(NC)—Summer is almost here, which means backyard entertaining and patio parties with family and friends. As cross-cultural cuisine continues to gain in popularity, guests will be craving foods with more intense, diverse flavours this season.

The standard fare associated with the much anticipated barbecue season can be easily enhanced by adding Caribbean, Mexican or Asian influences to your summer meals. There are many ways to perk up the flavour of simple favourites such as adding unique spices to a light pasta salad, incorporating mouth-watering marinades to meats and vegetables or utilizing fruits, nuts and dips.

Asian Adventurer. Asian cuisine incorporates a diverse set of flavours, ranging from mild to very hot, and from sweet to savoury Exploring World Flavours In The Comfort Of Your Own Backyard Recipe

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Debunking The Aspartame Myth

by News Canada

(NC)-Whether or not you've ever consumed products containing aspartame, you've surely heard all kinds of things about it - many of them contradictory. So who's telling the truth? Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of the McGill University Office for Chemistry and Society, devotes an entire chapter to aspartame in his new book That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles. He maintains that aspartame is safe: "Aspartame has probably been studied more than any other food additive. The vast body of research conducted over the past 20 years has shown it to be harmless to health."

Aspartame has given rise to many popular myths. But if you want to get to the bottom of things, you can't rely solely on rumours and hearsay: it's important to separate myth from reality. Debunking The Aspartame Myth Recipe

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How to Easily Make Sourdough French Toast Like Cracker Barrel

by Kori Puckett

I got an idea one day when I was in a Cracker Barrel restaurant eating breakfast. They had sourdough French toast and it was the best French toast I'd had, so I wanted to re-create the recipe at home.

I haven't gotten this down to a recipe with exact measurements, but I usually use:

Pepperidge Farmhouse Sourdough bread slices about 1 to 1 1/2 or so cups of milk 1 or 2 egg whites (or the whole egg, if you prefer) cinnamon and/or sugar (optional)

Mix the milk, egg whites, and cinnamon and/or sugar together. Place both sides of each bread slice into the mixture to saturate the bread.

Most of the time I use Pam cooking spray to butter the pan, because it's easier and quicker for me to just spray every time to keep it from sticking. But How to Easily Make Sourdough French Toast Like Cracker Barrel Recipe

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