Love comes to those who cook

Dear men, expecting the woman in your life to shoulder the responsibility for every single meal you consume is not very attractive. Today's Times of India article quotes the results of an online poll by a matrimonial website that has found an overwhelming percentage of Indian women want men who know their way around the kitchen. Of course, we've been telling you that forever now.

When asked to list what they seek from a prospective spouse, 39.5% said that they expect their men to know how to cook. Meanwhile, even more shocking (not!) is that 51.2% of women wished men would help with household chores.

Now we don't expect our men to turn into spatula-wielding wizards overnight. But it would be nice if you could fend for yourself sometimes. Or even cook something for us once in a while. Here are 3 of my recipes with varying difficulty levels so that you can take baby steps into the kitchen without getting overwhelmed. Just remember to clean up when you're done!


One Pesto Sauce for Dips, Sandwiches and Pasta



Difficulty Level:
Super-easy!
What you need: Food processor or mixer

An extremely easy, sauce for pastas, sandwiches and dips. All you need for this are some fresh, quality ingredients and basic know-how of a mixer or food processor. Watch our video for foolproof instructions. Add some veggies and boiled pasta or spread the sauce over some artisan bread and layer with cold cuts and black olives. Make enough so that she can use some of it the next day and marvel at the amazing man you've become.


Grilled Sweet Pimentos, Iceberg & Feta Cheese Salad

Drizzle with homemade vinaigrette

Difficulty Level:
Easy
What you need: Basic know-how of an OTG

She'll love you for this because she can fill gorge on it guilt-free! Don't worry, pimentos are just a fancy word for sweet peppers. Once you're done grilling and skinning them, the rest of this salad is just about chopping and mixing. You can use store-bought vinaigrette or check out our simple recipe for delicious homemade vinaigrette.


Sugar-coated Nuts for a Healthy Treat

Sugar Coated Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or almonds

Difficulty Level:
Slightly challenging but you can do it!

What you need: Heavy-bottom pan, airtight container

Why make something that will last only for a meal? Try this recipe for sugar-coated nuts - you can use peanuts you find in the pantry or go fancy with almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans. It's the perfect thing to munch on when you or your partner are feeling peckish and can stay for up to 15 days - that's if you don't manage to finish it up in 2!