1 bunch of fresh asparagus, chopped
1 knob of butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp seeded Mustard
200g sliced fresh mushrooms
100g diced bacon
300ml cream
1/4 cup cornflour
1/2 cup white wine
Cooked fettuccine

Cook mushrooms/bacon with your asparagus in the butter. When cooked add in minced garlic and mustard. Cook for a minute. Remove from pan. Mix cornflour with white wine. Add cream to same pan and wine mixture. Stir until thickened slightly. Add cooked fettucine and asparagus mixture. Then walla! You have yummy pasta.

500g Sausage meat
500g mince meat
1 egg
mixed herbs
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
dried breadcrumbs

Sauce:
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Mix meats together in a large bowl. Add egg, mixed herbs, sauce and salt and pepper. Add enough bread crumbs to make the meat stuck together but not dry it out. Form meat into a log and bake in moderate oven for approx 35 minutes.

Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over meatloaf and bake for a further 15 minutes. Serve with steamed veg and mashed potato.

500g beef mince
Plain flour
Oil
2 tbs coriander

Sauce:
1 tbs red curry paste
2 tbs Crunchy Peanut butter
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
1 1/4 cups coconut milk

Roll mince into small balls and coat lightly with flour. Fry balls in oil until golden. Drain on paper towels

Drain off most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tbs. Add curry paste and fry for 1 minute. Add all other ingredients and bring to boil. Add meatballs, lower heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Serve over steamed rice and steamed asian vegetables and sprinkled with corriander.

500g lamb strips
2 onions, sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp of chili powder or minced chili
3 tbs oil
1 tsp cornflour
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tbs oyster sauce
2 tsp hoisin sauce

Combine lamb, onions, spring onions and oil in a bowl. Stirfry mixture in batches in a wok for about 2 minutes each batch. Remove. Add capsicum and 2 tbs of water to wok, cover with lid and steam for 1 minute. Add stock, sauces and meat and toss well. Combine in a seperate bowl corn flour with 1 tsp water. Add to the meat mixture and cook until sauce thickens. Serve with steamed rice.

1 cup plain flour
Rosemary, thyme, oregano, paprika, cracked pepper
1.2kg chicken pieces
100g butter

Heat oven to 200°C. Place butter in baking dish and melt in oven. In a large bowl, mix flour with desired amounts of herbs and spices. Dip chicken into melted butter and toss in flour. Shake off excess flour and place chicken in the baking dish with left over butter. If there isn’t much butter left in the dish, pop a bit more in to prevent it from being dry. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, turn chicken over around half way through cooking.
Serve with roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables and a gravy made in the same baking dish.

Gravy: Make up gravy according to your gravy mix’s instructions, I throw in an extra tbs to make it thicker and tastier. Scrape the chicken coating off the bottom of the pan while stiring and when it’s thickened, remove from heat.

250g cooked spaghetti
2 tbs oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 400g tin of tomatoes, chopped
3 tbs tomato paste
425g can tuna in brine, drained
2 tsp oregano

Heat oil in pan, add shallots and garlic. Cook for 1 minute then add tomatoes and paste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add tuna and oregano. Stir well. Serve over spaghetti.

8 chicken thighs
1 packet of French onion soup mix
1/2 cup of honey
3/4 cup white wine

Mix the soup mix, honey and wine in a bowl. Place thighs in a baking dish and pour sauce over. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve with baked potato and steamed vegetables.

This recipe can also be made in the slow cooker.

500g BBQ sausages
1 packet of frozen stirfry vegetables
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup sweet chile sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs white wine
2 tbs water
2 tsp sugar (optional)

Cook sausages in a large pan/electric frying pan. Remove from pan, set aside to cook slightly. In same pan, stirfry vegetables until done. Chop sausages into 2cm slices and add to vegetables. Mix remaining ingredients in a jug, and pour over sausage mixture. Stir well until the sauces starts to bubble.

Serve over mashed potato.

