[honeychile]

I was one of those very lucky women who was taught to cook by my mama from the time I was 4-5 years old.

I've used a LOT of cookbooks of the years, and I keep coming back to two types:

Betty Crocker (whatever the basic is - it's great for everything from beginner's tips to making fancy tea sandwiches & such. Very good explanations on cooking terms!)

and

Any Cookbook put out by an organization (church, school, sorority, etc) which has the name of the person submitting the recipe printed. No one in their right mind will submit a recipe that doesn't work!