Ham & Corn Breakfast Cake with Sweet Chilli Butter

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

Chilli butter

• 115g (4oz) softened sweet butter
• 2 tbsp chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Ingredients for Corn Cakes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp basil
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp chilli
• 230g (8oz) can whole kernel corn
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 1/2 cup shredded Jack cheese

Method:

1. For the Chilli Butter: Beat softened sweet butter with chilli sauce and honey or maple syrup until blended and light. Spoon into a butter crock and chill until needed.
2. In a heavy-based skillet, heat vegetable oil and sauté finely chopped onion until golden.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a liquid measure, combine milk, egg, oil, basil, garlic and chilli sauce.
4. Lightly stir mixture into dry ingredients. Fold in cooked onion, can whole kernel corn (well-drained), cooked ham and Jack cheese.
5. Heat the skillet (or use a griddle) to 350ªF (180ªC) or until a drop of water sizzles on contact. For each cake, cook about 1/3 cup batter for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through and golden. Serve warm with Sweet Chilli Butter and maple syrup.

Herbed Couscous Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 300 g couscous
• 4 large tomatoes
• 1 tbsp grated lemon rind
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 tbsp chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Wash the tomatoes, cut off lids and hollow out with a teaspoon.
2. Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the packet and leave to cool. Mix the couscous with lemon rind, pistachio nuts, almonds, olive oil, pepper and parsley and basil.
3. Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Put on the lids, place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish (previously brushed with oil) and bake in a hot oven (180C) for about 15 minutes.
4. Serve as a side dish. Enjoy.

Oregan Lamb Burgers

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 rolls
• 500g (18oz) lamb mince
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped spring onion
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp Oregano

Method:

1. Halve rolls (toast if desired).
2. Mix lamb mince with egg, chopped spring onion plus 1 tablespoon of both soy and honey.
3. Mix in Oregano and form into 4 patties.
4. Fry until golden brown and cooked through. Serve in rolls with salad. Enjoy!

Lime Chillers with Blood Drippings

This recipe makes 10 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey or corn syrup
• 12 drops red food coloring
• 4 cups chilled pineapple juice
• 6 ounces frozen limeade concentrate
• 3 cups chilled ginger ale

Method:

1. Combine honey and food coloring in shallow pan; mix until well blended. Dip rims of 10 wine goblets into mixture one at a time, coating rims. Turn upright and let stand to allow mixture to drip down sides, resembling blood. Place paper towel around base of glasses to catch drips.
2. Combine pineapple juice and limeade in punch bowl. Stir until limeade dissolves; stir in ginger ale. Fill each wine goblet with lime chiller.

Gobbler Cookies

This recipe makes 1 dozen large cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• White, red, yellow and orange decorating icings
• Chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate chips and red licorice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Remove dough from wrapper; place in large bowl. Let dough stand at room temperature about 15 minutes.
2. Add flour and cinnamon to dough; beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended.
3. Shape dough into 12 (1-1/2-inch) balls, 12 (1-inch) balls and 12 (3/4-inch) balls.
4. Flatten large balls into 4-inch rounds on prepared cookie sheets; freeze 10 minutes. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
5. Flatten medium balls into 2-1/4-inch rounds on prepared cookie sheets; freeze 10 minutes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
6. Flatten small balls into 1-inch rounds on prepared cookie sheets; freeze 10 minutes. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
7. Decorate large cookies with red, yellow and orange icings and chocolate sprinkles to make feathers. Place medium cookies on large cookies, towards bottom; place small cookies above medium cookies on large cookies. Decorate turkeys as shown in photo using icings, chocolate chips and licorice to make eyes, beaks, gobblers and feet. Let stand 20 minutes or until set.

Congrats Grad

This recipe makes 1 dozen large cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• Granulated sugar
• 48 small gumdrops to match school colors
• Cookie Glaze (recipe follows)
• Food colorings to match school colors
• 12 graham cracker squares

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12 (2-1/2-inch) muffin cups. Remove dough from wrapper according to package directions. Beat dough, flour and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Shape dough into 12 balls; press onto bottoms and up sides of prepared muffin cups.
2. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned; let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
3. Sprinkle sugar on waxed paper. For each tassel, slightly flatten 3 gumdrops. Place gumdrops, with ends overlapping slightly, on sugared surface. Sprinkle with additional sugar as needed. Roll flattened gumdrops into 3X1-inch piece with rolling pin, turning piece over frequently to coat with sugar. Trim and discard edges of gumdrop piece. Cut piece into 2-1/2X1/4-inch strips. Cut bottom part into several lengthwise strips to form fringe.
4. Prepare Cookie Glaze. Tint glaze desired color. Place cookies upside down on wire racks set over waxed paper. Spread glaze over cookies to cover completely. Spread glaze over graham crackers; carefully set crackers on tops of cookies. Place tassel on each cap. Set gumdrop on each tassel for cap button. Let stand 40 minutes or until glaze is set.
5. Cookie Glaze: Combine 4 cups powdered sugar and 6 to 8 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make a medium-thick pourable glaze.

