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Being curious about something inspires some of my food columns, and that was the case today. Last week, I was out just before 8 a.m. food shopping.

When the word 鈥測um鈥� is used in a soup鈥檚 name one might expect it to be pleasing and tasty. And tom yum soup is, but in this case, the word yum has a different meaning.

With a very modest income and four hungry sons and a husband to feed, my mom had a tight budget for preparing family meals when I was growing up. Things were even tighter after New Year鈥檚 because of the money spent on Christmas.

If you need an attractive West Coast-style main dish for a聽festive holiday lunch or dinner, bake a whole side of聽salmon. It鈥檚 not hard to do and when presented on a pretty platter, it looks impressive and very sa国际传媒

Crab is potentially expensive, but you can solve that problem by preparing bisque for your guests

The first time I tried chicken Marbella, 30聽plus years ago, I聽found its flavour so intriguing that I immediately started musing about the origins of the dish.

In December, during the Christmas 鈥渉oliday season,鈥� every major grocery store flyer will offer shrimp rings for sale. I know people buy them by the boatload, because at every potluck party I go to at this time of year I see one or more being served.

If you鈥檙e having a casual dinner party and want to warmly welcome your guests, have a big pot of something savoury and delicious cooking in the oven when they arrive. There are certainly many types of dishes with inviting aromas.

When I was a kid, my mother always kept a brick or two of firm cream cheese in the refrigerator during the Christmas holiday season.

A cool December night is the perfect time to make a hearty, aromatic, spirit-lifting stew. It could feature meat, but if local seafood is your thing, head your boat in that direction.