Table of contents for TAK2609 in Take 5

As March marks Endometriosis Awareness Month, it was enlightening reading the health feature on page 12 this week on the topic. I remember a friend suffering from the symptoms in our teens. She was relieved when she finally got a diagnosis but devastated when told she may never have kids – something she’d always dreamed of. Thankfully, she had surgery and, although painful, afterwards she asked me to bring her a burger, so I knew she was okay. Now she has four noisy ankle biters! I was also enthralled by Sarah’s story on page 8. She’s in a relationship with an AI bot! I won’t spoil the details but admittedly, there is some appeal in ‘switching on’ and ‘switching off’ your partner, per your liking! For something easy but different,…

My head pounded as I stared at the mountain of work still ahead of me, despite feeling like I hadn’t stopped all day. “I can’t go on like this,” I groaned to myself. It was early 2025, I was 40, and my marketing job felt relentless. My to-do list never seemed to shrink. Why not try AI? I thought. Artificial intelligence chatbots were designed to answer questions, generate text and help with everyday tasks – it was all anybody was talking about. I copied in a draft email and asked it to rewrite it in a professional tone. Within seconds, the response appeared – polished, clear and far better than what I’d written. “Wow,” I blinked in surprise. Curious, I kept using it, tailoring it to my needs and sharing…

If I need to get something done, I put my phone in ‘do not disturb’ mode. It’s amazing how much more productive I am! Becky Shah, Parramatta, NSW. Freeze wet sponges in a zip-lock bag to create cold packs for lunchboxes. Kelly Arthur, Goulburn, NSW. To add a unique sweetness to your stir-fries or noodles, add a couple of pineapple pieces to the mix and a few tablespoonts of the tinned juice. Delish! Jane Lawrence, Sheffield, Tas. If you want to hide dog medication in cheese so that they’ll swallow it, it helps if you leave a bit of cheese on the bench first for a while so it gets soft enough to hide a pill inside. Fiona Cook, Geelong, Vic. Clean the dishes as you cook so you don’t…

Crème brulee waffle cones MAKES 8 PREP 20 MINS COOK 30 MINS 300ml tub thickened cream 1 cup milk 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 4 egg yolks 1⁄3 cup caster sugar 1½ tbsp cornflour 290g packet White Choc Melts 2 tsp vegetable oil 8 large waffle cones 5 Biscoff biscuits, finely crushed 1 cup white sugar Fresh raspberries, to serve 1 Combine cream, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until hot. Do not boil. 2 Whisk egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour in a medium heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture until combined. Transfer to same saucepan. Whisk over a low heat for 8-10 mins until thickened. Transfer back to same bowl. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap.…

Lacing up my joggers, I glanced at the mirror. “It’s getting bigger,” I said to my mum, Bobbie, showing her the lump on my neck. “Please get it checked,” she replied, worried. “I’ll make an appointment,” I promised, before leaving for a run. It was January 2025 and as a 20-year-old juggling my teaching degree and a part-time job, running was my stress relief. At first, I’d assumed the lump was due to exhaustion, but now it was the size of a tennis ball. That week, my GP sent me for tests at Toowoomba hospital. Next month, my dad, Jason, Mum, and I returned for the results. “It’s stage 3 advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” the haematologist said. “No,” Mum cried. “He’s only 20.” I went into shock. The cancer was…

The sun warmed my face as I sipped my coffee and stared out at the ocean. “I can’t wait for later,” I said to my friend David. “It’s a great line-up,” he agreed. It was June 2022. I was 34 and had flown to Sardinia, Italy, to attend a small music festival. We were on the third day and already having the best time, swimming, laughing and dancing late into the night. After breakfast, I stood and carried my empty cup into the kitchen. “I’m going for a shower,” I told David, before heading to the communal bathroom. I left the door unlocked – something I’d had to do since I was 15, when a serious head injury left me with epilepsy. The condition completely changed my life. I was…

