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After two weeks away from our kitchen, we returned last week to find the market positively brimming with spring vegetables. When we'd left there were only the first signs of ramps, but now there was an abundance of asparagus, rhubarb, peas in the shell, and even fiddlehead ferns.

After filling our basket, we quickly started dreaming of recipes that would show off our bounty to its best, especially those rare fiddleheads. The resultant risotto was bright and springlike, while still being warm and hearty enough to enjoy outside in the cool evening air. We enjoyed it so much that we've made it twice since then, tweaking and improving until it was just right.

Once upon a time, we made a point of seeking out the skinniest asparagus in the store, believing it to be more delicate, and fresher than old thick and woody stalks.

But now we've seen the error of our ways, and no longer push aside the fat asparagus. Instead we reach for it. Why?

Confirmed carnivores are often flummoxed to find out that one (or more) of their invited dinner party guests is a strict vegetarian. Though you can always go the route of serving them extra portions of the side dishes, that doesn't work so well when you're serving a big one-pot dinner, or when the sides are just rice and salad.

Enter The New Vegetarian Epicure, an updated edition of the 70's classic cookbook The Vegetarian Epicure. A bible to vegetarians, The New Vegetarian Epicure is also a godsend to dinner-party planners of all types, for the simple reason that its 325 well-tested recipes are organized into seasonal menus for both formal and casual affairs.

Rhubarb, the naturally sour stalky vegetable, has a growing season that coincides fortuitously with that of the California strawberry season. That means that 9 times out of 10, you'll see rhubarb combined with strawberries and a heap of sugar, then made into dessert.

But last week's post on rhubarb cocktails reminded us to take a new look at ways of using this springtime plant. Since it is, after all, a vegetable, we've rounded up some intriguing savory recipes featuring ruby rhubarb.

Late night infomercials can sometimes be ridiculously tempting. No matter how useless or flimsy the product is, somehow at 1 am, it's easy to convince yourself that you need it. Most of the time, by morning you've realized the error of your thinking.

But as embarrassing as it might be to admit, after watching ads for the Pancake Puff Pan, we didn't have those same morning realizations. Instead we kept thinking about how soft and fluffy a round pancake must be. We imagined the lemon curds and chocolate ganaches we'd fill them with. Any any thoughts of "no single use gadgets in our kitchen!" were banished by convincing daydreams of savory hors d'oeuvres and intriguing combinations.

But would it really work? That was the question that was finally answered this morning, after we were gifted the Pancake Puff Pan by a friend.

For those with a strong sweet tooth, mealtime is often a battle between what you want to eat, and what's healthy. You could have chocolate cake for dinner, but often that nice piece of grilled fish with a hearty salad wins out.

That's why pea shoots are such a blessing. They're a healthy vegetable, but have a strong sweetness that brightens up your dinner plate. Though their texture is that of grassy curling tendrils, their flavor is a surprising hit of earthy sweet peas.

Consumer Reports is a magazine we think highly of, but really only turn to when there's a major new electronic purchase to be made.

It's useful when you need an unbiased opinion on the best DVD player, but since ours works just fine right now, we'd rather not slog through a whole article about them.

So truthfully we didn't even know the mag had a sister publication, aimed at women, until we spotted its kitchen-themed issue on the stands this month. ShopSmart's May 2008 issue is full of practical advice on the best new kitchen gadgets, tips on deciphering food labels, and when it's worth spending more on food.

New Yorkers and other urban dwellers without a backyard might think their gardening must be limited to a few windowsill pots, and the cool light of an Aerogrow. But if you've got a roof of any kind, you can have a lush garden that insulates your house, is good for the environment, and provides you with convenient and fresh herbs and vegetables.

NYC has just opened another "single food" restaurant. Totally Baked, serving only baked potatoes, joins restaurants like S'mac (only mac n' cheese), Peanut Butter and Co. (peanut butter creations), and Rice to Riches (rice pudding).

These niche restaurants convince customers that though they only do one thing, they do it really well. Each of them takes a basic, well-loved ingredient, and uses it as an opportunity for creativity in toppings, mix-ins, and other recipes.

All the buzz around Totally Baked's opening has us thinking about that classic niche party, the Pie Social, and all its delicious variations.

With Earth Day earlier this week, we're especially thinking about ways to be greener in the kitchen, such as recycling old appliances.

Until recently, most unwanted appliances were simply dumped in landfills, which is especially a shame since most are almost completely recyclable. Now, about half the states outlaw landfill dumping, and all 50 have some kind of recycling available.

