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. 

Q: My husband is going back to school in the fall and we have two young kids, so we've decided that we'll try switching our main family meal to breakfast rather than dinner to try and keep us connected. I know we can have family time over bowls of cereal, but it would be nice to make it a little more special as often as possible.

This has felt like an unusually busy spring, and I'm sitting here struggling to remember the last time my husband and I actually had ourselves a real date. We'll both be at home tonight without a thing on the calendar, so I'm thinking of surprising him with a spontaneous date night. Here's what is on the menu!

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! 

Buttery Popcorn Ice Cream with Homemade Cracker Jack

Whether you are a kid, or just a kid at heart, sometimes there is no better way to end a summer meal then with a big bowl of rich, creamy ice cream. If you've planned ahead, nothing pleases a crowd like homemade, but if you're strapped for time, dress up store bought ice cream with an array of unusual toppings. I can guarantee you won't hear a single complaint.

I love leftovers, but I realize not everyone shares the sentiment. My boyfriend, for one, is in this camp. We often make a big pot of grains on the weekend to eat throughout the week, but there are times when Wednesday rolls around and we're simply sick of quinoa and brown rice. Then the question inevitably arises: what to do with half a pot of cooked grains? Freeze it!

Every cook has them: the meals we turn to when we are busy, sad, stressed, or just too damn lazy to cook a real dinner. But what is a real dinner anyway? In the midst of a bustling week, sometimes there is nothing more dependable, more real, than sitting down and eating a simple, satisfying meal that you managed to pull together in under 15 minutes. Here are my five favorite ways to feed myself well with almost no work.

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! 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good green salad. But there is a whole world of quick, easy vegetable side dishes that don't involve lettuce. With recipes like sesame roasted snap peas, baked chili-spiked sweet potato chips and grilled cabbage with spicy lime dressing, you now have no excuse. Get out of that salad rut tonight!

Although spring is upon us and we should be taking full advantage of farmers' markets and fresh grocery store offerings, sometimes the frozen veggies still come in handy for last-minute dinner convenience. back is what's for dinner. In an effort to make them taste, less, well, frozen, here are five ways to help get the most flavor from our freezer friends!