The Basics

Just when you thought butter couldn't get any better, a cookbook teaches us the very important lesson that yes, it can. Lucy Vaserfirer's Flavored Butters is a collection of ways to trick out your butter so that it serves every possible culinary need. Cause why use anything else when butter's around? First up, everyone's favorite thing, ever: caramelized onions. 

Homemade yogurt is panacea for all that could possibly go wrong in one's life. "Is that an oven burn on your pinky?" My grandma would shriek, "It's okay, it's okay, we put Windex yogurt on it." What about that sun burn? Forget the aloe, just marinate yourself in yogurt and you'll be good to go. Suffering from an upset stomach? By this point you should know what to do. 

There's something so dessert-like about a stack of chocolate chip pancakes that we can't help but make them for breakfast, especially on the weekends when a morning sugar high contributes to a great early afternoon nap.