LAZY summer afternoon PARTIES go perfectly with a SUMMER FRUIT PUNCH on the drinks menu. My easy, REFRESHING, cool and fruity version is made up of a concoction of juices, fresh TANGY berries, TROPICAL passionfruit, CRISPY pear, SWEET oranges and bubble BURSTS of pomegranate. If you like drinks with an extra kick, adding a splash (or many more) of vodka will hit the spot ;p 

Feeling thirsty? Here's my recipe.

Serves 15-18
Prep time approx 15 mins (depending on how fast a fruit cutter you are) + chilling time

Image and Recipe: Michelle Southan - Australian Good Taste

It's CHRISTMAS season, so on the hunt I went to find  DESSERT INSPIRATION to end off my summer Christmas day lunch menu with. Here are the TOP 8 RECIPES that have TICKLED and TEASED my taste buds! I'm set for my next few Christmas's now :)

I FELL IN LOVE with the Turtle Pecan Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory in the US! Enough to say that it was the turning point for my new love of cheesecake. Everytime I have gone back to the US, it is a mandatory stop. Over time I recreated my own version which is more a SALTED CARAMEL PECAN CHEESECAKE. It's decadent yet just the right level of sweetness that has made it a hit amongst my friends. Here is my recipe for you fellow cheesecake lovers out there :)

Serves 8-10
Prep time approx 40 mins + 4 hours in fridge
Cooking time approx 60 mins

I did say I had a thing for jaffles at the moment ... I love runny eggs and crispy bacon for breakfast too. Can it be jaffled? Sure, why not?  I gave it a go and that creamy egg cheesy filling with crunchy bacon is YUM YUM YUM. It's so simple, can it even be called a recipe? Anyway, here's the recipe!

Serves 2
Prep time 3 mins
Cooking time 3-4 mins

I've been getting into jaffles of late. Simple savoury fillings of ham, cheese, tomato and cracked pepper with that soft gooey cheesy centre and crisp toasty bread shell. 

This got me wondering and experimenting with how a sweet version could work. After a couple of trials, I think my CHOCOLATE, BANANA & COCONUT JAFFLE concoction is  a winner! It's quick and easy to whip up. Here's my recipe.  

Serves 2
Preparation 5 mins
Cooking 5mins

I must have eaten this at least 4 times a week when I was in Japan! Yes, even for breakfast one time! It was so good with it's fresh and CREAMY green tea flavour nicely balanced with sweetness, topped off with SOFT and CHEWY mochi balls,  sweet red beans and a hit of slippery SMOOTH green tea jelly. So it's only natural I'd be craving it still. Here's my recipe to recreate this delicious Green Tea Ice Cream dessert.

Serves 6-8
Prep Time 1 hour 15 mins plus overnight
Cooking Time  2 hours

Who likes pot pie? mmmmmmm ... I think it's a great little eat for those chilli days where a HOT FLAKY CRUSTY TOP PIE warms you in all the right places. When it's cold though, laziness sets in too right? So I take a few shortcuts with my Chicken Pot Pie recipe which takes less than 20 mins and nicely satisfies.  One day when I'm feeling less lazy, I would like try the 1 hour plus time it takes to do it from scratch, but for now I'm happy :)

Makes 4 pies
Prep Time 5 mins
Cooking Time 15 mins

This is so simple to make and a nice little addition to a number of Vietnamese dishes you can quickly whip out of the fridge when desired.

Nuoc mam is essential in a number of Vietnamese dishes, including Banh Xeo - Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes, spring rolls, rice paper roll wraps etc.  Although the dipping sauce is made up of a key list of ingredients, the amount used varies depending on personal taste and it's the delicate balance of sweet, sour, salty that makes it a hit.  I like mine quite flavoursome and more on the sour salty side with a decent hit of garlic and chilli. There's no kissing me afterwards!

In learning to cook Vietnamese cuisine, I would ask mum how much of an ingredient to use and the answer would often be a bit of this or that, then taste it and add this or that to adjust it. None of this, 1cup of that with 2 tablespoons of this. So over the years, I've learnt to make up the sauce as I go too. Only today did I measure it out so I could write up the recipe for it! So if you prefer to follow a recipe to start off with, here it is ...

The idea for this Pomegranate Jelly Jam came from a bunch of over ripe bananas staring at me woefully for not having eaten them whlist at their prime. They were extra special since they were from my aunt's Thai Egg Banana (Kluai Khai) tree. The picture I've linked you to from My Destination (since I didn't take any before they looked woeful) will give you a better idea of how small and more plump they are than your usual ones. They pack a much sweeter and intense banana punch too! I didn't want to turn them into banana muffins or bread again so off my little mind went to conconct something a bit different ... banana jam?

Banana jam sounded a bit odd, but could work since freshly sliced banana on buttered bread is quite yum. My Google search came up with a couple of banana jam recipes with good reviews, so there was potential but I wanted my jam to have a more vibrant colour and texture to it. What else did I have in my fridge? Oooh pomegranate!! Google came up with some very nice looking pomegranate jam recipes but none with banana. Odd coupling? Yes!  But I think it actually works if you're open minded to new flavours. Here is my recipe if you'd like to give it a go and let me know what you think.

Makes about 3 small jam jars
Prep time  approx. 20 mins
Cooking time approx. 30 mins