Melanie Hunter

This meal was not what I was expecting, but not in a bad way. I was thinking this recipe for Chicken on cilantro-ginger noodles would be hot and mushy and would taste like a Thai food takeout dish. Boy, was I wrong. Do you ever eat something so cool, crisp and healthy that you feel clean and refreshed afterwards, like you just stepped out of the shower? I'm not kidding. I usually only feel like that after a salad on a hot summer day.

I had a pretty strong inkling that we’d like this soup, but I underestimated by just how much. It was my first time roasting red peppers and I was surprised at how easy it was. And while the peppers were roasting I prepped the rest of the chowder ingredients. Smart, huh?

I declare the Sharp-cheddar zucchini bread the "Loaf of the Year", ousting banana bread as the long-standing, perfect, multi-purpose food item. Although this recipe is filed under the Breakfast and Brunch chapter of the Chatelaine cookbook, I could just as easily introduce it as a subtly-sweet dessert slice and not encounter any naysayers.

This recipe sounded really good: Pork tenderloin parmigiana. I love Parmesan cheese. I suppose I love most cheeses, but Parmesan cheese has a way of making a dish absolutely delightful, doesn’t it? Add the word ‘parmigiana’ to any food item and I will try it. Hmm, would ‘Parmigiana’ make a nice girl’s name? Sorry, my baby name list is a little bare in the girl column and I just have three more months to go. It’s been so exciting trying all these recipes (23 so far!) that baby name brainstorming has fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to find another recipe that would suit sitting in front of the TV Sunday night for my uber-exclusive, faux Oscar party (uber-exclusive because the select attendees must fill the prerequisite of living in this house). I needed something that was easy to make, could be partially prepared ahead of time, would look good and could be eaten as ‘finger food’. Did I mention I wanted it to taste like comfort food too? Afterall, chances are we’ll all be dressed up in our best sleepwear!