Carousel Cake

This recipe makes 14 to 16 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10-inch) bundt cake
• 1 (10-inch) round cake board, covered, or large plate
• 1 container (16 ounces) white frosting
• Orange food coloring
• Assorted animal-shaped cookies
• Decorating gel (optional)
• Assorted candies and decors
• Colored or striped drinking straws
• Paper Carousel Roof (instructions follow)

Method:

1. Place cake on prepared cake board.
2. Tint frosting orange. Frost cake with orange frosting, allowing frosting to drip down side of cake.
3. Outline animal-shaped cookies with decorating gel, if desired; arrange cookies on top of cake. Press candies and decors lightly into frosting.
4. Place straws around cake to support carousel roof; carefully set roof on top of straws.
5. Paper Carousel Roof: To create carousel roof, cut out 7-1/2-inch circle from 8-1/2×11-inch sheet of construction paper. Cut one slit from outer edge of circle to center; tape cut edges together to form carousel roof. For a two-color carousel, cut a second 7-1/2-inch circle from construction paper in another color and fold into 8 wedges. Carefully cut out 4 wedges; glue them onto first circle of paper so colors alternate (before cuting the slit and taping the edges).

Buzzz

This recipe makes about 14 to 18 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cake batter
• 1 (10-inch) round cake board, covered, or large plate
• 1.75 cups prepared white frosting
• Assorted black, yellow and red candies
• Black licorice twists

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2-1/2-quart ovenproof bowl. Pour cake batter into prepared bowl. Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in bowl. Loosen edge; invert onto wire rack and cool completely.
2. Trim flat side of cake. Turn cake over and cut small piece from top of cake to slightly flatten back of bee, if desired. Place cake on prepared cake board.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup white frosting. Tint 3/4 cup frosting black and 3/4 cup frosting yellow.
4. Using toothpick, mark semicircle about 3-1/2 inches from one edge of cake for face, and 3 parallel semicircles for rest of body.
5. Frost face with reserved white frosting. Alternately frost body sections with yellow and black, piping frosting with floral tip to create fuzzy texture, if desired. Reserve small portion of black frosting.
6. Using medium writing tip and reserved black frosting, pipe line between head and body.
7. Arrange assorted candies and licorice twists for face, antennae, legs, wings and stinger as shown in photo.

Butterfly Cupcakes

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) cake mix, any flavor, plus ingredients to prepare mix
• 1 container (16 ounces) white frosting
• Blue and green food coloring
• Assorted candies and colored sugar
• Red licorice strings, cut into 4-inch pieces

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 24 standard (2-1/2-inch) muffin pan cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
3. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans on wire racks about 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.
4. Divide frosting equally between 2 small bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl, one drop at a time, to reach desired shades; stir each frosting until well blended.
5. Cut cupcakes in half. Place cupcake halves together, cut sides out, to resemble butterfly wings. Frost with desired colors; decorate with candies and colored sugar as desired. Snip each end of licorice string pieces to form antennae; place in center of each cupcake.

Birthday Cake Cookies

This recipe makes 10 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 container (16 ounces) prepared white frosting
• Food coloring (optional)
• Colored sprinkles or decors
• 10 small birthday candles

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 10 mini (1-3/4-inch) muffin pan cups and 10 standard (2-1/2-inch) muffin pan cups. Shape one-third of dough into 10 (1-inch) balls; press onto bottoms and up sides of prepared mini muffin cups. Shape remaining two-third of dough into 10 equal balls; press onto bottoms and up sides of prepared standard muffin cups.
2. Bake mini cookies 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are light brown. Bake regular cookies 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool 5 minutes in pans on wire racks. Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.
3. Add food coloring, if desired, to frosting; mix well. Spread frosting over top and side of each cookie. Place 1 mini cookie on top of 1 regular cookie. Decorate with sprinkles. Press 1 candle into center of each cookie.