Q: I recently was given a bag of smoked chanterelles as a gift. I have no idea what to do with them. Do you have any suggestions for ways to use them that would highlight their smoky deliciousness?

Sent by Mathew

Q: I was wondering if you had any advice on how to create recipes for baked goods. I cook pretty much all meals without recipes, unless I'm trying out something brand new, but when it comes to baking I limit my edits to adding chopped up fruit, a pinch of cinnamon or putting less sugar than the recipe asks for. 

Q: I recently purchased Indian black salt (kala namak) to use in some vegan breakfast recipes as a replacement for eggy taste. I have a lot of this unusual salt, and I would love to use it more often. Do your readers have any suggested recipes? I'm not vegan, so I'm open to any type of recipe.

Q: I came across an Instagram photo of a hard boiled egg where the outer side was fried. I can't figure out what the technique is. How do I make this fried hard boiled egg?!

Sent by Vy

Q: I need ideas for a breakfast that I can mail to a dear friend as a surprise. The only idea I have is for a "cake in a jar" which, once baked in the jar, is nicely sealed and will survive the trip without a problem. Are there any other possible breakfast ideas? 

Q: I recently bought a bag of peri peri spice at my local farmers market. It smells amazing, but the taste is so strong and unique that I'm having trouble working into recipes. Other than dry rubs for chicken, what can I do with it?

Sent by Meghan

Q: Help! I'm looking for ways to dress up a gluten-free vanilla cake. My girlfriend's birthday is this weekend and I picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free vanilla cake mix (per great reviews), but need some help to dress it up a bit and make it beautiful and birthday-worthy. 

Q: I have a silly fear of frying foods. I would love some occasional fried foods in my life, but the thought of heating up oil to an exact temperature on my glass top stove scares me. How exact does the temperature need to be for frying? Will I burn everything if I go too high? Will my food just sit and soak in the oil if too low? 

Q: Why is my cake so runny in the middle? I have been baking for a while, but every time I make a cake, the middle is always runny. I follow the recipes by every single word! I tried to bake them longer, I even doubled the time. But nothing works. The finish product tastes weird too. Really floury.

Sent by Dolores

Q: My boyfriend spoiled me with a bag of organic black walnuts from the market last weekend. At $5 for as many as I can hold in my fist, I'd like to cook something special with them, but don't know where to start. Cakes and cookies are out, as we have to follow a gluten-free diet. Any ideas?

Sent by Amanda