Categories
Entertainment

Best Boardgames

Board games have been around forever; they are played by most cultures and societies. For example the Ancient Egyptians played Senet also known as “the passing game.” Senet is possibly the oldest board game in existence but the instructions were lost long ago.

In addition to a rich and varied history; board games also have many benefits. They allow you to have fun and feel good AND enjoy time with family and friends most obviously. But did you know there are some pretty important health benefits too?!? Board game play reduces both stress and risks for mental diseases (since the brain is active) and lowers blood pressure. Depending on the design or objective of the game, players can improve their memory formation and cognitive skills, speed up response time and are great tools for child development in terms of logic, reasoning and critical thinking. It is frequently said that laughter is the best medicine; lots of laughs are shared when playing games that is for sure; chemicals are released which boost immunity. For those in rehabilitation programs board games are very helpful; because they allow the opportunity to work on fine motor skills, coordination and dexterity.

“My Top Ten Board Games:

1. Trivial Pursuit
2. Scattergories
3. Yahtzee
4. Snakes & Ladder
5. Scrabble
6. Cranium
7. Trouble
8. Kerplunk
9. Life
10. Pay Day

What are your favourite board games? Leave me a comment!

Categories
Food & Drink

Flashback Friday: Grandma’s Honey Cookies

My maternal grandma was an incredible lady; she fled Hungary and spent six months in a refugee camp in Austria before immigrating to Canada. She gave up everything, including a job as a kindergarten teacher, so my mom and aunt could have a better life. She battled diabetes, lymphoma with immense courage and survived a triple bypass.

I remember spending summers with her and learning about my Hungarian roots from her; one way she exposed it to me was through cooking and baking. One treat I love and remember fondly is, mézeskalács or honey cookies. We always had them at Christmas and gobbled them up. I tried many times to make this recipe successfully, but I failed –I either burned them or they were too dense or the flavour just wasn’t there.

My grandma cooked mainly from memory; what she was taught by her foremothers and by touch and taste. This summer though, as my travel plans were put on hold; I challenged myself to successfully make one of her recipes…and this time I succeeded.

Ingredients…
7 Tbsp honey
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp gingerbread spice

Directions…
-Preheat oven to 390 F 
-Combine honey, oil, egg and sugar
-In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and spices.
-Add dry ingredients to the honey mixture and blend together to make a dough
-Take 1 teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball
-Place honey cookie on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
-Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the bottom of honey cookies become slightly brown
-Cool completely

*You can glaze these cookies; however, in our household that wasn’t done.

Categories
Fashion

‘Tis The Season… to be MARRIED!

Despite the pandemic, it is still wedding season because although many things have been cancelled; LOVE IS NEVER CANCELLED! I couldn’t be more excited to see my family and friends get their happily ever after! Check out my suggestion on what to wear to a lovely spring/summer wedding.

Dress: Cross Back Flower Print Vintage Dress
Shoes (Outdoor Option): Fleur Espadrille Wedge Heel (Monsoon)
            (Indoor Option): Nude Contrast Sole Low Heel (Missguided)
Purse: Benvela Clutch in Camel (Dune)
Jewellery: Lemmi Rose Gold Drop Earrings in Teal Quartzite (Kendra Scott)

Categories
Food & Drink

Summer Drink Recipe: Sangria

Four years ago, my best friend hosted the most perfect country stagette for me at my house. The ladies sat around the fire and enjoyed great food and great drinks; we relaxed and shared a lot of laughs. Everyone who attended brought their favourite recipes to add to my collection, since I love to cook and bake. I figured I would share one of those with you! This delicious recipe for Sangria is perfect for a hot summer day and super easy to concoct. Even after FOUR years it is my go to summer drink recipe!

