Q: I've been making homemade yogurt for a while and I've had lots of success with breakfast recipes, mostly sweet ones. I also use yogurt to make sauces to accompany curry dishes. I'm looking for more ways to use yogurt in savory meals. How can I eat my yogurt for dinner?

Sent by Sarah More

Q: I was checking out your piece on making homemade yogurt, but the only yogurt I can get here to use as a starter either has sugar or is artifically sweetened. Does that still work for making yogurt?

Sent by Teresa More

This time of year can be a tricky one for inspired breakfasts. Oatmeal is my go-to on weekdays, and on the weekends we often flail for something a bit more interesting but no more complex. With this morning tart, flail no more!
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There's a bit of an uproar going on in the Chelsea, New York, cheese community. (Quite the niche market, I realize.) At a well-loved neighborhood store, a cheesemonger's tongue-in-cheek labels on cheese — referencing song lyrics, relevant quotes, and the like — were recently banned by the establishment's higher-ups after a customer complained. It got me thinking about what's most vital to actually have on a cheese label, and what's just an added, if unnecessary, bonus. More

My absolute favorite thing about the holidays — besides the time with family and friends — is hands-down the COOKIES! Retail stores and local craft shops are known to pass out a few fresh cookies to spread the holiday cheer as you shop, and I'll typically grab an extra sample or two when the wife isn't looking. "I'm just not sure if that's nutmeg or cinnamon I taste, I think I'll just have to try one more to be certain." Given all the good spirits and reason for celebration, talking the wife into helping me cook a batch of cookies at 10pm is also an easier sell. Last night that very thing happened while browsing through our Fannie Farmer cookbook. Brandy Snaps! Now this we have to try. Now! More

I was recently at a small Christmas gathering where the host served warm cocktails and homemade eggnog. Everyone was raving about the creamy, traditional nog so I tried a small glass and couldn't help but think that the carton I'd bought at the store was better. Sure, I doctor it up with a little fresh nutmeg and rum or brandy, but still, the store-bought version was smoother and had more nuanced, subtle flavors than this homemade version, which tasted quite eggy to me. So I wonder: is homemade eggnog worth the effort? More

It might not seem like it would really matter. What's a little salt? But trust me on this one: it does. Unsalted butter is the difference between a batch of cookies that turns out perfectly and one that tastes bland — or salty (even worse). I'm curious: do you have a favorite brand of unsalted butter for baking? More

Eggnog is one of the decadent treats of the season, something I allow myself to have in the evening with a little brandy, or warmed with coffee in the morning. People have been making their own eggnog for decades, but did you know that some of these same folks actually age their nog anywhere from one month to one year? More

Recently I was making a batch of brownies for a friend who was going to drop by, and I didn't have the butter nice and soft. I'd just made tea and had a genius idea: I'll put the butter in close enough proximity to the warm burner that it'll soften in no time. Well you can probably guess what actually occurred: melted butter on the burner. Dumb move. Here's a better way... More