Regardless of the season, my go-to dessert when people come over to visit has always been ice cream. However, I have a handful of friends who've recently gone dairy-free, so I've been creatively challenged when thinking about something other than sorbet, sherbet or fresh fruit to serve to my old ice cream homies when they stop by in the evening. Now I have a few new ideas.

Q: Yesterday I poured myself a glass of milk, and when I took a drink, it smelled awful. Not sour, like it was going bad, just...stinky. It tasted fine, and the smell wasn't strong. I didn't notice it until my nose was all the way in the glass.  Even so, I poured it out and bought a new gallon of milk.

Q: I'm hosting a boozy St. Patrick's Day brunch this Saturday and wanted to make alcoholic Shamrock Shakes. Can you recommend a good recipe?

Sent by Kristin

How many times have you found yourself in desperate need of pancakes, but without the requisite buttermilk in the fridge? Or there's the other scenario: you want to make a recipe, but you're reluctant to buy an entire carton of buttermilk when you only need a half cup. For either situation, we have a solution. It's easy to make a very quick buttermilk substitute in less than ten minutes.

We rarely use milk at our house, and whenever we do buy it for a recipe, half the bottle inevitably goes to waste. That is, until we realized we could freeze it for later! If you're like us, or if you find milk on sale and want to stock up while it's at a good price, here are some tips for freezing it. More

While at my mom's house over Christmas, I had the opportunity to use her fancy milk frother each morning to make cappuccinos or frothy tea in the afternoon. I became spoiled quickly. The thing made perfectly frothed milk with the press of a button. Upon coming home, I knew I needed to figure out a substitute that wouldn't break the bank but that was just as convenient: enter the Aerolatte! More

I was born into a family that loves sweets. In the summer, I crave ice cream or sorbet, and in the winter I often reach for a cup of cocoa in the evening. But those packets of store-bought hot chocolate are filled with sugar and hydrogenated oils and making your own is so very simple. Making your own healthier version? Just as easy. 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

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

In the past we've looked at a few more refined versions of potato soup. There has been a creamy curried potato soup, a sweet potato soup with miso and ginger, and a roasted garlic and potato soup. But I'm not as polished as the rest of our Kitchn writers. See, this Midwestern girl wants her meat and potatoes and she doesn't always want them to be fancied up — well, unless you consider bacon fancy. More