Eat here: Satteleihuette

This is a meal from one of four huts in the Baiersbronn hiking region, deep within Germany's Black Forest. The "hut" is a gorgeous post and beam structure, while the menu of traditional local food is carved into wooden menus; your order then served by smiling women in dirndls.

The fire burned brightly as both hikers and villagers out for a stroll, put down their walking sticks and picked up glasses of beer and Riesling, and forks with which to dig into plates of traditional ravioli sided by creamy potato salad, beef soup, meatballs, and apple cake with whipped cream.

You know, a nice light lunch.

On buttermilk and bananas

Not sure what to do with an over ripe banana and that last bit of buttermilk?

Ring, ring

"Hello?"

"Hi there, it's Mr. Obvious calling for Ms. Pancakes..."

Peanut butter chocolate banana buttermilk pancakes

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp tsp baking soda

1 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

3 tbsp butter, melted

1 large ripe banana, thinly sliced

¼ cup President's Choice new Mini Peanut Butter Melts (note: Yum!)

a touch of butter or oil for cooking the pancakes

maple syrup

Method:

In a medium bowl blend together dry ingredients, then mix in remaining ingredients until combined. Batter will be thick.

Heat large frying pan or griddle over medium heat and fry pancakes in batches (they should take a few minutes per batch.) You’ll know they’re done when they’re golden on both sides and cooked through. Drizzle with a touch of maple syrup and enjoy.

The Wick

This afternoon we arrived at the Wick in the majestic wilds of Tofino, British Columbia. It's raining, as it should be. This is storm season.

We just inhaled the perfect "snack" of fresh cut fries topped with braised short ribs and blue cheese, washed down with a highball dark and stormy, stirred together with house-made ginger beer and rum. Sadly, the blue cheese wasn't local. "Unfortunately, nobody makes cheese in Tofino," said our waiter, "that blue cheese is from the other side of the island."

I lurve it here.

Snack of the day

This bar of chocolate I bought in Grenada is the Best. Chocolate. Evah.

It’s the mellowest dark I’ve tried, with an intriguingly off-putting initial burst of earthiness, which quickly dissipates into a rich milky fruity mouthful -- and all with the added appeal of a cocoa nibs crunch. There’s something to be said for purity of flavour. To wit, the ingredients list on this chocolate bar? Organic cocoa beans, fresh organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa nibs, organic soy lecithin and organic vanilla beans.

So, like I said, best chocolate ever, and that’s really saying something, because if you know anything about me at all, you must know how much I love chocolate.

Basically, it’s always on mind. For instance, I mention it here and here.

And also here.

Plus here, and here, and who could forget about here?

And that's just the half of it.

P.S. Chocolate!