How-to

It’s Easter weekend, and although it might not really feel like spring in Canada the spring activities are kicking into high gear all over the country. Softball, soccer, and other sports are all starting up again after a long winter, and between work, commuting, and all of the household fun that goes into weeknight life you’ll have less time than ever to put together dinner.   That’s why you need easy dinner recipes, and it makes it even easier if those dinner recipes come packaged with an appetizer, main course, and desert. After all, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat like you have all the time in the world.

I have been using a Misfit Shine for the past three months. It uses a three-axis accelerometer to measure motion, and keep track of your daily physical activity. But key to the Shine is its mobile app. Shine only works with its own app for now, though the company is looking to open up its API. But that’s OK, because there’s a ton of coolness packed into the Shine app.

Busy weeknights and casual weekends – these are the times when pasta recipes really come in handy. Even if you’re watching what you eat, pasta is a great go-to dish for anyone because it’s versatile, easy to prepare, and almost everyone loves it.

Pasta salad – it’s just one of those things that fits in with everything. Summer BBQ in the backyard? Pasta salad goes great with steak, chicken, or veggie burgers. Having a formal dinner for friends? Pasta salad can fit right in with some of the main courses you toil for hours over.  At my house it’s practically expected that I make a side pasta salad for a roast chicken, and I always whip it out for the official Canadian kick off for summer on July 1st.

Metering is one of the most important functions that a camera performs, and if you want to unleash the true power of your DSLR or mirrorless camera by shooting in manual mode, it’s something you’ll need to learn about, or you could end up shooting lots of silhouettes this summer!   Today photographer Justin Morrison gives us the low-down on metering modes; what they are and when to use them.

For many of us, salad is what’s for dinner. It’s not a side dish that goes with something heavier, it’s the actual meal itself. Just start with your basic green leaf, add some protein, toss with dressing and you have an instant, filling dinner.   Thankfully having a salad for dinner is not something you can easily get bored of, and that’s because there are so many different types of salads, salad recipes, and salad dressing recipes to try.    

  If you’re thinking spring you’re probably also thinking about eating lighter. Maybe the weather hasn’t got the memo yet, but it’s high time to usher out the hot chocolate and warm cookies for light dishes like Greek salad.

Where I grew up, we didn’t have ‘food trends.’ Everything we ate was simple, basic, and comfortable – from roast beef and mashed potatoes to chili and mashed potatoes. If we were going to spice things up, maybe we’d have spaghetti or pizza.   So imagine my surprise when the person who did all of the cooking during my formative years, the woman who actually served me lasagna and mashed potatoes (I’m not joking), called me up and started talking to me about quinoa. And she wasn’t just calling for a definition of what quinoa is either – she was talking about her long list of personal quinoa salad recipes. I almost dropped the phone in shock. After all, quinoa doesn’t include ground beef or mashed potatoes in the ingredient list, so this was quite a detour.

The switch to Daylight Savings time is upon us again, and as of 2 am Sunday, March 9th, we’ll be springing forward by 60 minutes. Not all of Canada participates in the Daylight Savings ritual, with Saskatchewan being the main exception as they observe Central Standard Time all year round.   Some people don’t notice the switch all that much, others will flat out tell you ‘It sucks.’ It doesn’t matter which camp you’re in, because it’s coming whether we like it or not. So how do you survive the transition to Daylight Saving time?