For my last birthday I was given a little pot for baking cheese and I finally used it, with huge success! If you dont have one you can easily use a suitably sized ramekin that is oven proof and pop foil over it. Ingredients: 1 x 125g wheel of Brie or Camembert Cheese 3 heaped Tblsp Fig Jam 1 handful of Pecans, chopped roughly Sprigs of fresh Rosemary Method: Preheat oven to 180.C Score the top of the cheese with a sharp knife in a criss cross pattern. Place in cheese pot or ramekin. Place jam and nuts on top of cheese. Then add leaves of rosemary. Cook in oven 20 mins. Serve with crackers and enjoy that gooey-ness!

Hubby has done it again! This pork dish is very simple with minimal ingredients…but the result is sticky, sweet perfection! Ingredients: 1.5-1.8kg Pork Scotch Fillet 3- 4 Onions 1 heaped Tblsp Brown Sugar 1 Cup Arnold’s Orange Juice 1 Cup Sweet Chilli Sauce 1 small/medium ovenproof dish filled with water Method: Preheat oven to 140.C Slice Onions and add to the bottom of an oven proof dish. Place Pork on top of Onions.  In a jug add Brown Sugar, OJ and Chilli Sauce. Along with approx 1/4 cup Water. Mix well.  Pour over Pork.  Put lid on dish.  Place in oven for 1 hour. Along with the ovenproof dish filled with water. Remove lid and continue cooking Pork for 3-4 hours.  Remove from oven and using two forks, shred the pork, mixing the jammy onions with it. The sauce will be nice and sticky sweet.  Serve with cooked rice, cucumber, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, coriander and mint. 

The mango season only goes for 200 days, so make the most of my fave fruit! This salsa is super simple to make is still great the next day. I have also been known to add cooked and chopped prawns to make it a main course. Ingredients: 2 Mangoes 1 long red Chilli 10 fresh mint leaves 3 stalks eschallots/spring onions  Juice of half a lime 1-2 tbsp Sweet Chilli sauce  Method: Slice off cheeks of mango. Cut criss cross pattern into flesh. Then scoop out flesh with a spoon.  Add to bowl.  Remove seed and membrane from chilli and chop finely. Add to bowl.  Finely slice mint. Add to bowl.  Chop eschallots and add to bowl.  Add lime juice and sauce.  Toss and serve.

I’m back on the smashed taco bandwagon. This time I’ve changed up the flavours! These were a hit! Ingredients: 8 mini tortillas 400g lamb mince 1 tsp dried onion powder  1 tsp of garlic powder 1/2 tsp of oregano Salt and Pepper    Salad 1/2 block Feta cheese Cos Lettuce; finely shredded 1/2 punnet Cherry Tomatoes; chopped 1/2 Lebanese Cucumber; chopped 1/4 Green Capsicum; chopped  Fresh Dill, Parsley and Mint; finely chopped    Tzatziki dip (store bought) 1/2 Lemon; juiced  Method: Mix the mince with the garlic and onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add 1 heaped tablespoon of chicken mixture to each tortilla and smash in down.    Add oil to a pan on medium heat and place the tacos mince side down. Fry on this side first for 5 minutes or until cooked then flip and do the same on the other side   Once the tacos are cooked, place on a large platter and spread over a tablespoon of Tzatziki and top with salad ingredients.  Squeeze over lemon juice.  Add more Tzatziki on top if you like. 

When I was pregnant (over 25 years ago) I craved Daisy Baked Potatoes topped with Cauliflower and Cheese...and this dish brings back those memories. In my opinion Hubby nails this classic. Ingredients: 1 head Cauliflower 150g Butter 3 heaped Tblsp Plain Flour 2 cup Milk 1/2 cup Tasty Cheese; grated 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese; grated 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese; grated Method: Cut cauliflower into small florets (discarding the leaves) Add to an oven proof dish with a lid Add 1/4 cup water Add lid and microwave 8 mins Meanwhile, add saucepan to the stove top with butter on a low heat until melted. Add flour and mix until combined. Add milk progressively while whisking. Keep whisking! Mixture should come together. Turn heat up a little then add all the cheeses. Mix well. Then top cauliflower with cheese sauce. Hubby even adds a little more grated cheese on top! Place in oven until top is golden approx 10 mins.

I saw these online and wanted to give them a try.  OMG they were better than expected! Hubby was suitably impressed considering he had no idea smashed tacos were a thing! Ingredients: 8 mini tortillas 400g of chicken mince 1 tsp of paprika 1 tsp of garlic powder 1/2 tsp of oregano 2 rashers bacon; cooked Cos Lettuce; finely shredded 1/2 cup parmesan cheese Fresh chives; optional    Caesar dressing: 1 tblsp mayonnaise 3 tblsp Greek yoghurt 1 clove of garlic; minced 1 tbsp of parmesan 3-4 drops of Worcestershire sauce 1/2 Lemon; juiced  Salt/pepper Dash of water Method: Mix the chicken mince with the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add 1 heaped tablespoon of chicken mixture to each tortilla and smash in down.    Add oil to a pan on medium heat and place the tacos chicken side down. Fry on this side first for 5 minutes or until cooked then flip and do the same on the other side.   Prepare the Caesar dressing by mixing all of the ingredients together until smooth.   Once the tacos are cooked, spread over half of the dressing and top with some lettuce, bacon, parmesan and chives if using.  Add more dressing on top if you like.   

