Everyone has a favorite condiment. Ketchup reigns supreme for many fry enthusiasts (the healthy oven-baked kind, of course!). Some rustic pretzel lovers go crazy for grainy mustard. And spice junkies? Well, heat enthusiasts adore lip-blistering pepper sauce at every meal.

If you find yourself going through multiple bottles of hot sauce per week (a charge I’m guilty of), you may want to consider making and bottling homemade hot sauce. The following homemade hot sauce recipes are simple to make, and will make any summer meal sizzle.

With Mother’s Day and Memorial Day happening this month, there is an abundance of gorgeous flowers at the local markets. I recently came across a stunning pink bouquet of pesticide-free roses and took them home to experiment with rose petal-infused honey, without having actually found a solid recipe for it anywhere on the interwebs. Then, as kismet would have it, I came across a splendid tutorial on The Herb Companion for making herb-infused honey by our very own Kirsten Hudson. Using her advice, I experimented with my own take at rose-infused honey, and the results were just lovely. Here’s how to make this incredible infusion that will make you feel like a garden princess.

Over at Los Angeles' HomeGirl Café - where gang members, drug addicts and ex-cons are given the opportunity to enrich and change their lives in drastic and delicious ways - we were lucky enough to get our hands on a serious tried-and-true recipe for the Mexican sauce, mole, from Chef Pati Zarate. We know it's a lot of ingredients, but when you get this mole down, you will have arrived at culinary greatness. 

Lacto-fermentation is one of history’s most traditional ways of preserving food. Using naturally-occuring bacteria that are present in every living thing, this method of pickling things is also one of the healthiest. Made without added sugars, vinegars, or additives, just sea salt and water are all you need to get started. In this seasonal late winter recipe, I’ve fermented watermelon radishes. See how it’s done!

This dressing is delicious! The herbs and citrus will really give some kick to any salad. If you're in the market for an exciting new salad dressing, you should definitely try the Green Goddess Dressing from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters.

Preserved lemons, also known as pickled lemons, are a north African delicacy, and a great complement to Indian dishes or grilled fish. If you want to make them Moroccan style, add cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf.

Looking for a healthy, tasty, super-simple snack food? This almond butter recipe will do the trick for you. Use it in sandwiches, on fruit, or, for a yummy and healthy start to your day, try it in steel-cut oatmeal.

This is a great recipe for vegetarians to boost their protein. Almond butter can be very expensive at the grocery store, so make this at home.  You only need two ingredients.