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Recipes

Strawberry Clouds – Peak of the Season Irresistibility

Yes, it’s strawberry season! Perfectly ripe, brimming with perky sweetness, they are delicious eaten out of hand. But I love to use them in a wide variety of desserts, including these alluring pillows dubbed “clouds.” For the absolute best results, start with strawberries that are ripe and flavorful. For never-fail berries, I love to use Harry’s Berries. Founded in Oxnard…

Roasted Pepper Salad Royale with Burrata – Appetizer or First Course Yum-Oh-Lah

Roasting bell peppers adds a sweet, slightly smoky flavor. You can buy roasted peppers in a jar, but it’s so easy to do and the flavor is so much better. More delicious. I love them napped with vinaigrette and served with burrata and toast/ On small plates it’s a first course, on a platter it’s a scoop-it-up appetizer. To roast,…

No Cream Mushroom Soup – Smooth and Scrumptious

This low-calorie Cream of Mushroom Soup with Green Onions is quick to make. Each serving is only 60 calories. The dark brown caps of cremini mushrooms add a delightful earthiness to the pureed soup. The concoction is frothy like a steamy cappuccino, especially if you use a handheld immersion blender to puree it. CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP WITH GREEN ONIONS…

Salad In A Jar! Perfect.

Shaker Salad with just-right salty-sweet elements to make it irresistible I love Giada’s Shaker Salad. Limp greens and soggy veggies are often the fate of a made-ahead salad destined for the lunchbox. In Giada De Laurentiis’ newest cookbook, “Happy Cooking,” she provides a shaker jar strategy. Chill. Shake. Enjoy. Start with a wide-mouth quart-size jar. Giada’s Shaker SaladYield: 1 serving1 tablespoon store-bought…

Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta. Deliziosa!

Yes, I’m a Lidia Bastianich fan. I love the pace of her PBS show “Lidia’s Kitchen,” that recently started its tenth season. The programs move along to keep my attention but go slow enough to see how she prepares the dishes from start to finish. Her enthusiasm for Italian food and scratch cooking is contagious. Making her pasta dish that…

No-Mayo Egg Salad – Yogurt Offers Pizzazz

YUM-OH-LAH! This delectable open-faced sandwich requires a slice of toasted rustic whole-grain bread as a crisp foundation. What is rustic bread? It’s not easy to define. Some might describe it as artisanal without any preservatives. It’s sold unsliced, usually in round or oval shapes. The bread has a crusty exterior and an interior with a chewy texture. Atop the toast…