Sara's Weeknight Meals

Quick to make and much beloved, tacos are a staple on the weekday dinner table. Sara has her own recipe for Duck Tacos, then travels to Miami to learn a Cuban taco mashup with blogger Patty Ruiz: Chicken Vaca Frita Tacos. Almost a taco but just as good: Sara's Nacho Pie.

Sara travels to the West Coast for some delectable California food. She visits a Sacramento farmer and joins him and a local chef to make sushi two ways. In Napa Sara discovers a book club with a difference, they only read cookbooks, and each make a dish from that month's selection. Sara makes Shrimp Tikka with Mango Chutney with a member to bring to the group's dinner party.

When it's hot and muggy outside Sara keeps things cool with three recipes made without turning on the oven. First, Cold Southwestern Gazpacho that uses summer's bounty from the garden. Grilled steak tops a cool mushroom and tomato salad, and then, a refreshing Watermelon Screwdriver.

Meatballs are so universally beloved almost every culture has a version. In Catalonia, Sara joins local cook Juame Vidal to make Meatball tapas with Peas from his garden. Moroccan Meatball Tagine with Couscous is achievable at home with a slow cooker, master Michele Scicolone shows us how. Sara's got her take, meatballs with a spicy Tex-Mex kick.

Fall and winter holidays call for big celebrations and, of course, lots of baking! For Thanksgiving: Roasted Glazed Pears Topped with Shortbread Pecan brittle and Crème Fraiche. For Christmas Eve, a comforting Warm Chocolate Cheesecake. And for Christmas morning: Sticky Buns that are super quick because they don't require yeast. On Ask Sara, answers to a viewer's question about vanilla beans.

Sara's viewers love 5 ingredient recipes, so why not six? Her frittata has a secret ingredient, leftover spaghetti, with rich Brie and Bacon. You could save the spaghetti from another pasta favorite; Peppery Broccoli Pasta with Feta. Her Duck confit with Braised leeks and sauerkraut is nice enough for company. Plus, Sara answers a viewer's question about perfectly flattened chicken breasts.

Spot Prawns are so beloved in Vancouver. Sara learns fascinating facts about the critters from a local commercial fisherman, then joins a Vancouver home cook to prepare a Spot Prawn Risotto. Prawns are also on the menu in Miami where a Cuban grandmother shows Sara her recipe for Camarones Enchilados after a spirited food tour of the city's legendary Calle Ocho neighborhood.

Who doesn't love Italian food? Sara's got some of your favorites made with just a little twist. Like delicious ravioli made with won ton skins to save time, or Lasagna made with Polenta rather than noodles. Her homemade pizza dough is super simple. For a show stopper, try her Butternut Squash Farrotto, just like risotto but with the ancient grain farro. On top, delicious fried sage.

Chinese immigrants were the backbone of Vancouver where Sara takes a culinary tour of its Chinatown. She learns to make two appetizers cooked with tea and samples Dim Sum. Then local Judy Lam Maxwell shows her a Chinese dumpling mashup filled with Korean Bulgogi. Back home, Sara quickly whips up some Baby Egg Rolls with Soy dipping sauce.

Sara travels to Juneau to learn how locals are turning wild and foraged food to become culinary entrepreneurs. She talks to a fish biologist about wild salmon and learns the traditional way to make Cedar Planked Salmon with an Alaska Native home cook. On the side, foraged sea asparagus. Back home Sara shows us an easy way to make any fish with her Salmon in a bag with Borscht Beets.