You may be thinking that a recipe for a thick, hearty soup is a bit odd considering that yesterday was the first day of spring. But this Spanish bean soup is not just any soup. Rather, it is a soup sent straight from the soup gods (if the soup gods took the form of my future mother-in-law).

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When I think about throwing a dinner party, especially a big one like this polenta supper I'm sharing with you this week, my thoughts immediately go to: What can I make ahead? Last week, I had an easy answer: a shredded, succulent mess of beef braised in red wine and tomatoes, falling apart in its juices. It's a terrific make-ahead dish, since like most braises, this beef gets better overnight, and takes all the stress of a main dish off your hands entirely. Sound good? It gets better. 

Lately I've been looking to add more healthy seafood to my diet without breaking the bank, and while canned fish will never have the allure of a fresh filet, today's good-quality canned salmon is not the fishy, bone-studded mush you may be picturing. The boneless and skinless fish — once flaked and mixed with brown rice, cilantro, shallots and lime juice — cooks up into crisp-edged cakes that make an easy and satisfying weeknight meal, especially when topped with a dollop of Sriracha-spiked mayonnaise.

While all of us here at The Kitchn love to chat about simple meals and the day-to-day realities of cooking, we also really love a good party. So this week we're launching a new monthly series, Gatherings from The Kitchn, showing you our own dinner parties, large and small. Gathering with friends can be as simple as a cozy dinner party for for four in a little apartment, or as ambitious as a backyard movie night. We'll show you our real-life parties, taking a week to walk through planning, recipes, tips, decorating tips, and the party itself. 

Our first party comes from my own kitchen, where last week I threw a dinner tailored for the end of winter, one with hearty, rustic polenta and lots of red wine. Simple, right? Well, we decided to add a dramatic centerpiece for this party -- a four-foot-long polenta board! Want to see more? 

I always keep a bag of whole wheat pita rounds in the freezer for last minute lunches; they can be stuffed with salad, eaten with hummus and vegetables, or even topped with avocado and egg. But how to transform a rock-hard piece of frozen pita into a soft, warm pocket? Here's a method that is fast and foolproof.

I always find it interesting to take a few moments and look at how other countries and cultures do things. It's that type of exposure and open-mindedness that helps to accelerate new ideas. Working in the United States, I know all too well what an American lunch looks like — it's typically anything from a sandwich to a slightly smaller portioned dinner complete with sides. But what about the rest of the world? What are we missing out on? More

Karen Solomon is known and beloved for her two previous cookbooks Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It. But for her third book, a much anticipated volume devoted to asian pickles, she is trying something a little different by releasing the book slowly in chapter-long, mini ebooks, sold for $2.99 each. Let's take a peek at her first release, Asian Pickles: Japan, and see what it has to offer. More

Have you, perhaps, forgotten how délicieux French food can be? This is Rachel Khoo's worst fear, and she is determined not to let the situation get out of hand. If your idea of French cuisine is fussy technique and loads of butter, wait until you see her muffin tin croque madames and her chicken dumpling soup. In her tiny Paris apartment with its two-burner stove, Rachel Khoo reminds all of us how truly phenomenal French food can be.

If you've ever made your own Mexican-style chorizo, you probably threw in a handful of spices like chile peppers, cumin, oregano, and garlic. This hot, smoky spice blend shouldn't be limited to sausages, though. Mix up a batch of chorizo seasoning and you can use it in scrambled eggs, beans, soups, and more. More

Growing up in the middle of Alabama did not encourage too much cross-cultural eating. On the weekends, my mother served country ham biscuits, breakfast casserole, and cheesy stone-ground grits (sometimes all at the same time!). Back then I'd never heard of migas or scrapple, congee or crêpes. I'd certainly never heard of a blintz, and boy was this Southern girl missing out! More