This past weekend I roadtripped it from Ohio to Atlanta, where my sister got married in a country field in the sunshine, and where we swatted mosquitoes and drank beer out of Mason jars and had an altogether lovely time. For the trip down, I wanted to stay refreshed and stave off the munchies with something tasty but light. Thus I discovered my new favorite travel snack — the perfect little bundle of green. 

Potstickers may be my go-to meal for a long day of travel, but if I have to get out of the house before dawn to catch an early flight or hit the road, only one breakfast will do: avocado toast. 

Here is what's awesome about making your own dumplings at home: they will taste better than anything you buy in the store (promise), you will have a freezer full of ready-made meals for the next several weeks (depending on your rate of dumpling consumption), and you will feel like a rock star when you gaze upon your dumpling bounty. Better yet, gather some friends for a dumpling-making fest and divvy up the profits. Everyone is a rock star! Want in on the action? Here's what to do.

You’ve decided where you want to go. You’ve purchased the tickets and booked a hotel. And now for the most important part... what are you going to eat? And where will you find the best stuff?

Q: I've been asked to make my friend's wedding cake, which I'm very excited about! I've done this once before, but that was a fall wedding in New Hampshire and now I need to be ready for an August wedding in Virginia! Any tips for icing recipes that can handle the heat?

Q: As kids in the early 30's, we used to pick seaweed at the North Shore in Massachusetts. Our mother would use it to make tapioca pudding. I have no idea what seaweed it was and no one seems to remember. Has anyone ever done this or know anything about it? I'd love to trace its history!

Sent by Daphne

Living on the West Coast means some really really long plane rides back to visit family in Minnesota and Massachusetts. A package of pretzels is not going to cut it, and I've struggled with ideas for packable, airplane-approved meals that will also satisfy my hunger pangs. As unlikely as it may seem, Asian dumplings have become my favorite mid-flight meal.

Q: Years ago a friend from Iraq made me a mouthwatering and incredibly simple dish, consisting of white beans cooked with some small fruits that looked like miniature, dried, shrunken limes (skins and all). We ate the beans using a wonderful Turkish flat bread instead of forks. It was awesome! 

Before you leave on a trip, you probably remember to take out the trash, do the dishes and clean out the refrigerator. But there is one more thing you could be doing to make your return a whole lot happier.

Q: I recently received a big bag of cacao nibs as a gift, and I don't know what to do with them. The person who gave them to me eats them plain as a snack, but I don't think I'll make it through the whole bag that way. Any good recipes out there for baked goods? How else do you use them?

Sent by Ellen