Q: My roommate is allergic to corn, which while sometimes inconvenient, has been a great motivator to get us to learn to cook our own food. However, I have some recipes I'd like to try that contain cornstarch, like puddings and stir fry recipes. Are there other starches I can substitute?

Sent by nerdy

Q: I have a recipe that asks for four sheets of phyllo dough. However the brand I buy is frozen, and in order to get four sheets, I have to let it all thaw. Can I put it back in the freezer, or do I now have to use it up? Is there a way to just get a few sheets out of the package? Thanks!

Sent by Suzanne

I'm one of those people who always has a snack tucked away in my bag, a worst-case survival tactic for when the hours between meals stretch just a little too long. I love me some yogurt-covered snacks: raisins, cranberries, pretzels, all of them. It's taken me a while to work out how I might make these favorite snacks at home, but my golly, I think I've finally got it.

Even though I work largely from home, I'm still plagued by the 3 pm energy plummet like many of my friends and old coworkers. There's just something about that hour, especially in the winter when the days are colder and darker. Instead of reaching for a soda or another cup of coffee, a small snack with a bit of protein is a great picker-upper, and lately I've been mixing up a batch of quick no-bake snacks to keep on hand when the energy lows strike. More

I was born into a family that loves sweets. In the summer, I crave ice cream or sorbet, and in the winter I often reach for a cup of cocoa in the evening. But those packets of store-bought hot chocolate are filled with sugar and hydrogenated oils and making your own is so very simple. Making your own healthier version? Just as easy. More

I don't use white sugar much at home these days. Now I reach for a more unrefined cane sugar like turbinado, or experiment with maple syrup or honey as sweeteners. But the problem with this, for bakers in particular, is that you have to be careful about adding extra liquid to a recipe because it changes the entire composition and structure. So what's a good solution if you want to add a deep, dark sweetener like maple syrup? Pick up a bag of maple sugar! More

Recently, while nosing around in the freezer section of the market, I noticed that frozen fruit mixes labeled "tropical" always contain banana, pineapple and strawberry. I found the same thing in the dried fruit section. Strawberry? Doesn't "tropical" refer to the steamy and fertile band of earth near the equator, between the tropics of Capircorn and Cancer? This is not a place where strawberries thrive.

So I began to ask myself about truly tropical food combinations, and I thought of doctoring up some banana bread. More

If you're taking the plunge into gluten-free eating this year, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed right about now. With so much information and so many products out there, where do you even start? This straightforward guide to gluten-free flours and explanation for making your very own signature flour mix from Shauna Ahern of Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef is just what you need to get going. More

In my recent pantry reorganization, I found a bag of wheat berries I'd been meaning to use. A simple salad with some winter citrus and salty feta seemed like a good idea, and it all turned out very tasty. Light yet satisfying, this makes a perfect lunch or dinner side salad this time of year. More

Q: I received a great set of nice vanillas, a Mexican, Tahitian and Madagascar, for Christmas and I'm thrilled! Now I'm wondering what recipes I could try out that would really highlight the vanilla. I'm looking for something more than your basic cookie recipe with a teaspoon of vanilla. More