Berry, lemon curd and mascarpone sponge cake

One of the joys of living where I do is the availability of berries. Especially in late spring, summer and into autumn, they are cheap, plentiful and there are many varieties to choose from. But luckily too, berries are generally available all year round and are not too expensive, no matter the season.

Cheesy bacon and egg pies

Quick idea for school lunch boxes, or perhaps an after school snack. Or you could just make a batch of these and keep on hand in the fridge for hungry people for breakfast. Or a picnic. Just about anywhere really!

Spaghetti nests

This idea is borrowed - thanks Barb! This is really a serving idea, rather than a recipe, but if you have children this will go down a treat. It's also an excellent way to use up extra pasta - even if said pasta is a bit dried up and stuck together.

Panfried salmon with crunchy Asian-style salad

It's been a while, sorry! We moved apartments, so I've been a little busy getting everything in order at the new place.

If you've read any of my recipes, you will know I have a thing for lots of texture in my food, crunch in particular is my thing. This recipe with salmon and lots of crunchy vegetables ticks the crunch box for me. The freshness of the vegetables, herbs and nuts provides a good contrast to the richness of the salmon.

Ricotta and banana pancakes

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, the first day of Lent for Christians around the world.

I remember as a child eating lots of pancakes at school on this day and wondering what it was all about. 'Why would Jesus eat pancakes,' I thought.

Now I'm celebrating Pancake Day with my own children, which is lovely, but makes me feel a little old too.

This recipe using ricotta and banana is excellent for fluffy and very tasty pancakes. I like to eat them hot out of the pan with some golden syrup drizzled over the top. Just delicious. Maybe these will be my sacrifice for Lent (or maybe not)!

Tuna, salmon and sweet corn burgers

This was a real 'what is in the cupboard that I can cook quickly for lunch' recipe.

I had hungry children due home in an hour and no time to run to a grocery shop. A search through the pantry cupboard revealed a tin of tuna in brine, one tin of pink salmon and a tin of sweet corn. Put all that together and you get the above - tuna, salmon and sweet corn burgers. The children had theirs as burgers on a bread roll with some lettuce and tomato. I had mine with an avocado and orange salad. Just delightful, and the leftovers went well for lunch the next day.