Here's my thoughts on cooking. I'll start from the beginning since there may be others out there interested in the fine art of cuisine preparation.

First off, days to craft on. Depending on your goals, the best days to craft on will change. For example, if you're crafting with Fire crystals, Firesday is the best day for successes, Darksday is the best for skill increases, Watersday and Darksday are best for HQ results, and Lightsday is best for saving materials on a failed synth. Since this will be focusing on leveling cooking, I'll focus more on the successes and leveling part.

• Fire crystals: Fire for success, Dark for skill. (Starting on Light gives you 3 days of crafting without having to stop for an unfavourable day)
• Earth crystals: Earth for success. (Lightning and Light for a 2 day run of good crafting)
• Water crystals: Water for success. (Also safer on Fire and Light, avoid Lightning)
• Wind crystals: Wind for success. (Also safer on Earth and Light, avoid Ice)
• Ice crystals: Ice for success, Wind for skill. (Also Light, avoid Fire)
• Lightning crystals: Lightning for success. (Also Light, avoid Earth)
• Light crystals: Light for success and skill. (No known recipes require light)
• Dark crystals: Light and Dark for success and skill.

Also, when I was leveling cooking, I ALWAYS had advanced synthesis support. Gotta love Kipo-Opo. :D

0-3 Carrot Broth
Cap 3
Water: San d'Orian Carrot x4

3-6 Hard-Boilded Egg
Cap 6
When using Bird Eggs instead of Lizard Eggs and only do this if you have access to the airship merchant. Otherwise skip to next recipe.
Fire: Bird Egg, Distilled Water

alternatively, you could go right into...

(3)6-10 Sliced Sardine
Cap 11
I went straight to this from the Broth since I didn't have access to the airship merchants for cheap eggs.
Wind: Bastore Sardine

10-15 Selbina Butter
Cap 20
If you'll be taking cooking as far as possible and have lots of mule room to spare, I'd suggest taking this as close to 20 as possible and save everything you cook. At later levels you'll need it to make dough, which would then be used with more butter to make pumpkin pies. But keep in mind that those pies are L77. Otherwise, at around 15 just skip to the next recipe.
Ice: Selbina Milk, Rock Salt

15-19 Baked Popoto
Cap 22
I did this for a short while as I ran out of storage room for butter and wanted something I could sell back to NPC's. Also this can use some of the butter you just made. Be sure to get the popotos from a vendor, not the guild.
Fire: Popoto, Selbina Butter

19-25 Pet Food Gamma
Cap 29
This was done for the ease of return by selling back to NPC's. The only downside is that you should get the flour from Jeuno. If this doesn't appeal to you, just do Insect Balls instead (mentioned further down).
Earth: Horo Flour, Dhamel Meat, Bird Egg, Distilled Water

25-30 Pineapple Juice
Cap 30
I did this since it was something that I could use in parties when I was using my WHM. Again, you could do Insect Balls instead.
Water: Kazham Pineapple x2

Alternative to the above 2...

19-29 Insect Balls
Cap 29
Always in demand with profit coming from quantity.
Earth: Millioncorn, Distilled Water, Little Worm

29-32 Meatballs
Cap 35
Earth: San d'Orian Flour, Distilled Water, Hare Meat

32-39 Pet Food Delta
Cap 39
Another good recipe to sell to NPC's.
Earth: Rye Flour, Distilled Water, Bird Egg, Land Crab Meat

39-42 Pie Dough
Cap 42
Hold on to these for future pies.
Water: San d'Orian Flour, Selbina Butter, Rock Salt

42-45 Pickled Herring
Cap 46
Sell back to NPC's.
Ice: Nosteau Herring, Dried Marjoram, Rock Salt

Now you have 2 options...pies or crayfish balls. Up to you to see what's selling better at AH.

45-52 Crayfish Ball
Cap 52
I had done alot of these then used them to fish Nebimonites on the ferry. Also profitable at AH.
Earth: Crayfish x3, San d'Orian Flour, Distilled Water

or....

45-50 Apple Pies
Cap 50
Fire: Cinnamon, Pie Dough, Maple Sugar, Bird Egg, Faerie Apple

52-55 Beaugreen Sautee
Cap 55
If you went with Apple Pies to 50, I would suggest doing Crayfish balls to 52 so that you only need 3 levels at this. Sell to NPC's.
Fire: Selbina Butter, Beaugreens

55-60 Yagudo Drinks
Cap 60
Great for the mage in your life or SMN going to battle the avatars. ;)
Dark: Yagudo Cherry, Buburimu Grape x3

Your next choice will again depend on your needs/space or the potential return from AH/NPC.

60-64 Melon Pies
Cap 64
This could be done if you have need of the pies or space to hold them while waiting to sell at AH. Otherwise skip to the next one for a quicker return.
Fire: Thundermelon, Cinnamon, Pie Dough, Maple Sugar, Bird Egg

60-65 Pumpkin Soup
Cap 65
This can be sold back to NPC's for potential break even or profit depending on origin of ingredients.
Fire: Ogre Pumpkin, Sage, Selbina Milk, Rock Salt, Distilled Water

65-67 Raisin Bread
Cap 67
Just trying to close the gap a bit for the next recipe.
Fire: San d'Or. Grape, San d'Or. Flour, Selbina Butter, Maple Sugar, Rock Salt, Distilled Water

67-72 Pear au Lait
Cap 72
You'll be doing this for a while but there isn't anything else in this level range. Use these for the low level jobs to farm crystals while leveling.
Water: Derfland Pear x2, Honey, Selbina Milk

72-77 Pamama au Lait
Cap 81
At this point, you need to consider the amount of ingredients involved in the recipes which can greatly increase the amount of prep time required. For example, at this level you could do Navarin...but with 8 ingredients not including the crystal I went with the au Lait earlier.
Water: Pamama x2, Selbina Milk, Honey

77-85 Pumpkin Pies
Cap 85
Pull out that Selbina Butter for more dough and for the pie itself! Lots of ingredients for this one but it's great for use or for profit at AH.
Fire: Ogre Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Selbina Butter, Selbina Milk, Pie Dough, Maple Sugar, Distilled Water, Bird Egg

This is as far as I've leveled up to this point. Once I level more, I'll post my path with any other suggestions I may have. Happy cooking!!