Eat In. Easy egg salad.

Homemade egg salad makes for a great simple lunch or snack. I made a batch using six eggs last Friday, and it turned out really well, with Hellmann's mayonnaise, French's classic yellow mustard (I considered buying Dijon but decided to just go with what I had), and a handful of green olives.

After hard-boiling the eggs, I cooled them in a big bowl of cold water, then peeled and chopped them, tossing a few yolks away in the process. I also included some chopped pimento-stuffed green olives from the supermarket's olive bar.

In a large bowl, I put a good few tablespoons of mayonnaise, and a generous squirt of mustard, then mixed in the chopped eggs and olives, stirred it all up, and it came together really well.

Served on toast, with juicy tomato slices on top, and plenty of salt and pepper, it made a great late lunch, with a mug of PG Tips tea. And there was plenty leftover for Saturday.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

The best sandwich I've had in recent memory was from Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live.

From the lunch menu, it was roasted turkey, on grilled sourdough, with balsamic onions, and fontina cheese. And I ate it while driving--not actually driving, but riding in a car, with a boy. Not getting the sandwich to-go nor devouring it on the hectic 110 freeway could take away from its incredible flavors. I usually find turkey sandwiches so boring that I avoid them, but this one, I'd get again in a heartbeat.

The rest of the items on the menus look equally delicious. Creamy cauliflower soup with wild mushrooms and crispy parsley, almond crusted salmon with celery root puree and port-red wine sauce, dulce de leche parfait ... you get the idea.

Note: Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill does not have to-go cups for to-go drinks, but Lawry's Carvery (also at L.A. Live) does. And their turkey sandwiches are likely very good too.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is located at 800 West Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. Info: wolfgangpuck.com, (213) 748-9700

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: wolfgangpuck.com

Eat Out. Grub.

A great low-key Hollywood brunch place is Grub. I hadn't even heard of it before googling for breakfast in L.A. on Sunday morning from the road after option #1 was too busy. We arrived around 11:00 a.m., and while it was quite busy, there was an outside table available so we were able to sit right down. A bowl of mixed dry cereal quickly followed.

I ordered a small orange juice and Hank had an iced coffee with milk (one downfall--no espresso machine at Grub). We both had egg (mine scrambled + his fried) and cheese sandwiches, which they make on croissants. So simple and delicious.

Grub is located at 911 Seward Street in Hollywood. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Info: grub-la.com, (323) 461-3663

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Check It. March: National Peanut Month.

March is National Peanut Month, and Dean & Deluca has a package (above) that can help you celebrate. The Peanut Lover's gift basket includes everything from extra-large Virginia peanuts to Cream-Nut Natural Peanut Butter, to peanut brittle. The retro packaging is very cute, making the set a perfect gift for the peanut lover in your life (or for yourself if you're feeling extravagant--it's $45). If this is too fancy, a simple jar of supermarket-bought peanut butter or some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are also appropriate items to celebrate with.

How about Elvis' favorite fried peanut butter and banana sandwich? You'll need a ripe banana, two slices of white bread, 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Toast the bread slightly, spread the (mashed or slices of) banana on one side, and peanut butter on the other. Fry the sandwich in melted butter until golden brown. Serve hot and sliced diagonally. Enjoy!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.deandeluca.com

Eat Out. Lee's Sandwiches.

Confession: although (and in my defense, because) I've lived off delicious Vietnamese food all my life, I'm really, really bad at describing what any of it is and at recommending any good places to eat it other than my mother's kitchen. Sorry, friends.

Thankfully, I've come up with a good stand-by that's always done a good job of impressing the uninitiated. Lee's Sandwiches is a fairly new franchise and totally commercializes Vietnamese cuisine, but what a livesaver it is, and delectable at that. The shops specialize in banh mi--the go-to baguette sandwiches traditionally filled with pork, pate, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili peppers (although Lee's features many varieties)--but also sell some of the best coffee around, boba, baked goods and other desserts.

The best part? The foot-long sandwiches run about $3 each, making it a perfect, cheap lunch (or dinner or breakfast or snack). The worst part? Most Lee's in Southern California are based in the O.C. (here's a list of store locations). Pick and choose your battles..but their coffee is pretty awesome (and addicting).

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Lee's

Eat Out. Joan's on Third.

Joan's on Third is a great lunch spot on West Third Street between the Beverly Center and The Grove. It's casual with a gourmet flair. After a recent remodel, they've widened their space to include a cheese section, a dessert section (cupcakes galore!), a separate area for ordering out, and a large communal table indoors. Speaking of a table ... the one downside to Joan's on Third is the potential problem of not being able to find a table when your food is ready. Even with a substantial outdoor seating area, and tables up the left side of the inside space, there always seems to be a shortage of eating space. I have had to change my order from "for here" to "to go" on a busy weekend afternoon because of this.

The food is spot-on. They have a deli case full of treasures for a foodie, including the salads which made up my salad trio (above). Beets with goat cheese, pasta with pine nuts, you name it, they've got it. The curried chickpeas are a favorite. They also make a mean grilled cheese (large slices of white bread, and the option to add tomato slices or bacon), tuna melts, turkey breast sandwiches, homemade macaroni and cheese ... the list goes on. Grab an Izze sparking juice drink and enjoy.

A note for the out-of-towners: Joan's prime celebrity-spotting territory. Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes and Kirsten Dunst are all fans. I've seen the Million Dollar Baby there myself.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT