btwinnipeg

If you want to fly in the Royal Canadian Air Force, at some point in your training you will end up coming to Winnipeg’s 17 Wing for your training. The 17 Wing base has some pretty awesome stuff and for one day only you can get as close as any civilian ever gets to the action!

The Royal Canadian Air Force is holding their fourth annual run which is meant to get us active and enjoying healthy lifestyles. It’s your chance to run shoulder to shoulder with some of the Air Force’s finest or take in a leisurely family jaunt along a 5k, 10k or half marathon course which starts on 17 Wing’s flight line which will be lined with some of their coolest aircraft.

Throughout the day you can enjoy the athlete’s village with a bouncy castle, Applebee’s BBQ, and more! Whether you’re looking for a competitive race against some of our countries best, a leisurely jog and walk with the family, you can sign up, be active and (as long as you run, skip, or walk across the finish line) you get a medal!

Sign up or get more information by clicking here.

Yesterday was administrative professionals day where the world celebrates the wonderful people who help keep our work and office environments organized and afloat!

As a special treat, Cameraman Justin and I spend hours thinking of the perfect way to show our thanks to our receptionist. This is what we came up with:

Gaming for good is a 12 hour video game marathon that will be taking place THIS Friday April 27th at Polo Park Shopping Centre.

We are raising money for CancerCare Manitoba and want you to grab a controller, bring a few bucks to donate, and sit down on the gaming couches with Jeremy John, me, and a whole bunch of local celebrities (Fred Penner, Little Drummer Boy Sean Quigley, Winnipeg Goldeyes and MORE)!

Here’s a video of my training session leading up to Friday!

Panache Management is a modelling agency and school in Winnipeg. They offer a variety of classes and support to help get you on the path for a career in modelling. Models can be any age, shape, or style, but there are a few general rules to keep in mind. Here are some tips for men and women in some key model categories.

Men

Fashion
-Finding the RIGHT pair of jeans is extremely important! They should be fitted, but not too tight, with no cuff (so don’t get long ones and roll them up) and they should never have bedazzled style bling on the pockets.
-Dress pants should be un-pleated and never baggy.
-If you’re wearing jeans with a belt and dress shirt you should tuck in your shirt. No belt, no tuck.

Grooming
-Get a fashionable haircut (or just a haircut period)! Unkempt is uncool.
-Clean up your facial hair. Get rid of ear hair, pluck away stray eyebrow hairs, but NEVER go for an arched or overly-sculpted look.
-Women notice your hands! Make sure your nails are trimmed and manicures are okay. If you’re too scared that your buddies will notice you get a manicure at least moisturize (no one will know except you and your buddies will wonder why your high 5’s feel better than theirs).

Manners
-The F word doesn’t make you sound cool or tough, it makes you come across like a jerk.
-Don’t walk with your mouthful and always use cutlery (dinner dates are not meant to look like Lady and the Tramp).
-Opening doors for ladies opens doors for you!

Women

Fashion
-Really tight pants are not sexy, they’re just tight.
-Lulus are not pants. Don’t wear them to work unless you are a yoga instructor. Also runners should only be worn when running.
-No one wants to see your thong, sorry!

Grooming
-Wash your makeup brushes often, because dirty brushes = dirty face.
-Washing your hair before you leave the house is more important than having it perfectly done.
-Super long nails are super cheesy.

Manners
-Be aware of how short your skirt is especially when walking up stairs and in the workplace.
-Don’t giggle at things guys say. In fact, don’t giggle. You should only laugh, but laugh often.
-Smile! You’re a nice person, so let people know!

If you took all of the best super hero movies from the last 5 years, threw them in a giant hamster ball, and kicked them down the side of a really tall volcano, they would likely melt into a charred sledge of plastic and Blu-ray boxes.

But if you took the charactres from the best super hero movies from the last 5 years and put them in a brand new movie it would be pretty sweet!

Brand new trailer for The Avengers came out yesterday and the movie looks like it will be a huge hit. If you’re a fan of the movies Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, or just like a great action flick, this is worth checking out!

Today is February 29th, it only comes once every four years, and in honour of the leap year, here is a list of other things that should occur at least once every 4 years.

