Since everyone seems so into this...here are two of my recipies....

Baird's Beaked Ale (IPA) O.G - 1.065, IBU - 56, Color - 18 HBCU, Alcohol - ~5.6ABV
GRAINS:
8lbs Pale Malt Extract (NOT HOPPED!!!!)
2lbs 20L Crystal Malt
1lb Flaked Wheat
2lbs Flaked Barley
HOPS:
1oz Chinook
1oz Willamette
1oz Cascade (used for dry hopping)

Steep the Crystal Malt, flaked wheat and flaked barley for a good 30 min at 150F in 2 gallons of water. (an easy way to do this and save time is to let the grains steep as you bring the water to a boil. BUT TAKE THE GRAINS OUT BEFORE IT BOILS!!!!). After the grains are steeped, remove the kettle from the heat and add in the Malt Extract. Return to heat and boil. Once you get a rolling boil, throw in the Shinook hops and time a 60min. boil. At 30min to go add in the Willamette.

At the end of the boil, cool the wort (wort chiller anyone?) and pitch with White Labs (or what you can get) English Ale Yeast. The bottling O.G. should be about 1.019. About 5 days before you plan on bottling, throw the Cascade hops into the fermenter and stir GENTLY!! (That's the "dry hopping" part)

Dan's Little Bit 'o Irish Stout (Stout) O.G - 1.065, IBU - 49, Color - 209 HBCU, Alcohol - ~4.8ABV
GRAINS:
4lbs Pale Malt Extract
5lbs British 2-Row Malt
2lbs Roasted Barley
2lbs Flaked Barley
1lb Flaked Wheat

HOPS:
1oz Willamette
1oz Chinook
1oz Fuggles

Follow the above general instructions only remember that you are using 10lbs of grain here...it's alot!! When you get the boil, throw in the Willamette and time 60min. At 15 min to go, add the Chinook. At 5min. to go add the Fuggles. Pitch with Irish Ale Yeast. The bottling O.G. should be about 1.025.

Now a quick explanation for the beginners...OG is Original Gravity. This is the thickness of the WORT, not the finished beer. This is for a VERY specific reason. The thickness of the wort controls the level of hop extraction during the boil. A very thick wort will not extract the acids from the hops as well as a "light" wort. For those science minded, it is exactly the same thing as Specific Gravity. I recommend getting a Specific Gravity tool (available at any good Homebrew store)....it will give you better control over your beer. And you can figure out the alcohol content from the readings.

IBU is International Bitterness Units, and HBCU is Homebrew Color Units (not as scientific as the other measures...but it's close enough).

Brew and enjoy. And, remember (although I am not religous), as Ben Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."