Serves 4

1 tbsp ground chilli pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion salt
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Fresh lime juice
Olive oil
A splash of tequila (optional)
2-3 chicken breasts, or 750g steak, cut into thin strips, or 750g green prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 large green capsicum, cut into strips
1 large red capsicum, cut into strips

Mix together the chilli, cayenne pepper, onion salt and black pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add the chicken, steak or prawns with the onion and capsicum, and shake together well. Put seasoned ingredients into a bowl, pour in lime juice, olive oil and tequila and mix well. Set aside until you're ready to cook. Barbecue, grill or pan-fry the chicken, meat or prawns until cooked through. Serve with warm corn or flour tortillas, guacamole, salsa, salad, sour cream and hot sauce.

Shortcut: I use store-bought Mexican sachets, add chilli flakes, olive oil and let the meat sit in it until time to barbecue. This works for two to three chicken breast fillets or 750g steak, cut into thin strips, or 750g green prawns, shelled and deveined, and can be prepared before your guests show up. I don't know about you, but I hate being stuck in the kitchen and missing out on the fun.

Watermelon & grilled haloumi salad

Serves 4

¼ watermelon, cut into small cubes
grilled haloumi (below), cut into strips
6-8 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 bunch of mint, roughly chopped
Aged balsamic vinegar
Olive oil (optional)

Toss together the watermelon, haloumi, tomatoes and mint. Top with a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and some olive oil too, if desired.

Grilled haloumi

This is the easiest starter. We often get a few packets of haloumi, grill it up and serve before lunch as a snack! It's yummiest tossed with salad greens and also really good with lentils and rocket.

Just take a packet of haloumi, cut into 1.5cm slices and grill for two minutes each side, until you see the grilled stripes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and eat!

Skinny margarita 

Makes 4

Lime wedges, optional
Coarse salt, optional
Crushed ice
350ml lemon-lime sparkling water
175ml tequila
60ml orange juice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
4 thin lime slices, for garnish

Rub the lime wedges around the rim of each glass. Put the salt on a small plate and turn each glass upside down, dipping the rim in the salt. Fill the glasses with crushed ice. Pour the sparkling water, tequila, orange juice and lime juice in a pitcher and stir. Pour into the glasses and garnish with the lime slices.

Spicy Jalapeno-infused tequila to add a little spice to your margarita: Add three sliced Jalapeno peppers to half a bottle of tequila and leave to sit at room temperature for a few hours or up to a day. Strain the tequila into a serving jug to remove the Jalapeno slices. Serve on the side so guests can add as much spice to their margaritas as they would like.

From the book: Let's Eat: A Cookbook Celebrating Film, Food and Family, by Margaret Pomeranz and Philippa Whitfield Pomeranz. (ABC Books, $39.99.)