Chatelaine

John Di Marco Producer: Alicia Cox Host: Michelle Stonkus, Lowe's Garden Centre Manager

This simplified version comes together lickety-split when you use quick-cooking couscous in place of rice. It's loaded with shrimp, sausage and Spanish flair.

This spicy stir-fry has tons of flavour and takes less than 20 minutes to hit the table. For an extra-fiery kick, add more chili flakes or use hot chili-garlic sauce instead of the flakes.

Holiday baking wouldn't be complete without a batch of gingerbread men. Unadorned or intricately decorated, they just shout Christmas.

This recipe captures all the layered tastes of a classic fruitcake - in a fraction of the time.

Lighten up hearty root vegetables by tossing them with greens for a healthy supper salad that sings with flavour.

We bumped up the flavour of this fast sauté by adding teriyaki sauce and orange juice - keep this combo in mind for stir-fries as well.

A delicious (and easy!) twist on a classic.

These popular two-bite treats are made from a soft shortbread-like dough. Bake them whenever it's convenient, then fill with jam, marmalade or lemon curd just before serving.

There's no getting around it: The secret of this creamy Italian rice dish is lots of slow and steady stirring. So pour yourself a glass of wine and grab your wooden spoon.

Don't skimp on the butter when making this holiday treat. Buy the best unsalted butter you can find, and you'll be rewarded with the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth shortbread in varieties like eggnog, lemon-epresso, curry-coconut and cranberry-orange.