Traditionally a Japanese single-serve meal, usually consisting of rice, fish and vegetables, bento boxes seem to be taking the U.S. lunch scene by storm, with flavor and varieties only limited by your imagination.

I love grilling - it is quick, easy (once you overcome the fear of lighting your hair on fire), and adds nice flavor. Sometimes I want a little more flavor kick than the charred grill marks provide, especially on otherwise bland tasting meats like chicken and pork.

Even in Minnesota with its cold, snowy winters, grilling is a year-round activity.

Or maybe I should say a taste of Italy in American, as in American cheese. The newest member of our deli cheese family is 4 Cheese Italian Blend. It takes flavorful Asiago, Parmesan and Romano cheeses and blends them perfectly with our creamy American.

In this second part of a two-part series, I am going to offer the definition, benefits and some examples of three dry heat methods for cooking vegetables: grilling, roasting and sautéing.

After a winter of comfort food, I am getting excited about fresh vegetables at the farmers’ market (of course, depending on where you live, that may already be a reality for you).

Remember studying for a big test in college, joking that you would sleep with the book under your pillow to learn by osmosis? The idea being while you slept the information from the book would work its way into your brain. For me it never seemed to work with studying, but osmosis has worked beautifully to make meats, especially notoriously dry poultry and pork, moist and flavorful.

Using a slow cooker is probably as close as I will ever get to having a personal chef. Arriving home to the delicious aroma of dinner ready to eat is a luxury I could get used to (and I am guessing I am not the only one).