Here’s a simple idea that’s both a fun social activity as well as a way of beefing up your personal cookbook (or vegging it up as the case may be). Throw a Recipe Swap party. The rules are simple:

1. Invite your friends over for a Recipe Swap party.
2. Have each guest bring a favourite dish of theirs, along with the recipe.
3. Enjoy the chance to sample a myriad of different dishes.
4. After the party, email everybody the recipes.

Bingo-bango-bongo, you’ve got 10 new recipes in your playbook. If you want, you can also choose a theme for your party: desserts, salads, cocktails, appetizers — whatever.

It’s a fun twist to the classic potluck get-together.

To get the most out of the activity, encourage your guests to keep it simple — we all want recipes that taste good but are also easy to prepare. During a trip to Kentucky, I bought a cookbook as a souvenir. One of the recipes involved several days of preparation and 20 pounds of turtle meat.

Perhaps a good example of the type of dish that does not belong at a Recipe Swap.

In the spirit of Recipe Swaps, here’s one of my personal favourites that I stole from my friend, Rob.

Black bean quesadilla

Ingredients:

• Chopped onion
• Chopped garlic
• Chopped red and green peppers
• Frozen corn
• 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
• Grated cheese
• 2 large tortilla wraps
• Salsa
• Avocado

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. On the stovetop, heat up a frying pan with vegetable oil or olive oil.
3. Sautee the onion for a few minutes, followed by the garlic, peppers, corn and beans.
4. Place one of the wraps on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Sprinkle with a layer of cheese, followed by the veggie mix and another layer of cheese.
6. Place the second tortilla on top.
7. Bake in the oven until the the tortilla is nicely browned.
8. Cut into slices and serve with salsa and avocado.
9. Refrigerate any leftover veggie mix.