Who makes the best cookbook(s) to buy me started?

I have to recommend the original Betty Crocker cookbook, which can be purchased here:  http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Cookbook-Everything-Today/dp/0764560794  .  It has time-tested recipes that people love to eat, and it has been the most trusted cookbook for generations.

For 50 years Betty Crocker has reigned supreme in America's kitchens, her trusted advice and easy-to-follow recipes helping cooks of all levels become confident in the kitchen. Now updated for the new millennium, the cookbook, nicknamed "Big Red," has been completely revised and updated to reflect the cooking trends and tastes of today. Stumped by chayote squash? Want to make a perfect apple pie or find new recipes for the bread machine? It's all right here in this handy book:

• More than 950 recipes, from appetizers to desserts, to cover every cooking need - pot roast, pasta, pumpkin bread, and more
• Step-by-step line art and photographs with specific "how-to" instructions to guide you through new techniques
• Beautiful food photography that shows the finished results; i.d. photos of such foods as mushrooms and exotic fruits to help you shop with confidence
• Easy meat-roasting charts, numbered recipe steps, and preparation times with each recipe that keep cooking simple…and relaxing

With its fresh new design for 2000, Betty Crocker's Cookbook will be everyone's favorite kitchen companion, from new cooks to experienced home chefs looking for new ideas. What's New in the 9th Edition:

• 30-Minute Recipes and Reduced-Fat/Low-Calorie Recipes tagged so they can be found in a flash
• Individual chapters on grilling and vegetarian meals
• Expanded information on fruits and vegetables
• Crockpot recipes
• Information on organic food
• "Learn with Betty" photographs that guide you through cooking techniques
• Dietary Exchanges in each recipe's nutrition analysis

I absolutely LOVE the Taste of Home cookbooks!  When I first moved out on my own, that is what I started with!  Barnes and Nobel has the Comfort Foods Diet cookbook selling for $11.61
Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook presents a common-sense approach to healthy living and dieting by focusing on what people can eat, not what they have to give up. With the help of provided calorie counts, readers can plan their day and feel confident knowing they're within the desired calorie range for weight loss. All recipes come from real home cooks and combine realistic portions with exceptional taste-and all have been approved by the nutritionist on the Taste of Home staff. In addition to hundreds of satisfying recipes, this book contains: -A four-week meal plan that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, snacks, and beverages
-Nutrition facts and calories, including diabetic exchanges
-Notes on exercise and portion control
-A code to access a special gated website, which contains additional meal plans, healthy tips, and online community support
-Testimonials and photos from actual dieters
-A free year subscription to Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine
-Tips on dining out Readers will also find a number of "free foods" with low calories for guilt-free snacking and a clip-and-keep calorie guide they can remove from the book to carry on the go for use in restaurants. Put the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook's meals on your menu, and you'll be putting the pleasure back in healthy eating.




  Overstock has the Cooks who Care edition selling for $18.75
Containing nearly 1,400 simple recipes, a latest edition of a best-selling reference is complemented by nutritional and preparation time information, hundreds of expert tips and techniques, and exclusive access to 301 searchable web recipes and how-to videos.