If you've ever been confused about how to cook whole grains, or just want to be clear on why certain recipes call for cooking them differently than other recipes, you need to read these tips on cooking grains.

My roommate and I once had a disagreement about how to cook whole grains. Specifically, our argument was about rice. She thought it should be cooked like pasta: boiled in water and then drained. I thought it should be cooked with a specific ratio of water and simmered until all of that water was absorbed by the rice.

She argued that my method made for a super sticky pot, and I argued that her method left the rice soggy. So who was right? Well, we never settled our debate that day, but I've since learned that we were both right – rice can be cooked either by boiling or steeping, you just get different results.

Making your own homemade spice mixes not only gives you total control over the flavorings you choose, but can also save you time and money. These tips will give you some ideas for your own mixes, based on cultural flavors.

Homemade spice mixes using herbs and spices bought in bulk cost a fraction of what the grocery store charges for the individual spices and mixes in little jars. You can make a large batch of your homemade spice mixes to have on hand, making cooking time easy and quick.

These mixes are just a guideline on the flavors from different cultures, but feel free to change the ratio or components of the mix to your personal tastes.

I'm sitting here looking out the window at some snow softly falling, onto the mounds of snow that have accumulated over the past week. It's fantastic, and feels very Christmas-like, and it gets me thinking about hot apple cider and gingerbread cookies. So I just made some vegan gingerbread cookies and now I'm writing this.

I've mentioned quite a few times that in colder weather, it's good to go with your instincts and eat warmer foods like soups and hot oatmeal for breakfast. One aspect of warm and cold I haven't mentioned so often is the warming and cooling effect of foods themselves, regardless of their temperature.

I was in Paris last summer, and while wandering Montmartre with my friend Laura, we stopped at a small market stand. I bought 2 figs, and to this day they are the most amazing figs I have ever eaten - and I've eaten a lot of figs!

Laura recently went back to Paris, and one day in the mail I got a care package with some fig jam. I've been savoring it over the last few weeks, and finally finished it yesterday. Coincidentally, another friend of mine wrote a blog post about figs last week after feeling disappointed with her first fig experience (http://frenchfriestoflaxseeds.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/fig-ure-something-out).

I'm pretty sure the reason she wasn't wowed by her figs was that she got some that weren't fully ripe, and since I want everyone to appreciate the wonder of figs I wanted to share some information on how to pick figs.

If you are lucky enough to know someone with a fig tree, you could actually pick them off the tree. I spent some time at a friend's place last year and ate way more figs than is healthy while we picked. If you are picking them from the grocery store's produce section, the same rules apply but you likely won't get ones that have fully ripened on the tree.