I always have a bag of frozen shrimp on hand for a quick weekday meal. You can vary this recipe by using whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just don’t forget the bacon!

This recipe is a family heirloom. We all make some version of it. New brides in our family get the recipe and a large pasta bowl along with unsolicited and long-winded advice on how to make it. My niece Katie actually wrote a paper on it for school, following its history and its many versions through the family tree. This dish never appears at family gatherings since we all make it at home. But we often talk about how we make it and argue over whose version is best. Unlike the rest of my weight-conscious family, I use an entire pound of bacon, easily making mine the best — or the worst, depending on how you look at it.

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.

This is a quick and lemon-lime-tasting recipe adapted from The Young Thailand Cookbook by Wandee Young and Byron Ayanoglu (Random House Canada). Fresh clams are a must. Look for specimens that have intact shells, and that close when they’re tapped. Serve with hot sauce and steamed rice.

This is a quick and delicious recipe I updated from an old issue of Sunset Magazine.

When she presented me with her The Lesley Stowe Fine Foods Cookbook (HarperCollins), my friend Lesley wrote “Never eat more than you can lift” on the opening page, and ever since I have heeded the advice. Lesley is a food icon in Vancouver, and has made a national name for herself with her Raincoast Crisps, delicious and nutritious crackers that have made their way into food stores and supermarkets across the land. If you can find some, top them with Lesley’s sun-dried tomato pesto.

Purchase 2 pork loins, 9 bones each. Ask the butcher to trim the backbones for easy carving, and have him tie the roasts together to make a crown. Serve with Tangerine Scented Rice.

This recipe by Chef Andrew George Jr. is taken from the book he co-wrote with Robert Gairns titled Feast! Canadian Native Cuisine For All Seasons. "This is a great favourite of anyone I prepare it for," George says. "The recipe is quite simple, and the end product is spectacular. Think of it: smoked duck breast, and red wine, and juniper berries. Use your imagination as you read this recipe and the flavours will almost jump off the page onto your palate, even before you start cooking."

As always, recipes are often a case of personal taste. And while this recipe may not exactly match the classic, it more or less matches many that produce this always-comforting meal. I sometimes make this with scratch pastry, but not always. You’ll be excused if you purchase puff pastry from the supermarket.

This recipe by Chef Andrew George Jr. is taken from the book he co-wrote with Robert Gairns titled Feast! Canadian Native Cuisine For All Seasons. "You won’t find a Native community in Canada where bannock is not made in one form or another," he says. "It’s one of our basic food groups. As a matter of fact, after the decimation of the buffalo herds in the mid-1800s it was almost our only food group. But that’s another story. I’ve made bannock more ways than a newlywed couple has done Hamburger Helper and I’m going to show you some fascinating recipes. Let’s start with my Tsaibesa’s recipe. It’s easy, authentic, and very, very good, especially when served hot. In the Introduction, my dad showed you how to cook bannock over an open fire, but first I want you to try this recipe in your oven, the way Tsaibesa taught me."

Feel free to substitute your favourite type of pear in this exotic combination.

Preparation of chicken tikka masala is a two step process — the tikka and the gravy. The chicken can be either grilled or cooked in the oven. Once the chicken is set for grilling, V.K. says the gravy process “should run in parallel.”

Here is the classic French leek and potato soup that is traditionally served cold.

Serve with very thinly sliced cucumber marinated in seasoned rice vinegar.

Serve strawberries warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Looking for something different? Try this specialty adapted from Sarma Melngailis of One Lucky Duck consisting of raw cacao mole, marinated portobellos and green tomato salsa.

Courtesty of David Wolfman of Cooking with the Wolfman