​Recently my son requested I make my Roast Pork with Garlic and Rosemary. I needed a pork neck with no skin, but when I got to the butcher they had a pork neck, but with the skin on. I considered removing the skin, but then I figured I'd try something new, and then this recipe happened.

I baked this pork neck beautifully, the meat was soft and delicious and the crackling super crisp. I roasted potatoes, onions and pumpkin with it, served it with a green salad, and this easy dinner was delicious.

You can add fresh sage or thyme to the roasting dish around the potatoes, for added flavour.

If by chance your crackling didn't crisp up perfectly, you can turn your oven off, and put it on the grill setting now. This step needs to be watched carefully as if you don't watch it carefully it can go from crispy skin to burnt skin in no time. Grill for about 5-10 minutes or until the skin is blistering and perfectly cooked.

Here is a simple recipe that tastes great, something I will make again and again.

​Serves 6

2.4kg pork neck, skin on
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 onions, peeled, sliced into 2-3 discs
​4 cloves garlic, unpeeled, leave the skins on
4 large potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges
​1 1/2 teaspoons vegeta
1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into large wedges
​
Get your butcher to score the skin of the pork belly if it isn't already as they have far sharper knives than we do and do it with ease.

Take the pork out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before baking, leave it uncovered on the kitchen bench so the skin dries out a bit, pat dry with a paper towel if there is any moisture on the skin.

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan forced.

Season the whole pork neck with salt and white pepper. Now you need to season it well as the salt and pepper is only on the surface.
​
Drizzle olive oil in the base of your baking dish.

The onions and garlic are used to provide a base for your pork to sit on. So arrange the onion discs and garlic in the centre of your baking dish, so it is the size of your pork neck.

Place the pork neck skin side up on top of the onion and garlic. Drizzle 1 tablespoons of oil on top of the pork skin, rub it in all over the skin.

In a bowl add your potatoes, 1 teaspoon vegeta and drizzle with some olive oil. Scatter around your pork.

Cut 4 thin strips of aluminium foil about 5-10cm wide, you need to cover the sides of the baking dish (around the pork) with aluminium foil, leaving only the pork skin exposed. So all you should see is the pork skin.

​Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

In the meantime, add the pumpkin to a bowl, season with 1/2 teaspoon vegeta, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil. 

After 1 hour remove the aluminium foil,  add in the pumpkin, bake for a further 1 hour.

​Take the meat out of the oven, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

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​I am always on the lookout for something new to make. This Easter I wanted a new chocolate dessert, that was easy to make, looked nice and tasted great. Well this slice ticked all of those boxes.

These are called Cappuccino Mousse Squares in the cookbook, but I found they had more of an intense chocolate flavour over a coffee flavour, so I renamed them.

Use un-iced, unfilled plain biscuits for this recipe.

This is a delicious little slice that is packed full of chocolatey goodness.

​Recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook 'Little Squares & Slices

​Makes 24

250g plain chocolate biscuits
155g unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Mousse Filling:
185g dark eating (semi-sweet) chocolate, melted
1 egg, separated
2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) thickened cream, whipped

1 cup (250ml) thickened cream, whipped
2 teaspoon cocoa powder


Grease 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan, line base and long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm over sides.

Process biscuits until fine. Add butter, process until combined. Press mixture over base of pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make cappuccino mousse filling. Combine melted chocolate, egg yolk and coffee in medium bowl, fold in cream. Beat egg white and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and sugar dissolved. Fold into chocolate mixture, in two batches.

Spread filling over biscuit base in pan. Cover; refrigerate 3 hours or overnight until set.

Spread whipped cream over mousse filling; dust with sifted cocoa powder.

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​I know this won't be a hugely popular dish, but I had to post it, as I love it. I love a good bean salad, always have. So for those of you that like beans like I do, this recipe is for you.

​Serves 4-6

1 x 750g can four bean mix, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, finely sliced
2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
3-4 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons apple juice
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
​
Combine the beans, onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, oil, apple juice, vinegar and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to combine. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until needed.

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​Torta Tenerina or Torta Montenegro is a fudgy chocolate brownie like cake that originated in Ferrara in Italy.

As I am a sucker for a good love story, this cake was made for King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Elena Petrovich from Montenegro, his bride, and is a story about tenderness. It was love at first sight for these two and they married on October 24, 1896. The queen became known as the bride with a tender heart, and the cake was also called Torta Montenegrin or Torta Regina del Montenegro in her honour. Small note Elena and I share the same birthday.

The outside of the cake has a lovely crust, but as you get to the centre it is tender and fudgy.

This is a great dessert as it is so quick and easy to make. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's absolutely perfect.

