Starting my cooking journey

Ok so I know this is pretty pathetic but I dont know how to cook.:redface: I went from living with my mum (who always cooked) to living with my then DF who was such an awesome cook that he did all the cooking around the house. Now that I am a sahm I figure its time that I started to learn how to cook (better late than never). DH still does the majority of the cooking but as a defence force member he isn't always home and eventually I will have to cook for my ds.

So iv been looking through this forum and there are so many great ideas that im getting a bit lost so I thought I would ask all you lovely ladies what your favourite, easy, cheap meals are that are of course super yummy!

Im not a great fan of red meat, so I mainly like eating breast chicken, mince, fish and sausages so get those recipes or meal ideas rolling so I can suprise DH with my new found culinary skills!

I would recommend getting a REALLY simple cookbook (Jamie Oliver has Jamie's Dinners and The Ministry of Food and Delia Smith did How to Cook) and taking your pick from there!

Cheesy Roast Veg
You need: Cheese, Olive Oil, Mixed Peppers, Butternut Squash, Brocolli (or other similar veg).

Roast your veg selection in a little olive oil. Top with grated cheddar, then return to the oven until the cheese is melted and golden. (Serve with sausage and mash, yum!)

Sausage and courgette pasta
You need: 4 cooked sausages, tin chopped tomateos, thyme, courgette, penne, garlic
Add four cooked sausages, cut into small chunks, to a pan with chopped tomateos, crushed garlic clove and thyme. Meanwhile, use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons of courgette and dry-fry in a non-stick frying pan for a few minutes. Cook penne according to packet, then add to the pan with the courgette curls. Mix in the sauce and serve.

Ratatouille and Jacket Potatoes
You need: aubergine, onion, red pepper (optional: yellow pepper too), courgette, baking potatoes, tin tomatoes. optional: crusty bread and salad stuff.
Cook potatoes at 180C/gas 4 until soft on the inside (1-2 hours)
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and add one peeled and finely chopped onion, 1 chopped aubergine, 1 chopped courgette, deseeded chopped pepper(s). Add one tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer until vegetables are soft and piping hot.
Cover the jacket pots with the ratatouille and serve with salad and/or crusty bread.

Summery Salmon Risotto
You need: 125g smoked salmon trimmings, onion, lemon, mange tout, risotto rice, vegetable stock, olive oil, black pepper
Chop onion and fry in 1tbsp of olive oil over medium heat for 5 mins. Heat up 1.2L vegetable stock (made with 2-3 stock cubes). Add 250-300g risotto rice to oinion and stir for 1-2 mins, until rice is fully coats. Gradually add stock tto rice, allowing the rice to absorb each ladle of liquid before adding more. Add the mange tout and salmon about five minutes before the end. Add juice and zest of one lemon (my note: we prefer a little less lemon than this!), season with black pepper (optional) and serve immediately.