Ingredients
-1 bottle Merlot OR Cabernet OR Zinfandel
-1 Lemon (cut into wedges)
-1 Orange (cut into wedges)
-2-3 Tbsp Sugar
-2 oz Rum
-2 cups Club Soda
*Ice cubes (for serving only)

Directions
-Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT for the club soda into a pitcher; stir to dissolve the sugar
-Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight
-Just before serving stir in club soda
-Serve over ice

**For a non-alcoholic version; sub in Welch’s Concord Grape Juice for wine and Tropicana Orange Juice for the rum.

Categories
Reflections & Lifestyle

What Makes YOU Come Alive?

Taking a nod from Joanna Goddard over at A Cup Of Jo; because I love love love her writing. I put together lists of, “what makes me come alive.” It is especially important especially in today’s political, economic and social climate that we practice gratitude; without it, can we ever truly be happy??

1. Standing in a chilly mountain creek/river
2. Watching cake/cookie decorating videos on Instagram
3. Purdy’s Himalayan Pink Salt Caramels
4. Writing
5. Trying out a new restaurant or cuisine
6. Driving with the windows down; wind blowing through my hair
7. Gardening
8. Touring a museum, gallery or going to a historical landmark
9. Catching a fish 
10. Laughing my ass off at a comedy show
11. Having an acupuncture/massage session
12. Devouring a good book
13. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116

What would you put on your own list??

Categories
Food & Drink

Pulled Pork Recipe

The late great chef Anthony Bourdain once said that, “[b]arbeque may not be the road to world peace but it’s a start.” Barbeque has the uncanny ability to tickle the taste buds of pretty much everyone. It brings people together, especially in the summer; relaxing with family and friends, sharing food and making memories. Barbequing in our household is left to my husband; he is a total grill master. I came across this recipe a little over two years ago and it allows me to capture all the barbecue flavour goodness when I am on my own and during the fall and winter without having to fire up the grill. Add buns, corn on the cob and a side of coleslaw for an epic feast!

Ingredients
Pork Shoulder
1 can of Root Beer
1 bottle of Cattleman’s Hickory BBQ Sauce

Directions
Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker.
Pour root beer on top.
Cook on low for 6 hours (or on high for 3 hours).
Shred the pork using two forks.
Cover with BBQ sauce.
Simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes so the pork can absorb the sauce.

Suggestion: This recipe tastes even better the second day; you may want to make it the night before and then reheat before serving.

Categories
Fashion

Just Fab Shoes: My Personalized Boutique

Most you all are familiar with JustFab; for those of you who don’t or were late to the starting gate like myself, it is an online subscription fashion retailer that carries selections of shoes, handbags, jewelry, and denim. It offers a personalized shopping experience based on members’ indicated fashion preferences; you take a quiz and the site emails you suggested items. There is a monthly fee and VIP members get 30% of their purchases. This is a great site for those who LOVE shoes! Each summer, I go on a major decluttering mission in my house. This summer I ended up  deep-sixing a lot of shoes. I figured it was time to rebuild that aspect of my wardrobe,

According to my quiz results, I am a: Modern Classic

Sandals
Dress + Ankle Strap: Trae Heeled Sandal (Black)
-Gladiator:
Slyvee Flat Sandal (Cognac)
-Mule:
Juliet Mule (Blush)
-Shootie:
Boardwalk Babe Open Toe Cutout Heeled Sandal (Cherry Red)
-Slide:
Tia Double Strap Slide Sandal (Electric Blue)
-Thong + Flip Flop:
Margarete Embellished Flat Sandal (Rose Gold)
-Wedge:
Maddison Wedge (Black)

Pumps
-Ankle Strap: Lousana Pump (Cabaret)
-D’Orsay:
Katniss Embellished Heel (Black)
-Classic:
Lyssa Classic Pump (Leopard)
-Platform:
Kissa Pump (Snake)
-Mary Jane/Slingback:
Sophie Peep Toe Pump (Natural)

Flats
-Ballet: Maya D’orsay Flat (Black Gingham)
-Loafer:
Karin Pointed Toe Flat (Black)
-Moccasin:
Study Session Driving Moccasin (Taupe)
-Slip On:
Bryn Espadrille Flat (Blue/White Stripe)

