray or a bit of butter and pour the batter into the skillet until it's about 4 inches in diameter.
2. Allow it to cook on the skillet on medium heat for a few minutes until bubbles start to break the surface.
3. Once you start to see bubbles and the edges start to get a little crisp, carefully slide your spatula underneath and flip it over to cook the other side.
4. Let it cook for a few minutes and then remove from the pan and serve them up on a plate with your favorite toppings.

Lunch

Grilled Cheese
There are many controversies with grilled cheese, but once you've mastered the technique that you like, you'll never try it any other way.

1. Butter both sides of two slices of sandwich bread and place them in a skillet on low to medium heat.
2. On each slice of buttered bread, put a layer of the cheese of your choice and let it melt for a minute or two.
3. Once both sides have melted a bit, carefully flip one onto the other to "close" the sandwich.

At this point you could press down on the sandwich to further develop a golden brown crust but you run the risk of the cheese oozing out of the sides -- so be gentle with it.

Three-Bean Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is an easy recipe for beginner cooks because it can be made in advance and it's very hard to mess up. This pasta salad has three different beans and is dressed in a homemade vinaigrette.

You'll need:

• Pasta of your choice
• 1/2 pound of green beans
• 1 15-ounce can each of chickpeas and pinto beans
• 1/3 cup of celery
• 1/2 cup of onion

For the dressing you'll need:

• 1/3 cup of red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta of your choice (elbows, shells, penne) 3 minutes less than package instructions.
2. Add in the green beans during the last three minutes. Drain both pasta and beans.
3. In a bowl, combine the dressing's ingredients and whisk them together.
4. Combine the pasta, beans, celery, onion and dressing and stir.

Dinner

Balsamic Glazed Salmon Fillets
Fish might seem a little out of your league for a first time cook, but it's very easy to cook when you bake it.

You'll need:

• 6 Salmon Fillets
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon of white wine
• 1 Tablespoon of honey
• 1/3 Cup of balsamic vinegar
• 4 Teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. Spray a small saucepan with non-stick spray and over medium heat, cook the garlic until soft for about 3 minutes.
3. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and simmer the sauce uncovered until it's thickened slightly. This will probably take about 3 minutes.
4. Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and brush them with the glaze.
5. Bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the flesh flakes off easily with a fork.
6. Use the remainder of the glaze when serving.

Easy Roasted Chicken Breasts
Chicken breast is best roasted on the bone -- it will help keep the meat juicy, so buy two skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (or a split chicken breast) from the store and you'll have an easy protein option for dinner in under 20 minutes.

*about half an hour before you plan on cooking your chicken, remove them from the refrigerator and season them liberally with salt and pepper.

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the seasoned chicken breasts skin side up on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Roast the chicken for 15 to 18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.