There's Something About Food

Wedges by me

Gee, I never thought I'd see the day. Me, writing about food. And not just about bad food or horrible kitchen experiences, but something real good and real edible for once. A vague recipe!

Yes, I never miss a chance to crow about a cooking escapade but this time it is different. It's awesome.

I've decided to learn to prepare one of my all-time favourite side order at any restaurant that offers it - the wedges!

Can you believe that I dared to deviate from the written T? After saying that I don't know much about cooking, you'd think I wouldn't even think of changing anything. But it was all for the chance of producing yummy, tasty wedges.

I am chuffed to say that after tweaking the recipe I found on the Internet. I am now really a proud potato wedges maker, baker, whatever. I have made these wedges so scrumptious that my family prefers it more than the restaurant version.

And so here it goes - my chance to crow about my kitchen accomplishments again.

It's a simple enough recipe but for a kitchen disaster like me, it's a milestone. If you do attempt the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Stuff that goes into the making of the potato wedges.....The measurements are just recommended but not strict. I don't mean to be vague as this is how I prepare it.

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them in the shape you want your wedges to be. I use 4-5 medium-size potatoes.
2. Wash potatoes and place them in a cookie baking tray, lying on one flat side.
3. Pour 4 TBSP oil over the potatoes.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350F
5. Sprinkle a pinch of black pepper (I use 3/4 TSP) and garlic powder (I use 1 1/2 TSP).
6. Make sure you go through each wedge and that each wedge has some oil, pepper and powder.
7. Place wedges tray into oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

Turn me over!

8. Take out after 20 minutes and turn wedges over with a tong. Every single one of them so that they lie on the other flat side.
9. Bake for another 15 minutes.
10. Take out and lift wedges. Place them on some kitchen tissue to suck the oil out.
11. Place in the final plate, sprinkle seasoning salt (to taste) and shake and throw the wedges around the plate to spread the salt.
12. Serve. Enjoy!

Wow! My first ever recipe. On the blog. Ever. I'm never living this down.

A Trip Down Medieval Times

Calling all bannermen....er, banner people! You are cordially invited to the King's Court. Get your banners out and root for your knights!

Medieval Times

If you're a fan of anything Game of Thrones, then this shoutout is certainly enticing enough. Hubby and I recently got hooked on the TV show, and thought it would be such an experience to attend the King's Court at Medieval Times. Feel like a lord and milady for a day. So of course, when the opportunity came upon us that discounted tickets were available via Groupon, it was a chance not to be missed.

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a medieval-themed space/theatre located in various North American cities. We were very fortunate that there is one conveniently situated in Toronto. Medieval Times provide entertainment by performing a live, rehearsed show, where actors portray various medieval characters and ride horses inside the theatre. The highlight at the end is a jousting tournament, where the knights are pitted one against another, until there is only one knight left standing.

Outside, its castle-like façade already hints at something magical and as you enter, you are welcomed by the greeters who hand you your paper crown, and banner. You don't really have much choice on the banner colour but at this point, I'm sure you'll agree with me that you're up for any kind of experience. The banner colour that is given to you ultimately decides where you sit in the theatre and which knight you will be rooting for.

Our wench greeted us as we sat down and informed us of the menu and asked for our drinks. We were served a 3-course meal that started with bread and soup; roast chicken and potatoes and corn as the main meal; and pie as dessert.

Starter soup - "Dragon's blood"

There were knights and squires on the stage when the show started. The knights performed different acts (skills tests) - they rode their horses around, showed off their sword skills, and jousted with each other. The performance was also accompanied by the King and his daughter, Princess Marianne, who bestowed favours on the knights that did well on their tests.

Instagram photo by jamie250196

The favours were cut flowers that Princess Marianne shared with the knights. And the knights, in turn, shared the favours (cut flowers) with their audience (supporters) by throwing it into the crowd. They mostly targeted maidens. Missy, my 11-year-old, was really chuffed to have received 2 favours from our Red Knight.

King and Queen Rodriguez :-)

You'd think that this would be a corny way to pass time and share a meal but the joust sequence are really quite fascinating to watch. Even hubby commented at the end of the show that the performance, although timed and rehearsed, was no mean feat. Very entertaining. Very believable.

So if you fancy yourself going for an afternoon or a night out back in medieval age, then Medieval Times is the place for you.

For more info, visit their website.

Writer's Workshop: I Am Merida

 

Photo from Pinterest

5. If you had to choose a Disney princess to live the rest of your life as…which princess would you choose and why?

I choose to be Merida.

So although the writing prompt tells me that I can be a princess for the rest of my life, it is so typical of me to select one that did not want to be one at all. Is this an inner call that I should be someone else? Not really. For me, I identified with Merida's feelings that she did not want to be confined to the moulds of just being a princess. She wanted to be all that and more.

She rather resonated with me when she showed up in Disney's "Brave". She was headstrong, feisty and stubborn. Granted, I am not as wild as her, maybe because I am no longer as young as 16, but I see a lot of myself in her. She also had a tumultuous relationship with her mother, which somehow also kinda described what I had with my mom. We didn't see eye-to-eye but I loved her nonetheless.

And I believed every word when Merida said in the movie ending that "our fate lives within us...you only need to be brave enough to see it". Succinct words.

And although I am not Merida at all, I'd like to think that I have been living her life already... that I have been brave/still being brave as I continue my quest to live an interesting life and continuously choose my fate. I am not just a wife, a mother....I would like to say that I am all that and more. Funny, how a Disney character can enlighten you in such a way!

Merida's my choice. And now, it's your turn. Who's yours?

Winter is Remembered...

As opposed to winter is coming.... a term coined from Game of Thrones.

Winter was particularly uneventful this year except that it lingered on a bit long in the end. We were already in the midst of spring but the winter chills were still in the air, working itself out.

When asked what she remembers most about winter, Missy drew the following image:

My child and I chasing down the edge of the MiWay bus that's about to leave us....

Photo by jamie250196

Winter has passed but I really love how Missy captured our mother-daughter tender moments when we take the bus for our ride home.

Methink she's starting to get the hang of using public transport in Canadian winter :-)

And with this image on my head, I'm kinda starting to like winter...

A Mighty Smart Gadget in Missy's Hands



Selfies galore

One small step of fun for Missy, one giant step into freedom?

On a recent school excursion, my youngest child was allowed to bring electronics to capture the moments of that day. This was the first time that Missy kept the phone for the whole day with her. I gave her some advice about not playing too much games and connecting to wifi's so as not to finish the battery long enough for her to take photos.

Well, what do you know? She actually did manage to last the whole day. The camera had 8% battery left when I picked her up from school that afternoon.

Missy told me all about the day - what they did, what they saw, what they said...and more importantly, what they learnt. The excursion to the warplane museum was so relevant to what they were learning at the moment about the inner workings of a plane. From what I was told, they saw some really interesting stuff and had the opportunity to picnic under a plane.

Missy was so proud of the photos she took that day. She showed them to me while we waited at the bus stop for our bus to arrive. Judging by her photos, not only did she learn a lot about planes, she sure had loads of fun with her school friends learning about the selfie shots too!

How powerful and mighty a smartphone is when placed in the hands of a growing child.

Oh, and she did take some photos of the planes as well. :-)