Check It. Southern Biscuits.

Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart's new cookbook, Southern Biscuits, is out just in time for strawberry season. Strawberry shortcake is definitely a favorite spring/summer dessert, and fluffy fresh biscuits make all the difference.

In this gorgeous southern cookbook, chapters include Easy Biscuits, Traditional Biscuits, Embellished Biscuits, and even a condiment chapter, "Gilding the Lily", that has recipes for citrus butter, fig jam filling, and sausage-bacon gravy, among others.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: nathaliedupree.com

Etc. Happy Pi Day!

Today is March 14 (or 3.14), a major holiday for nerds, math geeks, and people who love any excuse to celebrate something.

Listen to this NPR broadcast about the holiday and celebrate with pie!

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: NPR

Eat In. Key Lime Pie.

After Thanksgiving in Key West (including several delicious slices of various pies), I have Key Lime pie on my mind.

While I haven't made one myself, Gourmet has a classic recipe, and Nellie & Joe's Famous Lime Juice is available quite widely (West Hollywood's BevMo! for example).

Or you can just go to Houston's - whose Key Lime pie, I can now say with experience, rivals the island's.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Getty via rickbakas.com

Eat In. Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I think everyone is getting excited about the feasts full of roast turkey and sweet potatoes on the horizon. One thing about Thanksgiving desserts is, there's usually not a lot of chocolate involved. If the chocolate lover in you wants to change that, try this Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie from the November 2007 issue of Gourmet Magazine.

Full recipe here.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: gourmet.com

Make It. Gingerbread tips.

I originally set-out to write a post that would demonstrate how simple it is to make delicious and beautiful gingerbread cookies. Unfortunately, I have no business pretending I'm Martha Stewart. I ruined my first three batches. But! That 4th batch came out pretty sweet. So, let my mistakes save you from your own cookie trial and error. Use these tips to get it right... the first time.

• DO use Trader Joe's Deep, Dark Gingerbread mix. The flavor is rich and spicy (and it's pretty much foolproof).
• DON'T coat your baking sheet with cooking spray. When the timer for batch #2 went off, my cookies were floating in a puddle of fake buttery goop.
• DO use parchment paper.
• DON'T wing it. Baking 5-7 minutes at 375 does not equal 10 minutes at 320*.
• DO chill your dough between batches. If the dough gets too warm, your cut-out will not retain its shape.
• DON'T buy the Betty Crocker cookie icing for decorating. Just trust me on this one.
• DO incorporate chocolate. Adding nonpareils to decorate and cover the sloppy icing on my snowflakes proved to be both tasty and pretty.
• DON'T eat them all at work the next day because you forgot your lunch at home. Or do. I don't really have any regrets about that, actually.

*And just what was in the oven that made me think I could bend the rigid rules of baking? Magic Cookie Bars--a specialty of my boyfriend, Adam. They came out perfect, of course. Find the recipe here.

-- Heather Robertson

Eat In. Mom's Pound Cake.

My mom used to be a cooking teacher when she lived in Vietnam, but like any real cook, she doesn't have any written-in-stone recipes to show it off.

Except! For this one gem. I don't know why, but it's the only recipe she ever needs to look at whenever she makes it (I know, baking takes precision, but she bakes without recipes all the time!), and it's probably one of the most basic, easy and popular recipes ever.

But I digress. These days, the holiday pound cake baking comes down to me (sadly, I am no cook, but I can bake a mean cookie), so happy holidays, Beats, here is the Tu Family Recipe.