Rainbow meringues
Use a clean piping and tube for each different coloured meringue. Note
Strawberries & cream cookies
Place the unused vanilla bean in a jar of caster sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note
Chilli chocolate ice-cream torte
Inserting the base of the springform pan upside down will make it easier to slide the cake from the base. Note
Pork with asian coleslaw
A quick and easy pork dish with a sweet and salty Asian coleslaw by Australian Women's Weekly.
Nutty choc-chip boiled fruit cakes
Use frangelico (hazelnut) or crème de cacao (chocolate) flavoured liqueurs. Cut cakes with a serrated knife. Note
Lunchtime roll-ups
Sandwiches can be prepared several hours ahead. Keep wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator until required. Bread is an excellent source of energy-giving carbohydrates. Wholemeal and wholegrain breads are also a rich source of dietary fibre and other nutrients because they contain the natural goodness of the entire grain. Note
Smiley faces
Store cake pops in an airtight container at a cool room temperature until ready to serve. Pipe eyes and mouths on the day of serving. They will keep for up to a week. Note
Pizza caprese
Commercial pizza bases are available in a full range of thicknesses. For this pizza, select a thinner base so it complements rather than competes with the flavours of the topping. Note
Lamb, spinach and spiced peach salad
A bright, colourful and exquisite lamb, spinach and spiced peach salad.
Sweet and sour lamb with burghul salad
Tender roast lamb with a fragrant herb rub and burghul salad.
Soba salad with rocket and mandarin
Soba noodles are long, flat thin Japanese buckwheat noodles from Asian food stores and major supermarkets. Note
Creaming soda spiders
The only spider you'll ever want to drink.
Night before fruit cake
You need 1 large (230g) overripe banana to get the amount of mashed banana required for this recipe. Note
Pumpkin ravioli and roasted tomato salad
Roasting the tomatoes concentrates the flavour, which goes well with pumpkin. Serve the salad warm. Note
Pork and fennel soup
Reserve some of the feathery fennel fronds to sprinkle over the soup at serving time. Note
Mini éclairs with vanilla cream
Éclairs are best made on day of serving, but do not fill until ready to serve. Unfilled éclairs can be frozen. Note
Prosciutto, melon and mustard ribbon sandwich
Sandwiches can be made up to two hours before the picnic. Note
Clarissa the cow
Clarissa the cow is out in the paddock, eating the flowers and generally getting into all kinds of mischief. Note
Peppered steak sandwich with grilled tomatoes
Aïoli is garlic mayonnaise, available from the condiment aisle in most supermarkets. Note
Potato gratin with caramelised onion
Originally a French dish, this potato is all the better with rich and delicious caramelised onion.
Pressure-cooker spicy chickpea and lentil soup
Create the flavours and textures of a slow-cooked meal in under an hour by using your pressure cooker. This delicious chickpea and lentil soup can be ready in no time at all, perfect for a cool weeknight dinner.
Smoked haddock potato bake
We used desiree potatoes in this recipe. Season this dish carefully as the haddock and stock are already salty. Note
Poached fish cutlets with herb salad
We used blue-eye trevalla cutlets in this recipe, but you can use any white fish cutlets. Vietnamese mint is not a mint, but a pungent and peppery narrow-leafed member of the buckwheat family. Also known as laksa leaf and cambodian mint. It is available from Asian greengrocers. Note
Melon, cucumber and white onion salad
You will need about 3 limes for this recipe. Note
Pistachio lemon and lavender shortbread
Dried lavender is available from gourmet food stores and cake decorating stores. Note
Soupe au pistou
Soupe au pistou is a Provencal minestrone served with a good dollop of basil pesto.
Roasted capsicum soup with fried provolone polenta
A simple but delectable roasted capsicum soup with fried provolone polenta.
Roasted beetroot, orange and char-grilled chicken salad
You need two oranges for this recipe – one for the salad and one for the juice. You can substitute fresh baby beetroot with canned baby beets, or the chicken with pork fillet or salmon, if you like. Note
Glacé fruit cake
Ginger wine, a beverage that is 14% alcohol by volume, has the piquant taste of fresh ginger.You can substitute it with dry (white) vermouth, if you prefer. Any type or combination of glace fruit can be used in this recipe. Note
Marinated duck with peppered strawberries
Exquisite and delicious Asian-style marinated duck with peppered strawberries from Australian Women's Weekly.
Char-grilled scallops with corn salsa
A light and summery dish of char-grilled scallops with a zesty corn salsa.
Chorizo, basil and tomato pizza
We used large, 25cm diameter, packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note
Sweetheart
Pink petal dust can be purchased at specialty baking or cake-decorating shops. Note
Processor fruit cake
You can turn this into an ‘eggless processor fruit cake’, if you like. Omit the eggs, and increase the golden syrup by 1 tablespoon to ⅓ cup (155g). The cake doesn’t keep quite as well without eggs, about 5 days, but will freeze for 3 months. Note
Soft meringue with pineapple and makrut lime syrup
Place any leftover lime leaves in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for another use. Add three or four to a curry, scrunching the leaves first to release the flavour; toss thinly sliced leaves through a tropical fruit salad; or add sliced leaves to a jug of iced water for a refreshing citrus flavour. Mango […]
Gourmet sausage sandwiches
Who said sausage sausages have to be boring? These ones are packed full of strong flavour, and are presented beautifully - perfect for a picnic lunch with loved ones.
