Pisco Punch made with a traditional Peruvian Pisco is the ideal big batch drink to celebrate a warm-weather happy hour. The key ingredient in the classic recipe is gum syrup (an emulsifier using gum arabic that may be difficult to source). When made from scratch, this ingredient wouldn't exactly work for our 10-minute happy hour, but I easily fixed the problem. 

Last year my friend Grace Young gave me what turned out to be the most useful gift of 2012: a wok, and a lesson in using it. We shared some in-depth cooking lessons from Grace last year, like how to buy and season a wok, and how to stir fry chicken. I've fallen in love with my wok, and I use it weekly to cook vegetables and supper dishes. So it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw reader requests this week for fresh recipes for lunches. 

Here's a non-Chinese twist on the stir fry that you can make in your wok or in a big sauté pan, with brown rice, snappy asparagus, and flavors of lemon and cashew. It's been my go-to dinner (and lunch) this week! 

There are very few cravings as strong as the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Combine it with pretzels, bananas and salty goodness and what do you have? A no-bake Fat Elvis pie, that's what! 

Living alone or as a couple can prove to be a challenge come dinner time. When a recipe serves six but there's only two of you, it can be a bore to eat the same thing several days in a row. This is why I wanted to write a recipe today that was the perfect size: a hearty dinner salad just for two.

The first few times I tried kimchi it was not, I must admit, my favorite food. Then I met my Korean-American partner, Gregory, moved in with his mom — a superb cook — and within a few months I was wholly converted. These days my mouth waters at the slightest whiff of pungent, fermented cabbage and I'll eat it with everything from fried rice to dumplings, summer rolls, or, ahem, straight out of the jar. I still have a lot to learn from Mom when it comes to kimchi making (there are over a hundred different kinds!) but this mak kimchi, or simple kimchi, recipe has been a great place to start. 

This Key lime pie is full of clean and bright notes, and it's surprisingly simple to make — and easy to love. 

When Cambria asked Faith and myself for some help coming up with a main course for her Spring Vegetarian Dinner Party for Six, at first we couldn't decide. Faith thought it should be creamy and green. Cambria wanted a vegetarian dish that wasn't just another platter of pasta. I advocated for something satisfying and hearty, but still light enough for a spring meal. The final vote was unanimous: a pureed soup of peppery spring watercress served with warm goat cheese dumplings. Done and done. This recipe is a winner.

Hello! Erin from The Forest Feast here, bringing you the second recipe in my series of Farmers Market Feasts for the month of May. There is a fantastic little seasonal farmers market that recently began down the road from me in the mountains. I try to go every week, and I've been getting to know the farmers, which is fun! This week I picked up some green garlic and fresh basil to make a creamy avocado pesto.