3 Fresh Spring Mocktails to Enjoy With Your Teen
3 Fresh Spring Mocktails to Enjoy With Your Teen By Nicole Abaca Spring is here and it's a great time to enjoy a bunch of activities to enjoy with your teens. If you want to stay closer to home, there's nothing better than sipping mocktails on a sunny day in your backyard! Creating mocktails bartender-style with your teen is not only a fun activity but a good opportunity to bond with them. We featured our four favourite recipes to make spring mocktails with your teen! We recommend using pretty glasses, fancy straws and decorations to recreate that “grown-up cocktails” vibe. Strawberry Slush Out of this world, delicious! Ideal for an outdoor lunch. Ingredients: 1 (16 ounces) pack of frozen whole strawberries. ½ cup water. ¼ cup lime juice. ¼ cup light blue agave nectar (see Tip) ⅛ teaspoon salt. Lime slices for garnish. How to: 1) Add all the strawberries, water, lime juice, agave nectar and blend. 2) Add the ice and blend until it is smooth as you like it. 3) To make it bar-quality, decorate your glass! Wet the rim of each glass with a lime wedge around it and invert the glass to coat the rim with either salt or sugar. Tip - Light blue agave nectar can be found near other sweeteners in the grocery store. - Instead of salt, you can use sugar for the glass rim. Fruity Aqua The perfect one to choose if your teen is inviting friends over. Ingredients: Fresh lemon slices. Fresh lime slices. Fresh orange slices. Cranberries. 2 cups of cranberry juice. 2 cups grape juice. 1 cup orange juice. 1/2 cup lemon juice. 4 cups San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water OR lemon-lime soda. How to: 1) Add the Cranberry juice along with the grape, orange and lemon juice. 2) Once mixed, add the fruit slices. 3) Place the pitch in the fridge and let it chill for 1 hour minimum. 4) Before serving add the sparkling or mineral water. Tips: - You can use a non-alcoholic wine instead of cranberry juice. - If you prefer a sweeter sangría, use soda. If you prefer a less sweet sangria, use sparkling mineral water. Summer Sunrise This mocktail is the easiest to prepare. You might want to replace your morning orange juice with it. It’s the perfect match for any type of brunch. Ingredients: 4 to 6 ounces of orange juice. 1/2 to 1-ounce grenadine to taste. Orange slice for garnish. How to: 1) Fill a tall glass or a pitcher with big chunks of ice. 2) Add orange juice leaving a little room at the top. 3) Pour grenadine over the juice (slowly). Don’t stir it. It will sink to
5 Easter Brunch Must-Haves
5 Easter Brunch Must-Haves Hosting an Easter Brunch is a great alternative to hosting Easter Dinner. If the weather is nice, you can set it up outside and it’s just a more laid-back, casual way of getting together to celebrate. If you’re looking to make your Easter Brunch a sweet event, we have some great ideas. Let’s hop to it! Evive Nutrition Frozen Fruit Smoothies We love the idea of presenting your guests with a make-your-own smoothie bar. This is especially great if it’s warm enough to set your brunch up outside, so the kids can play and your guests can mingle. We love these Evive Nutrition Frozen Fruit Smoothies because they’re made from organic fruit and vegetables that are flash frozen, so they seal in all the flavours and nutrients. You simply take the wheel, run it under some water to loosen it up, put it in a mason jar or shaker and cover it with whichever liquid you want – almond milk, water or juice. Let it sit and then shake it up! No blender necessary! Cuisipro Line Cookware What’s an Easter Brunch without some tasty treats? If you want to your teen to spend some time with you — get them baking! To create some tasty treats, look no further than the Cuisipro line. We love this line of cookware – it was originally developed for restaurants so you get restaurant-quality cookware without the high price tag! It’s such an innovative line that offers smart solutions in the kitchen that makes baking and cooking so enjoyable that your teen will actually want to do it with you! Bimbo Canada It’s a great idea to have an array of breads on the table to satisfy any taste and preference. Our go-to is always bread products from Bimbo Canada, the manufacturer of Dempsters, Stonemill and Villaggio bread. We love the cinnamon raisin bagels from Dempsters and, of course the Villaggio bread makes for amazing French Toast. But another reason why we feel good about putting Bimbo Canada products on our table – they are the first national bread manufacturer in North America to transition to cardboard bread bag clips on all their bread products! The cardboard clips are made from 100% recycled cardboard and are recyclable and compostable in municipal systems in 84 days. It seems like such a small change, but it will reduce our use of single-use plastic by approximately 200 metric tonnes annually,
10 Spring Events to Enjoy with Your Teen in Toronto
10 Spring Events to Enjoy with Your Teen in Toronto By Jessica Pinzón Spring is here, and Toronto is full of fun events for families and friends. Whether you live in the city or planning a visit, there's no shortage of fun to be had in Toronto with your teen! We hand-picked a list of 10 spring events you and your teen will not want to miss. 1. Robert Lepage’s The Library at Night Located at the Lighthouse ArtSpace at Yonge Street, Robert Lepage's The Library at Night is an immersive virtual reality sensory experience that will introduce you to the most iconic and mythical libraries throughout history. Open now until May 29 Age Restrictions: 14+ Buy your tickets here Basic ticket: $39.99 VIP ticket: $59.99 Location: Lighthouse ArtSpace Toronto(Toronto Star Building) 1 Yonge Street 2. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Based on a new original story by J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, this epic play comes to Toronto to bring a magical and fun adventure for everyone—teens and adults, alike. The story of this play takes place 19 years after the main events of the Harry Potter books/films. Age Restrictions: 8+ Premiere date: May 31, 2022 Buy your tickets here Tickets from $69 Location: CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre 244 Victoria St, Toronto 3. Canada’s Wonderland Canada's Wonderland kicks off its 2022 season with fun-filled programming, a large water park and lots of activities for the whole family, including 17 exciting roller coasters. Age Restrictions: All ages Opening day: April 30 Buy your tickets here Tickets from $39.99 Location: 1 Canada's Wonderland Drive, Vaughan 4. Activate Game Centre Activate is a new arcade-style gaming center in Burlington and Scarborough with 11 interactive rooms and an extensive active gaming installation. You can play in groups of three to five people, challenging you physically and mentally. Age Restrictions: 12+ Book a date here Location: 2030 Appleby Line, Burlington 1980 Eglinton Avenue East Toronto, Scarborough 5. Toronto Blue Jays Game The Toronto Blue Jays 2022 season kicks off with exciting games for the whole family. The new Major League Baseball season starts this coming April 8. Age Restrictions: All ages Buy your tickets here Location: Rogers Centre 6. Toronto Comic Arts Festival Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival from June 17-19 with an amazing schedule that includes in-person and virtual events. Age Restrictions: All ages Buy your tickets here Location: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street 7. Superfresh - New Asian Night Market A huge Asian market with food and beverages from different corners of Asia will open at the Annex Food Hall at Bloor Street West in
Wall of Bakers’ Chef Jenna Hutchinson Shares Famous Cupcake Recipe
Wall of Bakers' Chef Jenna Hutchinson Shares Famous Cupcake Recipe Jenna Hutchinson, founder of Jenna Rae Cakes in Winnipeg and Wall of Bakers' judge shares her famous vanilla cupcake recipe. "Finding a good recipe for vanilla cupcakes can be like finding a needle in a haystack. The cupcakes need to be moist and flavourful, and the buttercream needs to be sweet—but not so sweet that it overpowers the vanilla flavour of the cupcake. Welcome to your new favourite vanilla cupcake recipe. Make these once and every person who takes a bite will be asking you to share the recipe with them". VANILLA CUPCAKES Ingredients: MAKES 16 CUPCAKES 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar. 1 teaspoon baking powder. ¼ teaspoon baking soda. ¼ teaspoon salt. ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes. ⅓ cup egg whites (about 2 eggs). ¼ cup sour cream. ½ cup whole (3.25%) milk 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (see Baker’s Tip). Step by step Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 16 cupcake liners. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and continue to mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Do not overmix. Slowly pour in the egg whites and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream and mix until just combined. In a measuring cup, whisk together the milk and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the bowl and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 10 to 15 seconds. The batter will look a little lumpy. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each three-quarters full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. BAKER’ S TIP For the richest possible vanilla flavour, we recommend adding the seeds of one vanilla bean to the pure vanilla extract called for in the recipe. To collect the seeds, use a small paring knife to cut a vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using the dull side of the paring knife, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean.