500g diced chicken breast
1 packet frozen broccoli, cooked
1 tin of cream of chicken soup (condensed)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
Bread crumbs
1 cup grated cheese

Cook chicken in fry pan until golden. Place into a baking dish. Add cooked broccoli. In same pan mix remaining ingredients until heated through. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Top with a mixture of bread crumbs and cheese. Bake in hot oven until the crust on top is golden. Serve with rice.

1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes
Cooking spray
1 tbs honey, plus extra to serve
1 litre vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1 cup (220g) arborio rice
2/3 cup (160ml) white wine
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tbs mascarpone cheese, plus extra to serve

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Spray a large baking tray with cooking spray. Lay pumpkin in an even layer then spray again with cooking spray. Sprinkle a generous amount of freshly ground salt and pepper over the pumpkin. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove and drizzle the honey. Toss the pumpkin to coat each piece. Roast for a further 15 minutes until cooked and golden.

Heat 2 tbs of oil in a large pan. Add onion, cook until soft. Add celery and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add ginger and rice and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly until the rice is covered with the celery mix. Turn the heat down to a medium heat and add wine and cook until absorbed. Add stock a little at a time, Cook stirring until it has been absorbed then add a little more. Cook until the rice is cooked. Add lemon juice, pumpkin and parsley. Stir in mascarpone.
Serve with a dollop of mascarpone, and a little honey drizzled over the top.
Serve with a fresh green salad and a warm italian crusty loaf.

Serves 4.

Oil
1kg beef mince
2 onions diced finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon curry powder
2 carrots grated finely
4 celery stalks diced finely
250g mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 cups beef stock
1/3 cup (80ml) oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
700g thin egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen sliced green beans
1/2 Chinese cabbage shredded finely

Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry mince, onion and garlic until mince is cooked. Add curry powder; and cook for a minute or two longer. Add carrot, celery and mushrooms; stir-fry until vegetables soften a bit. It shouldn’t take too long. Add stock, sauces and noodles, stir-fry gently until combined; bring to a boil. Add peas, beans and cabbage, turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until vegetables are just soft.

Serves 6-8.

3 eggs
3 tbs milk
85g grated cheese
Freshly ground pepper
4 pieces of toast, buttered and halved

Place toast in a shallow baking dish. Melt cheese and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Add pepper. Seperate the eggs. Stir yolks into cheese mixture until thickened. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until they have formed stiff peaks. Fold egg white into cheese mixture. Pour over toast and grill until browned on top.

450g potatoes, chopped roughly
60g butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
250g cabbage, finely shredded
100g diced bacon
3/4 cup grated cheese

Place potatoes in a pan, cover with water and cook until tender. Remove from heat and drain. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer to a bowl and mash coarsely with a fork. Heat butter in pan and cook onion and bacon over low heat for 10 minutes. Add cabbage and stir for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and cheese and stir through until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

1.5 kg boneless pork leg, rolled and secured with string
2 tsp minced ginger
1/3 cup maple syrup
800g tin of pear halves
1/2 cup white wine

Cut slices into the top of the pork roll then rub over with the ginger, pushing it into the slices. Place in a dish then pour over with syrup. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Place pork in a baking pan, reserve the marinade. Bake for about an hour, then add the pears, arranging them around the outside of the pork. Drizzle marinade over the pears and bake for another 20 minutes. Take pork out and slice for serving. Arrange in the center of the plate. Add the pears around the outside.

In the baking dish add the wine and simmer, until it has thickened slightly. Season as desired, and serve as a sauce with the pork and pears.

Serves 6-8.

2 cups pasta
200g diced bacon
1 onion diced
1 tin of condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 cup grated tasty cheese

Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender. Drain well and place in baking dish. In fry pan, cook bacon and onion until onion is soft and mix into the pasta. Pour over combine soup and milk then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 190°C for 45 minutes. Serve with tossed salad and crusty bread.

