For a Mexican dinner, I substitute tomato salsa and guacamole for the Mango Salsa. Sautéed sweet red peppers and onions make a delicious side dish.

Adapted from The Fondue Cookbook by Gina Steer (Whitecap Books).

Flank steak is a tougher cut of beef. It will be even juicier if you let it sit overnight in a marinade containing the juices of 1 lemon, 1 orange and 1 lime.

This dish is sometimes called Involtini or Roulades, but my family has always referred to it as Braciole after the cut of beef used. This is my mother’s signature dish and it is my absolute favourite food in the whole wide world.

Continuing on the Russian theme, this is a dish we’ve all eaten at least once, probably years ago. The name alone — where it came from, no-one seems to know — makes any home cook feel important. And the taste, no matter what cut of beef you may choose to use (recipes call for everything from yesterday’s prime rib, to filet, to skirt steak — your choice), offers pure rib-sticking comfort.

Beef tenderloin is an expensive cut, but instead of treating your friends to a fancy restaurant, make dinner at home. It will cost less than dining at a high-end steak joint.

This recipe has 3 components to it -- beets, goat cheese phyllo packets and an egg. You can choose to put all three together on one dish, make 3 distinct dishes, or create one unique combination.

Surprise your taste buds with these tasty burgers.

Recipe courtest of the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

These delicious kabobs are perfect for barbecue cottage cuisine. Recipe courtesy of The Beef Information Centre.

This is a very yummy grilled flank steak recipe that I tried for the first time in Southern California. It’s a no-fail recipe that makes good use of a tough cut of beef. Serve with hot tortillas and salsa or with a side of grilled corn on the cob.

Pick up cooked chicken fillets, bagged salad, cheese, mango and ciabatta bread at the supermarket on your way home from work and assemble this salad in minutes. The hearty vinaigrette pairs well with leftover turkey too.

Take advantage of fall’s bounty with these vegetarian stacks topped off with bubbly cheese. It may seem time-consuming to create “Napoleons” but they stack up in a snap. Try to find an eggplant and tomatoes of approximately the same circumference.

Some people prefer to blend all the ingredients together while others prefer the look of mixed and chopped ingredients. Experiment to find which method is your favourite.

Recipe adapted from the Canadian Beef Information Centre. Steak Burgers are packed with more flavour than just what’s on top! With fresh ground Round, Chuck or Sirloin from your local grocer, it’s easy to make these signature burgers at home.

Go back to the future with a retro White Castle sensibility — petite hamburgers for the chi-chi crowd, designed to down in a bite or two, pinkies raised. These little wonders can be embellished with blue cheese, roasted tomato, grilled onions, minced and sautéed Portobello mushrooms, hot peppers and the fantabulous “Secret Sauce.” Vary this recipe according to your taste with ground veal, pork or sausage and your own mix of spices and seasonings.

Honey and ginger provide a sweet and tangy flavour combination for salmon. Adapted from McCormick Canada

Recipe adapted from the Canadian Beef Information Centre. These lean Canadian beef burgers really sizzle: spiked with smoky bacon, chunks of Canadian Swiss and punchy horseradish. Try them either on the grill or cooked in the oven. Other cheese options to try: Canadian Mozzarella, medium Cheddar, Provolone or Gouda.

You can substitute any kind of meat in this recipe. Make the patties large enough to fit a hamburger bun, small enough to be bite-sized hors d'ouvres or shape them around a skewer as perfect picnic fare.

Save time by preparing the béchamel sauce while the meat sauce simmers. The lasagna can be assembled up to one day ahead. Cover and chill, then when you're ready, bake it.

Yes, my invention from the early 1960s. Who knew Italian cooking would become so popular over the years?

You can buy frozen meatballs, but freshly made meatballs are so much better and so easy to make.

Thanks to Chef David Wolfman for providing this tasty recipe. You have to order moose meat about two weeks in advance from your butcher. If you're not able to find it, bison or beef make great substitutes.

