When it comes to cooking in the kitchen, there's nothing more fun to make than cake! If you really want to step up the creativity and excitement, try your hand at making a cake with fondant. Whether you make it for a friend's birthday, or just make it for yourself, it's a learning experience that may become a new hobby.

Q: I'm having a graduation party and would like to serve cupcakes for dessert. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make them the day of the party and will be out of town the day before. Do you have any tips for preparing them ahead of time?

Sent by Mitch

We've shared our love for garbage bowls before, but that devotion may only be because we don't have this: a trash chute built right into the countertop! The idea behind a garbage bowl is to have somewhere to toss yours scraps while you're cooking, so how convenient to be able to just slide them into a hole and send them right into the trash or compost bucket below!

Mangos have long been one of my favorite fruits and I learned early on that one of the best parts of slicing up a ripe one is what's left behind: the slippery pit, still covered with a thin but delectable layer of fruit. Which I like to suck on, secretly, in the kitchen. Strange? Off-putting? Maybe. But there is an important reason why it is a habit I will never give up.

Q: I have a pregnant friend who is expecting within a few weeks and I'd like to make her some freezer meals as a gift. She has gestational diabetes, so my "go to" stuffed shells and baked ziti are out. What meals do you recommend for expecting parents that aren't full of carbs?

Sent by Rochelle

As I was spooning my way through a bowl of strawberry-rhubarb ice cream this past weekend, I got to thinking. Strawberry and rhubarb are old pals, of course, and rhubarb is definitely great all on its own — but there are so many late-summer fruits that totally miss out on the rhubarb party! Rhubarb-peach? Blackberry-rhubarb? I want these combos in my pie! The best solution is to start freezing.

I'm married to a scientist, so that fact that I haven't thought of this until now is kind of embarrassing. I currently have a 1000ml Pyrex beaker (well, technically a flask) that I brought home from a wedding. (The bride and groom — also scientists — used them as flower vases at the reception.) I'd been using it as a vase, too, when suddenly it dawned on me. These are actually perfect prep tools for cooking! They're non-porous, heat-, cold-, and crack-resistant, have easy-to-read measurements on the side, and a spout for pouring. So why aren't more people using them in the kitchen? Here are 3 reasons why we should all start: 

Chalk it up to supermarket (rather than greenmarket) shopping, but I have a hard time remembering when some of my favorite short-season foods are plentiful. A week or two without visiting the farmers' market, and produce like ramps have come and gone. I'm almost to the point of setting up calendar alerts to keep me current. How do you remember when your short-season foods will be available?

Last week we asked those of you who garden in small spaces to share your best advice for starting and maintaining a successful kitchen garden in pots or containers. You had lots of tips to share, but we culled the top five. If you're ready to jump in and start your own cook's garden, read on for advice from those who've done it before:

We all know that the amount of juice lemons and limes generate varies greatly based on the size of the fruit, temperature, and how long the fruit has been sitting on your kitchen counter. But did you know there's a surefire way to get the most juice — one that doesn't require any new tools or gadgets? And this method can produce as much as three times as much juice! Watch the video after the jump for a eye-opening demonstration.