​Recipe adapted from Silvia Colloca www.sbs.com.au/

200g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), chopped
100g unsalted butter
sea salt
4 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
2 tablespoons plain flour
fresh berries and icing sugar for dusting, to serve


Preheat the oven to 180°C/160C fan forced.

Grease and line a 20-22 cm round springform cake tin with baking paper.

Place the chocolate, butter and a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water. Stir until melted and well combined, then remove from the heat and stand until completely cooled.

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl with a pinch of salt just until firm peaks form.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until thick and pale.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture and stir to combine well. Sieve the flour on top of the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Add one third of the beaten egg whites and fold into the mixture until well combined. Add the remaining beaten egg whites and fold in very gently so you don’t beat all the air out. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes or until just firm.

Remove from the oven and stand to cool in the tin. Once cooled it will sink slightly.

To serve, top the cake with fresh berries, dust with icing sugar. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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​This recipe came about because I was in my green grocers and I saw some golden beetroot next to the 'normal' red beetroot and I just had to cook it.

So when I came home, and as I was flicking through some old recipes I had, I found this salad recipe. I had all the ingredients at home, so I thought I'd give it a go.

It was delicious, I honestly love this one.

The original recipe used store bought coleslaw salad dressing, but I hate those, I never, ever, buy salad dressings in a bottle. So after a quick google search I found a dressing I would make to go with this salad.

This is super easy, and would be great with a barbecue.

The original recipe also included 150g shaved ham which is fried until crisp. I just didn't think the salad needed it.

Now you can also omit the mayonnaise if you have people coming over that don't like mayonnaise or have allergies, just replace the mayonnaise with some extra virgin olive oil, to taste. 

So if you are looking for something different to make for your next barbecue, try this, it is really good.

Serves 6-8

4 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, sliced
2 bunches fresh beetroot (8 medium sized beetroot)
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 large dill pickles, finely chopped

Coleslaw Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt


Cut the beetroot leaves off. Wash the beetroot then place in a large saucepan. Cover beetroot with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. The beetroot is ready when it is soft when you poke a skewer into it. Drain, allow to cool slightly, then peel the skins off the beetroot and slice thinly. Place sliced beetroot into your serving bowl.
​
Using the same saucepan (just rinse it) place the potatoes into the saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are just cooked. The potato is ready when it is soft when you poke a skewer into it. Drain, peel the skins off and slice thinly.

Place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes. Drain, place saucepan until cold running water for a minute. Then peel and slice. Add to the beetroot and potatoes.
​
Add the chopped pickles, the sliced onion and the capers to the beetroot.
​
Coleslaw Dressing: In a medium sized bowl, add the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and sweetness. Refrigerate until needed.

Pour the dressing over the beetroot salad, gently toss to combine. Taste for seasoning.

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​I recently bought yet another cookbook, Top 100 taste.com.au The Thrifty Pantry. It is fabulous, everything I have tried from it is delicious and these gnudi are amazing.

My husband grows silverbeet in our garden, so I was looking at different ways I could cook it, when I came across this gnudi recipe. Gnudi are featherlight clouds of fluffy fresh ricotta, they are so quick and easy to make and make a great midweek meal. 

I love the flavour of this dish, it's so simple yet perfect for me. One day I'll try the gnudi with a tomato based sauce, will let you know if I like it.

This is a simple dish, but for me absolutely delicious, something I will be making for years to come.

​Recipe adapted from the cookbook Top 100 taste.com.au The Thrifty Pantry

​Serves 4
1/2 bunch silverbeet
500g fresh ricotta
100g (2/3 cup) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
40g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan 
100g butter, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
​

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove silverbeet leaves from stalks. Roughly shred leaves. Finely chop stalks. Set aside.

Combine ricotta, flour, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 of the parmesan in a large bowl until a soft dough forms. Divide dough into quarters. On a lightly floured bench, roll each quarter into a 34cm long log. Cut logs into 2cm lengths.

Cook gnudi, in batches, in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, for 2 minutes or until tender and gnudi float to the top. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnudi to prepared tray.

Meanwhile, melt butter with garlic and thyme in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture foams and turns light brown. Add silverbeet stalks and leaves. Stir until leaves are just wilted. Remove from heat. Add gnudi and lemon juice. Gently toss to coat. Serve, topped with remaining parmesan.

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​This twist on a mojito will become a favourite with your family and friends. It's super refreshing on a hot summers day and a perfect drink to get a party started.

You can omit the rum for a mocktail the kids or adults can also enjoy.

​For the mint ice cubes, just place fresh mint in ice cube trays and top with water. Freeze overnight to set.