I love making stews. Hearty and nutritious, you can add almost any ingredient to the pot and end up with a scrumptious meal. Although this recipe calls for moose, which must be ordered from your butcher about two weeks in advance, you can use bison or beef instead. The ingredients are those I have on hand all the time, but feel free to add your own favourites.

You can also turn this appetizer into an entrée. Butterfly chicken breasts, spread the stuffing over the cut surface, and secure the edges with a toothpick. Or, de-bone chicken legs and stuff the cavity, again securing the leg with a toothpick. When buying the ingredients, make sure that you go home with more mushrooms than you think you might need. Some will undoubtedly break when the stems are removed. This recipe has been adapted from the California Culinary Academy.

This is one of those dishes that, at first glance, seems too complicated for anyone other than a chef. Actually, it couldn’t be easier. The sweet flavour of the meat compliments the dish’s melt-in-your mouth texture.

I serve this at room temperature on an antipasto tray. You can also serve it as Eggplant Parmesan by adding a bit of sauce and a slice of mozzarella to the top of each and baking until the cheese melts. I skip frying this in oil to save a few calories and because I’m too lazy to stand over a hot stove frying eggplant. This is a real family recipe. There are no exact measurements. It all depends on the size of the eggplant and the size of the crowd you’re feeding. Even eggplant-haters will like eggplant prepared this way.

Serve with roast meats and seafood.

This is an old family recipe that doubled as a Christmas pudding. You will note that it contains no plums. No, I don’t have the answer. As a surprise for the kids — and perhaps as an incentive for them to keep eating! — we used to wash up some nickels and dimes, wrap them in foil and add them to the final mix. In these inflationary times, you may wish to consider loonies and toonies!

Cook this recipe up even faster by picking up pre-washed and cut greens from the supermarket.

Recipe courtesy of John Besh’s My New Orleans – The Cookbook. Serve over any kind of bird, venison or pork.

A flavourful recipe adapted from the California Culinary Academy.

Not all supermarkets carry rabbit, so you might have to scout around for it. You can repalce it with chicken, if you'd like. Thanks to Chef David Wolfman for this scrumptious recipe.

A chocolate sauce for meat may seem out of place, but so do most things bordering on the divine. A bit of the bittersweet adds wonderful depth to this sauce. It also makes great dinner conversation. If you’re involved in a game of culinary one-upmanship with your friends or siblings, serving this unique combination of flavours will vault you to first place. I found out it also works well with beef tenderloin and with cayenne added to the sauce for those who like heat.

Vancouver-based Iron Chef Rob Feenie combines French cuisine with Canadian influences. To say he does it successfully is an understatement. His restaurants, Lumière and Feenie’s, are internationally recognized and hugely popular with West Coast locals. This is his recipe.

Growing up, I never experienced lamb. As an adult, I was reluctant to taste it. At first, I piled on the mint jelly. But eventually the seductive succulence of a well-cooked cut of lamb got to me. Now I’m a believer.

This salad is a treat for your taste buds. Add it to a sandwich, or serve as is with steak. The amount can easily be doubled or tripled with fantastic results.

Tins of plum tomatoes and sliced mushrooms are the basics for this delicious dish. Good-quality Parmigiana Reggiano lasts a long time — keep some in your fridge for garnishing this and other dishes. You might also want to warm a loaf of garlic bread from the freezer to serve alongside the pasta.

Change the toppings, grill it on a charcoal or propane barbecue .... This recipe is quick, easy and delicious.

This recipe is courtesy of La Fontaine de Bernn snail farm.

Try other steaks such as striploin, pork chops, pork tenderloin or chicken breasts. Recipe courtesy of McCormick Canada.

Why call for delivery when you can make quick and fresh pizza in about half the time.

Spelt is an ancient grain grown throughout Europe and North America. It has a nutty flavour, and is a great alternative for anyone who has a wheat allergy. Most grocery stores carry it. However, you can substitute the spelt for regular wheat flour, if you prefer.

Instead of pizza, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Then roll it up end to end to form a baguette. Bake according to the directions, and enjoy fresh bread with your dinner.