October is a month of big celebrations in the Banister house. On October 8, we celebrated our 11th anniversary with a killer French meal in Dallas (I’ll be writing about that restaurant soon, I promise), and five days later, October 13, it’s Will’s birthday, so cue the chocolate ganache. While [...]
While it would’ve been much cooler to say that I first heard about Harry’s Bar because of Ernest Hemingway’s unabashed devotion (I’d discover later, of course, that it was one of his favorite places to write), I learned about the birthplace of the peach bellini (woah, just typing that makes [...]
On the list of places I’ve always romanticized, Venice was always right up there with Paris. So after checking the beloved City of Light off my must-travel list and even returning for round two, Venice quickly moved up to my top spot. Now considering that I’ve read numerous accounts from [...]
Call me crazy, but I always assumed the famed Oktoberfest festivities were in, well, October. But after our time in Germany last fall, I learned that wasn’t the case. The bulk of the big ol’ party that Munich is probably best known for actually takes place in September. So we [...]
The trees are changing later and later in DFW (case in point: they were still in their full summer splendor when we arrived back from Europe at the end of October last year), so I was thrilled to pieces, naturally, to experience the full array of Fall colors in Germany [...]
If we’re honest, last year’s European adventure could’ve easily been dubbed the “No Carb Left Behind” tour. After all, who has time for salad when there’s dumplings, Schnitzel, those cute little parsley potatoes and warm apple strudel with a veritable mountain of whipped cream? Those were a few of our [...]
Whenever you walk past a French pastry case, they’re impossible not to admire. Often showcased in neat little rows in every color of the rainbow, they’re light as air and yet, chewy somehow, in the same bite. Sandwiched with the most delightful of fillings in every possible flavor combination, they’re [...]
I have a feeling that Will’s last birthday is going to be difficult to top. It’s not often you get to spend your big day in not one, not two, but three different countries in the span of 24 hours, but that’s exactly what happened for Will just shy of [...]
Truth be told, I’ve rarely met a cookie, cupcake or bar that I didn’t like. But when it’s like 1,345 degrees in Texas with 127% humidity, there aren’t many desserts that are worth turning the oven on for. These lemon bars, however, are a major exception. The picture doesn’t really [...]
I’m always on the lookout for healthier snacks, so I didn’t waste any time giving these no-bake almond butter bites a try after spotting the recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, Two Peas & Their Pod. And lemme just say, especially with the addition of a few dark [...]
