Q: The Berry-Peach Cobbler with Sugared Almonds from the July 2009 issue calls for both granulated sugar and turbinado sugar. I’m not familiar with turbinado sugar, nor is anyone I know. What is it, and what could I use as a substitute? —Carol DeStasio, New Jersey

A: Turbinado sugar comes from sugar cane juice that is evaporated, crystallized, and spun in a turbine (hence the name) to produce coarse, golden crystals. Associate Food Editor Julie Grimes, who developed the cobbler recipe featured on the July cover, says she called for turbinado in the topping to provide crunchy texture “and give the top of the crust a sparkle.” Turbinado is often marketed as raw sugar. Sugar in the Raw is one of the more popular brands and can be found at many supermarkets. For the cobbler, Grimes says granulated sugar works as a substitute.

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Have a culinary conundrum? Ask the TK! Submit your question to our our Test Kitchen professionals by emailing us. We can't answer every question, but will try our best.

I was searching for a quick and easy way to cook pork tenderloin recently when I ran across this recipe for Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Kale. I was drawn to this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, because it promised a main dish, a sauce, and a side with just seven ingredients. Second, because I had never thought to pair mustard with kale, which is one of my favorite leafy greens that I tend to cook in the same old ways.

This recipe calls for marinating a pork tenderloin in a mixture of stone-ground mustard, honey, and sherry vinegar for two hours in the fridge. I was in a rush, so I had to cut that time short, and I was surprised at how well the flavors permeated the meat. I imagine it would have been even better if I'd left it to marinate for the full two hours.

The result? This recipe made me fall in love with pork tenderloin all over again. I hadn't made it in a while, having grown bored with the same old preparations. This spicy-sweet approach was a hit with not only my husband but my 18-month-old son, who even liked the kale, despite the considerable challenge of chewing it with only five teeth.

This recipe earned a place on the weeknight go-to list in my personal recipe file, joining other favorites such as Thai Fish Sauce and Lime Chicken (a pantry recipe, since I keep fish sauce on hand), and White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini. What are your favorite weeknight stand-bys?

Dear Test Kitchens: I love to make cookies. I am experiencing a problem, though. My recipes that call for butter are turning out flat. Recipes that call for shortening or margarine retain their shape, but the ones with butter go flat. This is especially frustrating with rolled cookies. Any suggestions? --Susan Z, Augusta, MO

Dear Susan: While it’s hard to define the problem with certainty without being familiar with your troublesome cookie recipes, it sounds like it may be a fairly common issue. It likely has to do with the temperature of the butter. Butter that is too warm may cause the cookies to spread and turn out flat. Shortening is not affected by the temperature, so the cookies hold their shape.

We have a few suggestions that may help with this:

1. Make sure the butter is slightly soft to the touch, but not melting. A good rule of thumb is to cut refrigerated butter into small pieces and let it stand at room temperature until softened. This may take for 10 to 15 minutes or less, if you have a sunny, warm kitchen.

2. Chill the dough for about one hour or until it’s stiff to the touch. If preparing drop cookies, try portioning your cookies into dough balls before chilling – it’s easier than trying to handle a bowl of chilled, stiff dough. For rolled cookies, work with small portions of the chilled dough at a time so that the butter in the dough doesn’t become too soft with excessive counter time. If re-rolling dough, be sure to chill it in between.

3. Avoid putting cookie dough (chilled or not) onto a warm pan. Baking sheets should always cool off sufficiently before putting the dough on them.

Some of the best ideas have arisen through the creativity of our readers. That's how the first Cooking Light Supper Club was born when, more than 10 years ago, a group of readers in Northern California "met" on our online bulletin boards and decided to get together in person to share a meal every month. Today there are supper clubs all over the country.

So we were again delighted when five readers came to us with the idea of a Virtual Supper Club. All avid cooks, moms, and bloggers, Hélène (Vancouver Island), Val (British Columbia), Jamie (Florida panhandle), Shelby (upstate New York), and Aggie (Central Florida) have pledged to get together (virtually) once a month to blog a menu of Cooking Light recipes.

Like many real-life supper clubs, they'll choose a theme in advance, then select recipes that fit the theme and the season. Because they live in four states and two countries, they can't sit down to a communal meal, but they can tell you all about it (along with yummy photos, like Hélène's Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert shown here) on their respective blogs. We'll post the entire menu here. 

Since our bloggers hail from both the United States and Canada, this month's theme is a Red and White and Blue Menu, in honor of the Fourth of July and Canada Day (July 1). Great for any outdoor celebration, this menu pairs a wonderful grilled salmon with fresh summer sides and a creamy lightened dessert. (Just wait 'til you see the rest of their mouth-watering real-life food shots.)

Red and White and Blue Menu

Maple Grilled Salmon by Val
Spinach Salad with Stone Fruits and Maple-Spiced Pecans by Aggie
Charred Corn Relish by Jamie
Curried Chicken Salad with Nectarines by Shelby
Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert by Hélène

Please visit their blogs and leave them some feedback. If you'd like to become an honorary member of the Virtual Supper Club, blog a recipe that fits the theme, and leave a comment here with a link. 

Next month's theme: Regional cuisine

Read on to meet our bloggers:

Scallops are one of the overlooked possibilities for a speedy weeknight meal. Though I tend to think of them as special-occasion food, they're wonderfully versatile, quick-cooking, and not a whole lot more expensive than shrimp.

Yesterday I needed a quick and easy (yet special) meal for Father's Day. So I picked up a pound of scallops at the Piggly Wiggly for $11. (Shrimp was running about $8 a pound.)

