The title is pretty self-explanatory.  Here are some from-scratch recipes for you to try - don't be afraid to experiment and change some things!

Breakfast Muffins - Quick to make and oh so good.  Who needs Betty Crocker?
1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil (coconut oil tastes great; light olive or vegetable oil works as well)
1 cup fruit (blueberries, raisins, chopped apple, or whatever else you think would taste good)
2 eggs

Put everything in a large bowl and stir it together.  Use a stick of butter to lightly grease the insides of a dozen-muffin baking sheet; fill each greased cup evenly.  If you'd like, sprinkle cinnamon on top of each one; a little honey drizzled on top of each one makes for a delicious and moist muffin top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Multi-Grain Bread - Homemade bread is wonderful.
1 tablespoon baking yeast (or one packet active dry yeast)
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
5 and 1/2 to 6 cups of flour or other grain (you can mix and match; for example, 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup finely crushed walnuts, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3 cups whole wheat flour)

Put all ingredients except for the flours into a mixing bowl.  Add flour one cup at a time, stirring between additions, until you have a stiff, fairly dry dough.  Put a little flour on a clean countertop or table and knead the dough (that is, fold it over itself, push the air out, repeat, with a fair bit of force) until it is smooth and satiny - about 6-10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl - you can use melted butter residue from the pot you melted the butter in - and cover it.  Put the bowl in a warm place - 75 or 80 degrees - and let it rise for about an hour and a half.  Having a warm place for the dough to rise is crucial.  Divide the dough in half and shape it into two balls.  Let it rest for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, use a stick of butter to grease two bread loaf baking pans.  Then shape the dough into loaves, put them into the pans, cover with a towel and let rise in that same warm place for an hour or a little more.  Gently place the pans in a 375-degree preheated oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Voila!

Tortillas - Super-simple, quick, easy, and so much tastier than store-bought.
2 cups white or whole wheat flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  Shape into 2-inch balls and use a rolling pin on a well-floured surface to roll into thin circles.  Place on a lightly oiled cooking sheet and rub a bit of oil on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.  Place under cover with a damp towel for a few minutes to retain softness.

Enchiladas - A spicy southwestern treat
1/2 pound ground beef, chopped chicken, sliced tofu, or meat/protein of your choice
6-8 tortillas
4-6 ounces of cheese, shredded - cheddar, monterey jack, or other favorite
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped hot green chili peppers
4 teaspoons minced jalapeno peppers
4 teaspoons jalapeno pepper juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Brown the meat/tofu in a skillet and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In the meantime, make the sauce:  Mix all ingredients except for meat, tortillas, and cheese.  Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with a thin layer of mixed sauce.  Once the meat/tofu has browned, spread a strip of sauce across the center of each tortilla, add meat along the strip, sprinkle some cheese on, and rolling the tortilla into a tube shape, place the whole shebang into the baking dish, overlapped side down.  Spread the remaining sauce on top of the rolled tortillas, liberally add cheese to the top, and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Split Pea Soup - This soup is thick and hearty, as well as cheap to make!
1 pound dried green split peas (2 generous cups)
2 quarts water
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried marjoram
1 bay leaf

Rinse peas in a strainer under cold water.  Combine in a pot with listed ingredients except the thyme and marjoram.  Bring to boiling uncovered, then reduce heat so the mixture simmers gently.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until peas are tender - about two hours.  About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, add the thyme and marjoram.  If the soup is too thick, add a little water.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Goes great with the Sweet Potato Biscuits!

Cream Of Broccoli Soup - Simple, quick, healthy, and tasty!
1 quart water
2-3 crowns of broccoli, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 ounces cheddar cheese

Put the water, broccoli, and onion in a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat; add the whipping cream and cheese.  Mash with a potato masher or a fork until you reach the desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Soup/Chicken & Dumplings - This one takes a while, but it is worth it.
1 whole chicken
Celery
Carrots
Onion
Spices (salt, pepper, savory, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)

If the chicken is frozen, thaw by letting it sit in the refrigerator for two-three days.  Once thawed, put the chicken in a big pot and cover with water.  Boil the chicken for 2 hours; then, saving the water, pull the chicken out and take all the meat off the carcass.  There are two ways of continuing at this point: 1. Put the meat back in the water, along with the veggies and spices.  How many veggies and spices you put in the soup is completely up to you!  Simmer until the veggies are tender, about 45-90 minutes.  Or, 2. Put the meatless carcass back in the water and boil for 4 more hours.  After this long at a boil, most of the carcass will turn into a gelatin that is quite healthy for you; strain the entire pot for bones and bone fragments, keeping the water/gelatin mixture.  (If you'd like less fat in the soup, put the mixture in the fridge overnight, and skim the fat off the top of the gelatin the next day.)  Then, continue as described above with the veggies and spices.

A couple of variations:  For chicken noodle soup, you can add noodles about 10 minutes before you're ready to eat.  If you'd like chicken and dumplings, make Baking Powder Biscuits as per the recipe below and drop the raw dough into the soup by spoonfuls.  Boil the soup with the dough in it for 18 minutes, and delicious dumplings will result!

You can freeze both the cooked meat and the resulting broth/gelatin.  So if you'd like only a small amount of soup, only use a bit of the meat/broth/gelatin, and freeze the rest in separate containers for single-meal servings later!