1 corned silverside
2 tbs Australian Mustard
5 cloves

In a slow cooker combine the ingredients and cover with water. Allow to cook on low for 6 hours. If you are cooking over the stove, bring to the boil, simmer for an hour. Then take the stove off, leaving the meat to still cook slowly in the hot liquid. Serve with a creamy mustard sauce, mashed potato and steamed greens

1.2kg mince
2 onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbs Basil
2 tbs Oregano
1 litre of Pasta sauce

In a food processor place the onions in and mince them, or dice very finely by hand. Combine mince, onions, garlic, basil, oregano in a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until well combined. Pour half the pasta sauce into a slow cooker. Roll small amounts of mince into meat balls and place on top of the sauce in the slow cooker. Cover with remaining sauce and cook on high for 6 hours. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

A quick cook alternative: Place meatballs on an oven tray and bake on hot oven until they are cooked through. Heat pasta sauce. Add meatballs and stir until combined.

This is a bulk mix recipe. It serves 8 generous portions in entirety.

8 sausages
8 mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 medium capsicum, chopped roughly
1/2 a small jar of sundried tomatoes, chopped roughly
3tbs of sliced kalamatta olives
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 cup frozen beans
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 packet of single serve tomato soup (dried mix)
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup of water
Oregano

Heat oil in large pan (I use an electric frying pan) and cook sausages until well browned, set aside to cool slightly and tip out excess oil and fat. Throw in onion, garlic and carrots and cook until onion is soft. Add beans, capsicum and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft.

Slice the sausages into 2 cm slices and add to vegetables. Add sundried tomatoes and olives then add combine soup mix, water and paste. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve mixed through pasta.

Serves around 6.

This is an adapted recipe I picked up from elsewhere – I prefer the cajun flavour to the origional flavour.

3 chicken breasts, halved
McCormicks Cajun Seasoning
300ml cream
100ml white wine
150ml chicken stock

Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning on one side of the chicken breast. In a large fry pan, cook the chicken (seasoned side down) and then sprinkle more seasoning on top of the chicken while it’s cooking. Cook really well until the chicken is crisped and well done. Turn the chicken over and cook the other side.
Remove chicken from the pan and add the cream, wine and stock and stir well, scrapping off the “flavour” off the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce has halved. Return chicken to the pan and coat it in the sauce. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

125g packet chow mein noodles
cooking spray
500g chicken breast, minced in food processor
1 packet of frozen stirfry vegetables
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp coconut essence
1 handful beansprouts

Prepare noodles according to instructions. Drain well. Heat a wok over high heat then spray with oil. Add chicken and cook,for 2 minutes or until golden. Set asside.
Respray wok with more oil then add frozen vegetables. Stirfry then set aside.

Spray wok again then add the curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Combine soy sauce, fish sauce evaporated milk and essence in a bowl. Add to curry paste. Cook, stirring for a minute or two. Add the chicken, vegetables and prepared noodles. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat. Toss through beansprouts.

750g mince
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
4 carrots, grated
1 cup peas
fresh basil, oregano, parsley to taste
1 800g tin of tomatoes
1 475g tin of tomato puree
1 cup of frozen peas
1 grated zucchini
10 leaves of spinach ripped up roughly.
2tbs tomato paste

Cook the mince, onion and garlic in a pan until the onion has softened. Place in the slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients and cook on low for about 6 hours. This makes alot of sauce so you might want to freeze some of it. Serve over cooked pasta.

This recipe has been around since forever – it’s an old English meal. It’s surprisingly tasty and cheap as anything!!

500g sausages of any kind
1 onion sliced
Fresh rosemary
Pepper and salt to taste
1 tbs of wholegrain mustard
3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cups of milk
2 eggs
A little bit of oil.

In a baking dish pour a little oil on the base, and put the sausages and onions in it. Place in a hot oven until the onions have caramelised and the sausages are browned. Meanwhile combine the flour milk and eggs in a bowl and mix until smooth. Add the mustard, rosemary and seasonings. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.
Pour the batter over the sausages and onion and shake slightly to alow the batter to fill in all the gaps. Bake for half an hour until the batter looks golden and crispy.
Serve with steamed veggies and gravy. A different spin on bangers and mash!!

2 chicken breasts
1 cup cornflakes
1 egg, beaten

Chop the chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Crush the cornflakes into large crumbs. Dip the chicken in the egg then coat with cornflakes. Shallow fry or bake.