You may have heard of a very good book called 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves'
by Lynn Truss. In it she explains very plainly the pitfalls and correct usage of grammar. The title describes a sign she once saw on the zoo enclosure of a panda. The redundant comma made her imagine a fully-clothed animal entering a restaurant, having a meal, refusing to pay, letting rip with his pistol and making his escape.
I find punctuation rather helpful; far from presenting us with pitfalls, it clarifies somewhat the intended meaning. One can indeed use a comma after 'and'. For example, 'The man wore a red hat and, a cold wind having sprung up, his warmest coat." The pause helps the flow of the sentence. Otherwise, it might seem as if the chap wore the cold wind. I think the best way to learn good grammar and punctuation is to read as much as one can. That way, the useful rules are absorbed quite painlessly!