NUT MERINGUE SLICE

Ingredients......125 gm of butter/ marg, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1/2 cup of apricot jam. Topping....3 egg whites, 1/2 cup of castor sugar, 120 gm of granulated nuts. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a 30 cm x 20 cm pan with baking paper. Beat the butter/ marg and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters until light and creamy. Add the beaten egg gradually along with 1 dsp of the flour beating well after each addition. Now using a large metal spoon add the rest of the flour and stir until just combined and the mixture is ALMOST smooth. Press the mixyure into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Spread the pastry evenly with the jam. Now let's make the topping. Beat the egg whites in the dry bowl of your electric mixer until firm peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating continually until the mixture is thick and glossy and the sugar is dissolved. Carefully fold in the nuts with a wooden spoon. Spread the meringue mixture evenly over the slice base. Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is cooked and the meringue is set, about 35 minutes. Carefully remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely, before slicing into fingers to serve. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

SAUSAGE AND BEAN CASSEROLE

Ingredients.....8 flavoured sausages, 2 tbs of rice bran/ canola oil, 1 large onion, chopped, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 1 green capsicum, deseeded and chopped, 400 gm can of diced tomatoes, 2 tbs of tomato paste, 400 gm of cannellini beans, mashed potatoes / steamed rice to serve. Spray a large frying pan with cooking oil and heat over a medium heat. Prick the sausages all over with a metal skewer. Add the sausages to the warmed pan and cook until evenly browned. Now remove the sausages from the frying pan and keep warm. Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper. Heat the oil in the frying pan and add the onion, capsicum and minced garlic, stirring occasionally until the onion softens. Add the tomatoes to the frying pan, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Stir in the tomato paste, cannellini beans and the sausages. Cook until the mixture is piping hot. Add 4 tbs of water if the mixture becomes a little dry during cooking. Season to taste with cracked black pepper. Serve with mashed potato or steamed rice.

CORN MUFFINS

Ingredients.....1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 1 cup of polenta, 2/3 rds of a cup of corn kernals, 1/2 cup of creamed corn, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 125 gm of butter/ marg , melted and cooled. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Lightly spray a 12 hole 1/2 cup muffin pan with cooking oil spray. Place the flour and 1/4 tsp of salt into a large bowl. Stir in the polenta and the corn kernals. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl mix together the creamed corn, milk and eggs, then pour into the well. Finally add the melted butter/ marg, fold in gently with a metal spoon until just combined. DO NOT overmix, the mixture should be lumpy. As I always remind you, over mixing will make your muffins tough. Fill each muffin hole 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins have risen, golden and coming away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool slightly in the pan before gently loosening each muffin with a flat bladed knife and lift onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. These are really delicious.

CHICKEN WITH CHILLI AND BASIL

Ingredients......1 onion, diced, 1 tbs of rice bran/ canola oil, 450 gm of chicken fillet, diced, 1 tbs of chilli flakes, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of soft brown sugar, 2 tbs of fish sauce, 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and stir fry the onion, now follow with the diced chicken breast and stir fry until golden brown all over. Add the chilli flakes, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, stir fry for 2 minutes until combined. Add the torn basil leaves and stir through until well combined. Stir with steamed rice / grains. Simple and delicious.

HONEY AND GINGER SCONE FINGERS

This is just another way to make something delicious from a simple scone dough. Ingredients.......2 cups of self raising flour, 30 gm of butter/ marg, 1/4 of a cup of minced ginger, 3/4 of a cup of milk, 3 tbs of honey, extra milk to glaze and castor sugar to sprinkle. Pre heat your oven to 200 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Mix the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and add the butter/ marg. Rub the butter/ marg in with your fingertips, then stir in the minced ginger. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix. Place the milk and honey in a small saucepan and warm over a medium heat until the honey combines with the milk, do not boil. Pour the milk mix into the flour well and mix with a flat bladed knife using a cutting action, until the dough comes together in clumps. with floured hands gather the dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a smooth ball. Do not knead the dough or the scone fingers will be tough. Shape the dough into a 20 cm square. Divide the square into 3 equal strips, then cut each strip into 5 pieces. Place the fingers close together on the lined oven tray. Brush lightly with the extra milk and sprinkle with castor sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the scone fingers have risen and are golden. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

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SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Ingredients......500gm of fresh spaghetti, 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/2 cup of cream, 1 cup of finely grated Parmesan, 2 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 300 gm of bacon pieces. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until cooked, drain and keep warm. Mix together the eggs, cream and parmesanin a bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the bacon pieces and the garlic, cook over a medium heat until the bacon is cooked through. Add the pasta to the frying pan and toss to combine. Remove from the heat and and stir through the the egg mixture, the heat of the pasta will cook the egg. Season to taste with cracked black pepper. Serve warm.

JAM THUMBPRINT SCONES

Ingredients.......1 and 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 30 gm of butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of strawberry jam, icing sugar to dust. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Mix together the flour with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and add the butter/ marg. Rub the butter/ marg into the flour with your fingertips. Make a well in the centre and add the milk. Mix with a flat bladed knife, using a cutting actio until the dough comes together in clumps. With floured hands until the dough comes together, lift out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a smooth ball. Please dough not knead the dough or the scones will be tough. Shape the dough out to about a 2 cm thickness. Use a 4 cm cutter and cut into rounds. Gather the trimmings and shape into a 2 cm thickness without handling too much and cut into more rounds. Place the scone rounds close together on the prepared tray. Make a deep indentation in each scone round with your thumb and fill each cavity with the jam. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until they are risen and golden brown on top. Dust with icing sugar to serve. I serve these with a dollop of cottage cream topped with a dob of strawberry jam.