So you've scraped a vanilla bean to use in in a recipe — don't toss it! Vanilla beans or pods aren't cheap, so you might as well make the most of them. Plus they still have plenty of fragrance and flavor. How about using them to make your own vanilla extract? 

Having a good recipe for pound cake in your repertoire is a wonderful thing. It's most famous topped with whipped cream and fresh berries as a variation of strawberry shortcake, but it can also hold center stage served plain with just a dusting of powdered sugar.  Toast a slice for breakfast, offer it with tea to unexpected guests, or scoop a ball of ice cream on top and a drizzle it with chocolate sauce.  Pound cake will always be there for you.

Q: I love making homemade salsa, but when I buy cilantro, half the bunch always goes to waste. I use quite a bit in the salsa, but I just don't know what to do with the rest. Are there any good ways to use the rest up?

Sent by Whitney

Q: I am making the Overnight Buttery Streusel Coffee Cake for a brunch I'm having on Sunday. The recipe recommends using Kerrygold Butter, but I'm wondering what other brands people like to use for baking?

Sent by Elle

When it comes to cooking in the kitchen, there's nothing more fun to make than cake! If you really want to step up the creativity and excitement, try your hand at making a cake with fondant. Whether you make it for a friend's birthday, or just make it for yourself, it's a learning experience that may become a new hobby.

Q: I'm having a graduation party and would like to serve cupcakes for dessert. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make them the day of the party and will be out of town the day before. Do you have any tips for preparing them ahead of time?

Sent by Mitch

We've shared our love for garbage bowls before, but that devotion may only be because we don't have this: a trash chute built right into the countertop! The idea behind a garbage bowl is to have somewhere to toss yours scraps while you're cooking, so how convenient to be able to just slide them into a hole and send them right into the trash or compost bucket below!

Mangos have long been one of my favorite fruits and I learned early on that one of the best parts of slicing up a ripe one is what's left behind: the slippery pit, still covered with a thin but delectable layer of fruit. Which I like to suck on, secretly, in the kitchen. Strange? Off-putting? Maybe. But there is an important reason why it is a habit I will never give up.

Q: I have a pregnant friend who is expecting within a few weeks and I'd like to make her some freezer meals as a gift. She has gestational diabetes, so my "go to" stuffed shells and baked ziti are out. What meals do you recommend for expecting parents that aren't full of carbs?

Sent by Rochelle

As I was spooning my way through a bowl of strawberry-rhubarb ice cream this past weekend, I got to thinking. Strawberry and rhubarb are old pals, of course, and rhubarb is definitely great all on its own — but there are so many late-summer fruits that totally miss out on the rhubarb party! Rhubarb-peach? Blackberry-rhubarb? I want these combos in my pie! The best solution is to start freezing.