Whether you're doing a major kitchen remodel and have several large appliances to get rid of, or just want to offload an old broken mixer, there are Earth-friendly ways to do so.

With those glorious spring ramps in hand, we wanted to make something special. We thought about simply sautéing them, and making a ramp pseudo-carbonara with pasta, bacon, the ramps and an egg, or making a rustic omelet with them. Both of these would probably have been delicious - they're variations on recipes we've made in previous years. But we decided instead to see how ramps would hold up in a fancier dish.

Walking past the local fishmongers, an idea was born.

Some people think that breakfast is the easiest meal during Passover, content to have an excuse to eat deliciously rich matzah brei every day.

But for those of us used to having a simple dish of toast and jam, or a healthy bowl of cereal, switching to such a heavy breakfast every day is not so appealing. Without bread, breakfast can indeed be one of the hardest meals.

We searched the blogosphere and put together a roundup of interesting Passover breakfasts.

It's finally actually spring: ramps are in season. Strolling through Saturday's Greenmarket, we were surprised but elated to see them. This wild member of the lily family (which also includes onions, garlic, and leeks), has such a short growing season that you need to grab them while you can.

Monogrammed cocktail napkins are one of those niceties that not enough people really notice. They can be a bit stodgy and old fashioned, and in the end, we think they're often not worth the money.

But personalized napkins can be a great way to add affordable fun and whimsy to your next gathering. We just ordered these "We Love Butter" napkins, but we've got more ideas for witty sayings for your summer gatherings.

We've already told you about our addiction to cookbooks. If you share our predilection, we're about to introduce you to a very dangerous drug.

Jessica's Biscuit is an online store offering over 14,000 cookbook titles, all at a discount. Since they specialize only in cookbooks, they often have those hard-to-find titles, and browsing too often yields books you didn't know you needed until you saw them.

Last fall, when the documentary King Corn was showing in a NYC theater, we really meant to go see it. Really, we did. But it was only there for 2 weeks, and it closed before we got there. That's why we were so happy to see it will be on TV this weekend. New Yorkers will have an additional chance to see it for free, along with several other intriguing films at the Food Film Fest.

If you don't already know King Corn, it's the story of two urban friends who move to Iowa and grow an acre of corn, trying to understand this subsidized crop that pervades our entire food supply. It's supposed to be terrifically funny and insightful.

Folding is a relatively easy technique that far too many people get wrong. We even regularly see chefs and cooks on the Food Network mangle it.

But if you want the fluffiest pancakes, highest soufflés, and lightest mousses, you can master this technique. All you need is a little patience.

We might lose our foodie card for telling you this, but we don't really like beets very much. There's something about their earthy flavor that's a bit off-putting.

BUT, we love borscht.That earthiness is perfect when combined with dill and vinegar in a sweet & sour soup. And you can fine-tune the amounts of ingredients until it's as beety or non-beety as you wanna be.

These might look like Easter eggs, but actually they're a traditional treat for Passover. We asked NYC caterer and culinary consultant Sierra Spingarn to share the family recipe for Huevos Haminados.

We've already shown you some pretty Seder plates, but we've haven't yet talked about what goes on them. Those who grew up celebrating Passover can probably recite the traditional items in their sleep. But you may not be aware that some Jews are adding and substituting new items to bring additional meaning to their Passover rituals.

And, if you've never been to a Seder before, you might be lost entirely. So we've put together a mini guide to the traditional and new additions on a Seder Plate.

Those of you who don't celebrate Passover may be just skimming our posts about the holiday, thinking, "Yeah, yeah, this doesn't apply to me." But this post, at least, you should pay attention to.

There are certain delicious foods only conveniently available this week and next. Like hamsters, we run out to hunt them down, and hoard them.

At the center of the Passover table sits the Seder plate, full of the symbolic foods, and foods for thought, that are used during the ritual. We've been to several Seders where there was only a paper plate, colored by the hosts' children. But it's always so nice when someone has a fancy Seder plate, either handed-down from their grandmother, or carefully chosen to represent their own taste.

We've been keeping an eye out for particularly beautiful or inspirational Seder plates, and we've rounded up a few to show you.

As the spring farmers markets start to explode with flavor, they're also exploding with color and texture as well. So even if you've never pulled out your camera in the low-light of a restaurant, you might be tempted to start snapping shots of all those fresh spring vegetables. But as any budding amateur can tell you, food photography isn't easy.

We've been searching for recipes that feel light and springlike without relying on out of season vegetables. This vegetarian soup seemed easy and simple; the perfect first course for a spring supper.