After our successful first foray into adult popsicles using Caramilk liquor, we started searching around for other icy recipes to help us beat the heat with a bit of a buzz.

We found recipes for mango-mojito popsicles from Erica’s Sweet Tooth, sangria ice-pops from Emily Bites and these fab vodka-spiked ices made with fresh watermelon by culinary goddess, Giada de Laurentiis. We used these stunning stainless steel molds from Onxy Containers to make our ice-pops, but you can go green by freezing your libation of choice in a thoroughly cleaned yogourt container with a lid.

Just make sure that the kids don’t find them, or there might be tears at happy hour. —Jennifer Nachshen

One of our favourite holiday gifts was this Bacardi gift set, complete with everything we need to ramp up our mojito mojo. Here’s a recipe for a sweet and spicy Ginger and Lemongrass Mojito that we’re pretty sure was responsible for curing our winter cold.

Ingredients
1 ½ oz Bacardi Superior Rum
½ lime
1 tsp Sugar
1 oz Bottlegreen Ginger and Lemongrass Soda
8-10 fresh mint leaves
Mandarin orange segments

Directions
Muddle mint, sugar and lime in a highball glass. Fill with ice, add 1½ oz. Bacardi Superior Rum and top with Bottlegreen Ginger and Lemongrass Soda. Stir well and garnish with a mandarin orange segments and sprig of mint.

Our Rx? Take two every Friday and don’t call the doctor in the a.m.

$35.45 at the SAQ until mid-January, www.bacardi.com

Courgette and chocolate come together at last in this Vitamin Daily-tested, kid-approved recipe (perfect for a quick breakfast).

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients (wet)
3/4 C butter, softened
2 C sugar
3 eggs
1/2 C milk
2t vanilla
Ingredients (dry)
2 1/2 C Flour
1/2 C cocoa
1t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1T Baking powder
1t cinnamon
2 C grated zucchini
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Method
In a medium bowl cream butter with an electric mixer adding sugar, followed by eggs, milk and vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir in zucchini and nuts.
Gradually add wet mixture to dry and stir well.
Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool, then serve dusted with icing sugar if desired.

With peaches so plump and juicy this time of year we’re blending them into a summer cocktail.  This recipe for Cuban-style Peach Mojitos is peachy keen:

Ingredients
1 lime
1 Ontario peach, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup peach juice
3 oz white rum
2 cups ice, crushed
10 mint leaves
1/4 cup carbonated soda

Method
Squeeze juice from the lime into blender.
Add peach slices, sugar, juice and rum; blend until smooth.
Add crushed ice and pulse until combined. Pulse in mint leaves.
Pour into 2 chilled glasses. Add a splash of soda and garnish with peach slices and mint leaves.

Makes 2 servings.

Naughty or nice, you’ll love this recipe for our favorite holiday tipple:

Vitamin Daily Eggnog

5 cups whole milk
6 eggs
¼ cup caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
20 fresh cherries (de-stoned and halved)
¾ cup brandy

Method

Mix milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla in medium pan and heat on low until mixture thickens. Scatter cherries at bottom of serving glasses, add brandy, pour eggnog and dust with cocoa powder.

Merry Xmas, luvvies!

Presenting Editor-in-chief Sarah Bancroft's great-great-Grandmother Matilda's gingerbread cookie recipe, originally from Heligoland. The secret to its crispiness? See ingredient #2. Yum!

Matilda's Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 c bacon fat, cold
1/2 c white sugar
1  large  egg
1/4 c molasses
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbls ground or fresh grated ginger

Method
Cream together butter and bacon fat, adding sugar.
Add egg and molasses, mix again.
Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger.
Mix flour mixture into butter mixture gradually.
Form dough into ball, flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Roll out with a dusting of flour into 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut with cookie cutters and lift onto baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Unless the candy is being handed out in Hermès boxes, our trick-or-treating days are over. Instead, we’ll be getting our heebie jeebies with these Limeslime Eyeball Jello Shooters.

Ingredients
1 package lime jello powder
6 canned or fresh lychees
6 maraschino cherries
6 slices black grape

Method
Stuff a maraschino cherry into the lychee without breaking it.
Cut slice from outside of grape and place over red part of eyeball.
Prepare lime green jello using half-water, half-vodka.
To suspend eyeball, pour jello half way up in a shot glass and let set.
Place 'eyeball' on the set jello and pour remaining jello into shot glass.
Cover and let set.

This toddler-proof, ridiculously simple Banana Bread recipe has been in Editor-in-chief Sarah Bancroft's family for four generations. Invite the little ones into the kitchen for a stress-free baking session.

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda

Method
Preheat the oven to 315 degrees F. Combine eggs, oil and sugar. Add mashed banana and nuts. Sift in flour and baking soda, stirring just until blended. Bake in well-greased loaf pan for about an hour.

We asked Manny Vides, Head Mixologist at Koko Restaurant + Bar, to whip up something special as we say goodbye to patio season.

Without further ado, we present his to-die-for Vitamin Daily Martini:

1 1/2 oz Cîroc Vodka
1 oz Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Wine

6 green grapes

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz jasmine tea syrup (optional)

6 mint leaves




Muddle the grapes in a glass. 
Add all the ingredients and fill a glass shaker with ice, then shake for 8-10 seconds. 
Double strain into a martini glass. 
Garnish with mint, jasmine tea buds and Sauvignon Blanc foam

Koko Restaurant + Bar, 8 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, 514-657-5656, www.kokomontreal.com

For a step-by-step guide to making your own Vitamin Daily Martini, see today's Editors' Diary.

There may be no scientific proof, but we firmly believe that cake can mend a broken heart. Erin Bolger’s The Happy Baker, a divine collection of recipes blended with personal stories about her dating misadventures, has plenty of cheer-up treats like The Big Hurt Cheescake.

Ingredients
1 cup finely crushed ginger cookies
¼ cup melted butter
3 8oz softened cream cheese packages
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 slightly beaten eggs
1/3 cup caramel sauce

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F and cut parchment paper to fit bottom of a 9-inch springform pan
Mix crushed cookies and melted butter, press into prepared pan, bake 5 minutes
Beat cream cheese with a mixer until smooth
Beat in sugar, flour, ginger, lemon juice, vanilla and salt
Stir in eggs, beat, pour mixture on top of crust
Bake 45 minutes until centre is set
Before serving, spoon caramel topping over cake

The Happy Baker: A Dater’s Guide to Emotional Baking, $19.10 at Chapters.ca .