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.

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.

Pairing peanut brittle with cheese seems obvious with a bit of analyzation. It's sweet, nutty, salty, caramelized, and addictive: all adjectives used so frequently for cheese. If you're into switching up the things you eat alongside your cheese wedges, consider some chards of peanut brittle. But which cheeses match it best? 

We have a great Middle Eastern grocery a few miles north of our house in Seattle, and given that my boyfriend Sam is Lebanese, we visit often to stock up on chickpeas, good feta and tahini — the latter being the one non-negotiable; we're always stocked with tahini. And this recipe was born, really, from a few leftover beets and a love of tahini. That's all you need.

Chia seed puddings are all the rage these days, and for good reason. When stirred with water, juice, or milk, the seeds gel up and thicken, creating the most delightful tapioca-like texture. It's easy (no heat required!) and contains all the nutrition of chia seeds, which taste neutral enough that you can play with your favorite flavors. In my case, that means a sweet spring combo of strawberries, coconut, and lime. 

Chiffonade is a very pretty word for the very simple process of slicing basil or any other delicate herb into very thin ribbons. The word sounds as light and airy as the spirals of basil themselves. A chiffonade of basil is also an easy way to add a bright touch of green — and the fresh taste of basil — to your spring and summer dishes. If this is technique is unfamiliar to you, this guide will take you through each step.

I love May when all the seasonal farmers markets start to open. For the next 4 weeks, I'll be visiting the markets weekly near where I live in Northern California and buy ingredients to make a simple, vegetarian dish to share with you. This week there were gorgeous rainbow carrots at the market, along with lemons from a neighboring table. A fresh veggie fettuccine was definitely on the menu.

My mother is an avid baker, but when she moved to Thailand after college to work at a leprosy hospital, she didn't have access to the peaches, fresh berries and apricots that filled the cobbler recipes in her old copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Instead, she had mangos. Lots of mangos. She only mentioned her mango cobbler once many years ago, so I'm sure it will surprise her to learn I never forgot about it. But it stuck in my head, that mango cobbler, begging to be brought to life. And I'm so glad it did.

Last weekend I hosted a small dinner party in my apartment. (You'll hear all about it next week!) At the end of the meal I served a lemon verbena tisane — essentially, a handful of lemon verbena leaves steeped in hot-but-not-boiling water — with a splash of St. Germain. It was delicious: fresh, delicate, and cleansing, like spring in a teacup. As a result, lemon verbena may just be my new favorite herb. Here are 5 ways to use it: