They may not look that different from regular old dime-a-dozen lemons, but Meyer lemons have a little secret: these soft-skinned fruits are significantly sweeter and less acidic than their super-sour cousins. Once hard to find outside California, Meyer lemons are becoming a more common find in grocery stores, particularly right now in mid-winter as they start coming into season. What do you like to do with Meyer lemons? More

There is entertaining, and there is entertaining. I hosted a formal cocktail party this past weekend for over 40 of my friends, with my event proving to be the latter. The dress code called for "sparkly attire", and I donned my mother's black velvet vintage couture dress, paired with big hair and lots of costume baubles! In keeping with a retro theme, I pulled out all of the stops, including a traditional Southern menu served in my mom's best silver. Here's a look at one of the hit recipes of the night — a cocktail meatball that needs no improvement. More

Where I live, solstice day was bleak and cold. It rained hard all day and by 2PM I had already lit a few candles and turned on the sparkly white Christmas lights. I stayed mostly in the kitchen where I had put a pot of beans on to cook even though I had no immediate plans for them. The decision was spontaneous, so the beans hadn't been soaked and required a good long time on the stove. I added a little onion, a few whole garlic gloves, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a few pinches of salt to the pot and set it on the back burner where it quietly bubbled away for the rest of the afternoon. What old, half-buried instinct was I obeying when I did this? The only thing I know is that my need to have something (anything) simmering on the stove was as great as the need for the actual beans themselves. More

My kitchen has been churning out brownies, baked goods, and layer cakes in mass quantity over the past two weeks, and boy have I been hankering for a savory reprieve. (You know it's bad when one more finger-lick of chocolate, even in the name of hot fudge sauce perfection, just might end in a sugar-induced coma.) Thank goodness white chicken chili seems to be the perfect baking overdose cure. More

The girls at Liddabit Sweets know a lot about great candies. So when Splendid Table asked them to share their two easiest and quickest holiday candies, you better believe they had two great recipes to share. And these two candies require no heating or candy thermometers — truly fast and simple. Check them out! More

I don't know about you, but as the days get shorter and colder, I find myself gravitating toward gingery recipes and adding this warming spice to everything from toddies to slow-cooked braises. A little goes a long way, though, and I've learned to respect the mighty power of the ginger root in all its various forms. Do you have a favorite way to cook with ginger? More

There is no resisting rugelach, no matter how nubbly or imperfectly rolled. They're buttery, flaky, and just the right amount of sweet. You can fill them with anything from ground nuts and honey to peanut butter and chocolate — the only real constant is using cream cheese to make a super-tender dough. Here's how you can make them at home. More

Q: My parents have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. I want to encourage them in their new healthy diet, but I still want to make them yummy homemade gifts. Any ideas for treats I can make them? I am open to low-glycemic desserts as well as savory options like crackers and dips.

Sent by Roxanne More

Like many great cookie recipes, this one was born by accident. One year while I was making gingerbread men, some careless dough-rolling birthed a man who baked up chubby, thick and cakey, not flat and crisp like his brothers. Surprisingly, this textural mutation of a gingerbread man turned out to be the best one of all. You can call it cookie evolution, the accident that led to the creation of these chewy, molasses-spiked cookies. With their warm, spiced flavor and cake-like softness punctuated by the coarse crunch of sparkly sugar, you might also call them a new holiday tradition. More

Attention, 'nog heads! If you live in the small cross section on the Venn diagram of "beer lovers" and "eggnog lovers," then boy oh boy, do I have the most perfect holiday brew for you. It's called Beer Nog and it's exactly what it sounds like: heaven. More