source:  National Archives

After what seemed like an endless season of snow, blistery winds, and then torrential downpour, we've finally gotten some warm sunshiney days here in NYC. With a couple days of summery weather, we unintentionally went on a mini frozen treats binge in the city.  Check out our "tour" - which ends with us making our own frozen yogurt at home!

We wanted to wish you and your loved one a very Happy Easter! We hope you find plenty of Easter eggs! =)

Since my wife is Canadian, I always keep an eye out for wines from her home country. They're difficult to find in NYC so I like to try them out when the wine makers themselves come to town.  Last month, we tasted Canadian Chardonnay wines at the Seriously Cool Chardonnay presentation held in midtown Manhattan.  The trade event was held by Wines of Ontario and Wines of British Columbia.  Upon arrival, we were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine, the 2006 Cuvee Peter F. Huff Blanc de Blancs from Huff Estates in Prince Edward County, Ontario.  This 100% chardonnay sparkler spent three years on lees and was a pleasant introduction at 12% ABV.

I like to think of my husband's office as a black hole for my baked goods.  Whenever I'm testing out recipes and just make too many sweet treats, I know that he can take them to work and they'll never go to waste.  For my father-in-law's 70th birthday, I had made easy no-bake cocoa oatmeal peanut butter cookies because they were soy-free. Not only are these cookies easy to make (no need to turn on the oven!), but they still taste great days after they're made.  My husband brought some of the extras to work and his co-workers loved them so much that they asked for the recipe - so here it is!

After searching all around the city last year for a bottle of British Columbia wine (for my wife's "Olympics" dinner), I know that B.C. wines are hard to find.  So when we were invited to the recent ‘Canadian Savoir Fare!’ event, I was looking forward to try some new wines.  Held at Bowlmor Lanes in Times Square, the wines were provided by the British Columbia Wine Institute to pair with "Canadian-style" cuisine.

Soft oatmeal cookies make me feel so comforted and warm inside. And maybe because it's packed with rolled oats, I feel like they're healthy too. (At least that's what I tell myself when I eat one or four of them on my own).  So when I was baking for my father-in-law's 70th birthday and thinking of soy-free desserts that our young cousin could enjoy without worry (or feeling left out), oatmeal cookies came to mind.

To make them extra-special, we made Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches by adding a thin layer of Marshmallow Fluff in between the cookies.  I knew that they were a hit when he happily came up to us to thank us for making these cookie sandwiches - and filled up a take-out container with quite a few of them to take home.

After hundreds of comments, we have enjoyed our week of giveaways in conjunction with A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa and Fresh Local and Best.  I wanted to thank our readers who have entered the contests and welcome new readers who found us through this giveaway.  Don't worry if you didn't win - we often host giveaways so there will be more chances opportunities in the future!

And now for the winners (as determined by Random.org)...

The winner of the Bravado nursing tank is Noelle (Opera Singer in the Kitchen) who would love the tank in the dark plum color.

The winner of the KidCo baby food mill is Janeen who wrote, “I always like to puree potatoes or winter squash.  Janeen is a Spain in Iowa commenter and subscriber. (Diana will be emailing you).

The winner of the BECO Baby Carrier is Trisha who wrote, "I am a baby wearing mom to my sweet little girl.  I enjoy it because I know it is wonderful for her since she feels safe and content close to my heart and it has also been a lifesaver for me.  I love that I am able to get some chores done throughout the day!  I would really love to try a Beco carrier...I only have a short wrap at the moment and think the convenience of a buckle carrier would be wonderful.  Thanks!"

We will be emailing the winners and coordinating with our sponsors to make sure you get your prize soon! Congratulations to all!

Happy Friday! Faithful readers of HLFD know that we like to eat A LOT, so it's always exciting to us when we find something new.  After our United Nations-inspired meal and trips to Eataly (where we found kaffir limes and horned melon fruit), farmers markets, Chinatown, and countries around the world, I thought I had already seen or tasted most exotic fruits. But happily, when I walked into Trader Joe's earlier this week, I found these new-to-me Kiwi Berries.