The story of stone soup is a great story of cooperation: it teaches us that just a handful of shared ingredients can be transformed into a feast. But it also teaches us that nearly anything can be turned into soup — even a stone, a nail, a discarded bone. Soup can begin anywhere; we've shown you how to make soup from literally any vegetable, for instance (once you know that method, you'll never need a vegetable soup recipe again).

This recipe, from Melissa Clark's new book, takes the stone soup idea and stretches it out, starting with the bone discarded from a ham. It doesn't look like much but it's full of rich marrow, which infuses the soup with flavor. It's the most comforting thing I've eaten all week! More

Cookbooks often make me feel inspired, and frequently very hungry. But it is rare that a cookbook will actually make me laugh out loud. A drawing of spacemen landing on a pile of toasted flatbread? Or a cartoon shark swimming in a bowl of creamy chowder? Now, that's funny stuff.

And it's indicative of the playful and welcoming tone of this latest cookbook from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage farm. These are the kinds of recipes I want to cook all the time: fresh flavors, simple to make, and tummy-rubbing good. This recipe for spicy lamb burgers on the grill is the perfect example. More

A good friend of mine had a baby, her second, on Mother's Day. I don't know about you, but I like to cook for people when they have babies. Is this a dying tradition? When I had my daughter, I assumed people would be bringing lots of food, but it wasn't exactly a parade of casseroles. We ended up eating a lot of take-out. It shouldn't be that way.

My friend lived in Paris for years and since I know that Boeuf Bourguignon is one of her favorite dishes, I decided that this was the meal I should carry around the corner to her apartment. It's hearty, reminiscent of the good life in Paris, and gets better day after day. In other words, the perfect birthday dish for a hungry Francophile new mom.

So I turned to my grease-splattered Essential New York Times Cookbook, and discovered that it had not one but two Boeuf Bourguignon recipes. Score. More

Let me cut to the chase of this book review. Are you looking for vegetarian meals, or just more vegetables? Want to bring more whole grains and legumes into your meals? Want to get inspired by bright, interesting food that doesn't break the bank or stretch your time too badly? This book, folks, is the nearly magic answer to all of those kitchen yearnings. Just trust me, and go buy it.

Here's a little more about this startlingly good cookbook, and a recipe I can't wait to make. More

Over the past few years, when I've had a question about Passover or kosher cooking, I've turned to one person: Leah Koenig. She was the editor of The Jew and the Carrot for two years, and now she has just written a beautiful new book: The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook. Here's a quick review and a peek inside, with a delicious cucumber lamb salad — perfect for lunch or for Passover itself. More

Joe Yonan is the food and travel editor of The Washington Post, and his regular column, "Cooking for One," inspired this cookbook. While Joe entertains regularly, it is his solo home cooking that deeply nurtures his love of food. "Cooking is the ultimate act of self appreciation," he writes. What savory advice for all of us, single or not. How many times have we saved our most ambitious recipes for guests—and made do with a can of tuna when we're alone?

The recipes in this book are pared down in size but not in flavor or technique. There's an entire chapter on tacos (Joe is from Texas), beautiful soups and stews, and small-scale desserts, like Coconut French Toast with Bananas Foster. This pizza is one we'd make in a heartbeat; it has spicy homemade hummus and pan-fried chickpeas on top. And, of course, a dough in the now-classic method. More

If you are curious about gluten-free living, you've probably already found yourself browsing (and drooling over) Shauna James Ahern's blog glutenfreegirl.com. Diagnosed with celiac disease after years of feeling ill, Shauna started cooking gluten-free in 2005 and blogged to document her culinary experiments.

Now, more than six years later, glutenfreegirl.com is considered one of the top blogs on celiac disease, and on food in general. Her second book, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, continues her culinary path with pages of recipes, gluten-free tips, and many manifestations of her love for food. More

In the world of gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free baking, the Babycakes name looms large. This New York City bakery is known for luscious cupcakes and icing that just happen to be vegan and gluten-free.

Erin McKenna, the founder, released a cookbook in 2009 with many of her signature recipes, and she has a new book coming out this spring. So we thought we'd take a look at the original, and give you a yummy breakfast recipe. More

Whoopie pies are having an extended moment. They are popping up here, there, and everywhere, and now they are even starring in their own cookbook. This cookbook is called, simply enough, Whoopie Pies, and while it mostly sticks to tried and true recipes for this old-fashioned treat, it also offers some updates, like a jalapeño cornbread whoopie pie, and a couple of gluten-free versions. I tried one of these, and it was dreamy delicious! More

As we said in this post, when eating vegan, fresh sources of recipes and inspiration are always welcome! Here's a new book with 250 solid, well-illustrated, easy recipes for vegans from the venerated Vegetarian Times. And just to give you a taste, how about this recipe, an Ultimate Vegan Lasagna? More