Lemon-garlic lamb kebabs with bell pepper couscous.

AP Photo | Matthew Mead

The trouble with spring is that we get eager to grill, but we can't always count on the weather to cooperate.

Admittedly, I am a fair weather griller. I know some people who gleefully brave blizzards for the joy of putting meat to searing grate. I simply am not so hardy a man. A bit of a chill or dampness in in the air is enough to scuttle my grill plans and send me back indoors.

Grilled Salmon with Chipotle Glaze and Pineapple Salsa

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

Grilled salmon may be unadventurous to some, but there's a reason why it's so popular as a grilling fish. The fatty flesh on salmon sears beautifully — like a well-marbled piece of beef — when exposed to the flame.

Black Bean Burgers

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

I’m reluctant to quote statistical data linking patronage of fast food chains to high obesity rates; so much material is circumstantial, biased, and, therefore, skewed.

Grilled Vegetables with Mediterranean Breadcrumbs

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

By whipping up a savory mixture of panko seasoned and sautéed with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic and basil, I turned a simple dish of grilled vegetables into something more substantial.

Chicken with Creamy Morel Sauce over Al Dente Wild Mushroom Fettucine

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

Richard and I were in the Traverse City area a few weeks back, and our waiter informed us he believes this will be a great year for morel hunting; we've had a very wet spring. I, however, have yet to find time to go hunting in my favorite hot spots, but that's not to stop me from enjoying this recipe.

Don't be intimidated by the length of the recipe - this moussaka is worth every minute of prep time. And it tastes even better the next day.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

From the vendors hawking heaping carts of freshly roasted pistachios on every street corner to the rotating spits of gyro in the windows of the restaurants, it was a mind-boggling display of a culture that clearly celebrates its food.

It was on this trip to Athens that I had a plate of moussaka that set the standard for all moussaka to follow. It was rich, meaty, and creamy, with sublime layers of flavors and textures. My 16-year-old mind was blown, and I’ve been looking for a recipe to replicate that experience ever since. I feel like I’ve finally found it.

The first asparagus of 2013

Kim Bayer | AnnArbor.com Contributor

Definitive signs of spring in Michigan include: the woodcock's fluttering, wobbling, shooting star of a sky dance, redbud trees misted pink in bloom, and at long last, slender green darts of asparagus at the farmer's market.

Miso-smothered chicken, served with a side salad.

AP Photo | Matthew Mead

This one-pot chicken dinner by Kentucky chef Edward Lee blends a staple of Southern cooking — fried chicken — with two deliciously savory Asian ingredients, salty miso and a half pound of shiitake mushrooms. Together they produce a chicken that is tender and wildly flavorful with a thick sauce that is good enough to eat by the spoonful.

Though the recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, we also tested it with boneless, skinless thighs and found it just as delicious.

Cheese Omelet with Spring Herbs

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

An omelet for dinner? Why not.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I relied upon fresh ingredients, and I didn't fidget with them very much; I kept them simple and straightforward.

Cornmeal serves as a nice base that is an excellent substitute for pasta or for rice, and it cooks much more quickly. Topped with some salsa, a smushed avocado, some lovely crumbly queso, and some corn that I glamorized a bit by toasting it in a pan, these few items united into a lovely dinner that cooked within 15 minutes.

Fast, fresh, fabulous food!