Miso is often seen as more of a savory ingredient — mixed into salad dressings, rubbed on salmon or chicken, stirred into a soup, or used as a simple sandwich spread. But how about adding it to some of your favorite desserts instead? 

I'll grant you that we've become a little coconut obsessed lately, what with the coconut chips and the coconut cooking spray and all the reasons we love coconut water. But before you declare coconut overload, you have to give this coconut sugar a try. For starters, I bet you'll never guess what part of the coconut it's made from!

Q: I saw acorn starch at my local Asian market. I'm curious to try it out but I know nothing about it. What is it and what can I do with it?

Sent by Traci

Q: I am able to purchase either a side or quarter of beef. How many roasts, flank steaks, etc. do you get out of a side? How do I decide which cuts to order to get my money's worth? I don't want to have expensive cuts ground up, but don't want any to get freezer-burned if I can't use them right away.

Sent by Sherri

Watercress is a sneaky little green. Oh, sure, it looks like an innocent bunch of tender, bright green leaves, but two bites in and KAPOW! You're hit with a peppery spiciness that could rival any radish. And that is precisely why I love it.

Q: What can I do with Adzuki beans? I bought a stockpile of them from the bulk section for no other reason than that they were new and unfamiliar. After getting home, I realized that they're the base for the red bean paste I know and love in Chinese and Japanese desserts, but I have far more than can be consumed through desserts alone.

We all have one: a love affair with a common kitchen ingredient. For some, it's good cheese. For others, it's imported olive oil or fancy butter. For me, I gravitate towards flat-leaf parsley. 

Mint is a terrific herb to keep around the kitchen — or to grow on your own! It's very hearty. (Just keep it away from other herbs, because it'll overtake them.) As a kitchen herb, it pairs wonderfully with a variety of dishes. Throw it into your morning smoothie, make a mint pesto to top chicken, or pan fry it with ramps and spaghetti. If you have a bunch of mint to work with, look to these 10 recipes for a little inspiration.

After visiting a za'atar farm in Lebanon and bringing home a couple bags of the tangy, herbaceous spice blend, I'm inspired to start using it more in my cooking. Luckily, I'm not the first to fall in love with this Middle Eastern spice, so it isn't hard to find tons of great recipes that use za'atar in unusual and tasty ways. From za'atar-rubbed roasted chicken to Yotam Ottolenghi's roasted butternut squash with za'atar, here are nine recipes that use this intriguing spice.

Q: I have been given tons of beef jerky. As much as we like to it, there's only so much beef jerky one can eat. Does anyone have good ideas on how I could cook with it? Or other ideas for using it?

Sent by Wee