As a restaurant employee, let me just say this. Please don't go out to dinner on Valentine's Day. In fact, please stay home the week before and after. I beg of you. I won't elaborate, but why fight for a reservation when you can cook up a delicious, romantic meal in the privacy of your own home.

More

When my boyfriend and I first started dating, he invited me over for a home cooked meal. However, living in New York City, my expectations for home cooking on a date were limited. Would he make macaroni or spaghetti? But when he told me the menu involved a dish he learned from his mom in Turkey, I prepared for some seriously delicious food. More

The Environmental Working Group recently released a guide which ranks proteins based on their environmental impact. It's not shocking that lentils top the list of the most environmentally-friendly foods you can eat, but we were surprised by two of the three foods that have the biggest affect on climate change. 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

I think we can all agree that marmite and vegemite can be considered an acquired taste. Personally, I love a thin smear of marmite on a piece of buttered toast, so pungent that it makes my tongue tingle. But love it or hate it, there are still plenty of ways to use this sticky paste in the kitchen. 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

Meatballs! At big dinner parties and potlucks, meatballs seem to cause a stampede like nothing else. They're crowd-friendly, kid-friendly — and so convenient. Many of you ask frequently about meals to make ahead and freeze, and honestly, meatballs are at the top of my list. These meatballs are my all-time favorite: Warmly spiced with garam masala, fragrant with onion, ginger, and garlic, and so tender and juicy. More

Q: My Grandmother was from Iceland and she would make Hangikjöt (an Icelandic smoked lamb or mutton) for us for Christmas. The problem is she left us with no written recipe. I have come to terms that I will never be able to make it like her.

Do you have any suggestions on a good way to smoke lamb and flavor it?

Sent by Ristin More

Actual Greeks would probably take umbrage with our title here. We're throwing some olives and feta in our pasta and calling it Greek? Well, sort of, yes. More

We're not saying that lamb burgers are a new trend; it's not exactly culinary pioneering to make a patty out of ground meat. However, we've been seeing more and more of them on restaurant menus and in friends' kitchens lately. And thank goodness. Lamb makes excellent, excellent burgers. More