Recipe adapted from www.marthastewart.com

Makes 6 stacks

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled
Coarse salt and ground white pepper, to taste
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
6 tablespoons thickened cream
Unsalted butter, room temperature, for greasing


Preheat your oven to 200C.

Lightly grease your muffin cups with the softened butter (if you have forgotten to allow time for the butter to soften, you can melt it also, then brush on the butter).

Thinly slice the potatoes. Place 2 slices of potatoes into your muffin cup, season lightly with salt and pepper, add on another 2 slices, then season lightly with salt and pepper, continue doing this with all your potatoes until your muffin cups are filled.

If using thyme, add a small amount on top of each stack.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the cream over each potato stack.

Place a sheet of baking paper over the potato stacks. Then cover the muffin tray with foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove the foil and baking paper and continue baking until golden, and the potatoes are soft, about another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes in the tin.

To remove them from the muffin tins, use a thin knife and run it carefully around the stack, take care not to scratch your tin. Now using an icing spatula or a dinner knife carefully remove the stacks from the tin, they should come out easily.

Serve immediately with roast lamb, beef, chicken or fish, it goes with them all and a lovely green salad on the side.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/muffin-pan-potato-gratins.html 
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Recipe adapted from the cookbook Tradicionalna Kuhinja 2 by Itana Popic, Eliana Plese and Boris Kauzlaric

Serves 6-8

1.2kg chuck steak, cut into a 3cm dice
700g onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
300g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1kg potatoes, cut into a 2-3cm dice
400ml beer
4 tablespoons (80ml) vegetable oil
4 tablespoons plain flour
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon vegeta
1 teaspoon ground paprika
3 fresh bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan forced.

Cut the meat into a large dice. Place the meat into a large snaplock bag, add the flour, close the bag and shake the bag so that the flour covers all of the meat.

Place the oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5-8 minutes until it becomes translucent, don't let it brown. Add the garlic and saute a further 1-2 minutes.

Add the meat to the pot, just shake off any excess flour as you are adding it. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes, you really need to watch it here as the flour will stick to the base of the pot, reduce heat if needed and move the pot around. The flour sticking is ok, just don't let it burn like crazy.

Add the bay leaves, ground paprika and the beer. Now reduce the heat and allow this to simmer for 15 minutes. As soon as you add the beer start scraping up any flour bits that have stuck to the pot, the beer will remove the sticky bits and this will be what thickens your goulash. Stir the stew regularly at this stage as the mixture is thick and will catch on the bottom if you forget about it

Add the largely diced potato and the diced tomatoes. Give it a good stir. (If you don't have an ovenproof pot, this is when you would transfer it into an ovenproof baking dish, if you needed to).

Now add the vegeta, salt, pepper and enough water to just cover the meat mixture. All of it needs to be covered with the liquid. Give it a quick stir and bake for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, I taste a piece if meat, if it is soft, it is done, if it is still not soft, keep baking it, it can take up to 1.5-2 hours, it really depends on the meat. Here I taste for seasoning also, add more salt, pepper or vegeta, if needed, and if it looks dry, add a little extra water, but only if needed. Stews are supposed to be thickish, not dry but not too watery either.

Once the meat is soft, it is cooked. Serve it hot sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

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Serves 10-12

2 x 800g tins of two fruits in syrup (pears and peaches)
600ml thick cream, whipped
600ml Paul's Premium Thick Custard
1 large packet savoiardi sponge finger biscuits
Grated chocolate or sifted cocoa, to decorate


Drain the compote over a medium sized bowl, to separate the syrup from the fruit. Reserve the syrup in the bowl.

Whip the cream until thick, but not too stiff.

Use any dish you like, I happened to use an oval lasagne type dish, you could use a bowl if you prefer. If you want it to be a slice, use a dish that suits that type of serving size.

Dip half of the sponge finger biscuits into the reserved juice for 4-5 seconds if making a trifle or all of the biscuits if making a slice. Layer the biscuits side by side in a single row in the base of your dish.

Scatter over half of the fruit if making a trifle or all of the fruit if making a slice. Spread it out evenly.

 Dollop over half of the custard if making a trifle or all of the custard if making a slice, spread it out a bit.

Top with half of the whipped cream if making a trifle or all of the whipped cream if making a slice.

If making a second layer and serving it in trifle form, repeat with remaining biscuits, fruit, custard and cream.

Sprinkle over the grated chocolate or sifted cocoa. Refrigerate overnight or until needed.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/creamy-two-fruits-trifle.html
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3 x 20cm round cakes
I like to use three different cakes-white chocolate mud, chocolate mud, marble mud cakes or red velvet cake, that way when you serve the cake you have three different cakes on offer

White Chocolate Ganache:
600g white chocolate
1 cup (250ml) thick cream

Prepared round cake board
1 Barbie, legs removed
1 Barbie top or ribbon to make a top
Decorations:
Food colouring
Sugar crystals, flower lollies, lollies

Make the 3 cakes of your choice. Don't put any icing on them. This can be done 4 to 5 days before the party.

