I was taught how to cook by my grandmother and I look for the OLD cookbooks at garage sales and auctions. Grange cookbooks are the greatest. I dont have a food processor or any fancy appliances. A box grater is a good thing to have, cast iron pans and of course fresh food to cook with. Stock up on the staples and you can always make something. Flour, baking soda and powder, cocoa, pasta, rice, sugar, spices, corn starch, chicken and beef stock (very easy to make your own), potatoes, onions and garlic. Also check out HillbillyHousewife.com, sorry if someone mentioned it already, I didnt read all the back posts.