There's so much going on in Talk week to week that we almost can't keep up. If you're in the same boat, here's a small selection of topics and responses that have piqued our interest this week.

Help Me Enjoy Asparagus!

[Photograph from itsjustanalias on Flickr]

"Sugar-grilled asparagus. Toss the spears with just salt, pepper, olive oil, and a dusting of sugar before grilling - the sugar ramps up the caramelization you would normally get when grilling." —SeattlePCGuy

What Time Do You Eat Dinner?

"I work 8–5 and have 2 teenagers (15 and 18). By the time I get home it's 5:30 so if there's something in the crockpot or the kids have made dinner, we eat around 6; otherwise it's 6:30 to 7-ish. I would really rather not eat that late though, since it takes up a big chunk of my evening. Also, what someone said earlier about feeding kids...if we eat much later than 6:30 I have to fight off marauding adolescents foraging for food to keep them from starvation." —dragonflyknits

Happy Food Stories!

"My aunt wrote the review on the Matzoh Crunch recipe on Epicurious that circles all the Passover threads on SE this time of year saying that her niece (me) shouldn't be allowed at the Seder if I didn't bring it again. I'm slightly embarrassed, but I'm glad that it recieved such rave reviews." —annabanannas

Anybody Using 'The Flavor Bible'?

"I love this book. The Flavor Bible is like a Pantone swatch book for a cook. It's a great resource for flavor profiles when you're kind of stuck in a rut." —WickedGoodDinner

Opinions on Microwave Drawer?

"My neighbors have this design in their kitchen. It's beautiful and she loves it. No bad steam burns as far as I know. She has the microwave on the side of a counter and far from the cooking range, so there's not much of an issue with greasy splatters from the regular cooking. I think placement of this "drawer" is key here." —AnnieNT

What Can I Do with Canned Ham?

"You can use canned ham for anything you would use ham from the grocery store for. It just doesn't look as nice--it looks like the shape of the can. Cut up, for soups, stews, scalloped potatoes and ham, ham sandwiches, ham and eggs, or ham salad or anything you can think of, its still ham. Just think of it as long lasting, generic ham. All the suggestions above are good ones.

If you don't feel comfortable serving it to guests, then don't. I have no idea how old your Dad is but there was a time (in my folks youth--the 40's and 50's) when canned ham with pineapple and marachino garnish was perfectly acceptable to serve to guests! This may be the case here. I have, I now shamefully admit, done it too. We were stationed overseas in the early 80's where the only American style ham was canned. Many of the folks stationed there did the same thing. At least we had a canned ham for our Easter dinner. We were happy with it at the time." —KatherineAnn

Must-Haves in Stocking a Pantry?

"Stuff I'm never without: Beans (dried and canned, you name it), Pasta (you name it), Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, cashews, peanuts), Canned Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Rice, Oatmeal, Steel Cut Oats, Sugar, Flour (AP, Whole Wheat, 00, High Gluten, Bread, Rye), Panko, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Dried Chilis, Sugar (Cane, Light and Dark Brown, Superfine), Corn Meal, Corn Starch, Snails, Anchovies, Dried Fruit, Nori, Konbu, Katsuobushi, Roasted Red Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, Vinegar (Balsamic, Champagne, Cider, Red Wine, White Wine, White), Oil (Evo, Canola, Grapeseed, Peanut, Walnut, Flaxseed, Sesame), Tamari, Worcestershire, Fish Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Mustard (Dijon, Whole Grain), Ketchup, Mayo, Pineapple, Dried Milk, Tuna, Chipotles in Adobo, Pepperoncini, Herbs and Spices, Crackers, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Vanilla, Malt Extract, Cocoa" —jedd63

Beloved Texas-Based Chain Whataburger Makes a Fine Fast Food Burger

[Photographs: Nick Solares]

"...It's tough to take any criticism about this place. When you talk about Whataburger, it kind of touches the same senses in Texans as when you speak of the Alamo." —shannona

Deviled Eggs

"When finished making them try sprinkling them with Rosemary flavored sea salt flakes! Adds just a hint of rosemary and is delicious!" —OnMyFork

Homemade Mexican Food: Is It Authentic?

"I have lived in Los Angeles a long time and just recently tasted Mexican home cooking from the other moms at school. Search for: Chilaquiles, chicharron en salsa verde, posole, bunuelos.

"My neighborhood is mostly Hispanic so almost all the supermarkets have a large variety of dried chillies. Some you have to toast then soak before you puree them in the blender. They are definitely very different from each other.

"There are a lot of regions in Mexico so you wont just find a single authentic cuisine. Also, there are a lot of different cheeses from Mexico. One mom puts a little "crema" (hope I spelled it right) on her beans, but not anything like Monterey Jack. Many moms are surprised by my interest, I'm still reeling from my own ignorance. Anyway, back to my experiments with cascobel and guajillos." —LearP

What Will You Do with All Those Hard-Boiled Eggs?

"Don't boil, blow. Then you have dozens of uncooked eggs to use for cottage cheese pancakes and matzah brei." —Ambignostic

What Do You Slather on Bread?

"Strangely, when the stars are aligned and I have lovely fresh bread the day after I roasted a chicken, I can take the wonderful jelly that forms under the chicken fat in the roasting pan and put it on the bread. Heavenly." —Likeswords

The Perfect Margarita! Who Has a Recipe?

"I'm really into margaritas. The most important detail is to choose a good tequila, e.g. 100% agave, blanco is the choice for most palates, and try to avoid the popular, overpriced tequilas. A good bottle will cost $30-50. Partida, Tezon, Don Valente, Fina Estampa, El Tesoro, Siete Leguas, Espolon, 4 Copas, Fortaleza, Herencia Mexicana, Don Fulano, Ocho and Penca Azul are great brands.

"Making margaritas with a lesser tequila will give you a bad hangover. Double-distilled tequilas are more complex and preferred by aficionados, while Triple-distilled tequilas are cleaner tasting with less impurities...." —resolutejc

[Click through for resolutejc's margarita recipes; there are several, and they all look »]

What's Your Most Hypocritical Food Moment?

"I always tell people I HATE fish. And it's true...I do...unless it's breaded and fried cod. Then I'll eat the shit out of some fish." —omnomnom

"That's not the best part of the fish to eat! :-)" —dmcavanagh