(or at least most things)
Learn or review all the fundamentals with lots of photos
Cook likeFood Matters.
500 terrific
less-meatarian recipes
The bible of simple cooking now on your phone and iPad
Bittman at 
Heralded as the "new, hip Joy of Cooking" when it first came out, the original How To Cook Everything is still available in paperback. After ten years it remains relevant, but you might want to also check out its brand new offspring, the big red How To Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition).