When I think about the village that I used to live in in Southwestern France, I think of the Beauty and the Beast. Not because there was a beast who lived in the chateau on the edge of town (I'm sure whoever lived there was lovely), but because of the village itself. Every morning reminded me of the opening song of the movie, "There goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread in rolls to sell..." Everyone just ran around, going about their business, shouting "Bonjour!" to one another and carrying huge baskets of baguettes. It was so stereotypically French, and that's what I adored. Now, in honour of those baguettes, here's a recipe for Classic French Baguettes.

Have you ever gone somewhere that was just like you thought it would be, like me with my French village and its beautiful pâtisserie?

Craving some more foodie reads? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday on Wanderlust and Lipstick!

My boyfriend has an obsession with Banana Bread. His mother bakes all sorts of wonderful treats with top-secret family recipes, and in turn, anyone who encounters said treats is obsessed.

This is lovely, but the problem is that I love to cook. The cooking part isn't the problem - it's that because I bake something fresh nearly every day, the things that I cook must be relatively healthy, or one of these days I'll just up and die. Now going back to the banana bread obsession; I like to make a huge batch of banana muffins all the time and keep them in the freezer so there's always a supply on hand. I try to switch it up and keep these muffins interesting, but it can be tough, so I take a basic recipe, and add a little somethin' somethin' just to keep it fresh.

Give this recipe for Low-Fat Banana Bread from the Joy of Baking a shot. It makes 2 medium sized loaves or 12 muffins. Here are some tasty changes and additions:

• Try just under 1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed) and add a tablespoon or so of applesauce. It lowers the fat a little more, and adds some more moisture.
• Use all whole-wheat flour, but use a little less and add some bran. Omit cinnamon, use more vanilla extract or a vanilla bean.
• Use a bundt pan; pour half the batter in, then sprinkle 1 cup of blueberries over batter, then fill with remaining batter.
• Add 1 cup of any (or a combination) of the following: walnuts, pecans, cranberries (fresh or frozen, not dried), chopped strawberries, chocolate chips, or shredded, unsweetened coconut.

Do you have a baked good that you make and your family and friends just drool over? What is it?