Don't be scared of cooking Jim. I'm not chef and I can prepare simple meals for two using only a couple of methods.
For salmon, chicken fillets, rump steak or lamb or pork chops the method is much the same.
A knob of butter in a non stick pan and cook the meat until it is cooked enough for your taste. Try not to turn too many times, especially the salmon.
Then depending on the meat try the following enhancements
Salmon - lemon juice and tartare sauce
Chicken fillets - any sauce you fancy. I like a bit of cranberry or mango chutney
Steak - cook some sliced onion in with the meat while the meat is resting (look that one up) then add a bit of BBQ sauce to the onions and mix up a bit of gravy powder in water. Add to the pan until it thickens enough and spoon over the steak. Sometimes I add a smidgen of Worchester sauce instead of BBQ
Lamb chops - mint jelly on top
Pork chops - apple sauce.
I serve the meat with either steamed vegetables - potato, carrot and frozen peas are always available in my house and occasionally broccoli or spinach. Using a steamer saucepan and a small frying pan you can whip up a quick meal that is tempting to the taste buds and not too hard to wash up. Alternately, I cut up some salad vegetables and serve with the meat.
My other staples are pasta dishes, curries and chili con carne. The advantage here is that you always make enough to have meals for the freezer which can be quickly defrosted when needed.
Take heart. Some of us women knew very little about meal preparation before being thrown in at the deep end.