Baking Powder Biscuits - Also great as dumplings!
1/3 cup butter (about 3/4 stick)
1 and 3/4 cups flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk

Cut the dry ingredients into the butter until the consistency is like coarse crumbs.  Add the milk and mix together.  Drop onto a baking sheet and cook at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  For use as dumplings in soup, don't cook - use the raw dough and boil in the soup for about 18 minutes.

Sweet Potato Biscuits - These go great with any soup and are especially good with preserves.
1 large sweet potato or garnet yam
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup whole milk, buttermilk, or yogurt mixed with water

Bake the potato at 400 degrees for about an hour or until soft.  Cut it in half and scoop out the flesh - you need about 1 cup of cooked potato.  Using a medium bowl, mix the potato, brown sugar, and butter and mash until smooth.  In a large bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients.  Then add, in three additions, the potato mixture and milk, stirring between each addition.  Don't over-mix, just enough to combine the ingredients.  Place large spoonfuls on a cookie sheet - makes about twelve - and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Ted's Green Chili - A spicy and very green chili
1 pound ground pork
1 large green bell pepper
1 pound roasted, peeled green chili peppers
1 large onion
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
3 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 potatoes
5 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cilantro

Brown the meat and saute the onion and bell pepper along with it.  Once the meat is cooked, toss it in a pot with the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours.  Yummy!  (Editor's note:  I've never tried this recipe.  According to Ted, that's how it's done.  I can vouch for the end result - all I know is that it tastes really good.)

Chili - A less-spicy and decidedly not-green chili
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons hot green chili peppers, chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)

Mix all ingredients together; either cook in a skillet until hot, or slow-cook in a CrockPot all day.  The slow-cooker method tastes better.

Pizza - With its from-scratch crust, unlike most other homemade pizzas!
1 tablespoon baking yeast (or one packet active dry yeast)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm-to-hot water (not lukewarm, not boiling)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
Your favorite cheese
Your favorite marinara sauce
Your favorite toppings

Put the yeast, sugar, and water in a mixing bowl.  Wait for about 3-4 minutes, until yeast activates (you'll see little yeast "explosions" rising to the surface of the water).  Add the oil, salt, and flour, and mix.  The dough should not be really wet and sticky, but not really dry and cakey either - you're looking for an elastic, spongy dough that doesn't stick to a floured surface.  Add water or flour as needed.  Let the dough sit for about 10 minutes or so while you ready your toppings; use a stick of butter to grease a baking sheet.  Spread the dough forcefully across the baking sheet until it covers the entire sheet, but without any holes in the dough itself.  Put the dough only in the oven at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes; then remove, add sauce, cheese, and toppings, and bake for another 18-22 minutes, or until cheese is beginning to brown.  Remove, let cool for a few minutes, cut, and enjoy!

Meghan's Asian Stir-Fry - Taste the Orient without the funny chemicals of American-Chinese cuisine.
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons broken cashews
1 zucchini, sliced
2 crowns broccoli, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 ounces bean thread noodles

Stir all ingredients together except for the veggies and bean threads.  Make sure that all minced ingredients are minced very small and that you mix very well.  (Shaking all ingredients in a sealed pint jar works well.)  Saute the veggies in peanut oil until they are slightly soft; in the meantime, boil a medium pot of water.  When the water is boiling, place the bean threads in it, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.  Strain the bean threads - add to the veggies, and then add the sauce.  Cook all the ingredients together in a large skillet for 5-8 minutes - remove from heat and enjoy!  Goes well over fresh spinach.

Mayonnaise - Sure, you can make your own!
1 egg at room temperature
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
3 teaspoons sugar (adjust for personal taste)
3/4 cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil

Put all ingredients in blender except for the oil and mix thoroughly.  While blender is running at high speed, remove the cover and SLOWLY drizzle the oil in.  Once all the oil is in the blender, mix for several seconds more.  If the new mayo is too thin, it should set up in the fridge - put it in a jar in the fridge, and after a couple hours, it should be the right consistency.

Brickle Dip - Great for a sweet treat with apples or pears
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces toffee brickle, crushed

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate.  Goes especially deliciously with Granny Smith or other tart apples!

Brownies - The good old-fashioned chocolate brownie.
6 tablespoons cocoa
7 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat butter and cocoa in a pot over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted.  Remove from heat.  Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and spread the batter in a greased glass baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan - about 30-35 minutes.

Oatmeal-Raisin-Walnut-Chocolate-Chip Cookies - Oatmeal raisin cookies with an added delicious kick!
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts

Cut the sugar into the butter until the consistency is like rough crumbs.  Add the eggs and vanilla; then the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in the oats, raisins, walnuts, and chocolate chips last.  Drop by the spoonful on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Jackie's Chocolate-Chip Walnut Banana Bread - A delicious sweet/quick bread.
1 and 1/2 cups flour - mix all-purpose and whole wheat
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup flax meal
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs (whites or whole)
3 ripe bananas
walnuts to taste

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in another bowl, mashing the bananas well.  Stir all the ingredients together until the batter is well mixed but still lumpy.  Put batter into a greased or buttered bread loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Middle of loaf will still be a little gooey when hot, but will solidify as it cools.  Allow to cool before slicing and enjoy!