I love making deviled eggs because you end up with fancy-looking bites without a lot of effort. Plus, they're a blank canvas for whatever flavors you're in the mood for, and no one ever seems to turn them down. This spring-inspired recipe mixes feta, lemon, mayo, and parsley into the yolks, with the salty cheese balancing out tangy lemon juice and zest. Keep these deviled eggs in mind when you're faced with a surplus of Easter eggs in a few weeks!  (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

You're probably wondering why I'm sharing a recipe for a hard winter squash when spring is right around the corner, but butternut squash is almost always present at Chez Gallary. My daughter loves soups and purées, so it's an easy thing to throw into the shopping cart and whip up. However, there's a limit to how much squash the rest of the family can eat, so I decided to treat it like carrots or zucchini and bake it into a muffin. I've long admired French yogurt cakes, a simple mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and yogurt, since the cakes are easy to bake and delicious. The yogurt provides moisture and tenderness so you need less fat, and it's chock full of sweet butternut squash and warm spices. Since it's not too sweet, it can do double duty as a grab-and-go breakfast or snack for later in the day. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

Since San Francisco experienced a polar vortex-free winter, we probably aren't as desperate as the rest of the country for spring to arrive. But it's still exciting to see daylight savings come and asparagus cropping up at the market. This easy soup recipe, a twist on Aida Mollenkamp's leek-and-potato version, is a great bridge between seasons and can even be served hot or cold. Simmer a bunch of asparagus, potatoes, broth, onion, and thyme together, then purée with cream. And if you're wondering if you can save some calories by not using the cream, I'm going to wave my recipe-testing finger at you and tell you to live a little - 1/3 cup of cream in 9 cups of soup is nothing, and your taste buds will thank you for using it. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

Unless it was for work, I've only made apple pie once in my life. It was a leaf lard, double-crust beauty, but it was an elaborate labor of love. That pie isn't happening again anytime soon, so I channeled my craving for it into making apple pie pancakes instead!

To justify having these for breakfast, I use a combination of regular and whole-wheat flour, and there's a double punch of apple flavor from applesauce and grated apple. Make the easy cinnamon maple syrup to drizzle over the top, and it's a bit like having dessert for breakfast. My daughter loves having smaller versions of these moist and apple-y pancakes, and since they freeze really well, having a ready-made breakfast for hectic mornings when we need to get out the door makes all the difference in the world. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)

While I love a creamy chicken salad made with mayo as much as the next person, sometimes I'm in the mood for something lighter, something vibrant that wakes up my taste buds. This recipe is inspired by the noodle salad bowls served at Vietnamese restaurants, but I've kicked out the noodles to lighten it up. Toss shredded chicken, crunchy veggies, herbs, and scallions with a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and a Thai chile for some zing, then serve in crunchy lettuce cups with roasted peanuts scattered on top. These wraps make a beautiful (and messy!) first course or a low-carb lunch that won't make you feel like you're brown-bagging it. (Click "Read More" below for the full recipe.)