Pull an all-nighter: At the time, it always seems like a good idea, but the next day as you are slugging your way through work, a family gathering or whatever, you start praying for a meteor to hit you square in face and end it all. If you are thinking about pulling an all-nighter because of a gathering with friends, attempting to maximize your travel plans by booking the late night flight home, or you get caught up in trying to beat Super Mario Bros. 3 all in one night, by all means giver, just not too often.

Oven Cleaning: You should certainly clean the inside and outside of your oven more than once every four years, but what about that space between your counter and the oven? You know that little crack between the counter and the oven where egg shells, and macaroni noodles, and bacon bits get caught for eternity (or until you actually pull out the oven for some serious cleaning). I say leave that little space untouched to develop and grow wild all on its own and then every 4 years you get to reveal a breathtaking science experiment!

Eat A Deep Fried Mars Bar: Four years is just enough time to forget the disappointment when you realize that it tastes like a melted chocolate bar, wrapped in bread, with undertones of French fries, onion rings, and whatever else was cooked in the deep fryer.

Watch The Lord Of The Rings Movies Back To Back: These movies are so well done, they are worth revisiting and watching back-to-back. Plus if you wait two years, you’ll be able to include the two hobbit films. Warning! Side effects include running around your living room with an invisible sword and calling your significant other a “filthy orc” when they get fed up with you hogging the TV all day and night.

Sleep Outdoors: RVs and Tents are great for camping, but to really get in touch with nature and to feel like you’ve got the entire world to yourself, fall asleep outside with the moon and stars standing guard making sure a skunk doesn’t come and curl up on your face. Summer is preferable for this activity.

What did I miss on my list? Feel free to add your comments of something that absolutely should be done, but maybe only one time every four years.

Simple Plan performed at MTS Centre last week and I had the chance to chat with them backstage. The full interview ran on our show (and you can see it by clicking here) but there was too much good stuff to fit in to our interview!

Here’s a clip of the guys talking about something very unique, and very Canadian, they helped create!

When Simple Plan was at MTS Centre last week I got to chat with them about music, fruit roll ups and more! So much more, in fact, that I couldn’t fit it all into the final segment that aired on BT!

Here’s a little more with Simple Plan as Chuck, the band’s drummer, explains the role the band may have played in bringing the Jets back to Winnipeg.

p.s. The extra minute and a half of black nothingness at the end of the clip is meant as YOU time. Get centred, get focused, and use the time to remind yourself that you are pretty fantastic!

As someone who doesn’t know a lot about cooking but from time to time manages to delight and dazzle my house guests, I’ve learned one important thing. The trick to cooking is getting a good recipe, and following it perfectly. No adding a “dash” or a “sprig” of that. Just follow the instructions, and you won’t mess it up.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, you might be strapped for gift ideas of how to make your special someone feel extra special. Fortunately the good folks at De Luca’s have made it very easy on us. They’ve come up with a delicious dinner, dessert, and drink combo that anyone can prepare to wine and dine (or at least Raspberry Chocolate Martini and dine) your significant other.

Follow these steps and you (almost for sure) can’t go wrong!

Oh yeah…sometimes recipes call for stuff that you don’t know what the heck it is (Parmigiano Reggiano anyone?) and you can walk into De Luca’s, with this printed blog post in hand and say “I NEED THIS STUFF” (but maybe don’t yell) and they have it all and will help you find it.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH

 

1 cups all-purpose flour

1 cups semolina flour

1 pinch salt

3 large eggs

1 tablespoons olive oil

 

 

Thoroughly sift together all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and pinch of salt. On a clean surface, make a mountain out of flour mixture then make a deep well in center. Break the eggs into the well and add olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well. When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands.

                                

Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. Dust dough and work surface with semolina as needed to keep dough from becoming sticky. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 

Roll out dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut into your favorite style of noodle. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then add 4 teaspoons salt. Cook pasta until tender but not mushy, 1 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Drain immediately

 

PROSCIUTTO CREAM SAUCE WITH FRESH PEAS

 

Ingredients:             

 

90g                             Fresh Pasta

½ cup                        Fresh peas

½ cup                        Julienned prosciutto

¼ cup                        Diced onion

¼ cup                        Parmigiano Reggiano

1 cup                         Cream

2 tbsp                        Butter

TT                                Salt and fresh cracked pepper

 

 

In a medium pan heat butter and sweat onions. Add your fresh peas and prosciutto and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add cream and bring to a boil turn down heat and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

 

Cook pasta “al dente” and drain.  Sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano and toss with sauce.