​Recipe adapted from the cookbook Top 100 Taste.com.au The Thrifty Pantry

Serves 8

2 large limes, cut into wedges
2-3 tsp caster sugar, to taste
8 fresh mint sprigs
1L (4 cups) soda water, chilled
500ml (2 cups) fresh pineapple juice, chilled
310ml (1 1/4 cups) white rum
Fresh pineapple slices, to serve
Mint ice-cubes, to serve
​

Squeeze lime wedges into a large punch bowl or serving jug. Add the squeezed wedges, sugar and mint to the bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to muddle. Top with soda water, juice and rum. Stir to combine. Add in pineapple and mint ice-cubes just before serving.

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I love halloumi, it is one of my favourite cheeses, I always have a pack in my fridge.

The saltiness of the cheese with the chilli oil and lemon, is just delicious. Make sure you have a loaf of crusty Italian bread in the house though, to dip into the oil.

This recipe is so easy and quick to put together it will become a regular party dish in my house. But it's also great for lunch and dinner with a green salad. ​

​Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's cookbook 'Nigella Bites'

Makes 20-30 pieces

2 tablespoons chopped, deseeded fresh red chillis
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
500g halloumi, sliced medium thin, about 1/2cm thick
juice of ¼ lemon

Serve with crusty Italian bread
​

Mix the chopped chilli and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl or cup and leave the flavours to deepen while you cook the cheese.

I use a non-stick frying pan for this, without any oil, and just give the cheese slices about 2 minutes a side until they're golden-brown in parts.

When all the slices of halloumi are cooked, transfer them to a couple of small plates.

Give the chilli oil a stir, spoon it over the cheese, then give a spritz of lemon.

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​Let me start by saying that I always have a bag of frozen Australian prawns in my freezer. Some days I just don't feel like going shopping and on such occasions frozen prawns are brilliant as you can do so much with them.

This recipe is made with ingredients I always have in the house. It is so simple to make, and when I make it my family don't leave the table until every prawn is gone.

This would be ideal at parties as finger food, something different to do with prawns.

Note: Always zest the lime before you juice it, far easier.

​Recipe adapted from Lorraine Pascale's cookbook Baking Made Easy

Serves 4 as a starter

Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 2 limes
90ml whiskey
180g soft light brown sugar
20 raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan forced.

Put the lime juice, whiskey and sugar in a pan over a medium heat and cook, stirring gently, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring, increase the heat to high, bring to the boil, and cook a further 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and is syrupy. (If the whiskey catches alight, and you see blue-orange flames, just take it off the heat and the whiskey will burn out, this hasn't happened to me yet, but I thought I'd mention it as it is the original recipe).

Stir in the lime zest, remove from heat and set aside.

Put the prawns side by side in a shallow ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the chilli.

Brush the prawns with the oil.

Pour 1/4 cup of your whiskey syrup in a small bowl. Brush the syrup onto the prawns. Reserve the remainder of the syrup for dipping the prawns into once they are cooked.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the prawns turn opaque. Brush with some of the reserved syrup.

Allow to cool slightly as the glaze can be very hot, serve with crusty bread and a salad if you like.

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​These breadsticks are soft, fluffy and so easy to make.

One thing that 2020 brought me is time, more time at home with my family, more time to try new things in the kitchen, things I may have been too busy to try before. Baking bread is a great example of this. I had always wanted to bake bread, but it needs time, so it was on a to do list, but I never quite got around to it.

But now, I love baking bread, I love how easy it is, I love the aroma of fresh bread wafting through the house. I love that when all I need to go to the shops for is to buy bread, I don't bother, I just bake it. I now have a few bread recipes that my family love, and I just make it.

These are called Olive Garden Breadsticks in the recipe that I found, but as I have never tried Olive Garden Breadsticks, I didn't want to use that name. 

Although these are best eaten warm, they do keep really well for the next day.

I have added the option of 1-2 tablespoons sugar, you adjust the sweetness to your liking, I prefer it with one tablespoon, but they are delicious even with two tablespoons.

These are easy to make, a deliciously soft and fluffy, my family love them, hope yours do to.

​Recipe adapted from lilluna.com/

Makes 12 breadsticks

Breadsticks:
1 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1-2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons oil
3-3 1/4 cups bread flour

Garlic butter:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoons garlic salt or 1-2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped


In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit 5-10 minutes, or until foamy. Add the salt, oil, and two cups of flour, and mix until combined. Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft and only slightly sticky to the touch.

Knead the dough until smooth, sprinkling with flour as needed to make the dough manageable. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise one hour, or until doubled.

After the dough has risen, punch it down gently and divide it into 12 equal sized balls. Roll each ball out into a 22cm rope, and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining dough, using two baking sheets. Cover and let rise one hour.

During the last ten minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan forced. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt. (If using fresh garlic, chop it finely and add it to the butter while it is melting to infuse the garlic flavour into the butter, then brush it on the breadsticks).

Serve warm.

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