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).

This white, meaty fish has great flavour whether its prepared simply or not. Rice and sautéed spinach make delicious accompaniments.

This dish comes together in minutes, but be sure to turn on the fan because the cooking process creates some smoke. Serve French fries and a cooling side of coleslaw with the catfish.

Recipe courtesy of Lobel’s Meat Bible (Raincoast Books).

Recipe courtest of the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

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.

Serve this soup hot or chilled. Recipe adapted from Oster. 

A soufflé isn't as tricky to make as is often thought. It's true that it must be served immediately for all to enjoy the sight of that spectacular puffy top. But, it's actually very tasty regardless of whether its "breath" has escaped and deflated it.

You can prepare the simple sauce a day in advance. Just heat before serving. When you're ready to serve it, arrange broccoli on a serving platter and top with chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with basil and green onion, if desired. Recipe courtesy of McCormick Canada.

I have been a paté freak ever since earlier writing times, when I would sit at the bar at Thursday’s in Montréal with a loaf of it, a jar of small, sweet gherkins and a red (probably plum) sauce. Whether or not there was bread, I can't remember. But it was a coarse paté; you could see the lumps and taste masses of herbs and tonnes of garlic. You don't forget things like that, especially in the first twelve or so hours! This recipe calls on several others, but ended up being mostly my own. I use frozen livers, and just before they thaw, cut them up like red ice cubes. It's less yucky than having a great glob of fresh meat!

There's nothing like homemade stock. Yes, it takes hours to simmer, but the resulting flavour is unequalled. Here's my take on a classic. Feel free to add your own variations to it.

A decidedly different cranberry sauce. Serve warm or cold.

Not a rub at all, but a creamy dressing that takes advantage of the herbs in your cupboard. Change it up based on what herbs you have on hand.

Be sure to choose firm cucumbers for this dish. English Cucumbers are the easiest to use because they contain minimal seeds. Otherwise, you can remove the seeds from other cucumber varieties with a small spoon.

If you have trouble finding some of the ingredients for this dish, there are some easy substitutions you can make, and you will still end up with the same delicious results. For the tamarind, make a paste out of lemon juice and dried dates, or use 1/2 cup cider vinegar mixed with 1 Tbsp sugar. For the galangal, use fresh ginger. For the lemon grass, use the rind of 4 small lemons.

There's nothing like homemade stock. Yes, it takes hours to simmer, but the resulting flavour is unequalled. Here's my take on a classic. Feel free to add your own variations to it.

In India, a chat is a snack, an appetizer or a light salad.

For those of you who missed it last time round, here’s a refresher on how to put together your own garam (warm) masala (spices), a component of, or a topping for your curry. It comes from friend Meeru Dhalwala, the culinary queen of Vij’s famed restaurant in Vancouver. The whole spices listed below are available from most Indian grocers. Meeru suggests that while you’re preparing your masala, it’s a good idea to close the bedroom and bathroom doors and to turn on the kitchen fan. Your call.

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 Great Foods of the World -- Regional Italian, Mexican and Asian Cooking by Evan Kleiman, Susan Feninger, Mary Sue Milliken, Joyce Jue (Fog City Press).

Recipe adapted from Great Foods of the World -- Regional Italian, Mexican and Asian Cooking by Evan Kleiman, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken and Joyce Jue (Fog City Press).

This recipe is quick and tasty. It's a great way to use up all of those tomatoes that are so abundant in late summer.

It’s very important to get tomatoes that are in season because they are what make the dish.

This is a quick and delicious appetizer courtesy of McCormick Canada. The shrimp can be replaced with large scallops. Serve with lemon or lime wedges. These are also delicious cold. Remember, if you're using wooden skewers to soak them in water 2 hours to prevent burning.

With the addition of olive oil to the herbs, this classifies as a ‘wet rub.’ For a more colourful mix, try purple and yellow potatoes, too. I sometimes add about one-quarter cup of grated Pecorino cheese to the oil for an extra kick. Cut back on the salt if adding the cheese.

Spring lamb is very tender and flavourful. The vegetables and herbs in this dish mellow the gamey taste that lamb sometimes has.

This is a great dish to make when chicken drumsticks are on sale. It’s hot but sweet all at the same time. You can turn up the heat by adding additional cayenne pepper. Serve with black beans and rice.

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.

There's nothing like homemade stock. Yes, it takes hours to simmer, but the resulting flavour is unequalled. Here's my take on a classic. Feel free to add your own variations to it.

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

Entrepreneuring foodie Linda Meinhardt, who built and operates two spectacular destination fine food emporiums on Vancouver’s West Side, has found a ready market in these busy times for meals to go — many which start their journey to the city’s dining tables from a hot table in her Arbutus Street store. More often than not, the hot-table items have a cultural edge, like this chicken dish created by chefs Neil Porter and Ashok Sethi. With rice, the refreshing recipe will serve four.

This recipe is comprised of five steps. The first four steps can each be made a day or two ahead. Don't feel daunted by the long list of ingredients and the many steps. The variety of chilies can be found at Mexican grocery stores as well as at Whole Foods stores. If worse comes to worst, don't sweat it. Use whatever chilies you can lay your hands on. Remember, by doing exactly that, the Mexicans created a handful of delicious mole variations.

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.

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

Mild sweet leeks are available year round but their peak season begins in the fall. Trim off the root end and green leaves, and use only the tender white part. Be sure to wash thoroughly as leeks can be gritty. Mushrooms, like leeks, are grown in dirt. Although some cooks prefer to gently wipe mushrooms, I always wash them in cold running water, patting them dry afterward with a paper towel.

Risotto is very easy to make. Give it a little attention as it simmers, and you’ll end up with a flavourful and enticing dish.