By LYNNE ROSSETTO KASPER, Scripps Howard News Service

Dear Lynne,Seasoning has me stumped. I follow recipes like a slave and hate it. My dream is improvising, but my seasoning combinations are lousy. What's the secret that cooks know and I don't? -- Longing to Let Lose in Lafayette

Dear Lynne, What are your favorite brands of supermarket brand canned tomatoes for making pasta sauce? We read about the Miracolo di San Gennaro, but are reluctant to pay for that product with shipping every time we want a "simple pasta sauce." The article mentioned you had a favorite other than above mentioned so we'd love to hear what it is. -- Paul and Carol

Dear Lynne: I buy organic for my kids, but cannot afford it for all of us. Any thoughts on how to save money on organic foods? We have stores that sell organic foods, so finding it isn't too hard. -- Grateful Dad

Dear Lynne: My husband haunts thrift stores for premium kitchen equipment that he buys on the cheap. He came home with a lovely copper saucepan. It is marked Melawa Holland, has a flat bottom, gently curved sides and an open top, measuring about 4-1/2 inches. It seems unlined. How would I use a pot like this in cooking? Is it OK that it is not lined? -- Puzzled But Saving Money

Dear Lynne: This harvest, we have a bumper crop of pineapple sage. How could we use it creatively? -- Marge in Wilmington, N.C.

Dear Lynne, I'd like to know where to find more information on heirloom tomatoes, like how each kind tastes, what's the difference between an heirloom and a normal tomato, their history, and maybe which ones are worth the money? Oh, and could you share a recipe maybe that shows them off? -- Bobbi from Chicago

Dear Lynne: When I was growing up, my mother made gyoza, the pork- and cabbage-filled Japanese dumplings. My wife is a vegetarian so I'd like to find something to replace the pork, yet keep the rich spicy flavor. Your ideas? -- Tom in Alabama

Dear Lynne: I have friends who don't drink alcohol, so I am looking for some fun summery nonalcoholic drinks that create the same festive atmosphere as popping a cork. --Susan in Lexington, Ky.Dear Susan: To start the imagination ticking, think what cools us down -- tart, tangy flavors like lemon and lime, and cooling herbs as in mint, lemon verbena and pineapple sage.

Dear Lynne: My wife's mother says corn belongs in the refrigerator in the husk; I think it's more sanitary to husk it first. Is there a right and wrong here? While we are at it, how do you tell the taste of corn before you buy it and why is the sweetness so intense sometimes that the corn's flavor disappears? Maybe it's my palate. -- Son-in-Law in a Quandary

Dear Lynne: In a gift shop I found heirloom beans called Jacob's Cattle Beans. I cooked them, liked them, but now about four cups are left in the refrigerator. Any thoughts for a main-dish salad? It's hotter than a pancake griddle here, so grilling or using the stove is not an option.