Crunchy Scalloped Potatoes

The make-ahead option is the real plus of these crunchy-topped potatoes in a creamy sauce. There's less to fuss about when you have at least one standby vegetable that just needs to bake and crisp while you carve the ham.

One-Bite Bacon Walnut Cheesecakes

These savoury creamy bites have a smoky crisp bacon crunch.

Watercress and Orange Couscous Salad

Peppery watercress isn't just for tea sandwiches anymore. It makes the perfect salad leaf if you snap off the most tender stalks and leaves to toss with dressing just before serving. Turn this appetizer or side salad into a hearty meal by topping it with a salmon fillet or chicken breast.

Free-Form Open-Faced Potato Tart

Caesar Salad Chicken Breasts

Capitalizing on the ever-popular appeal of Caesar salad, this entree is a splendid creation worthy enough for company.

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Maple Salmon pesto pasta

Serve with the Late Harvest Riesling by Inniskillin; it reminds me of home and is a perfect compliment to this dish. I like to use a wide fresh pasta but penne also works. My inspiration for this came many years ago when I moved to Halifax fom Vancouver.(One sea side town to another!) All the ingredients can be purchased from the weekly farmer's market downtown. I use my grandmother's old Italian recipe for pesto and always keep a container for that in the freezer. I use the "happy poultry" carcasses from the butcher to make the stock. I store this in the freezer and cut chunks off for this recipe. The salmon can be purchased for 1/2 price if you buy the trimmings. For those who don't make their own pesto and stock, use your favorite brand in the specialty or grocery store. This is not an expensive recipe and can altered by including curry which gives it an extra zip. Easily my husband's favorite dish that I throw together for my 4 kids even after a full day of teaching math with gr 8 and 9s!

Polenta with Back Bacon and Eggs

Poached eggs sit pretty atop a stack of pan-crisped polenta and back bacon.

Plump Perogies Cooking Lesson

Our step-by-step instructions from the January 1990 Cooking Lesson were developed by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen to make perogies perfectly simple — even for beginners.

Cheddar Maple Mustard Pork Burgers

Skewering the onions with metal or soaked wooden skewers keeps the slices together while grilling.