DIY Yummie: Baked Banana

With Rum-Spiked Crème Fraîche
Wrapped in their skins with butter and brown sugar, bananas can be placed over dying coals to be ready for dessert when you are.

Ingredients
10 large firm bananas
1/4 pound unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons dark rum

Instructions

1. With a sharp knife, slit the peel open on each banana. Carefully remove peel, reserving it.

2. Roll the bananas in the melted butter and then in the brown sugar. Return each banana to its peel.

3. Using lengths of kitchen string that have been soaked in water, tie each banana. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, blend the crème fraîche with the rum. Set aside.

5. Grill the bananas over low coals, turning frequently, for 15 minutes, or until heated through.

6. Remove the strings and peels from the bananas and serve them on individual dessert plates with some of the crème fraîche on the side.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Harvey Wallbanger

Ingredients
1 ounce vodka
4 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce Galliano

Instructions

Pour the vodka and orange juice into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Stir. Float Galliano on top.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Fresh Pear & Ginger Juice (non-alcoholic)

Ingredients

8 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
8 green apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
2 ripe pineapples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

Instructions

Pass the pear, apples and pineapple chunks and the ginger through a juicer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Chill.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Vodka Gimlet

Ingredients
2 oz vodka
1/2 oz Rose's unsweetened lime juice

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with several ice cubes. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Tall Cool Blonde

Ingredients
5 tulip petals
1 part Grenadine
2 parts Lemoncello
2 egg whites
Confectioner’s sugar
4 parts Stolichnaya® elit™ vodka
Sparkling water

Instructions

1. Pack a tall Collins glass with ice and tulip petals.

2. Pour Grenadine into bottom of glass, followed by Lemoncello and let settle. Whip egg whites and dash of confectioner’s sugar in blender.

3. Pour Stolichnaya® elit™ into glass, and top with sparkling water. Spoon egg white meringue on top.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Coviello Cup

Ingredients
3 leaves of fresh basil
4 parts Stolichnaya® elit™ vodka
2 parts orange juice
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part simple syrup
Diced cucumber
Cucumber sphere for garnish

Instructions

1. Pack a double rocks glass with ice and three basil leaves.

2. In a shaker, mix the additional ingredients with the diced cucumber. Shake vigorously and strain into glass.

3. Garnish with a cucumber sphere.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Strepe Chepe

This is a fabulous, refreshing, and potent concoction, which is ideal for launching a summer party. The tricky thing about frozen drinks like this one is that you don't taste the alcohol. It can give such a fresh, innocent impression but it can sneak up on you. So be careful, and enjoy!

Ingredients
8 ounces high-quality vodka
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine sugar, plus more to taste
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, tightly packed

Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a blender full of ice cubes and blend until the contents achieve a uniform frozen consistency. Add more sugar periodically as needed, or until the mixture is just right. Serve in champagne flutes.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Mimosa

Ingredients

3 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
5 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine

Instructions

Pour the orange juice into a champagne flute. Fill the glass with Champagne or sparkling wine.

An interesting idea is to replace the regular orange juice with blood orange juice when in season.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Bita-Tini

Ingredients

• 2 oz Kettle One vodka
• 2 oz fresh grapefruit
• 1/2 oz pomegranate juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz fresh lime

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and shake well. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a fresh piece of grapefruit twist or lime twist.

Source: Colin Cowie

Real Wedding Inspiration: Bennie & Maryke

Photographer: Yolandé Marx

Photographer's snippet: There was a massive storm on its way and I’ve always wanted to photograph lightning but have never been able to get the right storm.. or the right spot to shoot from. This was the best I could do…