Slippers and my grandmother’s afghan saved me this week while I recuperated from an unfriendly spring chest cold. Hacking doesn’t work for a spring jam, but the birds were tolerant enough. Great reading material works well too. I’ll tell you who kept my company this week in this space tomorrow.

Sooner or later, you’re better enough.  Your kid makes dinner and there’s a spirit about, calling for action.

Two words: ice cream…with three ingredients.

Three ingredients recipes are a special kind of goodness. I love the myriad steps of an ambitious kitchen project, but there are times that scream out for spontaneous treats. If you’re the type who wants a little of both, you’ll find lots to choose from in my food memoir, with love and sugar, currently sporting a sexy pink cover for spring. See here how to order.

The WHY checklist:

• Temperature soars after days of non flip-flop weather. Bare feet on grass= ice cream
• House is full of adults you dimly recognize as your own children. Forget the laundry=ice cream
• Said young adults like to cook. Break from dinner monotony=ice cream
• Spring flu be damned. Sunshine wins=ice cream
• Tulip and spring trees!  Big blossoms deserve applause=ice cream

Creamy ice cream in less than an hour. That’s a long weekend happy face if you can’t tell.

Now get busy and call your favourite Nutella-heads and tell them it’s time.

Banana Nutella Ice Cream

Serves 6 

What you need:

• 5 ripe bananas
• ¾ cup Nutella
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

What you do:

1. Cut bananas into 1-inch slices. Lay out flat in one layer on a baking sheet or plate that will fit easily into your freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
2. Dump frozen banana slices into your processor and blend until mixture becomes smooth and begins to look like ice cream.
3. Add Nutella and vanilla. Pulse until combined.
4. Ready to eat! Or scrape into airtight freezer proof container and freeze to enjoy later.

Notes: You must use very ripe bananas for this, but don’t wait until they’re mushy as they won’t cut into slices to freeze.  Also, this is a recipe where the gadget is king. You really need a food processor for the best consistency. 

For more ice-creams, see the summer section in my book. You know it: pink is your colour.