If you're a granola lover, perhaps you've tried making your own at home? Maybe you've even developed your own signature flavor or spice blend. If you've done a little research, it's possible you've figured out how to make those coveted clusters. But what about mastering all of these things without ever preheating the oven? 

It's not very often that I whip up a plated lamb dinner for friends. Good-quality lamb is a real splurge, but sometimes life's events call for nothing less than the best. This simple, showstopping menu does just that.

I was always scared to attempt risotto, so it wasn't until culinary school that I realized how easy they actually are. Time consuming, yes. Hard? Not at all. But then I discovered baked risotto and I've never looked back. This version with peas, asparagus, and pancetta is a personal favorite, and the epitome of spring! 

As we move slowly and steadily into spring, chocolate desserts often get pushed aside for fresh seasonal fruit, ice cream and sorbets, and light lemony treats. But when you start missing bars and cookies again, blondies come reliably to the rescue. 

I just returned from my first trip to Lebanon, where I spent a week eating and drinking all over the country. Whether in a restaurant or someone's home, no matter where I stopped for a drink, I was always offered a bowl or two of mixed nuts. This, I learned, was no coincidence.

Q: My boyfriend and I are trying to bring our lunches to work more often. I was wondering if your readers can recommend lunch-specific cookbooks or cookbooks with recipes that transport well? We both have refrigerators, microwaves and toasters at our respective offices.

With their bright colors and futuristic appeal, Dippin' Dots are a kid favorite at carnivals and beyond, but we're much more interested in this adult-friendly update: alcoholic Dippin' Dots! Gizmodo has the full step-by-step instructions for making your own version at home.

I consider caramel popcorn to be the ultimate party treat — beloved by the attendees of children's birthday parties and grown-up cocktail hours alike. It's crunchy, it's deeply caramelized, and it's utterly addictive. If your only experience with caramel popcorn is the sticky-sweet stuff that comes Christmas tins, then I insist that you drop whatever you are currently doing and make yourself a batch this afternoon.

Cocktails beg for snacks, and in our house, when we think snacks we usually go for simple crackers and good cheese. Alternatively, if we're having people over, I love making bar nuts tossed with olive oil and herbs. But with the ushering in of a new season comes the drive to do something new in the kitchen, so lately I've been looking for snack ideas beyond store-bought crackers and bar nuts. 

Green almonds have the briefest whisper of a season in the spring before their shells harden and start looking (and tasting!) more like the almonds we know and love. They are tart and crisp and subversively addictive around cocktail hour. If you see them, promise me that you'll give this uber-seasonal delicacy a try.