Wowwwweeeee. Can’t take credit for this one… it was just one of those amazing moments in the kitchen when minds and stomachs combine. Genius. Thanks, Andy x

What you need:
- pizza bases (please, please, PLEASE make your own. Recipe here http://megancancookstuff.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/easy-and-delicious-pizza-bases)
- 1C brown sugar
- 1 C pouring cream
- 1/4 C butter
- 1/2 fresh pinapple, chopped
- 1T cinnamon
- 1T brown sugar
- a little vege oil
- good vanilla ice cream

What to do:

- make your pizza bases and roll out
- pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees
- make your caramel sauce by combining brown sugar, butter and cream – stir over low heat til combined and thickened a little
- coat your chopped pineapple with the cinnamon and brown sugar and shallow fry in oil until they get a little colour
- spread caramel sauce over the base of your pizza
- sprinkle cooked pineapple over the top evenly
- cook for about 15mins
- serve with a dollop of ice cream on top.

Mind blowing.

So i’m asking you, my friends and potential jam giftees, to help me choose the fruit.

Take the poll! I’ll reward you with jam!

x

I’m a little bit in love with the ‘choke at the moment. This recipe is really delicious and full of carbs and cheese – huzzah!
I used tinned artichoke hearts. Fresh artichokes are far too pretty to cut up.

What you need:
- 1 x brown onion
- garlic
- olive oil
- 1 x tin artichoke hearts (i also added a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts for a little more flavour)
- 1 x bunch english spinach
- 1 x jar pasta sauce
- mozzarella cheese
- 1 x pack lasagna sheets

What to do:
- pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
- chop onions finely. cook onions and garlic in a little olive oil until onions are soft.
- add drained artichokes and spinach which has been washed well and steamed
- add pasta sauce – if you think you need more moisture add a little water
- season to taste and cook for 5mins
- in a baking dish create layers: artichoke mix, grated mozzarella, lasagna sheets… and so on until the artichoke mixture is all used up
- add a final layer of mozzarella (or your favourite cheese) to the top
- bake in the oven for 30 – 40 mins or until lasagna sheets are cooked

I made this cake for my dad for fathers day. A few weeks later he asked if i could make him more in cupcake version cos he liked it so much and wanted to take them to work. Awwwww daddy.

The cake recipe is so very simple.

What you need:

- 2C self-raising flour
- 1 1/2C plain flour
- 1t bi carb soda
- 2t nutmug
- 2t cinnamon
- 3 1/2C carrot – grated
- 100g walnuts – roughly chopped
- 1/4C sultanas
- 1 1/4C vege oil
- 5 eggs (free range please)
- 1 small tub sour cream
- 250g cream cheese
- 1/2t vanilla essence
- 1 1/3C icing sugar

Hey presto:
- pre-heat oven to 180 degrees and prepare your muffin pans or cake tin.
- sift together flours, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a fairly large mixing bowl.
- add carrot, walnuts, sultanas, oil, eggs and sour cream and mix well til combined.
- spoon mixture into your muffin pans or cake tin, bake for around 20 – 25mins for cupcakes or 1 hour or so for the cake (check this regularly).

Icing (ingredients above in italics)
- beat cream cheese with an electric beater til smooth.
- add the vanilla essence
- gradually add the icing sugar until well combined.
- wait til your cupcakes/cake is cool before you slop the icing on top.

Daddylicious!

Suggested listening: Roy Orbison… cos that’s what i was listening to when i cooked this last

I love birthdays.

This cake is (top to bottom) choc orange, white choc, caramel and chocolate mud cake. The icing is a white chocolate icing.>

So much fun to make! And her fucking wings light up!

What you need:
- 3/4 cup self-raising flour
- 1/3 cup custard powder
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 3T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- food colouring
- whipping cream

What to do:
- pre-heat oven to 180 degrees and grease and line two 20cm round.
- sift SR flour and custard powder.
- place large heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water
- put the eggs and sugar in the bowl and whisk til it’s light and fluffy and lovely (this will most likely take about 10mins – yes, that’s a lot of whisking).
- remove the egg mixture from the heat and add half the melted butter and whisk through, then add the rest. whisk!
- add the SR flour and custard powder and fold through with a fork.
- divide the mixture into three bowls.
- add food colouring to each and fold through. you can do whatever colours you want. i did pink, blue and yellow.
- spoon the mixture into the cake tins one colour at a time and swirl together with a fork to give a marbled effect.
- bake for about 20mins or until cakes bounce back on touch.
- let the cakes cool then ice with cream. i coloured my cream – pink and green were my colours of choice.

Delicious and delightful.

Best dish ever - gold sausages and soysages with mash and roasted veg

Orange and poppyseed cupcakes

Refried bean and jalapeno enchiladas

Pear jam

Pizza! Artichoke, mushrooms, feta, soysage.

Gosh this recipe is easy and so, so delicious.

What you need:
- 2 blocks dark cooking chocolate (get the good shit, please)
- 1 bag pistachios (unsalted)
- 1 bag cranberries

What to do:
- melt the chocolate*
- add the pistachios and cranberries
- whack into a lined tray (you want it to be maybe 1cm thick)
- cool in the fridge over night
- cut up into small squares and share with your nearest and dearest

** Here’s how i like to melt my chocolate. You can do it in the microwave but you need to be careful cos things don’t heat evenly in microwaves and if you over cook the chocolate it will go hard…

Melting Chocolate With a Double Boiler

The traditional method of melting chocolate is to use a double boiler. A double boiler is a specialized set of pans consisting of a saucepan that holds hot water, and a bowl that fits securely over the saucepan. Chocolate is placed in the top bowl and allowed to melt over gentle, indirect heat. If you don’t own a double boiler, any metal or glass bowl that fits snugly over the top of a saucepan can be used.

Begin by filling the saucepan with hot water from the tap. You want enough water to provide heat, but not so much that the bottom of the chocolate bowl touches the water. Heat the saucepan over low heat until it just begins to simmer, then turn off the stove and place the chocolate bowl over the water. If you are melting large amounts of chocolate, begin with 1/3 of your final quantity and melt in batches, waiting until the chocolate in the bowl is melted before adding more unmelted chunks. Let the chocolate begin to melt, and then stir it gently with a plastic spatula. When almost all of the chocolate is melted, life the top bowl from the saucepan and set it on the counter. Stir continuously until it is shiny, smooth, and completely melted.
(taken from http://candy.about.com/od/workingwithchocolate/a/meltchocolate.htm)

This recipe came from… Philippa! x

It’s starting to feel all wintery again. My first soup for the season this year was a corn chowder… it was yummy.

What you need:
- some butter
- 1 small onion (diced)
- flour
- 1 can creamed corn
- 1 can corn kernels (or two fresh corn cobs)
- 1 can full of vege stock
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1 potato (diced)
- 1 1/2 C milk
- salt and pepper to taste

Here’s what to do:
- melt the butter and then cook your onions til soft
- add the flour and cook for a little while
- add the vege stock and cook for 5 – 10mins
- add corn, creamed corn, carrot, potato and salt & pepper then cook til the veges are soft (i reckon about 15mins)
- add the milk
- serve with a thick slice of fresh, dense, crusty bread.
- soup heaven!

(this recipe was inspired by this one http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Vegetarian-Corn-Chowder/Detail.aspx)