Quick & Easy

A French pastry of unknown origin whose modern form was influenced by Marie-Antoine Carême.

A delicious and warming pepper beef stir-fry with brussels sprouts from Australian Women's Weekly.

Also goes well with grilled pork sausages; barbecued veal steaks; pan-fried chicken breasts. Note

To make a quick cocktail sauce, add a couple of teaspoons of tomato sauce and chilli sauce or Tabasco to the mayonnaise. Note

Peanuts can cause reactions in some children. They are not recommended for children under one year old. Note

For extra fibre, use wholemeal pasta. For those who are gluten-intolerant, try gluten-free pasta. Note

A fish burger makes a delicious alternative to a beef burger. You can use white-fleshed fish, or even prawns, instead of the salmon for something different. Note

A sweet puff pustry pie that hails from France, where desserts simply taste better.

Bread can be toasted 2 hours ahead; store in an airtight container. Pumpkin can be cooked 1 hour ahead. Note

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 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

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

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

You could also use coliban or sebago potatoes for this recipe. Note

Use a fish such as snapper or perch. Note

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

Delicious sweet and spicy Asian-style ribs are great for summer barbecues and dinner parties.

Cheesy corned beef sandwiches are a great way to use up leftovers.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Note

Meet Geraldine the giraffe, a fun and delicious cake that is great for kid's birthday parties.

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

Sprinkle with nuts, season to taste. Note

A healthy spinach and haloumi salad with packed full of scrumptious flavours and textures.

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

Dried rose petals are available from specialist food stores. Note

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

This traditional Spanish frittata combines salty chorizo and fresh veggies to create a flavour-packed dinner dish the whole family will love.

For this spicy traditional Indian milk tea, we used English Breakfast tea ­but try experimenting with other varieties until you find one that suits your taste. Note

Mocha vanilla twists are a cute and fun biscuit to both make and eat!

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

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

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 […]

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

American-style pork spareribs in a rich and delicious plum and star anise marinade with a light Asian-style pear, ginger and chilli salad.

These delicious little Asian-style morsels are perfect tapas or cocktail food.

Choose an oyster-flavoured sauce without any seafood content such as mushroom oyster sauce. Check the label if you are unsure. Note

Use a lemon zester to make lemon rind strips for decoration; soak them in iced water to make them curl. Note

You can buy cleaned mussels to save time. Recipe is best made just before serving. Note

Green lentils can be substituted for red lentils. Note

Slow cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Pressure cooker: suitable to the end of step 2. Not suitable to freeze. Note

Delicious rich and hearty European goat and capsicum stew from Australian Women's Weekly.

If you have one, use a melon baller to scoop perfectly round balls of truffle mixture. Note

A spicy sausage that originated in Tunisia, merguez has become traditional fare throughout North Africa and Spain.

Use roti bread instead of the naan, if you prefer. Note

For a clear jelly, don’t push the mixture through the muslin-lined strainer, instead, allow the mixture to strain gradually. Note

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

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

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 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 […]

Ask the butcher to cut the rib racks into pieces that will fit your slow cooker. Note

Cooking the pizza in a covered barbecue gives it a wonderful smoky flavour similar to a wood-fired oven. If not using covered barbeque, pizza can be cooked in the oven. Place toppings on dough and bake until browned and crisp. There is no need to turn the dough over using this method. Note

Serve with a bowl of combined yoghurt and coarsely chopped fresh coriander, if desired. Note

There's nothing more rewarding than making your own pizza dough like a true Italian.

You need 10 ice-block sticks. If the choc orange balls don’t stick to the cookies, secure them with a little melted chocolate. Note

Quick and easy steamed Asian greens from Australian Women's Weekly.

You need about 3 large overripe bananas (690g) for the amount of mashed banana in this recipe. Note

You can buy packaged pizza bases in two sizes: the large ones we’ve used here measure 25cm across; smaller ones measure 15cm across and come packaged in pairs with a total weight of 225g. Use six of the small ones to make individual pizzettas. Note

Teppanyaki is the name given to a traditional Japanese cooking style where the food is cooked rapidly on a searingly hot grill plate on or near the table. Pink pickled ginger, also known as gari, can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Note

Lamb’s lettuce, also known as mâche or corn salad, has a mild, almost nutty, flavour and tender, narrow, dark green leaves. You need a 225g punnet for this recipe. It is available from most greengrocers. Note

Run a teaspoon down the centre of the cucumber to remove the seeds. If using bamboo skewers, cover the wooden ends with foil toprevent them from burning during cooking. Note

A super quick and easy pork sausage dish with crispy potatoes and cabbage for those busy midweek dinners.