Sauteeing onions and garlic are absolutely a staple for me. That's pretty much the foundation of everything I cook. If I don't know how to pull together a stir fry, I'll just toss in some oyster sauce to coat everything.

I also always cook rice, which is a meal staple for me. Even if I mess up something -- it's too salty/dry/wet/whatever, if I serve it over steamed rice, I can sort of salvage it.