Q: My wedding is at the end of June and I am doing a "potluck" dessert table where people can bring chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or lemon desserts. I love to bake and I'm planning on making a few desserts myself ahead of time. What are some freezer-friendly desserts that I can make now, that will still be delicious in a month and a half?

This is a sweet, simple idea for an outdoor play kitchen. All all you need is a crate, a fruit box, and a couple of cans!

Red-and-Pink-Stripe Baking Cups from Paper Eskimo

• $7.95
• Sur La Table

I used these cheery little cups last week to serve pudding (Nutella fluff!) at my book party for Bakeless Sweets, and I really liked how well they held up. These are way more versatile than regular baking cups; you could put pudding, finger food, or even ice cream in them for a party.

I'm sure I am not the first cook to drop her head in her hands and groan, "Why can't we just go metric!" while trying to scale a recipe up or down, or trying to divide by 32 in her head. Unfortunately, you can't force the country to measure in easily-converted units of ten just because it would make baking brownies for the school bake sale less of a headache. But you can make life easier for yourself by memorizing this short list of essential cooking conversions.

In an out-of-the-way NJ industrial park lies the Mecca of off-price designer furniture: the DWR Annex. Inside you're overwhelmed with the giddy feeling of a child in an ice cream shop—and this ice cream is all 20%-50% off.  

• A Trip to the DWR Annex
  Apartment Therapy

We've all heard how blueberries are powerful antioxidants and how quinoa's health benefits stretch beyond its trendiness, but do we really know how to integrate all these "super foods" into a complete and sustainable diet? Enter Longevity Kitchen. This cookbook brings it all together, thoroughly explaining these doctor-recommended ingredients and helping you build a healthy (and tasty!) diet that works for you.

What do you drink at a bad bar? It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, I know, but we've all been there: stuck in a tired airport lounge, or at a restaurant hundreds of miles away from an artisanal cocktail menu, eyeing a bartender who doesn't look old enough to drink. What do you order when you just don't trust the bar (or the bartender)? What's your safety drink? I asked 25 food writer friends what they go to when they want a drink but don't trust the bar. More

The other day it occurred to me that all the delicious things in life — bread, cheese, wine, beer, pickles, kraut, just-cooked meats — become more delicious because of rest, because built into their process is a time where they sit quietly and do nothing. Actually, that's not quite true. They are doing something: yeasts are eating sugars and burping carbon dioxide, juices are being absorbed, fermentation is being initiated, etc. But from the point of view of the cook, we are leaving it alone. We are taking our hands off of the process and allowing the wild and uncontrolled elements to take their turn. 

What would happen if we did the same thing for ourselves, in our own lives?

Happy Saturday, friends. We hope you're having a wonderful weekend wherever you are. Popular posts this week on The Kitchn include tips on making the farmers' market the only place you shop, ideas for low-carb, budget-friendly meals, quick and simple veggie recipes to get you out of a salad rut, and three ways you may be ruining your knives. 

15. Chowing Down on Bok Choy! 10 Ways to Love This Asian Green
14. Re-Growing Celery: Grow a New Bunch Indoors or Outdoors
13. 10 Green Salads You Can Have For Dinner
12. How To Make Easy Kimchi at Home
11. Lauren Scott's Charming Petaluma Kitchen
10. Tips For Making the Farmers Market the Only Place You Shop

Happy weekend, everybody! What's cooking in your kitchen? I'm getting ready for a trip to London (so excited to explore the food scene there) and next week I'll be bringing you some snapshots and eye candy from a trade show full of glossy European kitchens and appliances. Meanwhile, it's the weekend, and it's time to luxuriate in our own home kitchens. What's happening there for you? What's on the menu, this fine spring weekend? 

What's on the menu this weekend, folks? That taco salad is sounding mighty fine for a Saturday midday meal — though it's a toss-up with the pasta salad with smoked gouda. Or easy fried brown rice with asparagus? Decisions, decisions! We have instructions for making your own kimchi if you're in the mood for a project, and  let's not overlook that no-bake peanut butter and chocolate Fat Elvis pie. Lots of ways have some fun in the kitchen this weekend!