Zesty Tomato Jam

This sweet, tangy jam is an easy and delicious way to use up some of your garden tomatoes. A chunkier, more flavourful version of ketchup, it makes the ultimate dip, sandwich spread or accompaniment to grilled meat and fried eggs.

Honey Goat Cheese Spread

This sweet, creamy spread is a tasty alternative to a log of plain goat cheese on a cheese plate. If you have any left over (doubtful!), it makes an excellent sandwich spread. Serve with sliced Granny Smith apples, crackers or vegetable sticks.

Black Bean Soup with Lime Coriander Sauce

Whether you choose the long soak method or the quick and convenient canned bean method, this Southwestern-inspired soup will take the chill off a cold day.

Fresh Cherry Macaroon Squares

Perfect by themselves or as dessert with a scoop of ice cream, these are best the day they are made.

Special Chocolate Shortbread

Melted chocolate helps kick in superb chocolate flavour. Try the chocolate dough in the classic way below; or try it with added toasted pecans, crystallized ginger or white chocolate chips; or, best of all, mound it into rounds and top each with a chunk of chocolate nougat.

Creamy Pasta with Broccoli

This creamy pasta fools you into thinking it's sinfully rich. The evaporated milk is the culprit: it is much lower in fat than cream. Plus, it has 80 per cent more calcium than regular milk. Chicken provides protein in combination with pasta, a carbohydrate. Did we mention that it tastes good, too?

Coconut Macaroon Brownies

Anchovy Pinwheels

Taralli

These highly addictive southern Italian crispy bread rings are boiled then baked.

Green Bean Composed Salad

A salade composée— arranged rather than tossed — is an attractive way to serve beans. The hard-cooked eggs, tomatoes and black olives that surround the dressed green beans are perfect flavour and colour complements.