Over the past few months I've been cooking more than usual thanks to an assignment I got back in January: Write about the best spring cookbooks for The Book Review. I got to expand my reach a little here -- in addition to the quick-and-easy family dinner fare you're used to seeing on these pages, I tried out vegan brownies and iced oatmeal cookies, spelt flour pizzettes, a famous barbecue sauce, a luscious chocolate loaf cake, a zillion dishes that made the most of spring peas and asparagus, and chicken recipes from every corner the world.