Table of contents for TAK2602 in Take 5

I can’t really say I’ve inherited any particular special skills from my parents. Not in the way Kate Hudson can sing and act like her mum, Goldie Hawn, or Robert Irwin can be in close quarters with a croc and other dangerous wildlife like his dad, Steve. If anything, I can sit on the couch and watch TV like my old man can. Does that count? Reading Vanessa’s story on page 8 blew me away. She inherited the gift of magic from her mother and grandmother and it’s since taken her around the world. How special for a passed-down skill to help carry her so far! I’d love to hear if generations of your family share special skills! Speaking of magic, don’t miss our 2026 stars special next week so…

I tiptoed down the stairs and peered into my grandma’s living room, eyes wide, fascinated by the mysterious guests who came calling at night. “Use sparingly,” Grandma whispered to the woman before her, whose scarf hid most of her face. She pressed something into the woman’s hand, and the visitor slipped silently into the darkness. It was 1987. I was five years old, and my grandmother, Tilora, was a well-known witch in Bucharest, Romania. Men and women visited her under night’s cover, seeking help and magic. I grew up surrounded by candles, chants, cauldrons, herbal spells and the murmurs of unseen worlds. “In Romania, witches don’t wear pointy hats,” Grandma told me. “We work with herbs, prayers, and the balance between the living and the spirits.” From the moment I…

Passionfruit almond cheesecake slice MAKES 24 PREP 40 MINS COOK 5 MINS 250g packet Milk Coffee biscuits ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds 200g butter, melted 2 tbsp caster sugar FILLING 2 tsp powdered gelatine 250g block cream cheese, softened ¾ cup caster sugar, plus extra 2 tbsp 1 tsp vanilla extract 600ml tub thickened cream 1⁄3 cup fresh passionfruit pulp, plus extra to serve 1 Grease an 18cm x 28cm rectangular slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 4cm above pan edges. 2 Process broken biscuits and almonds in a food processor until finely crushed. Add butter and sugar. Process until combined. Press over base of prepared pan. Refrigerate. 3 FILLING Sprinkle gelatine over ¼ cup cold water in a small heatproof jug. Sit jug in…

The door opened and a handsome stranger stepped into the clinic. “Can I help you?” I asked politely from behind the reception desk where I worked as a cosmetic nurse. He looked at me – really looked – holding my gaze with a steady stare. When he smiled, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I hadn’t felt that way in years. Blushing, I scolded myself. You’re in a relationship and a mother, for God’s sake… The truth was, things between my partner, Ronando, and I hadn’t been right for a long time. We’d fallen for each other back in Jamaica and at first, the 20-plus-year age gap hadn’t bothered me. He was gentle, dependable, and three years into our relationship I’d given birth to our son. We adored our boy, and…

MINIMAL CHIC Minimalism doesn’t have to be boring – just ask Eva Longoria. Her stylish cream set gets a chic upgrade with a sleek waist-cinching belt and unexpected burgundy pumps. PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS. PLEASE CONFIRM PRICES WITH LOCAL RETAILERS. STOCKISTS: FORCAST THEICONIC.COM.AU; H&M HM.COM/AU; M&CO NEXT.COM.AU; MARCS MYER.COM.AU; NEXT NEXT.COM.AU; PETAL & PUP PETALANDPUP.COM.AU; TARGET TARGET.COM.AU; THERAPY THERAPYSHOES.COM.AU; WILDFIRE WILDFIRESHOES.COM.AU; ZARA ZARA.COM/AU CLASH HAPPY Bold brights for the office? Why not?! Or double the drama and mix patterns, like Sarah Jessica Parker in her spotted top and gingham skirt. COLOUR CRAVINGS Whoever said ‘blue and green should never be seen’ never met JLo’s stylist! A pop of bright colour by way of a handbag brings the look to life. COMPILED BY ALIX NICHOLSON…

Loading up my cart with a chainsaw, gloves, and the tools for chain sharpening, I walked up to the sales counter. “Is that all?” the sales lady, Jo, asked. “Do you have a helmet?” I shook my head. “It’s a must for safety, mate,” she said firmly. It was May 2023, and I lived alone on my nine-acre farm with my pigs, cows, sheep, ducks, chooks, geese, a dog and cats. My children – Peter, 34, Daniel, 32, Trevor, 29, and Esther, 28 – had all moved out. I cut my own firewood and everyone nagged me about not wearing a helmet. I always brushed it off. They felt bulky, and I hated having anything on my head. “It comes with earmuffs and a face guard,” Jo added. My hearing…