Castle of darkness
You can find artificial spider’s web at novelty shops. If you can’t find it, use fairy floss or cotton wool instead. Be sure to remove spider’s web or cotton wool and skewers before cutting and serving the cake. You will need approximately 3 x 100g bars of Toblerone for this cake. Note
Satsuma plum clafouti
Sometimes called Indian blood plum, the large plum used in this recipe has a distinctive dark red to purple fibrous flesh, is extremely juicy, pleasantly sweet, and is the plum most often found canned. Canned apricots or peaches can be substituted for the plums. A delicious time-and waist-saving recipe. Note
Cinnamon sponge with raspberries and lavender sugar
Dried lavender is available from selected delis and spice shops. If you prefer, you can use 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon rind instead. Note
Sausages with tomato relish
A perfect summer dish of barbecued sausages with tomato relish.
Spanish spicy pork and veal meatballs
Some butchers sell a pork and veal mixture. If itis not available as a mixture, buy half the amount as pork mince and half the amount as veal mince. Passata is available from most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, use pureed canned tomatoes instead. You can freeze this dish in an airtight container for […]
Lolly dolly
Flavoured Milk Bottles can be found in packets of Allen’s Milk Bottle Mania; you will need about 3 x 170g packets. Note
Red miso sauce
Authentic Japanese red miso sauce, also known as akamiso, from Australian Women's Weekly.
Chargrilled poultry platter
To make lemon dressing; dry-fry cumin and coriander in small heated frying pan, stirring, until fragrant. Combine spice mixture in small jug with oil and juice. Note
Marinated sardines
Ask your fishmonger to butterfly the sardines. It is correct that the sardines are not cooked in this recipe. Note
Piña colada cake with caramel glaze
The taste of this loose-crumbed pineapple and coconut cake will instantly transport you to the seventies when a piña colada was 'the' cocktail.
Salmon rissoles
Seasoned flour is plain flour with added seasonings of choice such as salt, pepper, mustard, herbs. Note
Pink & pretty
White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops. Note
Rhubarb, muesli and yoghurt cups
You need about four trimmed rhubarb stalks for this recipe. Calcium is well absorbed from dairy products, but poorly absorbed from foods rich in oxalic acid, such as spinach and rhubarb. So stick to dairy foods as the main source of dietary calcium, but enjoy rhubarb as a tangy, vibrant, stewed fruit. Note
Spotty four
Equipment you will need for this recipe, 23cm x 34cm number 4 cake pan and a 25cm x 40cm rectangular cake board. You can decorate this cake with single or multi coloured lollies. Place lollies such as Smarties on butter cream close to presentation time to prevent the colours running. Note
Mini passionfruit cakes
You need two passionfruit for this recipe. Note
Spaghetti with mushrooms and breadcrumbs
You may use any type of mushrooms for this recipe, we used a combination of oyster, swiss brown, shiitake and button mushrooms. Note
Potato and proscuitto salad
To get ½ cup of pomegranate pulp, use a medium pomegranate. To remove the pulp, cut pomegranate in half, then hit the back of the fruit with a wooden spoon  the seeds usually fall out easily; if not, dig them out with a spoon. Discard the shell and white pith. Note
Mirepoix
Invented in the 18th century by the Duc of Levis-Mirepoix, mirepoix has since become a classic preparation of French cooking.
Stir-fry hoisin lamb and vegetables
A super fast and easy stir-fried hoisin lamb and vegetables dish from Australian Women's Weekly.
Spicy chicken on couscous with spinach
The chicken can be marinated a day ahead. Recipe best made close to serving. Note
Super-jumper’s skipping rope
Use hundreds and thousands as an alternative to the orange sprinkles. You can use cream-filled rollettes, if you prefer. If using butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting, you will need two quantities. White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the […]
Mixed barbecue (teppanyaki)
Teppanyaki is traditionally cooked on a grill plate on or near the table, and is eaten in batches.
Lemongrass and makrut lime tea
A fragrant and exotic Vietnamese-style tea from Australian Women's Weekly.
Pork, veal and eggplant stew
Some butchers sell a pork and veal mixture, this is fine to use here, buy 625g. Note
Mixed pea, broad bean and turkey salad with lemon mustard dressing
A green and healthy turkey salad with a tangy lemon mustard dressing.
More animals
More fun and delicious animal cupcakes that the whole family will love.
Prune and custard tart
Tart will keep in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to three days. Note
Caramel mud cakes
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, boil the syrup until it’s thick with heavy bubbles. Remove from heat, let bubbles subside, then reassess the thickness of the syrup. Note
Primavera frittata
We used a mixture of parsley, basil and dill for this recipe, but you can use any herbs you like. If your frying pan does not have a heatproof handle, cover the handle with aluminium foil to protect it from the heat of the grill. Frittata can be served warm or cold. Reheat slices of […]
