Meet Clever

For a little change of pace, I thought I'd throw together some of my favourite "tricks of the trade", if you will, in the theme of Spring! Spring is a wonderful time to experiment with new recipes and cooking techniques. Have fun with these simple tips that will surely impress your guests this season! #1) Whip up some quick Tomato Crisps by cutting thick, home-style tomato slices and popping them right in your toaster. Yum! #2) Create thick, rustic peanut butter at home by running whole, roasted peanuts through your coffee grinder on the espresso setting. Where's my toast? #3) A quirky twist on an old favourite: add equal parts heavy cream and orange juice and pour into a glass pitcher. This creamsicle - inspired beverage will have you, and the kids, lining up for seconds. #4) True fans of the classic pancake will love my Pancake Stew. Using your standby pancake recipe, fill your Crockpot or slow cooker half full with batter (allow room for rising). Let it sim...

In late October, sometime in the 1980s, the boat launch at Burtle Provincial Park sat abandoned in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and the lull of the approaching off-season. Frigid water lapped against worn asphalt painted with moss and slime. Just off shore, a loon broke the lake's glossy surface with a dive and a short kick, flicking beads of water silently upward. The air was quiet and dense save for a low rumbling in the distance. Squirrels scurried up great cedars as chipmunks leapt from pine to pine. Deer stood rigid to listen to the growing rumble of a diesel engine descending toward the lake. The truck geared down as it wound its way around the last switchback of the road. Loons took flight, prairie dogs watched from the safety of their burrows. At the bottom of the road, the vehicle crawled forward before stopping at the lake. The truck sat idling at the crest of the boat launch. Exhaust floated and danced in the mountain breeze. Then pistons creaked to a halt leaving d...

One of the most terrifying thoughts is that somebody knows something about you you'd rather keep secret. On the reverse side, there's something deeply pleasurable about discovering something embarrassing about somebody else. However, if reading this does anything for you, hopefully it relieves some stress you have about the things hidden in your closet. First of all, let's think like a snoop, someone searching your private belongings looking for a juicy tidbit of covert information. Let's say they find something horrible: a CD you recorded in the 8th grade with your friend when you thought you were really cool; a shoebox filled with snippets of hair from cute animals you've encountered; a collection of black and white photos of strangers with unfamiliar names written on them. We all have varying embarrassment tolerances, so just imagine something you'd be embarrassed about. Somebody finds it. "Jackpot!" they exclaim. For the next two minut...