Today’s Ottawa edition of SavvyMom features a few of my favourite Christmas DIY crafty gift-making classes for kids that are off-site (a.k.a. Not At Home).
One of the activities that deserves special mention is glassblowing. (How’s THAT for something totally different?) Glassblowing, like beekeeping and parasailing, was something that had been on my List of Things I Would Like to Try for a long time. And I can finally say I DID IT. My family recently had the opportunity to hang out at Flo Glassblowing here in Ottawa. The place is co-owned by the mother of a good friend of mine, so we had extra special treatment while we were there. I was thrilled, because not only did this mean that I got the inside scoop but was able to try it out too.
No jokes please.
It was science! It was art! It was amazing. Would you LOOK at the kid’s faces? LOOK.
Some notes:
1) This is a safe activity but I hesitate to give an age recommendation because kids are different. The owners have the party thing totally figured out and have taken measures to make it as safe as possible, but we ARE talking about hot molten stuff here… so it might not be the thing to do if you have an overly active toddler who likes to pull the Houdini act and doesn’t want to stay put. This is fun, but also, serious business.
2) It’s hot in there. Wear layers, and I would make sure the one next to your skin is sleeveless. Oy.
See? Hot.
Glassblowing is equally enthralling for both boys and girls:
And here’s the final product! They need to rest in a kiln for awhile, but don’t they look incredible? What a nice keepsake or gift for that special someone. Just think, you’re giving them your own hot air, encapsulated in a pretty glass sphere! :)
Please note: all the photos here were taken by Susan McIntyre! Thank you Susan for letting me use these here today! And thank you to the Flo gals who took such great care of us while we were there! :)
Ah stew.
There are few foods that are as comforting as a hearty beef stew. I like mine hot and chunky, with a thick flavourful broth. I like veggies too, but not too many. It is, after all, about the beef. The meat is the star of this show:
If the meat is the star than the green onions get Best Supporting Actor. (After all, they’re the ones I grew!)
This beef stew recipe is a slightly modified version of one I found on the Food Network website. I didn’t use any sweet potato because I didn’t have one on hand and omitted the peas because it would have resulted in a revolt here at Casa Fishbowl. Regardless, it came out pretty close to perfect, even without them. And the kids ate it too! Amazing.
I had a rare burst of energy and made it the day before so it had extra time in the fridge to settle and become even more delicious. Next time I’ll make it with the biscuits too.
Do you have a link to a favourite stew recipe? Please share it! I might be persuaded to experiment. :)
We have ourselves a winner! Thank you for your entries!
Whether you cook a little or a lot, there’s something to be said about having the right tools in the kitchen. If you have the right tools, things get done easier and faster. And if you’re lucky, with less spillage and stress … and fewer mistakes too. (Which is a challenge for me sometimes. Sigh.)
Since the holiday season is about giving (and, um food), I’m pretty happy to have this opportunity to give away one new KitchenAid food processor to one lucky Fishbowl reader.
Behold:
It has:
- A new external adjustable, stainless steel slicing disc to provide ultimate versatility
- A dual shredding disc that easily flips from 2mm to 4mm to achieve ideal slicing thickness
- A large 13 cup (2.75L) leak-proof work bowl, plus chef’s bowl and mini bowl
- An Ultra Wide Mouth Feed Tube™ that adjusts to 3 different sizes to accommodate foods of varying sizes, including whole potatoes and cucumbers (YAY)
- 17 precise food processing options for speed-controlled slice, shred, chop & puree functions plus three maximized slice, shred and puree/chop blades and bonus dough, egg whip & Julienne blades
- 4 speed-controlled functions
- A comfort design side handle that allows easy viewing while the food processor is in use
MSRP: $399.99.
By the way it comes in silver, white, and black but unfortunately the winner does not get to choose the colour. Pictured here is the white one, because I like the white one. :)
Interested in winning? Read on:
- This giveaway is open to anyone residing in Canada but is void where prohibited in Quebec. (Here’s why.)
- For your entry to qualify, use the comments below to tell us what you’d make with your new KitchenAid food processor. I’d really love it if you left a link to a recipe too – that way maybe I can add it to my repertoire. (Speaking of which, I posted a great recipe for coleslaw on the Fishbowl Facebook page! Check it out. It could be the inaugural dish for your new KitchenAid food processor!)
- One entry per family and email address please. We want lots of people to have the opportunity to win.
- If you can’t post your comment here for whatever reason, you can email it to me for posting. Send it to andrea at quietfish dot com … however I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.
- Good karma goes to those who tweet or post about this on Facebook. Do you know someone who could use something new in the kitchen? Forward this post to them. If they win you will be in their good books FOREVER.
- I will do a random draw of all qualifying entries using Random.org at noon EST on Monday November 21, 2011.
Sound good? Now over to you! Good luck!