Browsing our 20-Minute Seafood gallery, I found several scallop options, including this recipe for Gingered Scallops. Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand: ginger, green onions, ginger, lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, and rice.

Scallops are one of the items I tend to order out, but rarely cook at home. It had been a while since I'd prepared them. But I remembered a recent chat with my Test Kitchens pal (and fellow blogger) Tiffany Vickers, who told me that the secret to properly seared scallops is a very hot cast-iron skillet.

"You want your pan to stay hot," she said. "Crazy hot. With a little bit of oil."

Tiffany also let me in on the trick to avoiding the "rubber eraser" effect, when good scallops lose their juices and assume the texture of the troubleshooting end of a No. 2 Ticonderoga.

"Whatever you do," she said, "don't overcrowd the pan. That will reduce the temperature of the pan. And if your scallops are too close to one another, they'll start steaming. Sometimes it's best to do them in batches."

I followed her advice, and got the caramelized crust that defines the difference between a good scallop and a wasted one. It took between one and two minutes on each side (so avoid all distractions while cooking them). A quick toss in the instant pan sauce, and they were ready to be served atop rice. From start to finish, it took me 10 to 15 minutes.

The result? A very happy Father's Day for a scallop-loving spouse.

Like this? See more 20-minute scallop recipes:

• Pan-Seared Scallops with Cilantro-Celery Mayonnaise
• Seared Scallops with Lemon Orzo
• Seared Scallop Salad
• Scallops in Champagne Sauce

Pasta sauces are perfect for cooking for one because they can be made in big batches, frozen in individual portions, and are quick to thaw.  Then, you can always depend on having a fast and easy start to a good meal!

As discussed in my last post, ice cube trays make handy tools for freezer-friendly cooking. In addition to marinara, you can freeze meat sauces, pestos, and white sauces.

Tips for pesto: If you blanch and shock your basil before blending it with the rest of the ingredients, it will maintain its bright color better. When thawing, don’t microwave it or you might lose flavor. Put it in the fridge, use a double boiler, or place it in a zip-top bag and dunk the entire bag in hot water.

Pesto beyond pasta: When it comes to pesto, there are so many uses besides pasta dishes. I like to use it as my pizza sauce (hint back to the pitas!), stirred into soups, and as a spread on sandwiches. When pressed into a panini, the heated pesto has a delicious aroma and flavor! See Cooking Light's extensive collection of pesto recipes for more ideas.

Tips for white sauce: Same rule for thawing as pesto. It needs to be gently thawed and reheated so the sauce doesn’t break. Add a bit more cream or milk if it is too thick. Use these frozen cubes of white sauce for more than just a sauce on pasta or meat--consider all of the casseroles in your recipe file that call for a cream sauce. You may just need to add various seasoning, herbs, and/or cheese.

Tools for freezing: If you are interested in making a larger investment, the Demarle non-stick, flexible bakeware (or other silicone bakeware) is a great tool for freezing. They come in all shapes and sizes and once frozen, the food easily slides out.

One of my favorite lines from the movie, Wedding Crashers, is "Ma! The Meatloaf!" Demanded by all because of its comforting capabilities, it is definitely a loved supper in my household.

I create meatloaf and their varying flavors out of anything we have leftover in the fridge.
Here's what we had tonight.

1# lean ground turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons ketchup, divided
2 tablespoons crumbled Boursin cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (use 2 tablespoons ketchup here). Mix by hand just until combined - do not over mix or loaf won't be as tender. Transfer to a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted in center is 160 (temperature will vary depending on type of meat used). Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake 5 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Think outside the meatloaf "box" and substitue in any type of ground meat you have on hand, any color onion, any type of cheese. The possibilities are endless so get out there and create an easy weeknight (and budget-friendly) dinner for your family tonight. Or try one from a Cooking Light story devoted to meatloaf!

    We are headed into berry season, and I am beyond excited!  Raspberries, blueberries, marionberries....any kind, I can't get enough.  Berry season happens to coincide with summer picnics, firing up the grill, and delicious barbecue. A close friend/cooking companion and I have a simple trick that brings these two things together: Berry Barbecue Sauce.
      We probably make it too often, but it's just so easy, delicious, and versatile (particularly with pork, in my opinion). Take basic bottled barbecue sauce and pour it into a small saucepan with one to two cups of your berry of choice.  I generally use a mix of whatever I have on hand.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the berries break down.  You could also add chopped herbs and seasonings...try rosemary with blackberries!  My friend and I also throw in a teaspoon or two of our favorite hot sauce. Stir the mixture, pressing the berries against the side of the pan to break them up more as needed. You could press the mixture through a mesh strainer to get out the solids if you are so inclined, but I like the texture as is.
    This is a great, simple way to add a special touch to the standard barbecue fare.  Plus, it's a good way to use surplus berries that may be past their peak. And you can even make this sauce when berries are out of season—frozen berries will work just fine.

(This recipe, like many we publish on the blog, has not been run  through the formal Test Kitchens testing process required for all recipes we publish in the magazine and on MyRecipes.com)

Our May issue has a real treat for salmon lovers: Oil-Poached Salmon with Fresh Cucumber Salad.

Oil-poached fish is a dish you’ll find at high-end restaurants, but the technique is perfectly simple. The fish cooks gently in oil heated to 150°, resulting in some of the moistest, most velvety salmon you’ve ever had.

We urge you to use wild rather than farmed salmon, but this technique will work for any fish you might poach—try it with halibut or striped bass.