Wall of Bakers: 3 Judges You Knead to Meet
Wall of Bakers: 3 Judges You Knead to Meet If you loved Wall of Chef, you will most definitely be interested in watching Wall of Bakers on Food Network Canada! This exciting new show proposes a sweet competition as they like to call it, where different Canadian Home bakers will have the opportunity to show off their skills. “The winner takes it all” The best baker wins a $10,000 cash prize. We had the opportunity to interview some of the judges who also shared their love of baking with us. Chef Christine Cushing Why do you love baking? I love baking because it is the perfect blend of science and creativity. It can test your stamina, challenge you, and bring you to your knees completely out of nowhere. Then one day, it can give you the greatest feeling of accomplishment that you actually created something magical with a few simple ingredients. It's emotional and involves all the senses. When did you start baking? I fell in love with baking when I first got my hands on an Easy-Bake Oven, around the age of 8. That 6-Watt light bulb was pure magic. I would make the little vanilla cakes with the strawberry flecked icing for my 4-year-old brother. I can still remember us sliding them in one side and then being so excited to pull them out once they were just baked at the other end. Then I would proceed with the icing smear. Later in my teens, I started my baking journey in earnest, making apple pies, chocolate cakes and supplying a local restaurant with black forest cakes, around the age of 16. This unforgettable adventure involved many all-nighters – on school nights – with the kitchen left in a total disaster to my mom who had to deal with the cleaning, while I hurried off to the school the next morning. Why is it important to get kids in the kitchen? Bringing kids into the kitchen early is absolutely imperative. Firstly, it gives them a sense of purpose, belonging and contributing to the family unit. They start learning to work with all their senses and experiment. They will be more likely to try new foods if they have helped to prepare them. It's also a great way to develop your confidence with small victories. I also felt that cooking got me through some difficult times; when my dad had a serious heart attack, cooking was what I would now identify as a
Workin’ Mom Dani Kind
On-screen, Dani Kind plays Anne Carlson, an unapologetic mom, friend and psychiatrist whose wit is as sharp as her tongue. In real life, the Workin’ Mom of two boys says there’s a bit of every woman in the cast of characters within her — and most of the women she knows — which is why the show is such a hit with not only Canadians but with audiences worldwide. We sat down with Kind to talk about being Anne, Season 6 and the authenticity of Workin’ Moms. By Rachel Naud We have to say, Workin’ Moms is truly a laugh-out-loud show. It makes me laugh out loud too. It’s funny because when I read it on the page, I’m like ‘is that funny? Is what we’re doing funny?' We’re in the bubble shooting it and every year, I’m just like ‘I don’t know.’ And then when I see it cut together, I think ‘this is so good.’ How has your character, Anne, evolved throughout the series? I think she comes off as angry or aggressive or whatever, and I feel like with anybody in life, whatever works for you, works for you until it doesn’t. I think this season she takes a look at that for her. I think she has gotten away with a lot of things in her life because she’s Anne and that’s how she is. Like, the things she has said in Mommy and Me and the way she has addressed other women. I think emotionally she’s going to have to take a look at herself this year in a way that she hasn’t in any of the previous years. What is Anne in for this season? She’s back in Toronto and has to start from ground zero again. She doesn’t have any clients anymore. She has done this before, but this is post-Cochrane. She is discombobulated. She was all messed up. So, this year of her starting over again is almost starting from the most vulnerable place. She’s by herself because her husband is in Cochrane, and she still has a teenage daughter and a toddler and she’s in it. How would you describe Anne’s Workin’ Mom parenting style with Dani’s Workin’ Mom parenting style? I mean, I would never jump out of a bush and tell my kid to punch me in the dick. Like I would never do that. But I’m so close to that. I definitely talk to my kids like they’re
Teen Activist Hannah Alper Sets Sights on Changing the World
