Grilled meatballs and penne
Calves liver should be cut into paper-thin slices then quickly seared because too much cooking will destroy its soft, delicate texture. Your butcher will slice the liver thinly for you. Note
Potato baskets with combination stir-fry
Baskets can be deep-fried up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and keep airtight when cool, then reheat by immersing briefly in hot oil until heated through. Note
Roast pumpkin and fetta bruschetta
Bread can be toasted 2 hours ahead; store in an airtight container. Pumpkin can be cooked 1 hour ahead. Note
Cannellini beans with polenta
Any kind of dried beans can be substituted for canned beans, if preferred. Soak beans overnight. Boil until tender; drain. Use patience when spreading polenta into prepared pan; it tends to move and slip but can eventually be worked into corners of pan. Polenta can be made 1 day ahead to the refrigeration stage. Note
Pizza fingers
Pizza fingers can be prepared the day before; put the toppings on, then cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. Bake when ready to eat. Note
Lemon daisies
You need a 6cm (2-inch) flower-shaped cookie cutter. Don’t use boiled lollies for the centres as they will melt during cooking. You can vary the lollies used, but gelatine-based ones (jelly babies and the like) are probably best. Note
Mediterranean chicken rolls
Plain (un-crumbed) chicken breast schnitzels are available from most supermarkets and some butchers and chicken shops. Chicken rolls can be prepared several hours ahead. Serve chicken rolls with salad or vegetables of your choice. Keep covered in the refrigerator and cook as required. Note
Potato wedges
You could also use coliban or sebago potatoes for this recipe. Note
Peri peri fish
Use a fish such as snapper or perch. Note
Spelt pasta with braised capsicum, nuts & chilli
Spelt is an ancient form of wheat that has a higher level of protein and wider range of nutrients than ordinary wheat. It still contains gluten, making it unsuitable for coeliacs. You can use any form of long pasta instead of the spelt fettuccine. Note
Marmalade and soy pork ribs
Delicious sweet and spicy Asian-style ribs are great for summer barbecues and dinner parties.
Corned beef and mustard jaffle
Cheesy corned beef sandwiches are a great way to use up leftovers.
Little baby bunting
Bunting can be found at most craft and party shops. Be sure to remove the toothpicks from the cake before serving. For a boy, decorate with green or yellow fruit sticks and matching bunting, or use the colours of his favourite sporting team (of course, this also can be done for girls and their favourite […]
Chicken crispies
Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Note
Geraldine giraffe
Meet Geraldine the giraffe, a fun and delicious cake that is great for kid's birthday parties.
Salmon and pickled ginger salad
For the pickled ginger syrup in the dressing, use the syrup drained from the pickled ginger in the salad. The salmon skin gets wonderfully crunchy when cooked twice on the grill, as we do in this recipe, this provides added texture and flavour. Note
Pumpkin and corn patties
Instant mash is a dried mashed potato mix reconstituted with boiling liquid to give a light buttery flavour. It is available from most supermarkets. Note
Maple-mustard pork cutlets with apple salad
Sprinkle with nuts, season to taste. Note
Spinach and haloumi salad with pumpkin and cashews
A healthy spinach and haloumi salad with packed full of scrumptious flavours and textures.
Raspberry and pistachio bircher muesli
For a citrus twist, add a little finely grated orange rind and replace the apple juice with orange juice. Replace the raspberries with blueberries and sprinkle with lightly roasted hazelnuts. Note
Pistachio white chocolate brittle
Dried rose petals are available from specialist food stores. Note
Lamingtonettes
We’ve used shredded coconut in our picture, but feel free to mix and match using shredded, desiccated or flaked. If you use flaked coconut, be sure to blend or process it until it’s chopped coarsely; this helps it to stick to the icing. Note
Igloo ice-cream cake
A cute little wintery ice-cream cake that the children will love.
Spanish-style frittata
This traditional Spanish frittata combines salty chorizo and fresh veggies to create a flavour-packed dinner dish the whole family will love.
Rosé wine jellies
Rose, violet, nasturtium and pansy petals are all edible and make beautiful additions to recipes. Note
Masala chai
For this spicy traditional Indian milk tea, we used English Breakfast tea Âbut try experimenting with other varieties until you find one that suits your taste. Note
Poached quince with fillo finge
Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note
Mocha vanilla twists
Mocha vanilla twists are a cute and fun biscuit to both make and eat!
Pork in red curry paste
If you have time, the pork mixture at the end of step 1 can be marinated for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Note
Pumpkin puree
Suitable from 6 months Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. Purée is suitable to freeze, in 1-tablespoon portions in ice-cube trays, covered, for up to 1 month. Note
Sweet corn fritters
Made from fresh corn, these fritters, served with spinach, bacon and tomatoes, are also a great lunch dish or casual dinner. But for a late breakfast they can’t be beaten. For breakfast they should be cooked just before they’re served, but cold corn fritters are excellent picnic food, so make a few more than you […]
Potato puffs
You can substitute 100g crumbled blue cheese for the gruyère, or add 310g can drained corn kernels for a delicious corn-flavoured potato puff. You can also use nicola or pink-eye potatoes for this recipe. Note
Roast pork with pears, apples and parsnips
Ask your butcher to score the rind, 1cm apart, across the pork in the same direction as you will slice, to make carving easier. Note
Plum and star anise pork spareribs with pear, ginger and chilli salad
American-style pork spareribs in a rich and delicious plum and star anise marinade with a light Asian-style pear, ginger and chilli salad.