Boots
-Booties: Western Wild Block Heeled Bootie (Black)
-Cowboy/Western:
Sandryne Cowgirl Boot (Cognac)
-Fuzzies:
Lyn Fuzzie (Cognac)
-Heeled:
Romi Heeled Boot (Black)

Categories
Travel

Flashback Friday: Fishing @ Leland Lake

Last summer my husband, four of our closest friends and myself set off on an adventure to South Leland Lake which is located in the northeast corner of Alberta for six glorious days of (un-guided) fishing…totally unplugged! These trips had been a yearly event. Between the six of us we had done a lot of fishing in northern Alberta;  North Charles, Cornwall, Colin and Wylie lakes. It had been just a little over three years since we had done a fly-in fishing trip together, so we were ecstatic to say the least.

With the trailer loaded with fishing gear, we kicked off the five hour drive to Fort McMurray with a stop at Wal-Mart to stock up on boat snacks and supplies for our communal meals (every couple cooks once). We offloaded the gear and weighed-in at the airport and spent a sleepless night in the Mac eagerly waiting for our flight in the morning. After a quick refueling stop in Fort Chipewyan, which happens to be one of the oldest European settlements in Alberta (1788) we headed off to the lake.

At South Leland, we had the opportunity to fish for Northern Pike, Walleye and Lake Trout from our 15 foot Lund boats. We caught so many fish, a few of us remarked that we were “tired of it” because it seemed like everytime we casted, there was a fish on the line. The biggest fish (pike) caught were 23 lbs, 21.5 lbs and 19.9 lbs (none of them were caught by husband or myself, unfortunately). It was my first time downrigging on the lake; I had done it on our honeymoon when we went salmon fishing near Port Hardy, B.C. Our boat caught 10 Lake Trout, my largest being just shy of 6 lbs (a personal best). And, we were able to fry up and bring home some yummy Walleye to enjoy with our family.

To make things interesting we always have a little friendly competition…complete with prize money and a trophy. Our boat took home a bit of cash but sadly, no trophy… Perhaps one day it will sit proudly on our coffee table.

The weather was really good for the most part; we had a few windy and rainy days but overall we were able to spend HOURS and HOURS and HOURS of our days on the water. I currently am sporting quite the impressive ‘raccoon eyes’ courtesy of the sun/wind and large sunglasses.

To spice things up a little bit on day two; we ventured through a narrow creek and spent some time fishing in North Leland Lake. It took some manvoerving on the part of the captains but we managed. We got to see some black bears, beavers building their homes, loons (and their adorable little babies), eagles and even a cow moose with her calf.

Although I like to think that we were “roughing it” we really weren’t. We had two barbeques, generator, lights, fridge, freezer, propane cooktop, wood burning stoves, stocked cooking equipment and a shower house. Even the bunks were comfortable!

Personally, I wouldn’t mind trying out the rest of the lakes that are part of the Andrew Lake Lodge & Camps network; Boquene, Andrew, North Leland, and Lynx Tundra in the years to come. If you are looking for an Alberta fishing adventure I highly recommend this! I was impressed with the camp and the treatment we received from the owner –he takes a lot of pride in his facilities, boats and other supplies and goes above and beyond to meet the needs of his guests.

Categories
Food & Drink

The Most Important Meal of the Day: Best Breakfasts!

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day… but it is also the BEST meal of the day so long as it is from one of these fine establishments!

Bro’kin Yolk
This is a farm to table restaurant with three locations in Calgary; Creekside, Mahogany and Signal Hill. The food here is incredible so it is no surprise that wait times during the week can be up to THREE hours on the weekend! Just a heads up…they don’t take reservations. Bro’kin Yolk participates in Mealshare where they provide one meal to a youth in need; which is so awesome! We recommend trying the following delicious dishes…

-Bacon Benny
-Truffle, Ham and Wild Mushroom Breakfast Poutine
-S’mores French Toast
-The Salmon Sammy

The sides that accompany the dishes are equally scrumptious; they include: duck fat hash, roasted carrot & apple soup, arugula & beet salad and our personal favourite the baby kale caesar. The croutons are pieces of waffles!!!  The candied bacon is out of this world!!! The ability to sip on a mimosa just further makes this place a must visit!

