Spring is just around the corner, but there's just enough time to squeeze this late-late-winter recipe into your cream soup arsenal before it arrives. The delicate bite of shallots is more subtle than the flavor you get from onions, while the egg yolks provide an extra depth of creaminess.

For us, the ritual of brewing tea is as meditative as drinking it. We love the idea of tossing our favorite loose-leaf jasmine green tea into this Zen-meets-architectural-design teapot from San Francisco designer Joey Roth, and watching the color bloom in rhythm with the aroma.

After trying a version of cauliflower puree at a local restaurant a couple of years back, I just had to track down a recipe. If you want to impress your guests, you can call this classic French dish by its original name: chou-fleur purée de chou-fleur. Traditionally used as a bed for serving roasted meats, in lieu of potatoes, it also makes a great side dish sans meat.

After reading Emma's Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork recipe last week, I was craving homemade pulled pork, but was saddened by the fact that, without a slow cooker, it seemed beyond my reach. I did some digging, however, and learned that there are some easy workarounds for this dilemma, and that my days of being stymied by slow cooker recipes are behind me.

At first glance, the idea of tongs dedicated to toaster use seems about as vital as having a separate set of spoons for caviar. But if, like me, (a) you have a partner who loves crumpets, and (b) said partner has a habit of fishing in the toaster for said crumpets with a fork, and (c) you really like your partner, this little wooden gadget starts to sound a lot more valuable.

At this point in the year, we're doing our best to eat locally as much as possible, but sometimes it's hard to get excited about it. We dug into our archives for some inspiring takes on classic deep-winter ingredients like sweet potatoes, sunchokes, beets, and butternut squash.

We're in the throes of deep-winter eating and there are definitely some days when it's hard to find cooking inspiration in the produce section. This recipe, which was passed along by a friend, came just in time. The brilliant pairing of apples and parsnips is new and refreshing without being weird.

In many parts of the continent, we're still in the throes of winter, so planning now for summer fare may seem far-fetched. But if you want to enjoy the full bounty of summertime, this is the time to start thinking about where your food will be coming from.

If we want our children to learn how to participate in household chores, we have to make it easy for them to help out, and we are always looking for ways to make the kitchen more kid-friendly. So we love how Sharilyn at the blog Lovely Design has created a special kitchen drawer for her daughter Adelaide's dishes, cups, and cutlery.

From the "Duh... eureka!" files: I'm embarrassed to admit to how many perfectly good pancakes I gave to the dog before it occurred to me to start freezing leftovers to reheat in the toaster. It's a wonderful way to get a taste of the weekend on an otherwise rushed weekday morning. Here are a few tips.