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Vegetarian Pasta Salad Who would’ve thought those random veggies you’ve got left in the bottom of your fridge could be transformed into something as incredible as this Vegetarian Pasta Salad?? Forget limp, bland veggies sitting sadly amongst tasteless, soggy pasta. THIS cold pasta salad is the polar opposite of that. It’s vibrant, it’s flavour loaded, it’s JUICY, and will make even green-haters scoff down a weeks’ worth of veggies in one sitting!...

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”! Meatloaf recipe A loaf made entirely of meat. What’s not to love? (Vegetarians are excused 😉) It’s economical. It’s quick to prepare. It’s a classic family favourite. And leftovers make terrific sandwiches. If you think that Meatloaf is really just a giant beef burger shaped like a loaf, it’s time to abandon that misconception! Meatloaf shouldn’t taste like a hamburger!...

The marinade for this recipe is adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe. I’m a huge fan of Bobby Flay. I still stand by a comment I made previously that he should seriously consider wearing sunnies when he cooks outdoors because I swear, he is permanently squinting in his Barbecue Addiction TV series! Bobby Flay’s food is totally up my alley. He’s into strong flavours, herbs and spices, cooking food from all over the world, and while he does do Western takes on ethnic recipes, he always stays on the right side of “the line”....

Also see Baked Mushroom Rice! A Mushroom recipe for mushroom lovers! This one is for mushrooms lovers! Though….in all honesty, I know not of any mushroom haters. I’m a Banana Hater (slimy horrible, stinky thing!). I know a hater of all things “bouncy” (fish cakes, tofu etc), a capsicum hater, and a hater of all things that smell like…..errr…. wind. Egg, popcorn and corn apparently fall into this category. But I’ve never heard of a Mushroom Hater....

This is a fully loaded mushroom recipe – there’s 750g / 1.5 lb mushrooms in this! Mushroom Risotto It’s such a let down when you’re faced with a giant bowl of Mushroom Risotto, only to find you have to fish around desperately through piles of gluey rice to find a a few piddly bits of mushrooms. Let me assure you, no fishing expedition will be required for this Mushroom Risotto!...

Red velvet is hugely popular in the US. I remember watching one of those reality shows about a popular cupcake shop in the US (I think it was in Georgetown in Washington) and the owners said that the most popular cupcake by a long shot was Red Velvet. Australia hasn’t quite caught on (yet!). Red Velvet is always a staple at cupcake shops, but they aren’t the most popular. When I offer to make cupcakes for birthday parties, no one ever asks for Red Velvet!...

Ricotta Pancakes Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE traditional pancakes. But sometimes it’s nice to make a wee bit of an effort to make ricotta pancakes which are extra special. Super moist inside with a flavour that is almost a bit cheesecakey, even when you don’t know it’s a ricotta pancake you’re eating, you know it’s different to the usual. These are the pancakes that posh bistros have on their menus....

Satay Chicken is probably better known as Malaysian and Thai. But actually, it is originally from Indonesia. And as with all popular dishes from cuisines around the world, there are many versions of chicken satay. I’d like to share all the popular ones with you eventually – Thai, Malaysian and even the Singaporean version. But I thought it would be ideal to start with the original and the easiest – the Indonesian version....

Easy enough for midweek yet impressive enough for company, this crock pot pork loin is going to rock your world! I will do anything I can to try to convince you to try this, so let me say again: THIS CROCK POT PORK LOIN WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD!!! OK, I confess. I just like that it (kind of) rhymes and wanted to say it. Again. ? I’m done with the fun – now down to business!...

Terrific festive party food! Paella recipe If you’ve always wanted to but been too afraid to try Paella, I can assure you – there is no reason to be scared! If you approach it the right way – and I like to keep my recipes as risk free as possible – you will end up with rice that’s cooked exactly to your taste in a saffron infused, flavour loaded sauce with all your seafood cooked to perfection....

A big, juicy Steak Sandwich! There are sandwiches….then there are sandwiches. THEN there are SANDWICHES. This is the latter. I find it ironic that I call this a sandwich because it is about as far as you can get from the ham, lettuce and tomato sandwich that I slapped together to munch on as I was setting up to photograph these Steak Sandwiches. (And yes, I totally see how ridiculous it must seem that I’m munching on a basic sandwich when I have these in front of me but I was hungry, couldn’t wait until I finished shooting, and the last time I rushed photos because I was so starving, I wasn’t happy with them so I had to remake and rephotograph it....

A steakhouse classic, this creamy pepper sauce with juicy steak is a match made in heaven. And it’s made with just 4 ingredients. Four. FOUR!!! Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a Steakhouse classic Creamy Peppercorn Sauce was always my first choice at steakhouses which I frequented quite regularly back in my corporate days. Having traded in suits and heels for an apron, there’s no corporate lunches for me anymore. I make my steaks at home!...

/cook Swedish Meatballs I’m that person who goes into Ikea just to pick up tea lights, only to emerge 2 hours later with all sorts of useful organisation solutions, looking for a problem to solve. I’m also that person who confidently puts together Ikea furniture (I’m a chartered accountant! I can do this!), only to worryingly end up with one leftover screw or bracket. Thankfully, none of my Ikea furniture has come tumbling down (yet), so now I have a theory that Ikea throws an extra piece into every flatpack just to mess with us....

My blogs are usually upbeat and cheerful, but I couldn’t possibly share a Syrian dish without acknowledging the unrest currently going on in Syria. Syria is a country that has been at civil war for almost 4 years. And the most devastating of this war, as with any war, is the effect on the innocent. More than a quarter of Syrians – 4 million people – have fled their homes to seek safety in neighbouring countries....

Fully loaded with chicken, bacon and egg, it’s an excellent work day lunch, a show-off salad for gatherings, and guess what? It stays green for days! That Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing….. This recipe is all about the creamy avocado ranch dressing. It is Great – with a capital “G”. Regular readers know when I capitalise, I mean it! 😂 It’s not just about making a dressing that’s traditionally made with loads of mayonnaise healthier....

The idea behind this recipe is that the gorgeous mushroom juice drips into the rice as it bakes – the best broth base ever! Incredible, super easy mushroom recipe! I think the two most common recipe questions I get are: Can this be made with chicken breast? (Hands down, the most asked 😂) Can this be made in the oven? (Followed closely by the 3rd most asked question: Can this be made in a slow cooker?...

This is a cookbook exclusive recipe! This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code! Just to explain…. I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀 I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise....

I have THREE versions for you to choose from – a No Bake cheesecake made without gelatine, a baked creamy one, or a light-yet-creamy New York Cheesecake cheesecake style. This is an epic post! Blueberry Cheesecake Bars! I kid you not, I think I made about a dozen batches of cheesecake bars over the past 6 weeks or so since blueberries started appearing in the stores here in Sydney. You might think I’m turning into a mad baker, but I swear that’s not it (wait – maybe I am)....

Excellent way to make use of leftover bread. Make it now or leave it overnight, then just pop it in the oven the next day! Breakfast Casserole – Strata Cake! Being completely upfront – this is not a real dish as such, it’s just something I made up on a whim back when I first published it over 5 years ago as a way to make breakfast for a group without frying up individual bacon and eggs for everyone....