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A reader recently asked me if there was a substitute for red wine in recipes such as beef bourguignon or coq au vin. That鈥檚 because an acquaintance of his who enjoys his cooking and those classic French dishes can no longer have alcohol.

My wife and I regularly keep bananas in our fruit bowl but ran out of them early last week. We both noticed and, oops, we both ended up buying them. We went from having no bananas to having too many.

We all have cooking implements we bought and thought we鈥檇 use more often, but instead they end up sitting in a cupboard unused for months at a time. For me, one is my collection of different-sized bamboo steamers.

I always see used waffle irons, often in great condition, at garage or church sales and at consignment shops. I鈥檓 guessing some of the previous owners no longer make waffles, or not very often.

Weather conditions can certainly affect what you feel like making for dinner. In my case, cool days in late February and early March made me want to prepare rib-sticking comfort food.

It鈥檚 March break, and if you鈥檙e looking for something to do with your out-of-school kids or grandkids, baking cookies can be a very sweet activity.

If you want to dazzle your partner with a meaty, sumptuous, restaurant-style entr茅e that鈥檚 not too difficult to prepare, braised lamb shanks are a good bet. You鈥檒l find them on several local restaurant menus.

St. Patrick鈥檚 Day is this Sunday and if you want to mark the occasion in a sweet, Irish-themed way, get out your bundt pan. You鈥檒l need it to make my decadent cake, which incorporates Guinness and Irish cream liqueur.

A reader named Murray sent me a note saying he was having a hard time getting dark, crispy skin on his roast chicken. Some of the things he was doing to achieve that goal were helpful, such as patting the chicken dry before cooking it.

If you have a cold or think you鈥檙e getting one, or you just want something soothing that will lift your spirits and fill you up, make chicken soup. I鈥檓 not talking about chicken noodle soup.