Salad/4 recipes

Italian asparagus. How to cook asparagus Italian-style. Classic flavor-packed cold marinated asparagus with an onion, caper, lemon and mint dressing. Perfect to make ahead and serve anytime with simple ingredients. It's even vegan and vegetarian.

Baked seasoned warm goat cheese adds a nice zing into the salad, fresh arugula and radicchio have the slightly peppery taste, perfectly match the olive vinaigrette and creamy goat cheese.

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

It's easy to make your own home-made pasta. Many Italian families do it every day. This is a very traditional original recipe from Larousse Gastronomique the French bible of fine dining and cooking.

Only 4 ingredients! Grape juice studded with banana slices makes this all-natural dessert delightfully glorious!

Delish herring canapes that are perfect for any party or gathering. They will have everyone coming back for more!

Sweet-juicy watermelon cubes, peppery arugula leaves, salty and creamy feta cheese are tossed with a light balsamic-olive oil vinaigrette. A great summer salad that adds some refresh-ness to your BBQ.

Slightly sour variety of greens.

This is a delicious recipe that helps you make a tasty dish with leftover rice and whatever veggies you have on hand.

The earthy beets, spicy basil, creamy goat cheese and sour-sweet balsamic glaze make this salad with complimentary layers of flavors and textures.

Very easy to make, and it came out delicious with great texture. I halved the recipe, used whole wheat flour, half butter and half olive oil, and baked it in 4 individual ramekins. I ate one while it was still warm, very good; later had one after chilled in the fridge, even better. Definitely a keeper.

Here is a true twist on the classic pound cake! Twisted Butter Chef Jane Johnson has created a delicious Cream Cheese Wild Blueberry Pound Cake using Twisted Butter’s Blueberry, Honey and Lemon Zest butter. Share this with friends and family for any holiday occasion and no one will leave disappointed.

Light and tasty.

A simple salad with big health credentials: avocados are an excellent source of good fats, and more recently have been shown to also inhibit inflammation when eaten in combination with foods that typically trigger it. They are also a rich source of potassium (which balances sodium to keep blood pressure levels stable) and vitamin E, an important antioxidant.

Fresh peaches fill into an almond and flour crust, the sweetness, slightly sourness, and refreshing taste from the peaches go very well with the nutty crusty. It's a light, fruity and delicious dessert that fits a hot summer day wonderfully!

"Chicken breast cubes simmered in a sweet and spicy lime-soy glaze are served with cilantro couscous in this quick and easy supper."