Everybody's happy

You know I love Improv Everywhere. This latest video is cute and simple, but the best part is the tender gentleman at the end. You have to watch it for that.

Making piña coladas from scratch

Summer cocktails! We have quite a repertoire in our house, and we now we have a new addition: the piña colada. This is a very simple drink, which makes me wonder why a person needs help from the myriad piña colada mixes out there.

Michael enjoys his with cinnamon -- that's how they were served when we went to the Baja a few years ago -- so that's what I've suggested here. I think you'll like the whole shebang.

Piña colada (makes four drinks)

8 oz white rum
19 oz can of pineapple, including juice
6 oz coconut cream*
2 cups of ice
cinnamon

Blend the first four ingredients in a blender. Pour into four glasses. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of each.

*We found this beside the coconut milk in our grocery store.

Making granola

Everyone Likes Sandwiches likes granola. She's posted a bunch of recipes on her blog, so I figure she knows her stuff. That's why I tried her Everyday Granola recipe that she posted on Poppytalk. I'm not a granola connoisseur (I've never made it before), but I really like this recipe. The only thing I did differently is alter the baking time. I think I cooked it for twice as long as recommended, and it was deliciously toasted.

Blueberry Beer

Yesterday I heard about Blueberry Pail Ale (a limited edition of Phillips beer) on Facebook, and I decided to stop in at the brewery on my way home. I wish you were here to enjoy it with me, because it's only available in Victoria. It's also a truly local product: "Every ingredient used to craft this refreshing beer has travelled 24 miles or less from farm to brew kettle."

It was my first visit to the brewery, and I'm glad I made the effort to stop in. I got to see Bill, a friend who works for Phillips, and I bought my first Growler. I love this brown jug and the fact that I can refill it with local beer. Blueberry beer, even.

The beer is delicious, by the way. And purple.

Shiny people

On Sunday, Michael and I arrived home after a little summer holiday. Our first stop was Toronto, which we've been planning to visit for a few years now. Michael had never been, and I'd only had limited exposure during a high school choir trip in 1996. We went to see our buddies Jillian and Erin, and now we know the city inside out. No, but really. I never knew where I was, despite Jillian's attempts to drill a sense of direction into me (I might be able to find my way to Queen Street West, though). These photos were taken on the Toronto Island ferry, which was as hot as it looks, but worth the temporary discomfort. We got to spend the day in a park (big enough to absorb all of the Toronto families escaping the steaming city) with a picnic, popsicles and a quadracycle.