Food writers Melissa Clark and Deb Perelman talk about peeling chickpeas in pursuit of making the best homemade hummus. Try their recipes and tell us which one you like the best.

Check out a few recipes from past Last Chance Foods that will help keep you warm, entertained and well fed during snowstorm Nemo.

Food writer Cathy Erway talks about the versatile uses of daikon radishes, which are still available at farmers markets. Try her recipe for Daikon Radish Greens Pasta with Seared Daikon Radishes.

Carolyn Sherman built a small business based on her father's recipe for horseradish. She talks about working with fresh horseradish root and cooking with the finished product. Try her recipe for Sauteed Whitefish With Citrus or Ginger ISH.

New York Times Dining columnist and cookbook writer Melissa Clark talks stocks: How to make them and how to use them to make soups and stews.

Yield: 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned, and roughly chopped

8 ounces button, cremini or shitake mushrooms, cleaned and halved

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves

Yields 2–3 quarts

3 1/2–5 pounds chicken bones, parts, or leftover carcasses (or a combination, I like to use a leftover carcass along with some fresh wings or feet)

1 large yellow onion, halved lengthwise

2 carrots, halved

2 celery stalks, halved

1 head garlic, halved across the equator

The Sporkful host Dan Pashman talks about the origins of granola and offers his advice on making your own. Try Slate editor L.V. Anderson's recipe for maple granola. 

Farmers Jeff and Adina Bialas talk about growing and using the increasingly popular root vegetable salsify. Try their recipe for simple salsify with pasta and lemon parsley sauce.

Chef Jacques Gautier explains his motivations for raising rabbits on his rooftop garden and using them for food. He also shares his recipe for rabbit tacos.

By Midge / Serves 4

WHO: Midge lives in Boston and is a journalist specializing in travel. She says, “Cooking, especially baking, is my way of winding down after a long day.”

WHAT: A rich pudding that has just the right balance of bitter and sweet.

HOW: Starting the water bath with cool water, rather than hot, cooks the pudding very gently, giving it the most incredibly silken, glossy structure.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Puddings thickened with cornstarch make great comfort food, but Midge’s luxurious caramel custard, which uses egg yolks as its only setting agent, elevates pudding to dinner party fare. As with any egg-enriched custard, the key is careful tempering. As for the caramel, be sure to brown it as far as your nerves allow.

Midge says: “So far, one of the best parts about living in Boston is my proximity to Toscanini’s burnt caramel ice cream. I’m not even that into ice cream, but this flavor, with its slight bitter edge to cut the richness, is cracklike. I attempted to capture it in a pudding, and after incinerating a lot of sugar, I think I finally got it.”

By Table9 / Serves 1

WHO: Table9 is a Greensboro, Alabama, youth program director and passionate home chef.

WHAT: A refreshing, balanced toddy that won’t make you feel as if you’ve been hit over the head with booze.

HOW: Table9 was adamant about using Maker’s Mark bourbon—“the only true bourbon to drink”—as the base of this toddy.

WHY WE LOVE IT: It turns out that bourbon and citrus are a great match, and just a hint of honey smooth out any rough edges. Cheers!

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (regular lemon juice will do in a pinch)

1/2 cup fresh blood orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) Maker’s Mark bourbon

1 cinnamon stick

1. Combine the citrus juices with the honey and bourbon in a tumbler. Add just enough hot water

to fill the glass almost to the top. Serve with the cinnamon stick.

What the Community Said:

hardlikearmour: “Congrats! What a beautiful drink. Love the blood orange.”

From The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks, by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.

Einat Admony, the chef of Balaboosta and Taïm, talks about the best way to make latkes and shares her recipe for Potato, Yam & Carrot Latke with Honey, Preserved Lemons & Yogurt Sauce.

Whitney Wright of Gilt Taste talks about the different textures and multiples uses for fennel. Try her recipe for Easy Fennel Gratin.

Steve Ettlinger, author of Twinkie, Deconstructed, talks about what goes into a Twinkie and how to make your own.

Cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo recommends using kabocha squash to make very sweet, exceptionally creamy pumpkin pie filling. Also, try her recipe for spiced kabocha squash soup.

In honor of Halloween, a spooky tale to chill your bones, a toasty cider recipe to warm 'em back up, and a scary-sounding web series that's actually a comedy. Take a look and listen to this week's picks.

Lauren Baccus and Alan Sherouse of Hell's Kitchen Farm Project talk about growing chard on the roof of Metro Baptist Church. Try Baccus' recipe for black bean chili with butternut squash and swiss chard.

This easy-peasy side dish was inspired by the classic soy-sesame combination in Asian home-style cooking. Serve with hot steamed rice and roast pork or grilled fish.

Serves 4 as a small side dish

1⁄4 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces (5 cups) tender chickweed greens
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt

1. In a small pan (cast iron is great), spread out the sesame seeds and toast over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, or until about half of them pop and turn a light golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat the sesame oil, onion, and garlic for about 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the chickweed and cook for 3 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the heat.

3. Mix in the soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer's Market, with 88 Recipes by Tama Matsuoka Wong, Eddy Leroux and Daniel Boulud

Farmer Kurt Alstede recommends eating fresh sweet corn raw and explained why a little dry weather can make for sweeter fruits and vegetables. Also, try Alstede Farms' recipe for Basil Tomato Cream Corn.