Don't you just hate when the meringue shrinks from the sides of a pie? Here's how to change that.

What exactly is a meringue? Would you consider it a cookie because technically you "bake" it? Or is it candy because it's mostly all sugar?

Whichever you call it, I'm including a photo of tiny little meringue ghosts from 101 Cookbooks because they're too cute to pass up on Halloween. Not only are meringues relatively easy to make with just a few ingredients, but this photo of white ghosts is spooky-cute against a black background, and with a hint of their reflection in front of them.

Then again, I didn't think ghosts cast shadows or made reflections!

As we've admitted before, here at Slashfood we are all a little obsessed with Peeps. Love them or hate them, it is hard to escape the little marshmallow treats, especially at Easter time. In the past we've torched them, used them in recipes and looked at how to make your own using a Williams-Sonoma kit.

Now, the Evil Mad Scientist has sent us this recipe which eliminates the marshmallow altogether but adds a few unexpected twists. Using a meringue base and adding saffron strands for added oomph, I'm fairly certain these "Peeps" will be unlike anything you have ever had before.

• A recipe for a traditional Easter Meringue.
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• Be careful when handling your Easter chicks.
• A sampling of winters-end red wines you might have not tried yet.
• This week's recipes: Baked Chicken Legs with Tomatoes, Haroset with Dates, Pasta and Chickpea Soup, Passover Fritters, and Ricotta Cheesecake.

Meringue kisses are very easy cookies to make but can be tricky to get right. Helene, from Tartelette, made these Holiday Meringue Kisses to give away as part of some holiday gift baskets and provided a great tip to anyone who wants to try making them at home. The secret to achieving crisp meringue cookies that won't turn to grainy mush from moisture accumulation is to let them cool overnight in the oven by simply turning the oven off once they have baked. The residual heat continues to very gently cook the meringues, drying them to a lovely, light crispness. I have tried this technique myself a few times with good results, although I would warn everyone to put a note on the oven as a reminder that something is in there. I have had other people turn on the oven without checking it (and have foolishly done it myself, as well), only to smell burning meringues a few minutes later.

Helene tinted hers red and green for a Christmas-y look, but you can also try other small additions, such as adding peppermint extract to the cookies before baking or drizzling them with a bit of melted chocolate when they are done.

Rowena, of the blog Rubber Slippers in Italy, put together a simple dessert of roasted yellow peaches with Italian meringue topping that is a great way to end a summer meal. The dessert takes advantage of the flavorful peaches that are in season right now, roasting them to enhance their sweetness even further. Italian meringue is made when a sugar syrup is boiled and streamed into beaten egg whites. The heat of the syrup cooks the meringue and allows it to hold its shape much better than an uncooked meringue will, so it makes a prettier and more stable dessert. The dessert takes little time to prepare and is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious - a dish sure to impress guests, as well as satisfying your sweet tooth with a light treat.

When we featured The Pastry Queen Cookbook last week, I remarked upon how impressive the lemon-lime meringue tarts, called Texas Big Hairs, on the cover were. Little did I expect to see them in all their glory on the food blog Culinary Concoctions. The name of the tarts comes from the amount of meringue that is piled on top - and in true Texas style, bigger is better. These individual-sized tarts are more, well, tart than a typical lemon meringue pie would be because of the liberal addition of lime. They still have the perfect contrast of light, sweet meringue and velvety citrus custard, though, and the extra meringue makes each bite seem even lighter than you could hope for.

Yesterday, I talked about the Cook's Illustrated review of egg white substitutes, which concluded that you are best off working with real, fresh egg whites. The pre-packed, pasteurized egg white substitutes didn't hold up when whipped as well as the real thing. There is one more type of egg white substitute that is known for its ability to whip up, though: meringue powder.

Meringue powder is a mixture of dried, powdered egg whites, cornstarch and gums, which help if bind together. Some powders include sugar, but the majority do not. When mixed with sugar and water, meringue powdered can be reconstituted and beaten to soft or stiff peaks. It can be used to make royal icing, baked meringues, and even angel food cakes, which I have tried with good success. It can not be substituted for egg whites in other recipes, though, only in recipes which call for beaten egg whites. Meringue powders, other than being used for frosting, are best used in recipes where the egg whites would have been uncooked, like in some mousses and sorbets. Keep in mind that meringue powder can have a sort of starchy aftertaste from the cornstarch, so don't reduce the amount of sugar or other flavorings in the recipe you're using unless you want to add another flavor to your dessert.