At this time of year we’re all looking for that one simple food to bring, take, give and gift. All of us have that one go-to recipe that isn’t gourmet or expensive but never disappoints. For me, that is my mother’s recipe for date balls. Many recipes claim to use everyday ingredients with elegant results, but these date balls will leave your foodie friends scratching their heads as to how you made crisped rice cereal the tastiest thing on the cookie table. 
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My grandmother cooked potatoes with every meal. She peeled russets with a small hardened steel paring knife. The parings were so thin you could almost see through them. When she thought I was old enough, she started teaching me how to peel potatoes. She said I left more in the sink than went in the pot. But with practice I got better, never as good as she was.
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The problem with potato salad is that most people don’t use a recipe. (Myself included.) They have a vague idea what their Mama did and what their Granny did, then they add their own flair with a squirt of this and a dollop of that. I had a system down until I got the bright idea to buy new pots and pans when I was in my early 20s. I had inherited a pot from my mother and once it was gone, I didn’t know how many potatoes to put …

There is a great deal of comfort in the fact that food can be relied upon.
In these times of frankenfoods and polymer injected baked goods, we can be held hostage by the sneaking suspicion that nothing is “real” anymore, but there are those times when vegetable meets butter, meat meets fire or grape meets wine glass that we feel a connection to all that has gone before us.

I know everyone has one of these dishes. It’s easy to prepare, doesn’t make too much of a mess, it’s easy to serve, and everyone loves it. My answer to this is “Gran’s” lasagna. I’ve prepared it to take to neighbors following a funeral, taken it to potluck dinners, made it in response to a request for a special dinner and, most importantly, it has become a Christmas Eve tradition.
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This is my favourite pasta dish. The no cook sauce is prepared ahead of time to allow the flavours to meld, and the avocado and sesame seeds give it a unique and rich taste. The fact that it is vegetarian is just and added bonus. You will not miss the meat in this dish.

The recipe which follows here is a perfect example of what can happen when a cook uses what they have on hand and a few convenience items combined with very fresh ingredients.

::I’m proud to host Barry B. Doyle, photographer and food enthusiast, as our guest blogger today. His photography always amazes me, but never more than when the subjects are his own beautiful and masterful creations. Please continue through to the end for a link to Barry’s other work and publications. Thanks Barry! ~Editor::    

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::Today I’m proud to feature guest blogger, Janie Fedosoff. I have admired her work for quite some time and I think you’ll find her Canadian perspective to be a refreshing change. Even if you haven’t visited Canada, her blog is a great way to get acquainted with our neighbor to the north. ~Editor::
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It’s Jodi vs. Martha time again!
It’s been awhile since I last attempted one of Martha Stewart’s admittedly excellent recipes, but Martha caught me in her net yet again with her “Martha Stewart Cookie of the Day” email about Black Forest Cookies.
Three kinds of chocolate? Butter? CHERRIES? I’m in.

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