I like to make the icing on the day of the party, but a ganache can be made the day before needed, just do not refrigerate it once it has set.

Put the white chocolate and cream into a mixing bowl, place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Don't allow the water to touch the bottom of your mixing bowl. Stir the chocolate and cream regularly until all the chocolate has melted. Add enough of the food colour (of your choice) until you have achieved the colour that you like. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes until it becomes a spreadable consistency, and is no longer runny. This can take up to an hour.

You can use buttercream-I just don't like it.

On a plate, not on your prepared board, place the chocolate mud cake, spread some ganache on the top of it, top with the marbled mud cake, spread ganache, followed by the white chocolate mud cake, do not put icing on the top yet..

With a teaspoon carefully start digging a hole in the centre of the top cake that is big enough to fit in the barbie to just below her waist. (Wrap the base of the Barbie in cling film so she does not get dirty). Place the Barbie in the hole, use the bits you dug out to fill in any gaps, and to secure Barbie in place.

Now shape the skirt. You only need to cut the top cake. I like to use a bread knife. Trim it carefully to make a rounded appearance at the top. The bits that you cut off can be piled near the waist, then get glued together with ganache around the waist to give a skirt effect.

Spread a thin layer of the ganache all over the cake, refrigerate. This sticks all the crumbs to the cake so when you put the icing on it you won't get crumbs in it.

Place the cake carefully on to the prepared cake board. Doing small sections at a time, spread the ganache over the cake to form the skirt. It needs to be fairly thick to cover the cake. Smooth out the skirt lightly with a palette knife or keep it ruffled, I like it both ways.
 
Decorate with whatever you like, lollies, sugar crystals etc. I don't refrigerate the cake if using the same day, as some lolly decorations start to bleed into the skirt. If it is a hot day, I turn on the air conditioner to keep the room cool.

To serve, take out the Barbie, separate the cakes, slice and serve.

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2 sheets Pampus Puff Pastry, slightly thawed
2-3 large dessert spoonfuls Nutella
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup chopped chocolate
1 egg, beaten
Icing Sugar, for dusting


Preheat oven to 200C.

Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.

Place 1 sheet of pastry on the baking paper.

Spread Nutella all over the pastry. Sprinkle over the chopped chocolate and then the almond meal.


Brush the remaining pastry sheet on one side with egg. Place the egg side down over the filling, pressing the edges down slightly to seal.

Now place a drinking glass in the centre of the pastry, don't press it down, you don't want to cut the pastry, just mark it.

Now cut out from the glass to the edges, making sure you cut through to the bottom pastry sheet. Make the slices thinner, rather than thicker.

Remove the glass.

Now take each strip and gently twirl them, press the ends down a little.

Brush all over with beaten egg. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until browned and puffed.

Carefully place onto a serving plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve hot, or at room temperature, but it is better hot. Remember just let your kids or guests tear the strips off, it is a fun way to eat it.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/nutella-pastry-sun.html 
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2 sheets pampus puff pastry
8 slices doubles smoked ham
1-2 cups grated tasty cheese
2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 egg, beaten


Preheat oven to 200C.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place one sheet of the puff pastry onto your baking paper.

You can either place the ham slices on whole or shred them first, just place the ham on the pastry evenly spreading it out.

Scatter the cheese all over. Sprinkle the mustard powder over the cheese.

Brush the remaining pastry sheet on one side with egg. Place the egg side down over the filling, pressing the edges down slightly to seal.

Now place a drinking glass in the centre of the pastry, don't press it down, you don't want to cut the pastry, just mark it.

Now cut out from the glass to the edges, making sure you cut through to the bottom pastry sheet. Make the slices thicker, rather than thinner.

Remove the glass.

Now take each strip and gently twirl them, press the ends down a little.

Brush all over with beaten egg. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until browned and puffed.

Carefully place onto a serving plate and serve hot, or at room temperature, but it is better hot. Remember just let your kids or guests tear the strips off, it is a fun way to eat it.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/ham-and-cheese-pastry-sun.html 
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3 sheets Pampus Puff Pastry, slightly thawed
2-3 large dessert spoonfuls Nutella
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup chopped chocolate
1 egg, beaten


Preheat oven to 200C.

Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.

Cut 1 sheet of pampus puff pastry in half.

Place 1 sheet of pastry on the baking paper, place one of the half sheets of pastry, slightly overlapping, onto the puff pastry sheet on the baking paper, press on the join gently to form one big sheet of pastry.

Spread Nutella all over the pastry. Sprinkle over the chopped chocolate and then the almond meal.

Place the remaining other one and half sheets of pastry over the filling. Press gently on the overlapping parts to seal the sheets together.

