TOSCA CAKE.

Ingredients.......2 eggs, lightly beaten, 3/4 of a cup of castor sugar, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 1/3 rd of a cup of milk, 1 cup of plain flour flour, 1 dsp of baking powder. Topping.....60 gm of butter/ marg, 1/4 of a cup of castopr sugar, 90 gm of slivered almonds, 1 tbs of plain flour, 1 dsp of milk. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 23 cm round or square pan. Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Melt the butter/ marg and add the milk, then beat into the egg mixture. Mix together the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the topping. Melt the butter/ marg in a small saucepan and add the rest of the topping ingredients and stir over a low heat until well combined. Spread the topping over the top of the cake and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool.

KALE SALAD WITH HONEY LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients......1 bunch of kale, 1/2 lemon, reserving the other half for the vinaigrette, pinch of sea salt. Vinaigrette.....1 tbs of honey, juice of 1/2 lemon, pinch of cracked black pepper, 1/4 cup of olive oil. Honey Nut Topping....2 tbs of honey, 1/2 cup of granulated nuts. Wash and dry the kale and tear into small pieces. Place the torn kale in a large bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice , sprinkling over the sea salt. Gently massage the lemon and salt through the kale., this mixture will soften the kale slightly. Now prepare the vinaigrette. in a small boowl mix together the honey, lemon juice , pepper and oil. Whisk gently until combibned and pour over the kale. To prepare the honey nut topping, line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the honey and nuts in a small pan over a low heat and stir until the honey becomes liquid. Pour the mixture over the baking paper and let it stand for 60 minutes or until it solidifies. Then break into small pieces and sprinkle over the top of the kale salad.

PRAWN JAMBALAYA.

Ingredients.....500 gm of shelled and deveined prawns, 150 gm of diced ham, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 onion, chopped, 1/2 green capsicum, chopped, 1/2 red capsicum, chopped, 1/2 cup of celery, chopped, 1 x 400gm can of diced tomatoes, 500 ml of chicken stock, 1 dsp of dried garlic flakes, 1 dsp of dried thyme leaves, cracked black pepper to taste, sriracha chilli sauce to taste, 180 gm of long grain rice. Heat a large frying pan and use cooking spray to grease the pan. Add the prawns and ham and cook until the prawns turn orange. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Using the same pan add the garlic, onion, capsicums and celery cook until softened. Add the tomatoes, stock, spices and sriracha sauce and slowly bring to the boil. Finally add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes until tender and the moisture has been absorbed. To serve, place the rice mixture on a serving dish and top with the ham and prawns. This is a really tasty dish.

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.