I am one of those seemingly rare people that adores Traditional Christmas Puddings! Then again, I also love Christmas Cake and cannot begin to fathom why some people host Christmas Cake Throwing Competitions on Boxing Day to see who can throw their cake the furthest. What a waste of delicious fruitcake!

I will pretty much bake anything the Barefoot Contessa tells me to bake. So when she claimed to have one of the world's best chocolate brownie recipes, who was I to argue? I road-tested these beauties on my ever-obliging Book Club who agreed (through mouthfuls of gooey chocolate) that they were, indeed, quite heavenly.

I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa and have all of her recipe books. There is something about her no-nonsense approach to cooking and baking that appeals to me, and I have yet to try one of her recipes that hasn't lived up to its claims. About two years ago, I saw her making this Lentil Sausage Soup on TV and almost licked the screen (which is strange, because I don't really like lentils) - and so began my love affair with this gorgeous recipe.

I have been on a bit of a mission lately to try and eat every scrap of food in our fridge before it reaches its Best By date. Vegetables can easily be made into soup or tossed in some olive oil and thrown into the oven as Roasted Veggies - but fruit is a little tricky. I discovered a rather lovely Banana Chocolate Chip Bread recipe the other day, which totally takes care of the bananas (and even better, you can freeze bananas and whip them out when you are dying for banana bread or a smoothie). But apples are a little trickier, especially as I don't like stewed apples and am a little tired of Apple Crumble!

If I have been a teeny bit quiet, it's because my entire family is sick. Like ALL of them. And no-one will give me Prozac! Stephen has a lung infection, Kayla has bronchitis and Isabella has an ear infection. (I am absolutely fine, thanks for asking. I just need to figure out how to stop rocking and sobbing hysterically under my desk.)

If I were you, I would delete this message immediately. Because really - who on earth needs to know that you can make a Chocolate Chip Cookie in the microwave in under 3 minutes? Ridiculous. Not to mention the fact that it can be eaten immediately - with or without a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top.

CLOSE THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

People, I have discovered Loaded Cauliflower Bake - a piping hot cheesy, bacony side dish that is the ultimate comfort food in winter. (I also tell myself that it is low-carb, therefore perfect for those following a Banting or Low Carb High Fat diet - but really, I just love the taste. And it's a great way of getting Kayla to eat cauliflower!)

I have to admit that I am obsessed with OPPM (One Pot Pasta Meals)! Who knew you could cook your pasta IN the sauce? As we speak, Steve is away at a conference, I am man down with flu (Day 8, to be precise - I have no voice and feel like my brain is filled with smoke), which means I am on supper duty tonight. Sobs. I can categorically state that this Cheesy Mushroom Sausage Pasta was such a hit last week that I shall be making it again tonight. Plus, the leftovers taste YUMMY the next day - and there is just one chopping board, one knife, and one wooden spoon to pop in the dishwasher afterwards!

With Steve overseas at the moment (and with Kayla and I completely OVER instant meals from Aunty Woolworths), it was time to roll out the big guns last night. Desperate for inspiration, I headed to the Pick n Pay on Nicol, only to find some saintly ladies taking freshly baked Pork Wellington out of the oven. I swear I could hear the angels singing!

By now you will know that while I adore to bake, cooking is not my forte (unless we are entertaining!) If Steve is away and I am the one cooking dinner each night, you will normally find me "compiling" dinner as opposed to cooking it! Ready-made chicken schnitzels, baked fish portions - anything quick and easy will find its way into my trolley and onto the table.

Until I saw this Martha Stewart recipe for One Pan Pasta where you cook the pasta AND sauce in ONE PAN in under ten minutes. You know I had to check it out on your behalf, don't you? Which is exactly what I did last night while Steve was visiting his dad in hospital - Kayla helped chop the ingredients, and I cooked it on the stove in 9 minutes. AND IT WORKED!