Ostrich egg omelet?
Ever since my kids and I saw ostrich eggs for sale at Whole Foods they're pestering me to buy and cook one. I am curious. But... how do you get it open? How many people does one serve? and, any interesting recipes?

–Karen

They taste a lot like chicken. You probably need a hammer to crack it open as the shell is extremely hard. One ostrich egg is equivalent to approximately 20 old-fashioned hen laid eggs. You could make scrambled eggs for 10 people with just one egg. Sprinkle with truffle salt, the special occasion condiment, and tada... you have struthio camelus a la sel tuber. Let us know how you make out.

We have a guest coming to dinner who can't have wheat and we're going to be celebrating a birthday. I'm stuck.

–Jessica

How about a Carvel cake? Other ice cream-cakes have a layer of cake but Carvel is pure ice cream. They'll even leave out the "crunchies" from between the layers if you ask nicely.

Where can I take a pizza class?

–Christina

ICE has great pizza classes. They teach both the thick and thin crust version. This is a fun night out. Maybe they let you drink wine while you're kneading.

I need to order a sandwich platter down on Hudson Street. Who makes the best?

–Lauren

Love 'wichcraft's sandwiches and their homemade "oreos" aren't bad either!

I need to bring dessert to a casual dinner. Any EASY ideas?

–Amy

Apple or pear crisp is Hilary's all-time favorite Fall dessert (or Summer or Winter or Spring). Toss some apple or pear slices (about 6c) in some cinnamon sugar. Pile up in a baking dish and top with crisp mixture (1/2 c flour, 1/2 c brown sugar, 6 T unsalted butter, 1/2 t cinnamon-processed until crumbly). Bake at 350D until golden-about 40 minutes. Bring vanilla ice cream with you and leave the baking dish as a gift.

I love the way those whole grain cold salads look at the Whole Foods salad bar and want to try and make a few - any suggestions.

–Hope

Funny enough, Whole Foods has an entire recipe guide on their site so you can try to replicate all the goodies you see in-store. Try the farro, apple and pecan salad.