When building salads, it's far too easy to get stuck in a rut. You know what works, buy the same ingredients, and inevitably eat green leaf lettuce with black olives, sliced tomatoes, and shredded carrots everyday. However, with a little creativity and an open mind at the grocery store, you can enjoy a fabulous variety of healthful yet crave-worthy salads on a regular basis. To get inspired, take a walk around the produce section and be inspired by the vegetables and fruits you come across. Try a new lettuce or pick up a veggie you're unfamiliar with. Just remember: from crunchy to creamy to crispy, a good salad has an assortment of textures (and colors). Here are a few ways to shake things up in the salad department.

Filling Proteins

• Think beyond grilled chicken: Sliced steak, chunks of pork, and flaked fish are excellent additions. Deli meats, like salami, ham, and turkey are easily shreddable, too.
• Don't forget cheese and nuts:To achieve the aforementioned crunchy and creamy textures, toss in goat or feta cheese and almonds or pine nuts. Hard cheeses, like manchego and parmesan, can be shaved onto the salad, or finely grated into the vinaigrette.
• Grains are all important: Protein-rich grains like quinoa, brown rice, and barley add vegan heft to greens.
• Repurpose leftovers: Toss leftover vegetables, grains, and proteins with greens the next day to make a one-of-a-kind salad.

See more salad-making ideas.

There's something about the warm weather that makes me crave Mexican food. Spicy salsa, cooling guacamole, crunchy chips, and stuffed tacos. Everything is eaten with your hands and it's just so darn delicious. Recently, I gave into a craving and made these scrumptious steak tacos.

This sort of meal is great for entertaining. You simply make (or buy) the fixings and lay them out on the dining table. Then, you grill the beef and let everyone assemble their own tacos. I like this recipe because it doesn't require any marinade time. The meat is rubbed with a flavorful mixture of spices and only takes about 10 minutes to cook.

Give this flank steak taco recipe a chance.

If you're a fan of the margarita, then you've got to try Mexico's most popular tequila drink, the paloma. Traditionally, it's made of tequila and grapefruit soda, and served on the rocks with a lime wedge for garnish. The recipe here is an upscale take on the classic version: instead of grapefruit soda, it's made with fresh grapefruit juice, club soda, and simple syrup.

The resulting cocktail is so tart, refreshing, and balanced, you'll wonder why you've never had one before! Keep reading for the zesty, refreshing recipe.

When strawberries are in season, you can never have too many strawberry cocktails! Instead of mixing the sweet red berries with vodka or gin, why not combine them with tequila for a vibrant twist on the margarita?

This easy recipe is a potent crowd-pleaser that's sure to get the conversation flowing. It may seem like a lot of work to haul out the blender, but trust me, this drink is worth it. It's refreshing and fruity, but salty and strong at the same time: perfection in a glass! Start your party right with strawberry margaritas; here's the recipe.

The next time you get a craving for gooey chorizo-filled queso dip, there's only one thing to do: make this amazing cheese dip! Sure, it has nothing to do with seasonal eating, but that's OK. Sometimes it's nice to break the rules and just enjoy a dip because it tastes really good.

A combination of queso fresco, white cheddar, mozzarella, and goat cheese, this queso is addictive and delicious. To make it vegetarian, simply omit the chorizo. To check out this recipe — I'm definitely making it again! — keep reading.

About once a month or so, I like to make a quiche. Sometimes I'll bake my own pie crust, but other times, when I'm in a hurry, I'll use a premade one from the store. The thing I love about quiche is its timelessness.

It can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I've even eaten a cold slice as a snack in the afternoon! It's also a great way to use up old and leftover ingredients.

This Mediterranean-inspired quiche is my latest favorite recipe. It's a perfect easy meatless meal, and it's so good you may end up eating half of one quiche in a sitting!

The filling is a combination of sautéed onions, zucchini, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes; gruyere and goat cheese provide a luxurious richness. To give it a try, read more

I have a great way for you to celebrate St. Patrick's Day: make your own Irish cream! More commonly known as Baileys, this rich, smooth, and delicious liquor can easily be made in the comforts of your kitchen. The recipe, which requires a blender, is similar to eggnog in that it combines a potent spirit, Irish whiskey, with eggs, cream, and seasonings such as vanilla and coconut extracts.

For a delightful after-dinner drink, serve it chilled or over ice. Homemade Baileys is also a festive gift; I've brought bottles to hostesses and always receive enthusiastic reviews. Get the simple but fantastic recipe.

You're probably scratching your head wondering why this picture, which looks strangely like French onion soup, is labeled Irish onion soup. Well, let me explain. It's a jazzed-up variation of the classic onion- and bread-topped soup that uses two important Irish ingredients: Guinness and aged cheddar cheese.

It has the same flavors as the traditional rendition, but the beer provides a delicious complexity, and the cheese adds a delicate nuttiness. It's so good that it might just be my new favorite French onion soup recipe!

