Chocolate Covered Bananas with Rainbow Sprinkles

Those who have been following our blog know that we like sweets. No, we really, really like sweets. So we have some nicely ripe bananas ready to be eaten. What was our first thought? If you guessed "drizzle them with honey and sprinkle with toasted wheat germ," you would be right. Our second thought, though, was "coat them with melted chocolate and roll them in sprinkles."

Garlic Croutons

We like these croutons because they are pretty easy to make, and they are an easy sell to our kids.

DOW: Manhattan

We are having a lot of fun exploring these classic cocktails. The Manhattan is a pretty well-known drink that shows up regularly in films, books and television.

Although many recipes call for bourbon instead of rye or Canadian whisky, we use rye for two reasons. Rye has harsher taste to it, and we prefer to drink our bourbon straight (or with water). Thus, we're lucky to live in Canada where it is easy to find real rye whisky.

Pâtisserie Lebeau

On 2nd Avenue near Burrard, you can find a mini gallic oasis, with Les Amis du Fromage, Fabrics de France, and Pâtisserie Lebeau. Yes, the waffles at Pâtisserie Lebeau are Belgian and not French, but you get the point.

Plöger Delikatessen

Ever since we saw that Plöger Delikatessen opened in Kitsilano, we've been meaning to pay a visit. Good thing they are on the Cypress bike route because it was easy to drop in on the way home.

DOW: Daiquiri

As we cling to to the dying warmth of the season, we try to stave off the inevitable by turning to a quintessential summer drink, the daiquiri. Alas, we have been corrupted by popular culture. The true daiquiri is not a blended, frozen, fruity concoction, but a straightforward combination of rum, lime and sugar.

Earth Balance Buttery Flavour Spread

This vegan trans-fat-free margarine from Earth Balance has become a household staple for us. We just love the taste of it. We use it everywhere you might otherwise use butter or regular margarine. It's great on bread or toast, and we use it extensively in baking. We would go through the one-pound tubs pretty quickly, and just imagine how excited we were when we first saw the three-pound tub in the grocery store. Earth Balance even makes a more convenient and more expensive stick form.