I consider caramel popcorn to be the ultimate party treat — beloved by the attendees of children's birthday parties and grown-up cocktail hours alike. It's crunchy, it's deeply caramelized, and it's utterly addictive. If your only experience with caramel popcorn is the sticky-sweet stuff that comes Christmas tins, then I insist that you drop whatever you are currently doing and make yourself a batch this afternoon.

Q: I recently bought a pound of Trader Joe's bittersweet chocolate with almonds on accident as I did not see the mention of almonds on the label. This didn't work for the recipe I was making, and I'm not sure what else I can cook or bake with it? 

Spring salads are coming! Spring salads are coming! Depending on where you live in the country, you might be starting to see more colorful produce and interesting vegetables at your market. But if spring produce hasn't yet made its way to you, never fear. There's an easy way to amp up your seasonal salads by adding a dramatic pop of color and delicious crunch: black sesame seeds.

You tried making socca and loved it, but now what? What else can you make with that big bag of chickpea flour now sitting in your cupboard? If you've fallen in love with this nutty, sweet flour, here are a few more ways to use it in your cooking.

A Visit with Woodblock Chocolate in Portland, Oregon

As Dessert Week draws to a close (aren't you sorry to see it go? We are!) let's talk about chocolate for a moment. Chocolate inspires the most passionate responses — I know people who say, hyperbolically, that they could not live without chocolate, that their ultimate dessert is a wedge of the darkest chocolate cake imaginable. But chocolate doesn't really do it for me; I like it in small amounts or swirled with peanut butter. What about you? Is chocolate the best thing ever, or could you take it or leave it? 

Since going gluten-free, I've had lots of fun expanding my arsenal of flours. My latest discovery? DIY sunflower seed flour. I discovered "sun-flour" while developing my recipe for Fruit Crumble with Oats & Dates and have started using this wonderful ingredient in other baked goods, too. 

Q: I want to start using coconut oil in some gluten-free baking but cannot find specific instructions. Can you confirm that when a recipe calls for 1/4 cup coconut oil, it means melted to liquid form? Also, is there a good method for liquefying the coconut oil?

Sent by Kara

Have you ever become so totally obsessed with an ingredient or recipe it completely takes over your life? Because that is exactly what happened when I recently sampled an ethereal Chocolate Hazelnut Torte at a local Atlanta restaurant. That particular sweet and nutty flavor combination is always a favorite, but it was the crispy, creamy wafer crust that had me at hello.

Could there be anything better than a handful of pistachios? They're a snack on their own, they're a dessert when mixed with ice cream, they're a savory addition to our salads — I wouldn't be surprised if they could leap tall buildings and move faster than a speeding bullet, too. They're basically the superhero of nuts. Except they're not actually nuts. And with that bright green color, they're not exactly fooling anyone with their low-profile disguise.