New Zealand's most beloved cook – Alison Holst – has created a book full of delicious recipes that will be welcomed by all parents trying to balance the demands of family, work and life.

This collection of recipes provides lots of exciting ideas for parents faced with the dilemma of how to provide nutritious, economical – and above all tasty and tempting – meals for their young families.

Full of tips and tricks like how to get your toddler eating (more) vegetables and how to tempt the fussiest of eaters, Fast & Fun Family Food is packed full of helpful hints.

Chapters include Super Soups, Food to Go, Finger-Licking Chicken and Outdoor Parties with enticing recipes such as Mini Hot-Dogs, Alphabet Soup, Hedgehog Meatballs, Birdsnest Potatoes and many more.

SAMPLE RECIPE

Caramel Cake (pictured left)
This delicious cake from Fast & Fun Family Food can be made quickly in a single pot. It is best eaten within two days – with or without the yummy (optional) icing.

125g butter
¾ cup sugar
2 rounded household Tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp extra milk

Caramel Icing
½ cup brown sugar • 2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp butter • ¼ tsp vanilla essence
about 1 cup icing sugar

Warm the butter, sugar and golden syrup gently in a pot until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Stand pot in cold water until lukewarm, then beat in eggs and vanilla with a fork. Sift in dry ingredients, pour in first measure of milk, and stir with a rubber scraper to mix.

Spoon half the mixture into a lined 23cm ring tin. Sift cocoa onto remaining mixture, pout on extra milk, then stir to mix. Drop spoonfuls on top of mixture in tin. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Spread the cooled cake with caramel icing and top with chopped walnuts if you wish.

To make the icing: Warm together the sugar, milk and butter until sugar dissolves and mixture boils for 30 seconds. Cool to lukewarm, then stir in vanilla and icing sugar. Add extra icing sugar or hot water to mix to an icing consistency. Pour over cold cake while icing is still warm.

Author Biography

At the age of 26 Alison Holst made her first television appearance and in 1966 penned her first best-selling cookbook. Since then, Alison has written over 100 cookbooks, raised over $4 million for different charities and is still a name synonymous with good, nutritious and affordable family meals.