5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Now that spring is upon us, produce is both good and plenty.

But, as the old adage goes, "all good things must come to an end." (The name's Downer. Debbie Downer.)

That's when Aaron Deal's pickling recipes come in handy.

29-year-old Aaron Deal is a former James Beard Awards "Rising Star" semifinalist and executive chef of the soon-to-open River & Rail Restaurant in Roanoke, Virgina.

Five Reasons to Pickle and Preserve Fruits and Vegetables: Aaron Deal
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My folks have the kind of house where people walk in the door and feel like they’ve come home. It always smells like my mother's latest culinary creation and it pleases me to no end when someone who doesn’t live there feels comfortable enough to kick off their shoes and dig in at the dinner table.

This outwardly barren time of year makes me think of gatherings that brought a full-bodied glow to our home.

Like all good gatherings, it started out small and became a necessity because it was such a success.

It was junior year of high school, and my friends and I were slogging through AP U.S. history. The class was a behemoth of information that made it feel as though we had to relearn the entire history of our young country. After nine months of that oddly rewarding torture and joy, I can safely say that our country didn’t feel so young. But nevertheless, the study session snack marathon was born.
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Editor's Note: Rick Morris is a web developer and volunteer firefighter from Canton, North Carolina. He is one of seven CNN viewers selected to be a part of the Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge program. Each athlete receives all the tools necessary to train for and compete in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon this September, alongside Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The seven athletes met up two weeks ago in Atlanta for the official kickoff of the program, where Rick developed a new taste for hummus.

Hummus. The very word, for those like me, not in the know, sounded like a foreign term for something gross. Globular pustules on a teenager's face. A backwoods verb for singing under one's breath (“hummus a song, Cooter”). Perhaps a brand of automobile.

Until recently, I can honestly say that I had never heard of hummus. In fact, I was somewhat taken aback when it was placed in front of me at a recent restaurant gathering. It evolved something like this...
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This is it. We've entered the final countdown. You've practiced all year for the knock-down, drag-out, take-no-prisoners game on Sunday. Every scoop, every chug, every bite has led you to this moment - your moment - to bask in the glory of pigskin (both on your plate and on television).

Still got a case of the pregame jitters? Iron Chef Michael Symon has some last-minute strategy to offer for the guacamole gridiron. The goal: sending you into your Super Bowl soiree with your game face on, and seeing you emerge victorious as MVPP (that's Most Valuable Party Planner to you).

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"After double-dipping just a few times, researchers found 50 to 100 times more bacteria in the dip - and that was just from one mouth," says Sanjay Gupta.

We're gonna be waaaaaayyyyy over here with our own no-sharesies bowl of guacamole, thank you very much.

Poll: How you dippin'? | Recipes Dip, dip, hooray! | All Super Bowl food stories

Tune in to SANJAY GUPTA | MD every Saturday and Sunday at 7:30am ET on CNN.

If there's dip on the table, you know you're at a party. If there are at least three varieties present, that party is probably for the Super Bowl - and lucky you.

People don't go making dips all willy-nilly for a weeknight meal or a prim Sunday brunch. They're reserved for gloppy, sloppy abandon in the company of other revelers and these dips should not hold back. We repeat - they should not hold back.

Food editors like us are bombarded with recipe suggestions from celebrity chefs and product representatives touting non-fat, mayo-free, cheese-free, joy-free options for game day. We maintain that if you're eating sensibly the other 365 days of 2012 (okay - 362, because what fun is life if you can't go a little nuts on Thanksgiving, your birthday or New Year's Eve?), a little sour cream on a Frito isn't going to spell your demise. (Though apparently insufficient safety procedures might.)

So go ahead and get dippy with it, and scoop up a few of our favorite recipes from dip devotees Richard Blais, Eva Longoria, John Currence, Marcela Valladolid and our very own recipe boxes.
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Welcome to round seven of Spouse vs. Spouse, a series in which a couple of married food freaks, CNN’s Brandon and Kristy Griggs, square off in their Atlanta kitchen for culinary bragging rights – and invite you to weigh in too.

In each installment, Kristy and Brandon each make a creative variation on the same ingredient or dish – everything from pasta to seafood to cocktails to desserts. We serve both versions anonymously to our friends, who then judge which one they like better and why. We walk you through our kitchen process, bring the husband-and-wife smack talk and, of course, keep score. We also share our recipes here so that you can try them for yourself.

Our theme: Soup
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Georgiann Caruso is a CNN Medical Associate Producer

After a long, stress-filled day, you may just crave some comfort - and comfort foods like mac 'n' cheese or spaghetti and meatballs.

"Comfort foods are more about the heart than they are hunger," says Marisa Moore, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition of Dietetics. "They serve to sort of bring up those happy memories from childhood or a time that you've spent with a loved one and they bring you psychological comfort."

Sating these cravings doesn't have to mean you’ve got to eat dishes that are high in fat, sodium or calories. Moore says you can still enjoy your favorite comfort foods while keeping them healthy and delicious.
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I'm half-conscious and alone in an Atlanta hotel room, and I've been banned from coming into the CNN.com office and passing this crud onto anyone else. It's the flu, I think - headache, dry cough, aches and a throbbing headache. I've been holed up here for a couple of days, swilling the orange juice and TheraFlu I stumbled out into the street to buy, biding time until my flight back to New York tonight.

It's utterly miserable being sick away from home – not just because loved ones and comfy clothes are far away, but also because it's just so hard to get the right food to eat. At home, there's chicken soup and toast and tea, edible in bed or on the couch with a friendly dog and hot and cold running episodes of Law & Order. In the center of a strange city, such comforts seem as rarefied and precious as a truffle-studded tasting menu at a multi-Michelin-starred restaurant. And frankly, I don't even think I could choke that down right now.
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Ashley Strickland is an associate producer at CNN.com. She likes cajoling recipes from athletes and studying up on food holidays.

After the “office funk” attacked for the third time this fall, I decided to take action. I needed to find an antioxidant powerhouse with the strength to fight off any and all germs and allergies. The usual suspects just weren’t cutting it and I needed a new weapon.

During my frantic search, I stumbled upon something with such a miraculous list of healthy ingredients, I couldn’t say no. And last week, I’m proud to say that green soup entered my life.
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