The weather may finally be getting warm enough to poke our noses outside, but don't pack away your Dutch oven quite yet. Everyone's favorite pot can still be your friend in springtime. Roast a chicken in fresh and saucy coconut milk, or make a pot of Hot and Sour Mushroom and Rice Soup. There's a risotto of fresh spring vegetables that bakes into creamy goodness right inside your Dutch oven. Or make a big pot of easy, tender barbecue shredded chicken. Keep your favorite pot handy — these spring dishes will keep it busy.

Much like training for a 10k, planning a dinner party looks manageable from afar. Decide on the menu the week before, clean on Tuesday, buy groceries on Wednesday, and so on until Friday night rolls around and the party has practically come together on its own. However, just like that first long training run that leaves you huffing and puffing, wondering if you'll ever see the race start, let alone the finish line, more than once I've found myself an hour into the menu planning, surrounded by cookbooks and blogs, having underestimated the feat ahead. This is why I turn to braised beef. 

When I think about throwing a dinner party, especially a big one like this polenta supper I'm sharing with you this week, my thoughts immediately go to: What can I make ahead? Last week, I had an easy answer: a shredded, succulent mess of beef braised in red wine and tomatoes, falling apart in its juices. It's a terrific make-ahead dish, since like most braises, this beef gets better overnight, and takes all the stress of a main dish off your hands entirely. Sound good? It gets better. 

Goulash. Just saying it sounds funny, right? But what exactly is it, anyways? Well, it really depends on who, or where, you ask. As for my version, I may not be able to claim its history or origin, but I can definitely claim it as delicious. That's good enough for me! More

I have absolutely zero interest in football, so for me, the annual gathering of friends on Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food. The spread always includes a few of the grubby, nostalgic snacks we grew up with — cheesy queso dip, I'm looking at you — as well as some fresher, lighter snacks that often incorporate flavors from one of the many international cuisines that surround us here in Los Angeles. You're looking at my contribution this year: a Korean take on the usual pulled-meat slider, a juicy sandwich loaded with gingery, chile-spiked shredded chicken and tender kale braised with garlicky kimchi.

Q: For Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive my very first Le Creuset (4 1/2-quart French Oven) from my sister. Now I need recipes that will put it to good use. Help?

Sent by Jamie More

Q: I recently picked up a small eye of round roast, and everything I read about cooking this cut involves slow-roasting at some point. However, I don't have an oven. Is there a way to do it in a crock-pot?

Sent by Laura More

If you happen to be into chick flicks, which I am, then maybe you love the Christmas movie The Holiday as much as me? (Unfortunately I have to watch it alone, because it doesn't meet my fiancé's manly standards.) In one scene in particular, Kate Winslet offers to whip up some "Christmas fettuccine" for Jack Black, who is in need of some much-needed cheer. More

Oh my goodness, I am only going to say this once. I am so freakin' glad Thanksgiving is over. Why might you ask? Because five days in San Francisco, Marin County, and beyond have really done a number on my waistline me.

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Lamb can be a tough sell for many people. Between its reputedly strong flavor and not quite knowing how to cook it, we pass it over for more familiar cuts. But it's worth giving lamb a chance because when it's done right, a plate of tender flavorful lamb is a beautiful thing. When is the last time you had lamb for dinner? More