Before my nose fully reached the countertop, my grandmother would show me how to fry up a piece of bacon just to render the bacon fat for my favorite lady pea recipe. After all, the Southern attitude is of the "who needs spices or herbs when bacon's flavor will saturate and perfect just about any dish?" mentality. I've maintained that perspective in my kitchen today, and urge you to do the same. If you've been prone to toss out the liquid gold after frying up a few pieces of bacon, for goodness' sake, stop! Let me show you how to handle, store, and use bacon grease.

Ah, the days of dorm-room eating: you remember eating dorm-room meals consisting of ramen noodles, frozen dinners, potato chips, and canned soup. Likewise, you know what essential tools a tiny dorm kitchenette needs.

Give the graduating high school student in your life these essential tools — and as a bonus, pass on your tried-and-true dorm-room hacks (yes, you can microwave cake). While it's unlikely that fancy meals will emerge from a minimicrowave, you know they'll be appreciative of a reliable set of plates and an old-fashioned can opener.

Keep reading to shop our 10 essentials.

Thecondochef shows us that blueberry jam doesn't just belong on toast.

Mango, blueberry jam, and apple-cinnamon granola parfait: Easy Summer cooler for this sweltering heat!

For more — and the recipe — visit her blog, and then be sure to share your food photos via Savory Sights on POPSUGAR Social or by starting your own blog. If you're on Instagram, then chime in on the conversation with the hashtag #savorysight.

Remember when popcorn was merely a treat to eat on weekends at the movies or curled up on the couch with a Blockbuster flick? Those days are long gone. In the past year, popcorn's proven itself to be the new bar nut as well as a luxurious dessert.

We first noticed the trend at restaurants, in every application: as truffled popcorn, alongside cocktails at the bar in San Francisco's Bourbon Steak; as a flavoring agent in popcorn soup at WD-50 in New York, and as the stand-alone star at Manhattan's Populence, an entire store devoted to flavors like ginger caramel, tangy raspberry, and sweet cinnamon.

But that's not all; the volume of artisanal gourmet popcorn bubbling up in supermarket chip aisles has astounded us. Minnesota-based Angie's sells Boomchickapop sea salt popcorn, prized for its simple list of ingredients and fresh-tasting flavor. Quinn Popcorn out of Massachusetts, with its Quinn Parmesan and Rosemary popcorn, has reinvented the concept of powdered cheese on microwaveable popcorn. And California's 479º Popcorn offers flavors like Fleur de Sel Caramel (trust us: kettle corn's got nothing on this stuff).

We're happy the puffed grain has hit the mainstream food circuit in a major way and have no qualms (yet!) about the exotic riffs in unlikely spots that we're seeing. But tell us; how do you feel about the burgeoning popcorn trend?

Last week, Starbucks announced it was launching two new Bavarian-style pretzels ($2) in its snack lineup, for people who tend to sway toward salty provisions over sweet options. Curious about the new additions to the bakery section, we took a trip to our nearest Starbucks. The pretzels, which come in asiago and cheddar and stoneground Dijon, looked a little dehydrated and sad as they were pulled out of Starbucks's pastry refrigerator. The Starbucks employee said the pretzels tasted better when toasted, so they took a short trip to the oven before we brought them back to the office to try. Keep reading for our thoughts and the review.

This Sunday, treat Mom to a made-from-scratch midday meal that's filled with Spring produce. She's guaranteed to feel special — and to remember it for years to come.

Lavender Collins Cocktail

Mom will love sipping on this floral, lemonade-like cocktail that's designed for adults only. The pastel blue hue in this cocktail comes from creme de violette, which is the essential ingredient in the lavender Collins cocktail.

Asparagus Caesar

Caesar salad is a classic, but it can instantly receive a seasonal boost by subbing ribboned asparagus in place of lettuce greens. For extra crunch and flavor, throw in some quality anchovies and crispy croutons.

Continue reading for the rest of the menu.

Tired of our same old asparagus routine? This pesto from GraceDickinson uses the Spring veggie in a whole new way.

This is the first year I've ever tried to do an asparagus pesto, and I was pleasantly blown away with the results. This makes for a perfect sandwich spread and would also go great with pasta.

For more — and the recipe — visit her blog, and then be sure to share your food photos via Savory Sights on POPSUGAR Social or by starting your own blog. If you're on Instagram, then chime in on the conversation with the hashtag #savorysight.

Today is May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars Day. If you encounter anyone wearing fanboy paraphernalia (though, of course, you're wearing geek gear with pride too) , make sure to greet them properly by saying, "May the fourth be with you!"

We made a Star Trek cake for Captain Picard's birthday, so of course we had to make a sweet treat for May 4 too.

To replicate this fabulous and fairly easy Star Wars cake, take a look at my decorating tips.

Breweries have been known to design a signature glass for their beer, so is it that out of the ordinary for a winery to develop a signature wine glass to enhance the tasting experience of its wine? Argentinian winery Graffigna Centenario doesn't think so: it's partnered with stemware giant Riedel to develop a signature, six-month-exclusive glass for the winery's Malbec wines. We were sent a pair of the new glasses along with a bottle of Graffigna's Grand Reserve Malbec to taste the difference for ourselves. But to detect differences in the Malbec's scent and flavor, we poured it in three different glasses: a standard wine glass, a red wine stem glass from The One, and the Riedel Malbec glass. Would the new stemware help us taste the Malbec through rose-colored glasses? What flavors would it bring out in the glass, if any? Continue reading to see our results.

We're fans of Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese, but we have been less impressed with the new members of its brand family, like Snack Delights and Cooking Creme (eek!). So when the company sent over Spicy Jalapeño ($3), a new flavor on shelves now, we had our suspicions. Would it really taste spicy? And would we really be able to detect a true jalapeño flavor?

When I first opened the cream cheese, it appeared watery and grainy, with large green jalapeño chunks — not a very attractive sight. A few stirs with a spoon reincorporated the cream cheese, but it still had an uneven consistency, as if the jalapeños had curdled the cream cheese. However, a whiff of the container quieted my skepticism that the product had gone bad. It had that signature, slightly tangy Philadelphia cream cheese scent, with a peppery kick from the jalapeño. But did it have the flavor and texture to match? See the star rating and our taste testers' surprising response when you read more.