Spring is the perfect season to refresh your meals with vibrant, fresh flavors. Seasonal ingredients like asparagus, peas, strawberries, and rhubarb aren’t just delicious—they’re full of nutrients to energize your body after winter. These top 5 spring recipes are easy to make, visually stunning, and perfect for sharing on Pinterest or with friends and family.
1. Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
Why it’s perfect for spring:
Fresh lemon and herbs make this roasted chicken light, juicy, and full of spring flavors—ideal for family dinners or weekend gatherings.
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs)
2 lemons, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Rub the chicken with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Stuff the cavity with lemon slices and herbs.
Place chicken in a roasting pan; surround with extra lemon slices.
Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes, basting occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F).
Let rest 10 minutes before carving.
2. Spring Vegetable Quiche
Why it’s perfect for spring:
Bright greens and fresh vegetables make a colorful and healthy meal for brunch or lunch.
Ingredients (serves 6):
1 pre-made pie crust
1 cup asparagus, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
½ cup peas
4 eggs
1 cup milk or cream
½ cup goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Place the pie crust in a baking dish; pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Sauté asparagus, spinach, and peas for 3–4 minutes.
Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.
Spread vegetables evenly in crust; pour egg mixture over.
Sprinkle goat cheese on top.
Bake 30–35 minutes until golden and set.
3. Strawberry Spinach Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing
When I saw this photo by Said Mhamad for Becoming Something the World Hasn’t Learned to Name for Iris van Herpen, I was blown away. The image is otherworldly, the photography showcases a brilliant mind, and the model exudes pure beauty. Some photographs stay with you, making you pause and simply admire them. This is one of those. This photographer has been shooting for years and continues to create work that truly stands out. It’s absolutely extraordinary.
This is the Loïe Gown Would you wear this dress?
How did we end up here? It started simply enough: the sun looked like it was going to hang around for one more hour, so we decided to go get some sunshine. The drive was calm and easy to navigate using the map. It wasn’t too cold; I was sweating in my big jacket inside the car and had to wind down the window for some fresh air. I started feeling sleepy, but the drive was short, so I closed my eyes and napped until we arrived.
Parking was straightforward near the entrance, and we set off on our morning walk. As we wandered, we talked about different parts of our lives and joked about how we always feel like we aren’t doing much exercise. But in truth, walking burns a lot, and my partner has even lost some weight thanks to our regular strolls. I haven’t noticed many changes myself, but the walk keeps us healthy and allows us to enjoy nature, exactly what we came for.
We didn’t spend too long at first. We met a man with two dogs who told us there wasn’t much to see, just woods, much like the photos, and whichever path we chose, it would all look the same. But that was fine; we only wanted to walk and soak up the sun. The thirty minutes we spent wandering through the quiet paths were completely worth it.
Partway through, my partner mentioned seeing a body of water on our way and suggested we explore in that direction. We drove toward it, but parking was a bit far, so he proposed visiting Drumpellier Park instead. If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know we’d previously been to Drumplier Park. This time, we explored even further, taking in the woods, gardens, and loch, a reminder of the Seven Lochs of Glasgow initiative. Visiting all seven is on our list, and when we finish, I’ll share a full post on them, because each one is a short drive from the city but filled with nature.
How did we end up here? It started simply enough: the sun looked like it was going to hang around for one more hour, so we decided to go get some sunshine. The drive was calm and easy to navigate using the map. It wasn’t too cold, but I was sweating in my big jacket inside the car and had to wind down the window for some fresh air. I started feeling sleepy, but the drive was short, so I closed my eyes and napped until we arrived.
Parking was straightforward near the entrance, and we set off on our morning walk. As we wandered, we talked about different parts of our lives and joked about how we always feel like we aren’t doing much exercise. But in truth, walking burns a lot, and my partner has even lost some weight thanks to our regular strolls. I haven’t noticed any changes myself, but the walk keeps us healthy and allows us to enjoy nature, exactly what we came for.
We didn’t spend too long at first. We met a man with two dogs who told us there wasn’t much to see, just woods, much like the photos, and whichever path we chose, it would all look the same. But that was fine; we only wanted to walk and soak up the sun. The thirty minutes we spent wandering through the quiet paths were completely worth it.
Some designs keep it minimal with whole strawberries and a light glaze for shine. Others slice them thin and fan them out like petals. You’ll also see naked cakes with strawberries tucked between layers, or chocolate-drip cakes finished with berries on top. However it’s styled, a strawberry cake always feels fresh and inviting.
These cakes are perfect for spring and summer birthdays, garden parties, bridal showers, baby showers, anniversaries, and even small weddings. They also work beautifully for Mother’s Day or a quiet family gathering where you want something pretty but not overdone.
A strawberry-decorated cake feels thoughtful and warm. It’s the kind of dessert that makes people pause before cutting it, just to admire it for a moment. And once it’s sliced, it tastes as lovely as it looks.
There’s a rare intimacy in her writing that shows she has lived, observed, and wrestled with the chaos of love in a way that’s honest and unafraid. Her mind moves quickly, like she’s noticing everything: the tiny gestures, the words left unsaid, the silent disappointments, and the ridiculous misunderstandings that somehow define our relationships. You can feel her curiosity about human connection bleeding off the page.
What struck me immediately is how unapologetically messy her stories are. There’s no neat packaging, no Instagram-ready love stories. She writes about people who are complicated, contradictory, often fumbling but completely real.
One story might leave you laughing at the absurdity of a disastrous first date; the next might pin you down with quiet heartbreak over a relationship quietly unraveling. She captures that tension between desire and reality, the little ways we sabotage ourselves, and the way love can sneak in unannounced, in moments we barely notice until it’s gone.
Philippa’s voice is sharp and insightful, but also warm, as if she's talking to you. She seems to inhabit her characters fully, letting us see their thoughts without judgment. Reading her is like overhearing someone articulate the things you’ve felt but never said, the frustrations, the longing, and the humor in the moments you want to forget. Some lines hit so hard I had to stop and breathe:
“We fall in love with the idea of people, not always who they actually are.”
“Mess is not the enemy. Mess is the evidence we are living.”
“Mess is not the enemy. Mess is the evidence we are living.”
I find myself coming back to this line, because it’s a permission slip: it’s okay that our love lives are messy, chaotic, human.
I also loved the way she navigates modernity. The digital world, the texts we agonize over, the apps, the scrolling, and the ghosting thread through the stories without ever feeling gimmicky. It feels like she understands this era intimately, but without cynicism. There’s empathy in her writing for the way we all stumble through trying to love and be loved in a world that’s sometimes too fast, too connected, and too disconnected at the same time.
Aesthetically, this book belongs on a shelf you can touch often. I’ve kept mine close, and sometimes I’ll pull it down just to flip through a story, mark a line, or read a quote aloud to myself. The cover is understated but inviting, soft in a way that mirrors the tone of the writing. It whispers rather than shouts. Putting it on a desk with notebooks, pens, and other story collections makes it feel like a small altar for honesty, reflection, and closeness.
Ultimately, It’s Complicated isn’t just a collection of short stories. It’s Philippa Found’s exploration of what it means to be human in love. She reminds us that imperfection isn’t just inevitable, it’s the point. There’s comfort and recognition in her work, the sense that someone out there sees the messy, contradictory ways we love and survive, and she’s generous enough to hold a mirror up to it all. This book isn’t escapist reading; it’s reading that makes you feel and think and sometimes wince, and that’s exactly why it stays with you.