Are you still bringing store-bought cupcakes to birthdays and baby showers? Try this recipe instead, because I guarantee you it’s so much cuter. Yes, it’s a cake pop, but it looks like an ice cream cone. You can do tons of variations, like Oreo cake with chocolate coating, confetti with strawberry, or red velvet with white chocolate. You can also do half-and-half color combos for a snow cone look. —Lucy Wang, Los Angeles, California

This traditional Chinese dish ties back to a true story of a beloved poet named Qu Yuan who was wrongfully accused of treason. People commemorate him each year on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Lunar calendar (usually toward the end of May or June), with dragon boat festivities and these bamboo leaves stuffed with sticky rice and pork belly. Cook a ton of these in advance and keep them in a zip-top bag in the freezer. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and microwave for two minutes in the leaves, or boil them for 10 to 15 minutes directly from the freezer. You can get the leaves on Amazon. Everything else can be found at a local Asian market like HMart. —Lucy Wang, Los Angeles, California

The Sakura Matsuri, also known as the Cherry Blossom Festival, celebrates the spring season! These squishy treats make adorable drink garnishes and are a great kids' activity (they're basically nontoxic play dough and a lot less messy). If you want to prep them in advance, make the balls but don’t boil them just yet! Sprinkle a little glutinous rice flour on them and freeze them in an airtight container. Boil them right before you plan to serve them. —Lucy Wang, Los Angeles, California