Here are some tips and tricks I've learned along the way:
Have some basic tools on hand: a cutting board, a sharp knife, some glass bakeware, cookie sheets, some good pots and pans, some strainers, a veggie steamer that sits in a pot, A GARLIC PRESS!!, a splatter screen for when you put things in hot oil - this will save you lots of clean up, ohhh and a veggie chopper - allows you to chop onions without crying and may or may not help you take out the days anger on an onion (I have to laugh - we lived with a family when we were first married, in their mother-in-law suite… they always knew when I was chopping onions!) Having the tools you will need makes it much less stressful and daunting.