2 medium baking potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
water

1. Melt butter or heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onions to the skillet. Coat with butter and stir often until browned.
3. Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook potato until just fork tender.
4. Once the onion has caramelized, stir in the brown sugar.
5. Toss the potato slices in the onion mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

4 small or 12 mini assorted bell peppers, seeded
6 ounces cooked crab meat
1 cup fine bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook peppers for a minute or two. Transfer to ice water immediately afterwards.
3. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, crab meat, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
4. Fill the peppers with the bread crumb mixture and transfer to a greased baking dish.
5. Bake until bread crumbs and peppers start to brown, about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

3 cups cauliflower flowerets
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar, shredded
water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium sauce pan.
3. Whisk in flour, then add milk and bring to a boil. Continue whisking until thickened.
4. Meanwhile, boil water over medium-high heat in a large pot and cook cauliflower uncovered until just fork tender.
5. Grease an ovenproof dish and transfer the cauliflower to it.
6. Top with cheeses and pour white sauce over cauliflower and cheese.
7. Bake until top has browned and everything is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

I bought a package of those tiny bell peppers that turn up in the supermarket every now and then. I wasn't really sure what to do with them, so my first go was just in Salad with Cucumbers. After some research their true purpose has become clear to me: they're meant for stuffing. Of course! It's like a jalapeno popper for the weak. So, since I had an abundance of "crab" leftover from the California Rolls Last Night, I decided to make Crab Stuffed (Mini) Bell Peppers. Unfortunately, I was more wowed by the idea of finding a purpose for these overpriced peppers than the dish itself. I suppose if one had a penchant for both crab and peppers this would be right up their alley, but for the average non-crab, non-pepper fanatic, it is non-exciting.

I went back to the bag of spuds again, which is slowly starting to sprout and must be finished fairly soon. I had a hankerin' (that's what we Albertans call a craving) for caramelized onions, of all things. Potatoes and onions are ideal compliments; why, grandma even planted them next to each other in the garden. Thus, Potatoes with Caramelized Onions was born. It is what it is; having the flavor of sweetened onion and potato (this is a good thing).

Finally, Cauliflower au Gratin. Different and, in some ways, superior to Broccoli au Gratin, this recipe uses cheddar instead of parmesan and emmenthal cheeses. In contrast to the broccoli recipe, I also used skim instead of whole milk this time and, to my surprise, the white sauce actually thickened appropriately. To be honest, I actually think that low-fat cheese might've actually improved the whole lot (less floaty residue from the cheddar).