The Jammery
This Kelowna breakfast joint and jam-making facility was featured on You Gotta Eat Here. You can get loads of different types of Benny’s, scrambles, French toast, waffles (which can be ordered as “all you can eat”) and even breakfast paella. We came across The Jammery while on a wine tasting weekend over five years ago and we still vividly remember each bite.

The gift shop also sells the cutest knick knacks and teapots which of course are a hit with Country Babe! The jams are to die for!! In fact, we placed an order for some while writing this blog post… they make great stocking stuffers! John Catucci was right you gotta try the Bacon Cheeseburger Benny. But we also recommend the: British Columbia Benny and the French Toast.

High Level Diner
This “chill nook with casual Canadian meals & desserts, plus weekend brunch, local art & an outdoor patio,” has been a fixture in Edmonton for 35 years. Their quality ingredients and emphasis on community is what makes High Level Dinner a must visit. And when you visit you should indulge and order…

Huevos Rancheros
*LOCAL eggs, refried beans, ORGANIC brown rice, corn tortillas, spicy tomato sauce and baked with cheddar cheese.
Vegan?? That doesn’t matter you can also order this dish vegan style!

Cinnamon Buns
*The only caveat here is that you HAVE to have it with the caramel bourbon sauce! It is soooo good that you’ll end up stopping to buy a bottle to go.

House Roasted Granola
*You can order this with skim or soy or almond milk or yogurt and it is super tasty. Normally I don’t order granola from restaurants but this is pleasantly surprising!

De Dutch
John Dys introduced the pannekoek to west coasters in 1975. You may be wondering what “pannekoek” is; it is a dutch pancake. They are larger and thinner than American pancakes, that being said they are not as thin as crepes. They come in savoury and sweet varieties and you can even build your own!

Best Savoury
-Abby Perogy
-The Windmill
-Boer’s (Farmer)

Best Sweet
-Peach Melba & Whip
-Strawberry Cheesecake
-Fresh apple, onion & debakon

Best Build My Own Experience
-A classic pannekoeken dusted with icing sugar with bananas cooked inside and topped with pineapple

If you don’t fancy a pannekoek you can go to De Dutch and order breakfast platters, Benny’s, hash-n-eggs, omelettes, scrambles, French toast and oatmeal.

Everytime I am in Edmonton for a conference in February I have breakfast at De Dutch and I savour their Nutella hot chocolate.

Categories
Entertainment

Favourite Podcast: The Office Ladies

As a huge fan of The Office, you can understand just how excited I was when Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey launched The Office Ladies

Earwolf dubs this as, “the ultimate re-watch podcast.” Each week these two hilarious and talented actresses dissect an episode of The Office through Jenna’s summary, “Fast Facts” and Angela’s “Kinsey Tidbits.” More often than not one of them goes on a random but super interesting “deep dive” to find out literally every obscure aspect about the show and even about Scranton, PA.

I love when they bring on guests; whether it is the other stars, directors, writers or vital crew members like Phil Shea.

Every Wednesday I listen and then re-watch the episode they have covered and I look for everything they mentioned. I also ‘track’ along with them things like whether or not Mindy’s hair is up or down, who has a talking head facing in or out of the conference room and what is on Pam’s desk! 

My favourite episode of the podcast was about the pilot; it was fascinating to hear about how the show was “born.” 

My favourite guest stars have been Rainn Wilson & B.J Novak. I’d love for them to have Steve Carrell on! 

You can tell how much that Jenna and Angela treasure their time on the show and how appreciative they are of everyone involved in making it. This is a funny yet heartwarming podcast!