Dear Miss d'Arcy: Now that I'm working, I need some quick, tasty recipes to help my family avoid high-fat, frozen fast foods? D.D., Hamilton.

Dear D.D.: You are wise to be concerned about your family's diet and those oh-so-instant frozen meals.

I would suggest that you list your family's favourite meals and try to duplicate them as easily as possible with today's know-how.

If your family likes spaghetti, cut up one tomato per person, add some onion, garlic and dried basil, and while the spaghetti is cooking heat the fresh tomato sauce in a skillet.

If you prefer a meat sauce, saute two ounces of ground meat per person before adding onions, tomatoes and spices.

You can use instant mashed potatoes and perk up the flavour by adding cheese, mustard, horseradish, roast garlic, herbs or spices.

Add an egg to two cups of instant mashed potatoes, salt to taste, one tablespoon of low-fat margarine, one tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, 1 cup dried bread crumbs. Make four mounds on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree F-oven.

Saute one pound of ground meat to which you have added one medium onion, diced, one cup shredded carrots and one 8-oz. can of tomato sauce. When meat is tender and carrots are still a bit crisp, add 1 cup frozen peas. Cook until peas are just warmed. Divide meat mixture into 4 servings. Top each with mashed potatoes mounds.

With imagination, you can also make some fine meals with thin frozen sandwich steaks. And here's another nice, quick-dinner recipe: *** Quick Turkey Divan 8 slices deli turkey breast 2 slices imported Swiss cheese, cut in half 4 slices ham 1 can cream of mushroom soup 3 can water 8 stalks cooked asparagus 4 tbsp. dried bread crumbs 4 pats butter 4 tsps. freshed parsley chopped Work on a flat surface. Place one slice of turkey on the surface. Add a slice of ham and 1 slice of the Swiss cheese, 1 tbsp. of bread crumbs, 1 tsp. of parsley, 2 stalks of asparagus and one pat of butter. Roll up the combination and fasten with a toothpick. Follow same procedure with remaining ingredients to make three more rolls.

In a large frying pan, mix can of soup and water and heat. When it begins to bubble, add turkey rolls, toothpick uppermost. Spoon soup mixture over rolls and cover. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, basting 3 or 4 times until rolls are heated through. Remove toothpicks before serving. Spoon soup over rolls.

Garnish with a pepper ring and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with instant wild rice mix and a nice crisp salad.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: Can I make French fries in the oven without using a lot of oil? -- T.S., Pembroke.

Dear T.S.: You can indeed -- and they can be just as good, if not better. Here is an excellent way to make a spicy treat: *** Spicy Fries and Catsup 1 cup catsup 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. red wine vinegar 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. chilli powder 3 large potatoes, peeled, wiped dry, cut into generous 1 inch thick sticks oil Combine catsup, cumin and vinegar in small bowl. Set aside. Combine salt and chili powder in another small bowl. Arrange potatoes in a row on a kitchen towel. Roll towel up, enclosing potatoes and let stand at least 30 minutes or more, to dry potatoes. Put about 3 tsp. of oil in a plastic bag. Add dried potatoes, seal bag and toss, coating potatoes with oil. Put potatoes on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree F.-oven until brown. Sprinkle with chili salt and serve with catsup.

Dear Miss d'Arcy: How can I make really crisp croutons, and how can I store them so they stay that way? -- H.D., Hamilton Dear H.D.: Cut a large loaf of French bread into cubes the size you want. (You can use sliced white or wheat bread, or a combination of both, if you choose).

Spread cubes on an ungreased cookie sheet and put in a low oven, about 275-300 degrees F. Bake slowly until croutons are crisp and thoroughly dry. Stored in an air-tight container. Be sure croutons are thoroughly dry as any moisture will generate mold growth. If you like, you can toss croutons with herbs after they come from the oven.