I think this is a great "first cookbook" or even for a teenager. It has very basic recipes. I refer to it for those recipes I have always heard people cook but wasn't ever taught how.
M. J. (geekbearinggifts) reviewed 52 Weeks of Recipes for Students, Missionaries, and Nervous Cooks on
Simple recipes with straight-forward instructions and a good appendix for non-cooks. I have been cooking since childhood, but I found some twists on old recipes worth trying, and ideas for fast and easy dinners on those nights when I don't have time or energy to fuss.
