Sturdy enough for potlucks, yet classy enough for the fanciest of dinner parties, these six salads are poised to be stunners all season long.

To celebrate spring's bounty, we’ll be throwing plenty of parties full of light, fresh fare. Here are just a few ways to delight guests with the best of the season.

Our friends at Food52.com are holding a recipe contest! Read on for details.

Easter falls on March 31 this year, which makes us wonder: Is it playing hard to get? It certainly seems so; we’ll have just dipped a toe into spring at that point, and that makes it difficult to plan a menu around late-spring staples -- strawberries, asparagus, artichokes, sweet English peas -- as we typically would. So back to the drawing board we went, swapping blushing berries for sweet citrus, diminutive peas for lanky leeks, and so on. You know what? This might be the best Easter menu yet.

For anyone who wants to get a home-cooked meal on the table at least a few nights a week without frenzy or financial fall-out, Food52 is here to help.

Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs are the founders of Food52, a new kind of food lifestyle company with a thriving online community. Visit Food52.com for great recipes, how-tos and answers to all of your food and cooking questions.

This week, Susan demonstrates two easy techniques for zesting citrus.

Russ Parson's Dry-Brined Turkey [Food52] (photo by James Ransom)

Susan writes the blog Cardamom Kitchen to share her culinary experiences as an Indian-American rooted in the Midwest. Luckily she's also sharing her experiences with Whole Story readers by demystifing essential cooking skills with step-by-step instructions and her own handsome photos.