There is something truly amusing about serving tiny little bits of this and that as a precursor to the main. Nothing too filling, but altogether satisfying unless you have the appetite of Sasquatch. This combo has caused my friends to dig in without cutlery — it’s that good. You can vary this recipe by preparing the plate with Boursin-style cheese, sugared walnuts, sliced avocado, smoked salmon and date–nut bread. I also like to substitute hot-pepper jelly or peach chutney for the fig jam. Another nice touch is to prepare one larger plate for each couple at the table. This recipe divides the ingredients into four individual servings for four people.

Courtesy of www.pc.ca.

Nothing blah about them. Crisp bacon and lettuce teamed up with avocado is an inspiring threesome. Go BLA!

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

Surprise your taste buds with these tasty burgers.

Skip takeout and start making easy-breezy sandwiches at home. This steak wrap couldn’t be simpler and comes with way less attitude than the teenager rolling up your sub sandwich at the strip mall.

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.

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.

A strata is a sandwich that is baked in a very light custard -- actually, a lot like dressed up French toast. This one's perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch.