I've been playing with the combination of jello (jelly for those of us speaking english on the bottom half of the planet) and cream cheese quite a lot lately, it makes a really spectacular fridge cheesecake. The best part of this is, it is so versatile: you can use any flavour combinations you want, you can leave out the base, you can combine it with plain jello - creating a layered cheesecake effect in a glass. There are so many ways to use this basic recipe.

I'm a big fan of ginger and lime, as if you guys haven't noticed, but I've also done a chocolate orange version of this cake with a few easy tweaks. Strawberry and chocolate, pineapple cheesecake with orange jello, raspberry and cherry cheesecake, blackcurrant and chocolate with whipped cream, are just some examples of where you can take this.

The calories in this are a little heavy because of the combination of cream cheese and heavy cream, if you want to lower them - leave out the heavy cream.  The bulk of the carbs in this recipe are in the chocolate base, so if you are looking for a lower carb sweet treat - simply leave out the base.

Lets preface this with: I don't usually tell my life story before recipes, I don't believe you guys want to hear about why I decided to make this specific meal for whoever I made it for and how they all went nuts about it and why it's connected to my childhood in some way. You're here for the food. That's okay, so am I.

That being said, this recipe holds a very special significance for me. My grandmother taught me a lot about baking and cooking. She was one awesome lady. Everyone loved her, you couldn't help it. She would invite you for lunch, teach you how to do something creative, feed you a roast of some kind and then give you a slice of pie. Her pies were famous. If you had the chance to have a mulberry or rhubarb pie at Aunty Rose's house; you did not turn that down. Those things were amazing. When I started keto I had to reconcile that there were a few things in my life that I would never eat again. My grandmother's pies, fruit mince pies and Christmas pudding. I was okay with all of this. I focused on what I could eat: cheese. My mother is a little more stubborn than I am. She decided that there was no way she was going to let this go. 

A few months ago she asked me for help coming up with a pie crust recipe. So we looked at Rosie's original recipe and figured out how to convert the carbs to well, not carbs. We had to try it a few times but when we finally got it to work... I almost couldn't believe this thing was real. We had made a pie crust that rivalled the real thing.

I know that sounds almost too good to be true but this crust browns nicely, it's flakey, it keeps its shape, the coconut flavour isn't strong at all and the best part: you can use it in savoury pies as well (with a bit of adjustment). My next mission - using it to make mince pies!

I have this thing about Turkish Delight, one day I will make a low carb version. Until that happens - everything rosewater is a GO. I love panna cotta - it always reminds me of pudding. These desserts definitely have a pudding consistency with a slight sugary crunch. The erythritol crystallises in the fridge and actually makes a weird crunchy "shell". This is one of my favourite desserts and always a crowd pleaser. The best part about this recipe - it's super simple to make.

I wish I could take credit for this amazing invention. My friend Kallah Ohr from Kallah Ohr Photography created this amazing hot chocolate (posted with permission of course). The first time we had this it was at her house in Paarl and I was completely blown away by how amazing this tasted. I was sceptical at first because I LOATHE almond milk. It tastes like bitter sadness to me, so when she told me that I wouldn't taste it in here I didn't believe her of course. I ate my words. And I drank a whole lot of this stuff.

This recipe is super easy to tweak. If you want a vegan version, just leave out the cream. If you are into chocolate coffee - add a shot of espresso to this. If you want something spicier, add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or chilli powder. The possibilities are endless.

At 5g carbs per serving, it's a little high but not bad for the occasional treat. We are about to have a cold front this weekend so all I am thinking about is hot chocolate and my book.

The first time Waide tried this he immediately said "this is the crust recipe you use from now on!".

This was a random invention based on what I had in my fridge and honestly, the best cheesecake I've ever eaten! But I'm biased, so try it for yourself! When you see the ingredients you are probably going to think "holy calories!" But this recipe divided easily into ten servings, it works out to 4.8g of carbs per serving and 380 calories. Easy to fit into your macros for a special occasion, or you know, a Monday. 

I get asked about hot chocolate recipes a lot. A lot a lot. I currently have three recipes, one that will probably kill you with calories, one that can be vegan and is lower calorie and the easiest one, hot cocoa. This recipe is super easy, quick to do and very satisfying. It definitely ticks all the hot chocolate boxes! It's currently winter here in South Africa, and my first year with a much lower body fat percentage, so I am constantly freezing. This recipe is going to save me this year.