That looks terrific, Babe. Over the years there have been some great recipes generously shared here on the BB. Carmela, you can do this! You are a sharp cookie. Cooking for the people you love is one of the best and most rewarding things you can do for them and yourself. Mrs. Mark was not a big cook at first but now she is very good. Now I admit, I'm no Emeril but I have found out a few simple things that might help you out in this new cooking endeavor. If anyone else has some good simple advice, I would like to hear them because I never stop learning and welcome great tips & shortcuts!

C - First, pre-measure all your ingredients, put them in little bowls and double check them. That way when you are adding something on the fly, you don't have to worry about; "Oh, crap! Was that a half or whole teaspoon?!?".

Whenever you can, always use fresh garlic, basil, parsley, etc... only use dry stuff when you have to.

If you ever brown or burn (even slightly) garlic - throw out the oil and garlic and start over. If you continue to fry and use it, your whole meal will taste terrible & bitter.

Start small - find a couple of easy recipes and gain some confidence and experience. If you have an experienced friend or family member with a ton of patience have them mentor you while cooking.

Salt your pasta water generously while boiling.

When you purchase ingredients, always get a little more just in case you need to start over or add a little more for taste. Don't be afraid to test things out while starting out.

Personally, when I drain my pasta, I add a tablespoon of butter for every pound and mix it in before finishing off pasta with the tomato sauce.

If a sauce or gravy is too thick, simply add a little water at a time until you are good. If it is too watery, you can thicken with equal amounts of a little corn starch and cold water. Must be cold water. You must pre-mix in a separate bowl before adding.

A great way to get rid of fryer oil is to wait a day for oil to completely cool off. Drain into disposable plastic containers and freeze them until garbage day. We use to toss frozen oil overboard in the middle of the ocean (approved dump areas) in the Navy.

I hope some of these help and I would love to hear any other great advice. There are a ton of great cooks on this board! Good luck, Carmela!