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Pieces of the Government’s fiscal jigsaw are being added by the day with more clues emerging in the run up to next week’s Budget. Yesterday details emerged of how the property tax will work with the cost estimated at €350 on an average house, priced at €157,000. Tax on properties priced at €500,000 will come in at around €1,000.

The Irish Independent reports today that child benefit will be cut by €10 euro , benefits for the elderly are in the firing line and medical card holders will have to pay more for medicines. There are also plans to reform unemployment benefit.

Joining Pat were Meath East TD Regina Doherty of Fine Gael and Meath West Sinn Fein TD Peadar Tobin.

It’s the season of goodwill ...but it’s also the season of some appalling cruelty to animals. Valerie, Cox has been to visit the National Animal Centre which is run by the Irish society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Co. Longford.

For the next four weekends, stressed shoppers will be in an out of book shops wondering what to buy the sports fanatic in the family. Well each year Malachy Clerkin himself a sports writer gives us his expert advice.

Malachy Clerkin’s Top 5

The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton with Daniel Coyle

The Godfather Of Modern Hurling by Enda McEvoy

Cliffs Of Insanity by Keith Duggan

All In My Head by Lar Corbett with Damien Lawlor

I Am The Secret Footballer by Anonymous

Inside The Mind of Pádraig Harrington by Paul Keane

With Catherine Fulvio

Christmas Day dinner aside, many of you will be planning to host a dinner party or Family get together over the coming month. It may be a themed affair, or it may be a cocktail party, but if you’re having some numbers over, you’re going to need to prepare in advance. But fear not, we have all the advice you need over the next little while with Catherine Fulvio.

Eggnog, Blueberry and Shortbread Trifle

Serves 6

Ideally this made a day ahead of time for all the lovely spicy flavours to infuse. Once you have the eggnog made, the assembly is very quick and easy. I like to keep my shortbread pieces roughly chopped for texture but if you prefer them finer, just crush in a food processor.

For the eggnog sauce

2 tbsp arrowroot

200ml milk

4 large eggs

4 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp allspice

250ml cream, whipped

1 tbsp rum

Pinch of nutmeg

250g blueberries, washed

1 lime, zest and juice

2 tbsp caster sugar

350g shortbread biscuits, roughly chopped

Nutmeg, to decorate

Blueberries, to decorate

1 lime, 3 – 4 slices and zest

Firstly mix the arrowroot with a little milk to form a smooth paste, then transfer the rest of the milk and the arrow paste into a saucepan, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, allspice. Heat the mixture slowly over a medium heat and keep stirring until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.In the meantime, combine the blueberries, lime and sugar together in a small saucepan and simmer gently for about 4 to 5 minutes and allow to cool.Fold the cooled eggnog mix into the whipped cream. Stir in the rum and a little nutmeg.To assemble, spoon some blueberries into the base of a pretty glass serving bowl. Layer with eggnog cream and then biscuits. Continue, ending with the eggnog cream.Sprinkle over a little nutmeg, lime slices and zest and a few blueberries. Chill.

Tip: Try this with pomegranate seeds and lime, just heat for 2 minutes.

Orange and Marsala Chicken

Serves 4

A very simple dish to serve during the Christmas party season when family and friends are over for a get together. The Marsala and orange glam it up and give a wonderful flavour to the butternut squash wedges. This will give you more time to spend on the dessert or canapés.

Olive oil

4 chicken supremes

100g pancetta, diced

10 small shallots, peeled and left whole

1 medium red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small wedges

250ml orange juice

60ml Marsala

1 small orange, sliced into thin wedges

4 to 5 small sprigs rosemary

Rustic croutons, to serve

Sprigs of rosemary, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas4.

Heat the olive oil in a casserole over a medium heat, add the chicken and brown on both sides. Stir in the pancetta and sauté until just crisp.

Add the shallots, chilli, butternut squash, orange juice and Marsala. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tuck in the orange wedges and rosemary sprigs and transfer to the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Baste the chicken and vegetables from time to time.

To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the croutons and sprigs of rosemary.

Tip: Instead of the marsala use a sherry or even some Chianti with chunky sweet carrots and thyme.

For the third week in a row the abortion debate was high on the news agenda here. A judge was sent to jail for the first time in the history of the state , Louis Walsh settled his defamation case with the sun newspaper while in the UK the Leveson report on press ethics was finally published with David Cameron saying he doesn’t think statutory regulation is the way to go . The Greeks were given a better deal on their debt burden with many people asking why can’t something similar be done for us and with the budget just days away the leaks just keep on coming..

Joining Pat in studio were Cora Sherlock, deputy chair, Pro Life Campaign; Ailbhe Smyth of Open Forum; Noirin Hegarty, journalist, and Mary Minihan, political reporter, Irish Times.