I have no idea what an authentic chilli is like, but I do know it is the subect of considerable debate among foodie types. This is my version, not the least bit authentic, but lovely flavours and not too much heat (you could up the chilli powder if you prefer, I have to take a 10 year old into account when I am cooking).

( Beef and Black Bean Chilli )

Well, it's been a while. And now it's time for a multitude of recipes because I have been baking up a storm. The people I work with have been benefiting from it, since I don't like having all that stuff around the house. Just a wee piece for me. Maybe two...

First of all, the best brownies I have ever tasted. Now, brownies are like chilli (for which I also have a recipe and will be posting later) - everyone has their own version and everyone thinks their version is the best. Let me tell you, mine is the best (it's not mine, really - I got it from some magazine). When I took them to work, everyone went insane over them.

( Best Brownies Ever )

It was Anzac Day last week. I told Ben that I was making Anzac biscuits and he replied, "That's unusually patriotic of you." It is true that I don't generally give a rat's about "Days", but it's a good excuse to do some baking so what the hell. Lots of people like crunchy Anzac bikkies, but I prefer mine chewy.

( Chewy Anzac Biscuits and Anzac Slice )

Despite the fact that I cook a lot, and I'm pretty brave about trying new recipes, I had never made a sponge before, and I was well scared of them, I can tell you. But Lily wanted one for her birthday, so I bit the bullet and gave it a go. The first step was to find the right recipe, because I find a lot of sponges to be too "eggy". Also, I don't have two round cake tins the same size, so this making-two-and-sandwiching-them-together palaver was out the window. Finally I found just what I was looking for in that Australian cook's bible The Cook's Companion. Since I have not yet managed to convince Ben that spending $700 on a KitchenAid Mixer is a great idea, it was pretty time-consuming standing there doing the egg whites with a little handheld Sunbeam electric beater (probably took me close to 15 minutes), but it was worth it. This cake was lovely. Lil said it was better than her Grandma's (she may have been lying to spare my feelings), and Ben was impressed as well. It's very light and airy, and perfect for when you feel like something sweet but not heavy, or when you're out to impress visitors. The recipe here uses passionfruit filling or something, but I just filled it with jam and whipped cream and topped it with a dusting of sifted icing sugar. Simple but perfect.

(I am posting it verbatim in case I muck up and miss some vital thing.)

( Jackie's Mum's Sponge Cake )

I don't know about you, but when the sun starts beating down, it's time to get the barbecue out and start eating things on sticks. What is it about being on a stick that makes things taste better (not everything, though, don't let the health gurus fool you - tofu and pineapple on sticks still just tastes like tofu and pineapple)? And what could be easier? Chop up some kind of meat, soak it in some mixed-up stuff, chuck it on the grill for a few minutes and then scoff. Perfect!

( A few of our current favourite things on sticks. )

This is a recipe from delicious magazine. We've been baking a lot lately, both because it's more fun for Lily to learn to cook making things she actually enjoys eating, and she needs lunchbox snacks anyway. These are really yum, though I did have to use almonds because I couldn't find roasted hazelnuts (what kind of nut shop doesn't have hazelnuts?).

( Oaty Choc-Chip Cookies )

I saw this on Huey's Cooking Adventures yesterday and I was curious to try it. Apparently it's from Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking. It's very rich, but really good. I cheated a bit and used cheapo Cadbury Bournville Cocoa and normal caster sugar, as my local supermarket didn't have either Dutch cocoa or golden caster sugar and I couldn't be bothered trekking around to find them.

( Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake )

This spicy carrot and lentil soup has been on regular rotation in our house since the first time I made it, and everyone else I've made it for has loved it as well. But I have found a new one which is also rather nice. We had this for lunch today with a warmed wholemeal pita bread, and I'll definitely be having it again. Soon. Maybe later this afternoon. Maybe now. It's from David Herbert, who writes a food column in The Age Weekend Magazine.

THE PERFECT SPICED RED LENTIL SOUP

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and a knob of butter in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add 1 peeled and chopped brown onion and 500g chopped carrots and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Add 2 cloves of peeled, crushed garlic and cook for an extra minute. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon chilli powder and cook for a further minute. Add 125g red lentils.

