Fish & Chips (with mushy peas)

If ever there was a British national dish, this has to be it. Loved from John O’Groats to Land’s End, fish and chips is the perfect Friday night supper.
 

A fisherman’s tale

In mid-19th-century Britain, the worlds of Irish immigrants – with their potato dominated diet – and Jewish fried fish vendors collided, and a national dish was born, spawning countless chippies on high streets and seaside piers up and down the land. About a quarter of all white fish and 10 per cent of the potatoes now sold in Britain are sold in fish and chip shops. Not to mention the pickled onions and eggs, curry sauce and mushy peas that go with them.

Chunky Monkey Waffles

Fluffy peanut butter–infused waffles topped with homemade strawberry jam and chocolate-dipped bananas make for the most fun brunch ever.

Phyllo Halibut Bundles and Warm Wild Rice Salad

For the past 25 years I have been receiving Canadian Living magazine, have purchased the cookbooks and special publications. I have several file folders that are stuffed to overflowing with years' worth of my favorite recipes. A few years ago I finally gave away most of my mother's cookbook collection because I never used them. Those well used folders of CL recipes are the foundation of my cooking. I often think of CL magazine as a proud parent - one of my proud parents. Canadian Living has been with me from my infancy as a cook and has stood by me as my kitchen skills were honed and my cooking instincts matured. I would not be the cook I am today without CL. So, thank you, thank you, thank you for the years of wonderful meals and lessons. My guests think I am a cooking genius but it is the support system behind the cook that is the real genius.

I created this recipe because I love Greek inspired flavours and I love make-ahead meals when entertaining. You can enjoy a day out with family and friends and still have dinner ready for your guests half an hour after you get home. This meal can be made early in the day of the dinner or the day before guests arrive. The recipe looks daunting but it is not difficult to put together. The key is to chop and prep all of the vegetables and fresh herbs needed for all components prior to cooking. Use ready to go pre-washed, packaged spinach. If made ahead the flavours have a chance to meld together. This recipe features BC halibut, prairie grown wild rice and walnuts that grow in many regions of Canada. Also, Canadian orchard fresh nectarines when in season. During spring and summer use locally grown farm fresh herbs and vegetables (or from your garden) as well as locally produced free range or organic eggs.

Approx. cost: $90.00

Greek Chicken Turnovers

There's no single recipe for chicken pie, or kotapita, in Greece. Instead, this flaky pie is make with ingredients on hand, which often include a firm sheep's milk cheese, such as Kefaloteri or Kefalograviera. This mixture of Romano and feta cheeses has a similar flavour. Enjoy these individual turnovers with rice and salad.

Gingerbread Lighthouse

To create a dramatic seascape, build and decorate the lighthouse on an inverted 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) cake pan set on a foil-lined baking sheet or large cake board.

Panna Cotta with Raspberry Compote

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a home-cooked meal from the heart can be extremely special. Why not finish it off with a beautiful and romantic dessert? Served in elegant champagne glasses, this is sure to sweep your date off their feet.

Cinnamon Lamb Chops with Agro-Dolce Eggplant

It is hard to believe that this entire meal for 6 can be prepared in under an hour. The ingredients in this main course and side dishes are completely Canadian (including the Canola oil), but just like our country's unique cultural mosaic -- they have been flavoured with exotic spices and other wonderful additions which highlight Canada's tolerance and respect for people of other lands. The lamb was reared in Ontario and the eggplant can be grown in almost any Canadian garden. I sometimes serve the lamb with chick pea fries and chuckle when I remind my Indian in-laws that Canada and Australia are now growing garbanzo beans, too.

Gingerbread Diorama

This impressive gingerbread house is a treat to decorate. Download the templates at canadianliving .com/gingerbreadhouse and use it to cut your shapes. Then, use any leftover dough to make gingerbread people, animals and other decorations for your house. Look for cake boards at craft stores, or ask your local bakery for one.