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Istood in front of the mirror and sighed. “It’s just one thing after another,” I groaned. It was 2024 and I’d just lost 22kg, after my weight had crept up to 101kg following the birth of my two children, then aged five and four. As a single mum, I wanted my kids to see me healthy and confident, so I joined a gym, changed my diet and stuck to it. But instead of feeling happy with the results, my reflection still left me miserable. When I looked in the mirror, all I could see was loose skin on my stomach and arms, and my huge G-cup breasts, which hadn’t shrunk at all. I’d worked so hard, yet I still didn’t feel comfortable in my own body. Weeks later, a friend…

The gunshots echoed through the house, sharp and deafening in the early morning silence. Upstairs, three young boys froze in fear. Downstairs, their mother stood over a man lying on the floor. It was December 13, 2001, in the small town of Early, Iowa. By the time police arrived, 20-year-old Dustin Wehde was dead, shot nine times. Tracey Roberts, 35, told officers she had acted in self-defence. She said two men had broken in and strangled her with pantyhose, leaving deep red marks around her neck. Fearing for her life and the safety of her children – Bert, 11, Noah, three, and Mason, two – she grabbed guns and fired. She told police she killed one attacker but the other had escaped. When officers told Tracey the man she had…

Ginger beef with cashews and noodles SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 10 MINS 500g beef rump steak, fat trimmed, cut into thin strips 1⁄3 cup soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp cornflour 2 tbsp honey 2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated 440g packet shelf-fresh thin rice noodles 1 yellow capsicum, roughly chopped 150g green beans, trimmed, halved ½ cup unsalted roasted cashews 4 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally 1 Combine beef with half the sauce and oil in a medium bowl. Blend cornflour with 2 tsp water in a small jug. Stir in remaining sauce, honey and ginger. 2 Prepare noodles according to packet directions. Drain. 3 Heat a large, non-stick wok over a high heat until very hot. Stir-fry beef in two batches for about 2…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Acting Editor Kim Bonett, Acting Deputy Editor Natasha Todd, Art Director Ninian Power, Picture Editor Vanessa Mckenzie ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2024. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. Take5 is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au /…

Berry custard croissants SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 14 MINS 1⁄3 cup flaked coconut 2 tbsp pistachios, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp maple syrup 190g packet croissants (4) ½ cup double thick custard 250g punnet strawberries 125g punnet blueberries Icing sugar mixture, for dusting 1 Spray a 20cm non-stick loose-base round cake pan with oil. 2 Spread coconut and pistachios over base of prepared pan. Spoon over maple syrup, stir to combine. 3 Place pan into 7-litre air fryer. Air-fry on 160°C for 5 mins, stirring every 2 mins until golden. Transfer to a wire rack. Set aside to cool. 4 Meanwhile, spilt the croissants down the centre. Spoon 1 heaped tablespoon of the custard into centre of each croissant. Thickly slice 6 strawberries. Reserve remaining for serving. Fill…

My Troop Carrier raced across the desert as I edged towards 130km/h. It was July 2025 and I’d recently relocated to the rural community of Yuendumu, NT, for my job as a youth worker. I regularly made the 300km journey to Alice Springs for groceries and supplies. Cruising into town, I noticed the recycling centre. The Container Deposit Scheme paid 10 cents for every aluminium can and glass or plastic bottle collected. I pictured all the containers I’d seen strewn around Yuendumu. Out there, access to waste facilities and education around waste management was almost non-existent. The extra cash would be nice, I thought. And it’d give me something to do on the weekend! That Saturday afternoon, I grabbed a bunch of plastic bags and strolled over to the local…

MARCH 9-15 PISCES Feb 20–Mar 20 The Full Moon eclipse this week is in your Love Zone. It’s time to move on from something if it clearly isn’t going to work out. Choose growth over nostalgia and remember that it’s not a cliche; endings really do often make space for better beginnings. ★ Emotional honesty is essential now. ARIES Mar 21–Apr 20 There’s a lot for you to think through at the moment. Plenty has changed and you need to adjust. The first step is to get your head in order. Give yourself enough space to reflect rather than react. Clarity will come once you slow down and set your priorities. ★ Decide what truly matters. TAURUS Apr 21–May 21 The question is, are you going to pander to the…