You’ll have about 1½ cups of the cake mixture left over to make more cakes for your party. Note

You can buy sponge cakes for this recipe, if you like (preferably jam and cream filled). You could also buy a large meringue as well, to break up and use to fill and decorate the cake. In this case, you’ll need half the meringue ingredients only, to make the meringue sticks. Note

For an earthier flavour, barbecue the whole eggplant. First prick the skin all over with a fork, then cook the eggplant for about 30 minutes – depending on its size and the heat of the barbecue – or until the eggplant collapses. Cool the eggplant, peel away the skin, then proceed with the recipe. Mini […]

Wear disposable gloves when peeling the beetroot. Note

A mint pattie is a round chocolate-coated confectionery with a soft peppermint centre. It is available from most supermarkets. You may also use Griffin’s mint treat bites if mint pattie’s are not available. Note

Delicious and chewy chocolate Turkish delights with the sweet scent of rosewater and the crunch of sliced almonds.

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml); bake about 35 minutes. Note

A crispy baked pumpkin and ricotta dish that is a great healthy side to go with meaty dishes.

You can crumb chicken up to 24 hours in advance. Place in single layer on tray, cover and refrigerate. Tonkatsu sauce is available from Asian food stores. Note

Crispy and delicious spiced spatchcock with a cooling herb yogurt from Australian Women's Weekly.

Keeping time: 4 days. Note

Demerara or raw sugar can be used instead of coffee crystals. All of these sugars add a crunchy texture to the muffins. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Note

Instead of piping the cream cheese mixture onto the canapés, you can just use a teaspoon to drop small amounts on top of the mini toasts. Mini toasts are available from delis, groumet food shops and some supermarkets. Note

A beautifully bright and colourful rainbow salad packed full of beetroot, asparagus, orange and avocado.

Omelettes can be made up to 3 hours ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator, roll and slice just before assembling salad. Note

It’s important to use regular honey in the matzo cake, not the easy-to-pour liquefied version Note

This recipe also makes 12 standard muffins (⅓-cup/80ml capacity holes). Bake cakes for 20 minutes. Note

A fun and delicious gingerbread man that is great for kid's parties.

Harissa is a delicious spicy Moroccan paste made from dried red chillies, garlic, oil and caraway seeds.

This Italian-style seafood, bean and tomato stew has a delicious combination of flavours and textures.

Packed full of goodness, this delicious seafood stew is complemented beautifully by these tasty homemade garlic croutons. A real Winter favourite!

Crispy potato wedges with a light and summery sun-dried tomato pesto.

Crispy, fluffy and delicious potato puffs packed full of garlic, onion, bacon and gruyere.

Haloumi is a firm, sheep-milk cheese with a minty, salty flavour; it does not break down when cooked, however, it should be eaten while still warm as it becomes tough and rubbery on cooling. This recipe is perfect for cooking on the barbecue when entertaining friends or family ­ serve with a couscous salad for […]

Fruit mince is a mixture of dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and candied peel, nuts, spices, apple, brandy or rum. It is used as a filling for cakes, puddings and fruit mince pies. Note

Hearty and warming, this delicious stew is packed full of fresh seafood to nourish your body and soul.

You could stir some finely chopped and seeded cucumber into the remaining yoghurt. Note

You’ll be prouder than a peacock when you present this cake at the party. The design is mainly in the placement of the lollies. Note

Allen’s Racing Cars and Pineapples can be found in Allen’s Teeth `n’ Stuff, Retro Party Mix and Classic Party Mix. Note

A delicious and tri-coloured ice-cream topped with dark chocolate and almonds.

Asian-style pork and chicken stir-fry with a wonderfully rich black bean sauce.

If you have an electric pressure cooker you won’t need to reduce the heat to stabilise pressure, your cooker will automatically stabilise itself. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions before using. Frying the herbs in butter, rather than adding them directly to the sauce, gives them extra flavour and keeps them bright green. Recipe not […]

A quick and easy authentic Italian pasta with sausage meatballs and cannelloni.

If using frozen berries, use them unthawed, this will minimise “bleeding” of the colour into the mixture. Muffins can be frozen either individually wrapped in foil or together in a sealed container for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen muffins, either place muffins on an oven tray covered with foil, or wrap individual muffins […]

This playful, and friendly, looking monster will keep the little ones amused with its bright, cheery colours and smiling face. Note

A fragrant and simple spiced lamb dish with rice and lentil from Australian Women's Weekly.

Raid the delicatessen shop to create this exquisite French platter.

Be careful when frying mint as it will spit. Note

Store in an airtight container at a cool room temperature until ready to serve. Cake pops will keep for up to a week. Use red Candy Melts in place of tinted chocolate Melts if you like. Note

Roasting makes both the parsnip and garlic wonderfully sweet and mellow. When preparing the parsnips, be sure to peel thickly enough to remove all the bitter outer layer, and also to cut off any woody core. Note

Spice-rubbed lamb salad with roast capsicum, red onion and dutch carrots.

17 paddle pop sticks halved crossways are needed for this recipe. Note

Pre-baked, packaged pizza bases first appeared in supermarkets during the 1980s. They come in various sizes, some with cheese already in the mix. You need to purchase a large barbecued chicken weighing approximately 900g to get the amount of shredded meat required for this recipe. Note

Celeriac is a tuberous root with knobbly brown skin, white flesh and a celerylike flavour. Keep peeled celeriac in acidulated water to stop it discolour ing. In addition to being boiled and mashed, as we have done here, celeriac can be grated and eaten raw in salads; used in soups and stews; or sliced thinly […]

An exquisitely Mediterranean breakfast dish served with a gorgeous capsicum olive relish.

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 Tiny heart cutters are sometimes sold as `aspic cutters’. We’ve scattered Allen’s Sour Rush Jelly Beans, Allen’s Milk Bottle Mania and Nestlé Melts White Cooking Compound around the […]

If taking this salad to work, pack the dressing separately and add to the salad at lunch time. note Rice vermicelli is similar to bean thread noodles, only longer and made with rice flour instead of mung bean starch. It is available from supermarkets Note

Instead of individual dishes, use a single large shallow 3-litre (12-cup) baking dish for this recipe. The cooking time will be the same. Note

You can use any flavoured jelly you wish. Note

To decorate the cake in the same colours as pictured here, you need 32 of each colour. We used rainbow Mentos mints, which come in packs of three. The purple and green colours can be used in lolly bags. Decorate the cake however you like using all the colours, rather than the ones used here. […]

Substitute pork with chicken. This recipe is best made just before serving. Note

A super-fast version of the Southern-Indian madras curry that packs a chilli punch.

If you have an electric pressure cooker you won’t need to reduce the heat to stabilise pressure, your cooker will automatically stabilise itself. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions before using. This dish is traditionally German or Eastern European, but France adopted it when it annexed the Alsace region in the mid 17th century. It […]

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

Assemble pastries no more than an hour before serving, refrigerate until required. Note

A member of the onion family, the leek resembles a green onion, but is much larger and more subtle in flavour. Baby or pencil leeks are beautifully tender and can be eaten whole with minimal cooking, but adult leeks are usually trimmed then chopped or sliced and cooked as an ingredient in stews, casseroles and […]

Filling can be made a day ahead. Store, covered, in the fridge. Note

The sponge roll used for this recipe has a diameter of 10cm and a length of 16cm. Note

Variously called sfinciuni or sfincione in Sicily, we call it delicious - a double-decker pizza with its aromatic filling hidden between the layers.