This is a cracker of a recipe because it looks and tastes like KFC! Serve in a bun with lettuce and mayo or with stir-fried veg or fried rice on the side. Hubby has definitely out done himself this time! Ingredients: 1 Tblsp Each Dried Paprika, Dried Tumeric, Chicken Stock Powder, Dried Garlic Flakes 500ml Plain Greek Yoghurt 1 Cup Plain Flour 1.5kg Chicken Thighs; cut into quarters Method: Mix dried spices with yoghurt and marinate chicken in yoghurt mixture in fridge for a few hours or overnight.   Place flour in a large container.   With tongs, remove chicken from marinade and cover in flour. Add container lid and shake if necessary to ensure chicken is completely coated.   Once all covered, place chicken on wire racks with oven tray underneath (spray rack with olive oil spray – and spray chicken with oil as well) *   Place in preheated 200.C oven for 30 mins or until cooked and golden.   Serve in buns with lettuce, mayo, avocado and red onion.   *Alternatively cook chicken pieces in hot oil for a few minutes to brown and then place in 180. C oven to cook 20-25 mins.

This is the perfect comfort food dessert. The apples break down and the topping is incredibly crispy like a biscuit. Perfect for a crowd as it will serve 8-10 people. Don't forget the cream and ice cream! Ingredients: 7 Granny Smith apples 1/4 cup sugar  1 tsp ground cinnamon   For the topping 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 2 large eggs 2/3 cup melted butter Method: Preheat oven to 180.C. Peel and slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Add the apples to a large mixing bowl and toss with the 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Taste and add more sugar as needed if apples are very tart.  Pour apples into a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and eggs in a medium mixing bowl until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour the crumbs over the apples to cover.  Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the crumb mixture. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.  Cool 10 minutes before serving. 

A true fave of mine that brings back so many memories.  This recipe is from my first ever recipe book that I glued recipes in to. And one of the first recipes I mastered back in my 20s.  Ingredients: 3½ cups grated zucchini 1 onion, chopped 3 rashers bacon, cooked and chopped 1½ cups grated Tasty Cheese 1 cup S.R. flour ⅓ cup oil 5 eggs, lightly beaten Method: Once you've grated the zucchini, squeeze out any excess water. Then combine all ingredients, mixing well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased (24 x 29cm) oven tray pan.  Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

This is perfect if you've got leftover cold rice along with a half used jar of curry paste in the fridge. The texture and flavour is just awesome and make sure you add heaps of fresh salad ingredients plus fresh herbs. Ingredients: 2 cups cooked rice (your fave style) 2 tblsp Red Curry Paste 1/2 cup Olive Oil  + Salad ingredients  Snow peas Cucumber  Eschallots Cherry Tomatoes  Radish Red Capsicum  Sesame seeds + Dressing Juice of 1 Lime Method: Mix rice, curry paste and olive oil in a bowl. Spread onto an oven tray and cook in oven 180.c for 30 mins or until crispy.   Let cool and add your fave salad ingredients along with fresh lime juice. Toss well and serve. 

I'm a bark fan (just check out my Banana Bark recipe) so I had to try this when I saw it online. I just made a few tweaks of my own. Basically use whatever seeds and nuts are your fave as long as you add the tahini (sesame seed paste) and honey (make sure it's Arnold's pure honey) to bind it altogether. Enjoy this healthy snack! Ingredients: 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds 1/3 cup sesame seeds 1/3 cup raw chopped cashews 1/3 cup chopped slivered almonds 1/3 cup desiccated coconut 1/3 cup tahini 1/4 cup Arnold’s pure Honey 1 cup dark chocolate chips Sea salt  Method: Preheat oven to 180° C. Place your seeds and nuts into a bowl. Pour over your tahini and honey. Mix well. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Spread and flatten out mixture. Bake for 15 minutes making sure it doesn't burn. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in incrementing 25 seconds each. About 3 times. Pour melted chocolate over baked seed/nuts and smooth out. Top with flaky salt. Freeze to harden and cut into chunks. Store in a container in the freezer. 

This cake is a little like a rustic slice and is a simple and delightful dessert that combines the comforting flavours of apple and cinnamon. I make this on repeat and its my most popular dessert! It's comfort food at it's best. The batter is quite thick , so its more of a "dessert" cake than a "cake" cake. Ingredients: 4 Granny Smith Apples; Peeled and chopped into large cubes 2 Cups Self Raising Flour 1 Cup Caster Sugar 125g Butter; Melted 1 Egg; Lightly Beaten Cinnamon & Caster Sugar to Sprinkle on Top Method: Mix apples, flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and egg, stir until well combined. Press into a lined slice tray and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked. Serve with ice cream or custard. Enjoy!