Q&A: Tips from a kitchen coach Cookbook author and Globe and Mail food columnist Lucy Waverman knows how to serve up memorable meals with ease. In her new book, Lucy's Kitchen: Signature Recipes and Culinary Secrets (Random House Canada, November 2006), she focuses on culinary basics. We talked to her about the book and her recipe for holiday entertaining success: a mix of from-scratch dishes and store-bought staples.S@H: Tell us about your new book.LW: I was getting a lot of e-mails from readers who wanted to know about cooking basics, like how to fold egg whites, and they also wanted ingredient information. There's a whole generation of people out there who don't know how to cook and find it intimidating to learn. I wanted to write a book to teach people that cooking can become second nature. So this one is packed with culinary tips and techniques, ingredient descriptions and substitutions -- a reference for beginners as well as the most food-savvy cook. S@H: What's your food philosophy?LW: I love to cook simply, using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Even if I don't have time for an elaborate meal, I try to add a twist to the dish. Things like topping a fresh Caesar salad with deep-fried calamari or making a chicken meat loaf by stuffing the pan with alternate layers of chicken and bread -- when you slice into it, the loaf looks like a big chicken sandwich. I want to encourage people to experiment and taste everyday food in a new way. S@H: What's your secret to staying stress-free in the kitchen throughout the holidays?LW: I tell people not to feel they must cook everything from scratch. I'm a fan of cocktail parties that aren't elaborate and a big believer in creating food stations so everything is out and people can help themselves (I never pass anything around because then I'd need staff to serve). I also like dinner parties that are casual, and interactive eating, whereby guests can be involved in the preparation.Photography by Rob Fiocca from Lucy's Kitchen: Signature Recipes and Culinary Secrets by Lucy Waverman (Random House Canada, 2006).Page 1 of 2 Ideas for pre-dinner nibblies Pre-dinner nibbliesAppetizers and finger foods are a mainstay of holiday entertaining, but the challenge is to come up with new ideas. Lucy Waverman's approach is to stick with what she knows but add a twist. We asked her for a few appetizer updates.Banish boring basicsForget pumpernickel as a base for smoked salmon. Serve the holiday standard on a potato rösti, a minipancake or a cucumber slice. Cream cheese doesn't need a cracker when mixed with garlic and chopped chives and piped into a hollowed-out cherry tomato. And hummus can go beyond the basic bowl and flat bread; try it spooned into Belgian endive spears or on store-bought sesame crisps instead. Cheese, pleaseFor drop-in guests, stock up on the favourite seasonal snack -- cheese. Besides selecting some you haven't tried before, add a few new accompaniments to the platter: truffle honey, a good-quality balsamic vinegar like Minus 8 Wine Vinegar (a Niagara-region product made from icewine) and fig jam make for trendy toppers. Instead of grapes and water crackers, include dried apples, homemade croûtes and spiced nuts. Seasonal styleFrozen nibblies are a lifesaver but need not be the same time after time. Style them straight from the oven with a few garnishes. Miniquiches go from bland to grand with chopped arugula and a drizzle of olive oil. And spring rolls are high-end when partnered with a soy dipping sauce spiked with chilies and chopped scallions.Fridge & pantry partnersHave these basics on hand and you can whip up a last-minute party platter in no time: roasted red peppers, anchovies, bread sticks, pesto, olive oil, prosciutto, olives and tapenade. Photography by Rob Fiocca from Lucy's Kitchen: Signature Recipes and Culinary Secrets by Lucy Waverman (Random House Canada, 2006).Page 2 of 2