Teen Activist Hannah Alper Sets Sights on Changing World Hannah Alper, a 17-year-old advocate and blogger, is out to change the world. Her work has impacted many lives through her insight on climate change, social justice and anti-bullying. She has not only written a book titled Momentus, but she also speaks at conferences and TED Talks around the world. She also recently appeared in a documentary called CitizenKid: Earth Comes First, which raises awareness of climate change issues and empowers kids to take action. “I never thought that I was too young (to become an activist), I just did it,” she said when asked about her many accomplishments as a young teen. INBETWEEN sat down with Alper to talk about her experience as a blogger, activist and motivational speaker and what she plans on doing next. In your blog and in your social media you are able to portray endless positivity. To what do you owe this enviable trait? My parents have always taught me to be a passionate and positive person. I am always called passionate, positive and optimistic. With all of the issues going on today, I could not do what I do without bringing positivity. There are so many things that we can do even though there are a lot of problems in the world. But we can be that change together. What is your biggest motivator? My parents. They have been to Washington and Kenya with me. I can talk to them about the issues I care about and share my experiences with them. I would also say that those young people that make a difference in the world also motivate me. They make me feel as if I am not alone and that there is always something you can do to make a difference. In a world where social media is on the rise and many young people are starting to gain their own voices, what would you say to young bloggers who want to make a difference? Keep going. I truly believe that social media is the biggest and best tool that we can use to change the world. If anyone is struggling with getting people to pay attention and join a movement, you need to keep going. We always need more people to share what they care about and social media is one way that we can begin that change. Social media is a truly incredible place and kids often
10 Teen Slang Words You Should Know
10 Teen Slang Words You Should Know Every generation has their own, unique way of influencing language, like creating slang that only their peers will understand. Today, as Gen Zers enter teenhood, many Xennials and Millennials will be hard-pressed to understand exactly what on earth they’re saying. With new cultural reference points and trending speaking styles coming from celebrities, shows and memes – basically, the Internet – now may be the time to follow in Oprah and Gayle’s footsteps and freshen up on your teen slang. “Slang is, by definition, just informal language. In that sense, slang shouldn’t be considered “degraded language” but, rather, a variant of the predominant variety used by a community of speakers. From a sociolinguistic perspective, adolescents are generally the primary drivers of language change. They are more daring and creative with regard to language and they innovate much more than do speakers in other age brackets. This tendency to innovate language is part in parcel of the cognitive development that teenagers experience during adolescence, which sees them asserting their independence from their family unit and forging strong social connections with peers. Peppering their everyday speak with slang terms known primarily or exclusively within the peer group helps to solidify the new social bonds”, says Jennifer Dorman, Instructional Designer in Didactics at leading language app Babbel. So you can get down with the kids – linguistically, at any rate –Dorman shares some of the most popular teen slang today, along with definitions: Skrrt: Rapidly leaving / expression of excitement The easiest way to wrap your mind around this term is to think of the sound a car makes as it’s driving away at high speed, with its wheels screeching. It’s pronounced similarly to ‘skirt’, but usually in a high-pitched tone, and was first popularized in rap songs to convey the rapper trying to get away from something, or someone. Waste man: Worthless person A waste man is a negative term to refer to someone who makes poor decisions, acts poorly or is not doing much with their lives. Finsta: Fake / Fun Instagram This term is another attempt by teens to deceive their parents and was originally used to refer to a ‘fake Instagram’ account, which would be used for posts you don’t want your parents, or wider family, to see. The meaning has since grown to include any secondary or fake item, like a second Twitter account, or a secret phone. Cancelled: No longer relevant Frequently used when speaking about celebrities who are considered no longer relevant, or have said or done