Reshaping Quads

I know that subsurfs and triangles do not mix, so what is the best way to reshape a triangle into a quad?

Select two neighboring tris, and Alt J

One more question that sorta relates to this, but might not. What are edge loops? How do I use them to my advantage? Any tutorials?

http://www.izware.com/news/indexa446.html

well…I pretty much already knew that. Any tutorials or advice on how to use them (like where and how to place vertices, not like what to use them on).