Every time I open my spice cupboard, I'm greeted with a big bottle of root beer extract I used to make root beet float cupcakes (yummy) for a wedding over the summer. It didn't break the bank, but it cost more than I might normally spend on an outlier ingredient. Since making the cupcakes, which were pretty good, I just haven't had the opportunity to bust it out again. I don't know if I'll ever use it again, but I certainly can't make myself throw it away quite yet. Surely I'll be inspired by another root beer confection in the near future, right? ...Right?

What's that lone fancy ingredient haunting your cupboard that you aren't using but you just can't part with?

I'm getting a relative a nice salt box for Christmas and would like to supplement the gift with a bit of fancy salt. I know there are pink salts, black salts, French salts...what should I get? She cooks a lot, but isn't terribly adventurous. I thought it would be nice to also include a recipe for something using the fancy salt, but am again stuck. Anyone have a favorite? A salt that changed your life (or at least a meal)?

I'm throwing a tiki themed cocktail party and am trying to plan out the food. There will be lots of fruit and bowls of nuts, a cake for dessert, along with shrimp and some teriyaki chicken drumettes. Any ideas for a couple vegetarian appetizers? There will be so much fruit and sweet drink options that I'd like to find something on the savory side. Of course, many traditional items are meaty or fruity, so I'm hitting bakers block. Also, we'd like to not grill or have to cook during the party, so something that could be made ahead of time (or right beforehand) and served would be great.

I am having a serious craving for some delicious vegetarian Thai-style tofu curry. I'm thinking something with a coconut milk and curry paste base with a selection of veggies. I thought this wouldn't be very hard to find but I think I must not be looking right because nothing I'm turning up looks like "the one." You have one that you love?

I'm in a book club where each of us contributes something fun in relation to the book we just read. My thing is themed cupcakes. This month's book was Margaret Atwood's "Lady Oracle," which stars a redhead. I was thinking something with red velvet, but wanted to go a step further. A big theme in the book is hiding (secret identity, leading a double life, telling stories/lies), so I was thinking a cupcake in disguise, a cupcake hiding a secret, something like that. I did a cream-filled one last month, so don't want to do that again. Ideas? Delicious, delicious ideas?