Grant Tiernan Amato presented himself as a charming, successful anaesthetist – witty, charismatic, independent. But his glamorous facade masked a darker reality: he had been fired from his hospital job. On June 21, 2018, Grant was working as a registered nurse at Advent Health Orlando when hospital staff discovered eight empty vials of propofol – a sedative used before surgery – in two rooms he was overseeing. No doctors had ordered the drugs, and records showed he had taken them from a storage machine. When confronted, he claimed he had administered the medication to patients who were not being adequately relaxed by doctors’ medications. The hospital had suspicions he had done this before. Police were called and Grant was arrested, though the charges were ultimately dropped. He was expelled from…

Meatballs with sauce MAKES APPROXIMATELY 20 MEATBALLS 1kg minced beef 1 egg 1 garlic clove, grated 50g grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve ¼ cup full-cream milk 50g breadcrumbs ¼ bunch finely chopped fresh parsley Pinch of dried oregano 15g salt Freshly ground black pepper, to taste NAPOLI SAUCE 100ml extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 onion, chopped 2kg tinned crushed tomatoes ½ bay leaf ½ bunch fresh basil sprigs, leaves chopped 3g salt Pinch of freshly ground black pepper 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 2 To make the meatballs, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together using your hands. Roll into 60g meatballs and place on the baking tray. 3 Bake for about…

CAPRICORN Dec 23–Jan 20 Have you fallen in love yet? Maybe you’ve fallen in love again with your partner or you’ve met someone or you’re starting to fall in love with yourself? Whatever it is, do it! It’s a very good time to give yourself a makeover if you feel that you need one. ★ Set aside negativity! AQUARIUS JAN 21–Feb 19 The best way to use your current astrology is to work through any dramas or upsets that have been keeping you up at night. Before too long, you’re going to be in a much improved position but there’s no denying it’s still an overall pressurised time for you. ★ Breathe! PISCES Feb 19–Mar 20 I’m sure you feel you’ve been told this for a while now but you…

Getting the keys to my first home, I felt a rush of pure excitement. At last, a place of my own, I thought with glee. It was 2012 and I’d just bought a little fixer-upper – nothing fancy, but full of potential. Out the front was a small garden with a humble compost patch. I’d never been a gardener myself, but I loved the idea of using it. One morning, I wandered outside and spotted something bright orange poking out of the compost. Is it rubbish? I wondered, stepping closer. “A pumpkin!” I squealed, brushing soil away. It was nearly a full-sized jack-o’-lantern pumpkin – the kind perfect for carving at Halloween. I guessed it must have sprouted from seeds left by the previous owners, who hadn’t mentioned it when…

The engine whined as we trundled along. It was 6am as the milk truck pulled up outside a block of flats. “Two there,” said my dad, Terry, 39, at the wheel. Heaving out a big crate, I carried the trembling bottles down to the front door. Aged 12, I worked as a milk maid for my dad. He was raising me, my older sisters and two younger brothers on his own, after he’d split from my mum. Every minute I wasn’t at school, I was working, cleaning and looking after my brothers, aged nine and six. There were no cuddles or fun in my life. But that Christmas, in 1980, Dad bought me a bicycle. It meant I could cycle to the dairy on my own. Dad said I should…

Nachos salad SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 30 MINS 2 x 250g beef porterhouse steaks 1 tbsp taco seasoning mix 2 baby cos lettuce, torn 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced into ribbons 400g red kidney beans, rinsed, drained 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 200g baby heirloom tomatoes, halved 1 avocado, chopped ½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked Corn chips, sour cream, hot chilli sauce, to serve DRESSING 1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp lime juice 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 tsp taco seasoning mix 1 Rub steaks with taco seasoning. Cook beef on a chargrill pan on high for 2-3 mins each side until cooked to your liking. Rest loosely covered with foil. Slice beef. 2 DRESSING In a jug, whisk all ingredients together. Season with salt…

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