Pour in 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer, partially covered, for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Cool a little, then puree soup in batches in a blender or with a hand-held liquidizer until smooth.

Return to the pan, season to taste, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice. Gently reheat. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander (if you like it) before serving.

Serves 4.

This was a favourite of the Lilster's this weekend, so much so that she asked for it to go into the regular rotation. It has a lovely, tangy dressing, and it's a nice change from the more traditional creamy potato salads. I think it's one of Karen Martini's.

8 desiree potatoes
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced and zested
3 eschalots, peeled and finely sliced
3 tablespoons baby capers, drained
2 sprigs dill, chopped
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Cut unpeeled potatoes into 2cm thick slices. Boil or steam until tender (I have taken to steaming potatoes lately - I find boiled ones can get gluggy). Drain well. Combine oil, mustards, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, and eschalots in a bowl, then stir through potatoes. Add capers, dill and parsley and toss gently to combine. Serve warm.

We made these on Friday to warm up for breakfast on Saturday morning. The recipe says to use currants, but I didn't have any so I used sultanas instead. I didn't bother with the crosses or the sticky glaze either. They were delicious even so.

( Hot Cross Buns )

So easy, but it's the best garlic bread you'll have in your life. Be warned - as tempting as it is, don't try to scoff too much of it. It's very rich and you'll feel very ill.

It's from a Donna Hay magazine, and all you do is get a nice crusty loaf of bread - a sourdough, panna di casa, ciabatta, etc., and cut it into slices about 1cm thick.

Melt 125g butter in a saucepan with 2 or 3 crushed garlic cloves and season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan and a tablespoon or two of finely chopped fresh basil. The cheese will melt a bit and go gluggy, but that's okay. Paint each slice with the mixture on both sides - don't be stingy! - and form it back into a loaf on a big piece of foil. Wrap it all up tightly in the foil and then bake in a pre-heated hot oven (about 200 degrees) for 25-30 mins. I usually open the foil up for the last 5 minutes to crisp it up a bit.

The Lilster decided to make biscuits (that's cookies for you foreigners) to give as gifts to her family this year. It was a lot more expensive and time-consuming than I had anticipated, but she really went all out, with hand-painted containers, little cellophane bags, and a selection of biscuits. I'm sure the oldies will love it.

These two recipes which came from this fab new website were our two favourites, particularly the fudge cookies, which are TO. DIE. FOR. I am considering making some more for when yagyob comes to visit this weekend - I'll have to see if I can summon up the energy. objet_a ate all the others. :-(

( Fudge Cookies and Chocolate Crackle-Top Biscuits )

This is a recipe from one of the Symply Too Good To Be True books. The author calls it butter chicken, but it's not. For a start, there's no butter in it. It's just a generic low-fat chicken curry, but it's rather nice, and a popular dish in our house. Her version has her ubiquitous jars of garlic and ginger (shudder), so I've tinkered with it slightly. I also like to add some vegetables - finely sliced capsicum or whole baby beans at the start after softening the onion. I also usually put some peas in with the rice as well just to up the veggie content a wee bit more.

( Not Really Butter Chicken )

This is almost not even a recipe - it's so basic - but really good when you want something healthy and filling and you can't be bothered arsing about too much. It takes about 15 minutes - put your rice on and by the time that's ready, you're done.

You could probably put lots of other vegetables in it too - carrots would be good, finely chopped and added with the onion. I think finely shredded cabbage would be nice too. I might try that next time.

( Mince and Pea Curry )

Firstly, I must plug a recipe for Kheema Matar, posted some time back in cooking. We have it every couple of weeks, and it's a definite favourite of the household. When Lily's eating as well, I don't put any chillis in at all - just a pinch (about 1/4 tsp) of cayenne, which adds plenty of heat for her little taste buds. It is quite spicy, so if you're not big on heat, I'd definitely recommend it that way. We have it with basmati rice and usually use minced beef rather than lamb.