Cut out your tree, do not discard the offcuts, after you bake the tree, you bake them as off cuts or cut them into star shapes to decorate the tree.

Now cut out slits up both sides of the tree, do not let the slits meet in the centre, leave a gap for the trunk.

Now carefully twist each slit, this needs to be neat, but it does not need to be perfect.

Brush the tree all over with a beaten egg.

Bake for 20-23minutes. Until browned and puffed. Then bake the offcuts.

Dust your tree with sifted icing sugar and decorate with berries or m&m's and if you made star shapes, decorate with them also. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Find the recipe at www.whatscookingella.com/nutella-christmas-tree.html 
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I love this one, just ice your favourite cake with a white coloured icing and decorate with whatever bright coloured lollies that you love. You can even make it themed like red and white for valentine's day, how you decorate it is up to you.

Find out how to make it at http://www.whatscookingella.com/blog/picture-perfect-cake2
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Again ridiculously easy. Just make your favourite cake, ice it with your favourite icing. Place kit kats all around the kat and fill the centre with whatever you love, whether it be m&ms or Ferrero rochers or fruit. If you want a higher cake with less m&m's just bake two cakes, the cakes just need to be lower than the kit kats. Any cake trimmings I freeze and make chocolate truffles with.

Find out how to make it at http://www.whatscookingella.com/blog/kit-kat-cake
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So these are my suggested cakes to make for beginners, you can decorate them however you like, but

Again just ice your favourite cake with your favourite icing and decorate with smarties however you like, from simple to decorative. I like a Chocolate Mud Cake with a Chocolate Ganache here, as you can make it in advance and it doesn't need refrigeration. This cake below is a single cake, make it higher by baking two cakes and it will look even more impressive.

Find the cake recipe at http://www.whatscookingella.com/blog/chocolate-mud-cake2
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So there you three simple cake ideas that will get you started on your way to making lovely birthday cakes that are super easy to make, but look like you made a huge effort. And although we are trying to cut down on sugar, for me birthdays are the exception, be healthy other days.

1 whole watermelon, the size of the watermelon depends on the size of the cake you want to make
For a 20cm high cake you will need at least 600ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assorted fresh berries, to decorate


Cut off the ends of the watermelon. You want to be left with a cylinder shape, how big you want it is up to you,  you just want it to be even in size from top to bottom.

Place upright on a chopping board and remove the rind carefully and any of the white part of the watermelon.

Place on your serving plate.

Place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 3 hours. I do this to dry out the surface a little.

Place the cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat with electric beaters until firm peaks form. Be very careful as if you take it too far, it will turn into butter and you will not be able to use it.

Now starting from the top, place dessert spoonfuls of cream on the watermelon, and carefully spread it on the top. Then spoonful at a time, start working your way down the sides of the cake. The cream will want to slide down, but as it is thick, you can push it back up and it will stay where you want it, be patient. You only need enough cream to cover the watermelon. I did it in sections down the side, so where I started going down the side, I continued that line down, then started back at the top for the next section.

Once you have covered the entire cake, refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set the cream. I did not need to, but save any extra cream just incase you need to spot fix any cream that moved.

When the cream has set, decorate the top and bottom with the assorted berries. If you are tempted to decorate the sides, I suggest using toothpicks to keep the fruit up as they will slide down.

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Recipe adapted from www.taste.com.au

Serves 4-6

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 anchovy fillets
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 large bottle tomato passata
200ml dry white wine
1 teaspoon vegeta
200ml water
500g spaghetti
300g mussels, scrubbed, debearded
250g pipis or vongole
300g firm white fish fillet, cut into 2-3cm pieces
200g peeled green prawns
250g scallops
4 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley


Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, anchovies and chilli, cook, stirring for about 1-2 minutes, you want the anchovies to melt away, but you don't want the garlic to burn.

Add the tomato pasata, season with salt and pepper. Once it comes to the boil, simmer 10 minutes.

Add the water, vegeta and wine, bring to the boil, simmer 10 minutes.

Add the pasta now to pot of boiling water, cook it until just cooked, please don't allow it to overcook. Once your pasta is cooked, drain it, then place in a serving dish, drizzle it with a little extra oil, then toss, this stops the pasta sticking together.

While your pasta is cooking, add the mussels to your sauce, cover with a lid (if your frying pan does not have a lid use a round pizza/baking tray as a lid, works just fine) and simmer for 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Now add the pipis, fish, prawns and 3 tablespoons of the chopped parsley, cover again and simmer for 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

Finally add the scallops, cover and cook for 1 minute. By now the mussels and pipis will have opened and all the other seafood is cooked.

Taste your sauce for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. Add your sauce onto your pasta, toss lightly, I like to have the seafood showing. Scatter over the remaining parsley leaves.

Serve immediately.

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