 

 

MASCARPONE STUFFED AMARETTI COOKIES

               

 

INGREDIENTS:                       SERVES    4 – 6

 

24                                            Mini Amaretto cookies

100 g                                      Mascarpone cheese

40 g                                        Icing sugar

20 g                                        Unsweetened cocoa

1 tbsp                                                Brandy

                                                Icing sugar for dusting

 

METHOD:

 

Sift together icing sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl.  Add mascarpone cheese. Mix well, add the brandy and incorporate. Place mixture into a pastry bag (or using a small spoon) and squeeze a small amount onto the flat side of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie and press both cookies gently together to level the filling. The filling should be just out of the perimeter of the cookies.  Sprinkle with icing sugar and place in small baking cups.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

CHOCOLATE AMARETTI TRUFFLES

 

100 g                                      Mascarpone cheese

40 g                                        Icing sugar

20 g                                        Unsweetened cocoa

75 g                                        Dry amaretti cookies  -  crushed into fine crumbs   

2 tbsp                                                Chambord Liqueur

For Rolling                             Icing sugar, cocoa, or amaretti crumbs                    

 

METHOD:

 

Mix together the mascarpone cheese, amaretti crumbs, icing sugar, cocoa and Chambord.  Mix well.  Form into walnut size balls and roll them into either the amaretti crumbs, icing sugar, or cocoa.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

Raspberry Chocolate Martini

 

1oz gray goose vodka

1/2 oz Chambord

(Shaken over ice)

 

Chocolate pearls

 

250 ml            Davinici chocolate syrup

2g                   Sodium Alginate

500 ml            Water

2.5 g               Calcium lactate

 

Blend 1/3 chocolate syrup with sodium alginate then add the remaining 2/3 (let rest).  Mix water and calcium lactate together and mix until dissolved.  Place chocolate mixture in a squeeze bottle and drip the mixture into the water bath to form pearls.  Strain and rinse with warm water.  Place in martini glass and pour vodka mixture over and serve

 

 

 

Crostini 3 Ways

 

Tomato Basil

 

Ingredients:          Makes topping for 4 slices of Calabrese Bread

 

1                              Tomato

1 tsp                       Minced garlic

3                              Basil leaves

1/3 cup                  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TT                            Salt and cracked pepper

 

Mix all together and place on top of freshly grilled Calabrese bread

 

Mushroom & Fontina

 

Ingredients:          Makes topping for 4 slices of Calabrese Bread

 

2 cups                                    Chanterelle mushrooms (cleaned)

1                              Shallot (minced)                     

1                              Lemon  (zest only from 1/3 of it)

½ cup                     Fontina cheese (shredded)

¼ cup                      Fresh Italian parsley (rough chopped)

2 tbsp                     Butter

 

In a warm pan melt butter and sweat shallots.  Add chanterelles and cook until tender

Place on a pie pan line with paper towel and cool.  In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together place on top of freshly grilled Calabrese bread.  Place in a preheated 350ᵒF oven and cook for 3-5 minutes or until warm.

 

Mascarpone and Spicy Pork

 

Ingredients:          Makes topping for 4 slices of Calabrese Bread

 

1 cup                       Ground pork

1 tbsp                     Garlic (minced)

¼ cup                      Onion (minced)

½ cup                     Mascarpone

1/3 cup                  Italian parsley (rough chop)

3 tbsp                     Butter

TT                            Crushed chilies

TT                            Salt and fresh cracked pepper

 

In a warm pan add butter and onions.  Let sweat, on medium heat, until onions are tender and add garlic and ground pork.  Cook until pork is cooked, 5-10 minutes.  Add chilies, salt and pepper.  Let mixture cool.  In food processor add pork mixture and mascarpone.  Lightly pulse to incorporate and fold in fresh parsley.  Place on top of freshly grilled Calabrese bread and warm in a pre-heated 350ᵒF oven for 3-5 minutes.