Last weekend I made a Caesar Salad, and decided to try a dressing from my current favourite cooking person, Chef At Home. I think in hindsight I would only use one lemon rather than two - though it is supposed to be a lemony dressing, in a Caesar there are a lot of other strong flavours that need to come through as well. That's my only quibble though, other than that it was lovely. You could use it on any salad really, but not while you're dieting!

( Lemony Parmesan Dressing )

This is the greatest comfort food ever. We don't have them often, but when we do it's a damn-the-health-food day and we go all out with creamy mashed potatoes or thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream. The good thing is you can use those low-fat sausages that taste awful if you barbecue them, because they're smothered in sauce anyway. But even then, this is not a meal for the diet-conscious.

There isn't really a recipe as such. The base of the sauce is tomato sauce and barbecue sauce - a good load of each. Ohhhh, let's say 1/3 cup of each for argument's sake. Then you just add whatever other meat-suitable sauces you have in the house. I usually throw in a good dollop or HP, steak sauce, mild chilli sauce and a good splash of Worcestershire. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar and mix it well.

Lay the sausages in a baking dish, and with a sharp knife split the skins down the centre. This allows the sauce to seep in and really flavour them. Spread the sauce all over, making sure they're well-covered. Don't skimp.

Bake at 190c for about an hour. Serve with above-mentioned potatoes, and maybe some green beans or peas.

NOTE: I highly recommend using a disposable baking container for this recipe (sadly, I never remember to). The sauce does tend to bake on and it's a bastard to clean.

I could have sworn I had posted this one already, but apparently I haven't. We had it tonight and I have to say, it's great comfort food. The original recipe is nice, but a tad bland, so I have tweaked it a bit. We usually have it with rice, but it's also nice with pasta or mashed potato or some steamed green vegetables.

Serves 4

( Porcupine Casserole )

I had some cooking chocolate pieces in a container taking up space in my teeny tiny freezer, so I suggested to Lily that we make some chocolate chip biscuits. She was all for it, of course.

This recipe is from my current favourite book, The Cook's Companion. They were delicious.

I am never making them again.

( Chocolate Chip Biscuits )

I discovered in conversation with Lily the other day that she has never had rice pudding, and since I've never made one, I decided to give it a go. My main problem was finding a basic recipe - all of my recipe books had arty-farty versions and I just wanted a really simple one. Something I could mix up, throw in the oven, and forget about until it was cooked. None of this bloody water-bath crap and stirring in a figure-8 halfway through. petalmcmako sent me the Margaret Fulton one, which was 4 tablespoons of rice to 3.5 cups of milk. That seemed a weird ratio to me - I was after pudding, not milky soup with rice. I went to the library and found one of those daggy old lady recipe books that had one with a similar ratio, so I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a go. If it doesn't work, I've wasted about $2 worth of rice and milk.

It was GORGEOUS. No amount of cajoling could tempt Ben to have any - he seems to have some strange aversion to baked rice, so Lily and I ate the whole lot (it didn't make a huge amount, but definitely more than 2 serves...lol) and WE ENJOYED EVERY BITE OF IT.

( Baked Rice Pudding. )

Two posts! So, guess what I've been doing all afternoon...

I made these today for a baby shower tomorrow. They're great made the day before - you just whack them in the oven at 180c for about 10 minutes to reheat them. Now we just have to get through the night without scoffing them all.

( Thai Chicken Sausage Rolls )

I made Kashmiri Butter Chicken for dinner tonight, from a recipe I cut out of a magazine a few weeks ago. It's not difficult, but pretty fiddly. However, it was worth it - the taste was divine, and everyone wolfed it down.

( Recipe, sans picture, since curries always kind of look like the cat threw up in your dinner bowl. )

Apologies to those who are over the soup posts, but I'm making a different one each night at the moment to narrow down some favourites, and I keep getting impressed by how good some of these are!

I was really iffy about this one. It has milk in it, which I generally dislike in soups, it smelled weird while I was making it, and there was SO much carrot in it I thought that would completely dominate. But it was a pleasant surprise to find that it is lovely. It tastes a little like a dhal.



( Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup )