Turn your favorite Italian restaurant treat into a spectacular cake.

This is a delicious way to get your daily dose of fresh vegetables.

Kids will love these mildly spiced beef and potato pastry puffs. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and chutney.

This home-made winter coleslaw is so much better than anything from the store.

Thai basil, also known as horapa, has a slight licorice or aniseed taste. It goes perfectly with this spicy beef noodle dish.

These ginger oat cookies go splendidly with coffee or tea and make a lovely gift.

T-bone really is the king of steaks. This recipe brings out all the beautiful flavours of the beef with a zingy horseradish mascarpone dressing on the side.

We used large, 25cm diameter, packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

Fresh, herbed broad bean salad makes the perfect bed for this tender char-grilled chicken breast topped with chive butter.

Sesame snaps or bars are available from supermarkets either in the confectionery or biscuit section. They are basically sesame seeds set in toffee. If you don’t have a square cutter, simply cut the dough into 4.5cm x 9cm rectangles. Use a ruler and a sharp knife to measure and cut the dough. Note

Try this fish with fresh tomato salsa for a quick, easy and healthy mid-week meal. Served with a generous helping of fresh mixed leaves and a drizzle of olive oil it's a complete and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Reserve some of the fennel fronds to sprinkle over the pilaf and fish. Note

A lovely strudel is delicious, easy to make, and relatively inexpensive. You can also experiment with different fillings. We've gone with basic apricot here, but all sorts of fruits and nuts make an equally yummy filling.

Quick, easy and totally delicious, this chilli prawn linguine will quickly become a family dinner favourite.

low GI Note

These lip-smacking sticky pork ribs go brilliantly with a warm potato salad.

If you are unable to buy fresh grapevine leaves, buy those that come vacuum-packed in brine. Be sure to rinse them under cold water and dry with absorbent paper before using. Note

This simple salad makes a great lunch dish for a light meal, or as part of a spread with which to welcome guests.

If chocolate is not quite melted, return to saucepan and stir over low heat until melted. Note

Vegemite and cheese pinwheels are perfect tasty treats for kid's lunchboxes.

Soups can be a clever way to impress a crowd or soothe yourself on a cold day. For many of us though, it has become a trusty back-up in the freezer when we need some quick sustenance. What you serve with it can make or break it. Note

Casserole bakes are so simple to prepare, and great for family meals. One dish wonders never looked so wonderful.

We used sirloin for this recipe, although fillet and rump are also suitable. Note

This mouth-watering dish uses preserved lemons, a prominent ingredient in North African cooking. The flavour is salty, unique and perfumed.

These buttery lavender shortbreads make a divine morning or afternoon treat with a cup of hot tea.

Ginger and caramel go together beautifully in this ultimate winter dessert, especially when teamed with decadent calvados custard.

Champagne adds sparkle to a traditional brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice side-bar. We used cointreau for this recipe but you could use any orange-flavoured liqueur you like.

Hot smoked salmon is available from major supermarkets. Use a mixture of fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, basil, chives, mint, oregano or marjoram. If you don’t have a frying pan with an ovenproof handle, wrap the handle in two layers of foil, this will prevent the handle from burning while under the grill. Note

You can use lime juice instead of lemon juice, if you prefer. Note

You could use turkey pastrami as an alternative and add 2 teaspoons of cranberry sauce to the coleslaw. If taking to work for lunch, package coleslaw in a separate container and assemble the sandwich just before eating. If you have one, use a mandoline to cut the vegetables into matchsticks, or you can coarsely grate them.

Serve your usual anti-pasta fare atop a pizza base smothered with melted mozzarella and watch it disappear before your very eyes.

Zucchini and chorizo salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

We used butter beans but you can use any canned white beans you like. This recipe can be made a day ahead. Store pitta crisps in an airtight container. Note

Haloumi is a firm, cream coloured sheep's-milk cheese matured in brine; it is somewhat like a minty, salty feta in flavour, and can be grilled or fried, briefly, without breaking down.

This dense banana loaf is even more delicious when sliced and served with a drizzle of honey and sliced fresh bananas.

Super quick and simple, this tasty white bean and garlic dip can be whipped up in no time. Serve with fresh vegetables cut into sticks.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover sausages, sausages can be served hot or cold. Note

Mix up your stir-fry dinners with this cashew and water chestnut recipe.

This cocktail will take you to the beach with it's tropical colours and breezy flavours.

These refreshing cookies are perfect after a meal with hot espresso.

Crispy fried noodles are available in the Asian aisle of supermarkets. Using a large sharp knife, shred the cabbage as thinly as you can. Stack the slices neatly, cut them lengthways into matchstick-sized strips. This is called `julienne’. Note

In this delicious recipe, chocolate and cinnamon cupcakes are topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

It is thought the Crusaders introduced these to England when they returned from the Holy Land in the 13th century. Recipe can be made two days ahead. Suitable for freezing. Note

For a light and refreshing weeknight meal, try this fragrant beef and noodle salad.

You will need a 2.5-litre (10-cup) rice cooker for this recipe. Dried gnocchi-shaped pasta is available from the pasta section in most supermarkets. Dried gnocchi is generally shaped like a hollowed shell with a ridged surface. Fresh gnocchi usually contains potatoes, while dried gnocchi contains semolina flour and no potato. Note

In just about 20 minutes you can have this healthy beef and greens stir-fry on the table. It's hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but feel free to serve with a steaming bowl of rice or noodles for an extra carb hit.

Veal schnitzel is thinly sliced steak available crumbed or plain (uncrumbed); we use plain schnitzel, sometimes called escalopes. Note

Quick, easy and delicious; try these baked beans and smoked cheddar roast potatoes.

quiche filling We used lump crab meat from the fish market. Reserve fennel fronds when slicing the bulb. Note

Creamy and cheesy potato gratin, made with leftover roast potatoes, is here perfumed with sprigs of fresh thyme.

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato-based soup, but other varieties, such as cucumber, do exist.

Sprinkled with coconut, this chewy date slice is divine with a hot cup of tea.

Cakestand top to bottom: Dried cranberry coconut macaroons; Salmon and egg finger sandwiches. Note

For a filling, delicious family meal, try this Indian inspired chicken curry with a twist.

Crisply crumbed and well matched with a piquant roasted tomato sauce, sardines make an excellent breakfast dish, lunch or a starter for dinner.

These gently poached quinces and pears are soft and juicy and sweet. They are complimented wonderfully by the crispy almond crumble. If you like, you could serve them with whipped cream.

You can also use peaches, apricots or plums instead of nectarines. Keep any leftover poaching liquid to poach other fruit; or simmer the liquid until it's reduced and syrupy, stir in 1 tablespoon orange-flavoured liqueur then pour over ice cream.

These crunchy Italian biscuits go wonderfully with hot espresso coffee.

You can use vegetable stock if you prefer. You could use verjuice or dry white wine instead of vermouth. This soup can be served cold or at room temperature, cover, refrigerate until required. Note

This simple yet delicious blueberry loaf is perfect for a morning or afternoon snack with a steaming hot cup of tea.

If you would like to make your own delicious pastry cases, see the recipe for pastry in blueberry apple crumbles. Note

Asian-style lamb kebabs drizzled with black bean sauce and sesame seeds.

We used dried cannellini beans in this recipe. Note

Vegetable chap-chai is an Asian-style stir-fry of baby buk choy, choy sum and wombok.

Delicious duck broth with noodles, gai larn, green onions and fresh coriander.

These juicy, spiced chicken koftas make a great light lunch served with ripe tomato salad, tzatziki and fresh bread.

Baharat, an aromatic spice blend, includes some or all of the following: mixed spice, black pepper, allspice, dried chilli flakes, cinnamon, coriander seeds, paprika, clove, sumac, nutmeg, cumin seeds and cardamom seeds. It is used throughout the Middle East; here, it is often sold as “lebanese seven-spice”, and can be found in MiddleEastern food stores, […]

We used large (25cm/10-inch diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. You will need to purchase half a large barbecued chicken weighing about 450g to get the amount of shredded meat required for this recipe. Note

Corn mixture can be made a day ahead, make the corn cakes on the morning of the party. Prepare the avocado smash as close to serving as possible; cover the surface with plastic wrap. Note

Make the most of summer cherries with this cooling dessert.

Select mint leaves that are evenly coloured and have no brown tinge around the edges. A bunch of mint can be kept, stems in a jar of water and leaves covered with a plastic bag, in the refrigerator, up to five days. There are many varieties of mint, but one of the most common is […]

Veal and tomato dolmades, a family of stuffed vegetable dishes common in the Middle East and surrounding regions including the Balkans, the Caucasus, Russia, Central Asia.

Stir-fries are always an excellent choice for a mid-week dinner, being fast, fresh and full of flavour.

Barbecued pork neck with five-spiced star-anise glaze from Australian Women's Weekly.

high GI Note

Make someone's special day even more special with this triple-layered beauty.

Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Leave the nuts and berries out of this recipe if you just want a plain Blondie. Dust the slice with a little sifted icing sugar, if you like. Note