I highly recommend you serve it tonight or on St. Patrick's Day. Learn how to make it now.

Although some people prefer plastic cutting boards because they can be put in the dishwasher, I've always loved large wooden chopping blocks. Perhaps it's because I have fond memories of my father chopping on his custom-made wood cutting board, but there's something that's rustic and cool about old-school boards. Since I'm the proud owner of a giant (and incredibly heavy) new wooden cutting board, I figure it's high time I learned the proper technique for cleaning it. To find out the dos and don'ts of wooden cutting board care, keep on reading.

I was recently shocked to find that my best friend always avoids recipes with simple syrup because she doesn't know how to make it. As I taught her how to put it together, I realized that maybe some of you are like my friend.

Here's the deal with simple syrup: it's used to sweeten everything from drinks to desserts, and is extremely simple to prepare (as its name implies). A classic variation consists of equal parts sugar and water, while a rich simple syrup is two parts sugar to one part water. It keeps in the fridge for up to a month and can be flavored with citrus, herbs, and fruit. To get the uncomplicated technique you'll use over and over again, keep reading.

Crème brulée, the French vanilla custard with a caramelized sugar crust, is one of my all-time favorite treats. If it's on a restaurant's dessert menu, then I can't help but order it. And sometimes, for a special occasion, I'll make it at home.

It's not that difficult to make; the technique is similar to homemade ice cream, but instead of putting the mixture in an ice cream maker, it's baked in a bath of water. It requires time to chill, so plan in advance, especially when entertaining.

I love how such simple ingredients (cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla bean) can be transformed into something that's absolutely sublime and truly sophisticated. Ready to learn how it's done? Keep reading.

If you're hosting a Mardi Gras brunch, there's only one drink to serve, and no, it's not a bloody Mary, it's a Ramos gin fizz. However, if your soirée is after dark, you've got to make a huge round of hurricanes! This classic recipe comes from Dale DeGroff and features two kinds of rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and passion fruit nectar. To batch it, multiply the ingredient amounts by the number of people who will attend your party. For those who don't have time to make a libation from scratch, I recommend ordering hurricane mixer from Pat O'Brien's; it's the bar in New Orleans that made the hurricane famous.

To see my favorite recipe, keep reading.

Recently, I met with bartender and English Gins brand ambassador Erick Castro. Over a couple of gin drinks, Castro and I talked about making cocktails at home. I asked him what's the best way for a cocktail enthusiast to stock their home bar. He not only shared the spirits he recommends, but he also provided some helpful tips. If you're into making and enjoying libations, from classic cocktails to tiki drinks to modern mixology, read on for his suggestions.

If someone were to ask me, "What's your guilty pleasure food?" there's only one thing I can honestly answer: Velveeta. It's so bad . . . yet it's so good! Technically Velveeta isn't a cheese, but a "processed pasteurized cheese product" that has a creamy texture, mild cheddar flavor, and characteristic artificial-orange color.

Velveeta's most endearing quality, however, is its wonderful ability to melt; once heated, it becomes as smooth as velvet. Since 1928, when Kraft first introduced it to America kitchens, Velveeta has been used to make macaroni and cheese and my personal favorite, nacho cheese dip.

While I enjoy the traditional queso dip (a mixture of Velveeta and Ro-tel, a line of canned tomatoes and green chiles popular in Texas), I prefer this jazzed-up rendition. The refried beans provide a nice meatiness and the cumin gives it an element of smoke.

See how to make this gooey, insanely delicious dip.

The next time you don't know what to do with leftover bread, instead of throwing the loaf in the freezer, remember that there are plenty of recipes that make the most of it. Bookmark the list for reference, and you'll never be out of ideas.

• Put croutons in a Caesar or panzanella salad or on top of soup, or just snack on them out of hand.
• Cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices and toast. Place in the food processor and blend until fine crumbs form; breadcrumbs will keep in a seal-tight bag for three days.
• Make French toast for breakfast or dessert.
• If desserts aren't your thing, make a savory bread pudding. Sometimes known as strata, savory bread puddings usually combine vegetables, cheese, milk, and eggs with cubed bread. The whole thing is poured into a casserole dish and baked until it's puffy and delicious. It's great for brunch but could be enjoyed at dinnertime, too.
• Slice the loaf in half lengthwise and pull out some of the bread filling. Then cover with tomato sauce or pesto and your favorite pizza fixings. Bake until it's crispy and the cheese is melted. Voilà: homemade French bread pizza.
• If the bread is a couple days old, slice on the bias into very thin pieces. Toast and top with creamy cheese, chopped tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, mashed avocado — the possibilities for crostini toppings are endless!
• Cut into cubes and toss with lots of Gruyère cheese and fresh herbs. Bake and you'll end up with a rustic gratin that's perfect for serving alongside grilled fish or pork chops.
• If you think stuffing is only good around Thanksgiving, think again! You can stuff and grill chicken breasts, red peppers, or heirloom tomatoes.

What do you do with day-old bread? Add to our list below in the comments!