My favourite weekend - noosa exploring

Noosa is a heavenly place in Queensland, only two hours' drive from my home in Brisbane. I have spent many summers (and winters) in this glorious beach town, which has aromatic bushlands, stunning clear beaches and a plethora of amazing restaurants. The gorgeous scenery creates the ideal backdrop for hiking or walking on sand, timber walkways or rocky inclines. One of my favourite paths is the traditional walk from Hastings Street at Main Beach up towards the Noosa National Park and travelling the five kilometres to Hell's Gate, an amazing lookout point over the never-ending azure ocean.

Along the track, find coves to stop at and explore, sitting on rock tops to watch the ocean lap in and out. Whenever you need some healing time, or a breather from your everyday life, this is the perfect place to escape.

Really good rum balls

My fiancé made rum balls on the weekend, which is one of his favourite treats of the holiday season. I think most men would agree that rum balls are a necessary part of the Christmas banquet. These snow-topped beauties qualify as a skinny sweet - they are low in fat - but very addictive!

Jarrod's Rum Balls

Ingredients:
1 packet of Arnott's arrowroot biscuits
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 can low-fat sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence
2 tablespoons of Bundaberg rum
2/3 cup of organic sultanans
dessicated coconut

Directions:
Crush the biscuits in either a food processor or by hand. We put the biscuits in a sealed glad bag and bash with a rolling pin to crush. Quite theraputic. You can then roll over the crushed biscuits to create finer crumbs. Pour biscuit pieces into a large bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir in the sultanas. Add the can of condensed milk, vanilla essence and rum. Mix together until well combined. Cover the bowl with glad wrap and refridgerate until cold and able to handle.

Cover an oven tray with foil and sprinkle with a layer of dessicated coconut. Take rum ball mixture out of the fridge and begin scooping a tablespoon of the mixture to roll with your hands into a ball. Toss the ball into the coconut to coat and place on a plate or into a container. Repeat until all the mixture has dissapeared.

Makes 25 rum balls (depending on how big you end up making them!). Jarrod makes extra large rum balls because he likes them this way.... go figure!

Keep in the fridge or freezer.

Lemon and passionfruit butter: the perfect home-made gift

Creamy and zesty, this lemon and passionfruit butter is irresistable, and makes the ordinary piece of toast a complete Christmas treat. Easy to make, this sweet butter is a great gift for loved ones.

Lemon butter can also be used for many desserts, making filling for tartlets or topping for a luxurious pavlova.

Lemon and Passionfruit Butter
Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup of caster sugar
100 grams of butter
juice and zest of 4 small lemons
juice and pulp of 2 small passionfruit

Directions:
Simmer water in a saucepan that will fit over a ceramic bowl. If you cook the lemon butter directly on the heat, the eggs can scramble. Put all ingredients into the bowl and place on top of the saucepan to let the steam slowly heat the mixture. Stir occasionally while the mixture melts and thickens into custard (this takes about 5 - 7 minutes). Once thickened, take the mixture off the heat and place in the fridge to cool.

Once cold, spoon into two large steralised jars (or four small jars). Seal and adorn with Christmas festivities like ribbons and stickers. Keep refrigerated.

How to make strawberry and vanilla jam

The perfect personal gift for Christmas is luxurious home-made jam. This recipe is easy to follow and makes a sticky runny jam, which is perfect for spooning over toast or serving with some skinny scones. The vanilla pod adds a special touch.

Strawberry and Vanilla Jam

Ingredients:
500 grams strawberries (roughly chopped)
500 grams white sugar
2 tablespoons of jam setta
1 vanilla pod
1/2 cup of lemon juice

Directions:
Heat strawberries, sugar, jam setta and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds into the jam mixture. Add the remaining vanilla pod for extra flavour.

Bring ingredients to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally until the fruit is soft and the mixture thickens.

Steralise 4 small jars or 2 large jars. This can be done simply by washing in the dishwasher or by hand with hot water and a little detergent. Be careful not to break the glass through hot water, making sure you introduce the hot water slowly to the jars if washing by hand.

When the jam is ready, pour into the jars and seal immediately. Wait until cool before adding finishing touches. I added jam lids with twine.

Low-fat gluten-free eggnog cupcakes

These gluten-free cupcakes are moist and decadently spicy, packed with the warming Christmas taste of eggnog. Boozy and spiced with nutmeg, the drippy sweet icing will entice everyone to have a try. Perfect to serve at an adults only Christmas party.

If you don't require gluten free, use a traditional plain flour blend.

Skinny eggnog cupcakes (gluten-free)

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of gluten-free plain flour
2 large eggs
60 grams of butter (room temperature)
¾ cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¾ cup of lactose free skim milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 tablespoons of Jamaican rum
Pinch of nutmeg

Icing:
150 grams of low-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon of rum
½ cup of icing sugar
1 teaspoon of hot water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line cupcake tin with 12 patty pans (it’s a nice idea to use Christmas colours or patterns). Sift flour, baking powder and soda, and nutmeg into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add one egg to the butter and sugar mixture, while beating. Add ½ of the flour mixture and mix until combined, then add the other egg. Beat the milk, rum and vanilla essence in a small jug or bowl and pour into the mixture. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into each patty pan or until or 12 pans are filled evenly. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and risen. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make icing, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, hot water and rum until creamy. Ice each cupcake and sprinkle with a mix of cinnamon and sugar.

To add decorations, try gold or silver baubles. Mini gingerbreads, which you can buy at the supermarket, are also a nice touch.

Seasonal fruit salad with lime

Summer if the perfect time of year for fruit, especially berries and stone fruits. Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and rasberries are all is season at this time of the year. Other great choices are grapes, melons, oranges, mangoes, peaches and plums.

Whenever you need a quick snack, grab a piece of fruit before you reach for anything else. Whip up a fruit salad for breakfast or a delicious dessert.

Fresh fruit salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

* 600g pineapple, peeled, chopped
* 800g rockmelon, chopped
* 800g seedless watermelon, chopped
* 250g strawberries, hulled, quartered
* 200g seedless green grapes
* 200g seedless red grapes
* 4 passionfruit, halved
* 1 tablespoon lime juice

Place pineapple, rockmelon, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, passionfruit pulp and lime juice in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Toss to combine. Serve.

Fruit salad is best eaten the day it's made otherwise it will become soggy and the fruit will lose its sweetness.

Rachel Bilson's skinny tips

In the March edition of Madison, Rachel Bilson gave a few tips on how to dress for your body type. Being so petite, Rachel understands that lengthening your siloutte is key to looking more slender. Rachel says a pair of nude heels is 'the best trick' as they give you a few inches more leg.

The former OC cutie doesn't play into Hollywood drama and doesn't take her beauty and fitness routine too seriously. She wears what she likes with light make up and natural hair.

When friends stop by, she prefers to do her own cooking to entertain. Loving baking, she credits her skills to her Italian mother. Her favourite is an orange coffee cake.

Orange Coffee Cake - recipe by Paula Deen

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
* 1 (16.3-ounce) can refrigerated biscuits
* 1/4 cup minced walnuts
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons orange zest

Glaze:

* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 2 tablespoons orange juice, or more as necessary

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Separate the biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in the center of the pan. Cut the remaining biscuits in half, forming 14 half-circles. Arrange the pieces around the center biscuit with cut sides facing in the same direction. Brush melted butter over the tops of the biscuits.

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, granulated sugar, and orange zest. Mix well and sprinkle over biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine confectioners' sugar, cream cheese, and orange juice. Blend until smooth adding more orange juice, if needed, to thin. Drizzle glaze over the warm coffee cake and serve.