Food columnist Dorie Greenspan answers questions about baking.

Bakers, to your ovens! It's cookie time for real and true. The sweetest time of the year is here, and it's never too soon to start stocking your freezer for the coming weeks and your cookie jar for today.

If you've ever come to one of my picnics, you know that you never get closer to the great outdoors than peering at it through a window.

I typically put smoked salmon, red onion, scallions, lemon zest and dill in the waffle batter. Scallion tops, dill and capers go into the sour cream spoon-over.Of course, you can play around with the herbs and the mix-ins.

Tip: Once the granola comes to room temperature, use your hands to break up the clumps that will have formed.

There's one thing I learned early on in my French life that I perfected immediately: the yogurt cake.

Rillettes are a time-honored French preparation traditionally made by cooking pork or duck in its own fat.

Think of me as a baking evangelist. If I could don a mini-toque and wander the world Pied Piper style, whisk in hand, preaching the gospel of joyful baking, I would.