Mochaccino marbled mud cake
Don’t overbeat the frosting or the texture will be grainy. Note
Cricket pitch
Player position seems to indicate only a handful of runs are needed before the end of the match. Budding cricketers will surely want a rematch before cutting into this fun cake. Note
Guitar shaped birthday cake
No one will want to pick this guitar up and smash it...it’s much too tasty for that and it's just another of our old-school favourites from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook.
Sticky chicken with pickled cucumber
These delicious little Asian-style morsels are perfect tapas or cocktail food.
Sesame & peanut soba noodles
Choose an oyster-flavoured sauce without any seafood content such as mushroom oyster sauce. Check the label if you are unsure. Note
Grilled tofu with sesame and spinach miso
Use a lemon zester to make lemon rind strips for decoration; soak them in iced water to make them curl. Note
Garlic and chilli mussels
You can buy cleaned mussels to save time. Recipe is best made just before serving. Note
Red lentils with lemongrass
Green lentils can be substituted for red lentils. Note
Sicilian creams
sicilian creams are best assembled close to serving. Any liqueur can be used to flavour these biscuits, e.g. Galliano, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Amaretto. Note
Slow-cooked duck with cabbage and fennel
Slow cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Pressure cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Not suitable to freeze. Note
Chocolate ricotta cheesecake with candied fruit
You can substitute glacé fruit with others of your choice. Cut the cake with a hot knife. Wipe the blade clean between cuts. Note
Goat and capsicum stew
Delicious rich and hearty European goat and capsicum stew from Australian Women's Weekly.
Coq au vin
Coq au vin is a traditional French dish of chicken braised in red wine, mushrooms, garlic and shallots.
21st celebration cake
Equipment: 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board smoothing tools 4 wooden skewers 2 paper piping bags number 1 and 2 cutters 2 x 10cm (4-inch) pieces 18-gauge floral wire fine artist’s paint brush pasta machine 1cm (½-inch) plain piping tube Covered in pastel hues, this very simple, though elegant, […]
Rum truffles
If you have one, use a melon baller to scoop perfectly round balls of truffle mixture. Note
Merguez with parmesan polenta triangles
A spicy sausage that originated in Tunisia, merguez has become traditional fare throughout North Africa and Spain.
Spinach, lentil and zucchini salad with flat breads
Use roti bread instead of the naan, if you prefer. Note
Rosewater and raspberry jellies
For a clear jelly, don’t push the mixture through the muslin-lined strainer, instead, allow the mixture to strain gradually. Note
Little cake pops
This recipe makes 18 cake pops. A quick way to make cake crumbs is to break up a ready-made cake bought from the supermarket. The cake pops become quite firm, and can be placed in a bowl or basket with little or no damage to the pops. Note
Paella Valenciana
The traditional paella pan is shallow and wide. One large or two smaller frying pans can be used. The mixture should only be about 4cm deep. Note
Caramel fish and baby buk choy
We used blue-eye fish fillets in this recipe, but you can use any white fish fillets. Caramel sauce can be made in advance. Cover; refrigerate Note
Pastizzi tar-rikotta (cheese cakes)
Pastizzi are a traditional Maltese food. These flakey pastry pockets are traditionally filled with either fresh ricotta or mushy peas, but nowadays, the variety of fillings are endless and can be sweet or savoury. Fillings are usually distinguished by the unique shape, ricotta-filled pastizzi are diamond shaped, pea-filled pastizzi are a rounded semi-circle. It is […]
Slow-cooked char siu pork ribs
Ask the butcher to cut the rib racks into pieces that will fit your slow cooker. Note
Pineapple coconut cake
Take a tropical holiday with this pina colada-inspired cake. Made with refreshing fruity pineapple and coconut and topped with a zesty lime glacé frosting, it's a true taste adventure.
Clown cake pops
Equipment 10 lollipop or ice-cream sticks tyrofoam block or egg carton paper piping bag Decorations 10 mini ice-cream cones 2 tablespoons each grape, orange and pink WONKA NERDS, combined 10 WONKA Gobstoppers 10 ALLEN’S JAFFAS 2 ALLEN’S Ripe Raspberries, sliced thinly 5 Fairy Floss ALLEN’S FUNFAIR THRILLS Jelly Beans, halved crossways 10cm piece licorice strap […]
Colin caterpillar
You will need to buy a 200g jelly beans packet and a 35g tumini M&M’s for the decorations. Colin should beeaten before he under goes a metamorphosis and changes into a giant butterfly. This cake is just the right size for small hands and its bright colours will keep little ones amused. Note
Golden almond cake
For those who prefer a light fruit cake, this is ideal. Keep the cake for 3 to 4 days before cutting, then cut with a sharp serrated or electric knife to cut cleanly through the almonds. Note
