Making our Halloween traditions

Hubby and I were raised in a place where Halloween was an activity limited to exclusive villages and clubs. Growing up, there were times when we participated in trick-or-treating, but those were more of the exception. It was no biggie if the day just passed without any fanfare. I guess we should be glad that the event was not too commercialized back then.

When we had kids, we put in more effort into making family traditions around fun occasions. Luckily enough, we are raising them in a place where we have a lot of opportunity to do this.

Our Halloween celebrations have evolved as the years passed. I’d like to share with you some steps we took to ensure the kids looked forward to having fun activities together-- and more than just getting candy.

1. Select costumes—For the past 3 years, we have been donning family costumes. We would decide on a theme and have each member of the family wear a costume in keeping with that theme. We would do a mix of DIY and store-bought (and hand me down!) costumes. I try to make sure that the costumes are either warm or big enough to accommodate layers of thermals. After all, we want to get bone-chillin’ action, but not literally!

2. Find the perfect pumpkin—This is our chance to check out local and not so local farms (and here is where wanderlust comes in, haha!). There are a lot of places which offer more than pumpkin picking. Fall harvest and other fun activities are available at some locations for a fee. Check out your region listings for farms. The patches can be muddy, but we always have fun searching for the perfect pumpkin. We pick pumpkins with a flattish side since this makes it easier to draw the design.

3. Decorate pumpkins—Some years we carve our pumpkin, while some years we just draw on them.  What do we do to non-carved pumpkins after Halloween is over? We cook them! There are a lot of Pumpkin recipes out there! Other times, when hubby wants to flex his creative muscles, we carve our pumpkin (or rather, HE carves them—I have to give credit where credit is due, after all). Of course, the pumpkin design we choose has to be in theme.

4. Go trick-or-treating—This is my kids’ favorite activity. No surprise there. We usually go to a couple of places for trick-or-treating. After all, we have to make the most of our costumes! The girls know that they cannot have any of their loot until after I had sorted the candies. I established that rule early on.  And while the candies with damaged packaging go straight to the trash, there are usually still enough sweets left for the kids and mommy (hey, I did a lot of work, too, so I deserve a treat!)

5. Repeat next year—I’m sure that as the years go by, these Halloween celebrations will still change. They can only get better! Happy Halloween!

Brunch and Fries at Stratford

We drove to Stratford for our family’s first Stratford Festival and arrived just in time for brunch. Hubby was in charge of planning the outing, a rare and most delightful feat! And while only 1 out of the 4 activities he had planned (the rest being spontaneous) came to fruition, the day turned out to be quite nice, full of discovery and adventure.

Hubby had learned early on that the women in his household could not function when hungry.  Because Stratford was over a hundred km from our house, by the time we managed to find parking on Erie St., we were ready to eat just about anything! Actually, if there had been a McDonald’s right where we had parked, I think I would have thrown away my sense of adventure for a Big Breakfast. Good thing York Street Kitchen was just right across the parking lot! And right beside our targeted snack destination, Boomers!

York Street Kitchen was a quaint joint with about 4 tables and a bar. While they have a popular sandwich take-out window, I really did not have the energy to take our food out to the park for a picnic. I was STARVING! So, I hungrily ordered H.M.S. Pinaforte--smoked Atlantic salmon with local goat cheese and veggies on a bagel. Hubby, on the other hand, went for one of their specials—the Breakfast Burrito. Though I was close to passing out from the lack of food, I managed to first set up the girls with their French toast, before I dug into my own dish. I had to compose myself so as not to wolf everything down.

The Pinaforte hit the spot. The buttery salmon with its bold saltiness was accentuated by the creamy goat cheese. The lettuce and tomatoes provided the crunchy tang while the bagel wrapped all the flavors up.

I took a bite from Hubby’s Breakfast Burrito, which was equally good and definitely heartier.  Meanwhile, the girls drowned their French toast in Mennonite maple syrup and finished their meal in record time.  Everything was quite good, except for the coffee, which needed more umph.  In a breakfast/brunch joint, a good, strong coffee is an absolute must.  How I wish I had gotten a freshly brewed iced tea instead. Maybe that would’ve been tastier. But all in all, service was fast, and the staff friendly. The waitress even brought out some story books for the girls to read while we waited for our meal. 

After watching a play and strolling along the Main St., we popped over to Boomer’s to try out their famous fries.  Boomer’s was featured in “You Gotta Eat Here” and true enough, various pictures and articles about the episode were plastered all over the walls.

We ordered some Chili Fries as well as their specialty, the Poutini Martini. The Chili Fries were just okay. Maybe this was because they were overshadowed by the ultra-yummy Poutini Martini, which featured crunchy onion rings on top of fries.   DD#1 staked her claim on the olive garnish. (With her love for olives, I wouldn’t be surprised if martinis eventually turn out to be her favorite cocktail.)

Anyway, the fries were crispy and not oily. The cheese curds and gravy that were generously layered on top were both salty and creamy.  It was delicious—a wonderful twist to the usual poutine!  Boomer’s has many more delightful fries concoctions. I will definitely try the Goat Cheese Poutine next time! And for those who choose not to make fries their main meal, the menu offered many other treats such as gourmet burgers and hotdogs—a variety that will have you coming back.

Charlie Brown is good, man!

Can a 7 year old and a 4 year old appreciate this Stratford festival play?

My girls have, so far, been to only a few plays--school productions, children’s theatres, and the Ross Petty production of Wizard of Oz.  My younger one was 3 when she started watching plays.  It was quite a feat to have her sit through a whole play considering how tough it was to have her watch Kung Fu Panda 2 in the movie theatre.  

Our excursion to Stratford happened to coincide with the city’s annual Festival, so I took the opportunity to continue my children’s exposure to something I truly enjoy—watching plays.   I didn’t think they’d appreciate Henry V, so You’re a good man, Charlie Brown it was going to have to be. 

Decades ago this play ran in Broadway and the West End with its very simple backdrops and wardrobe. But it's probably not what I would line up for given other choices. As for my kids, they cannot really totally relate to Snoopy.  Their exposure to Peanuts is limited to the Thanksgiving or Halloween animations aired on TV.  However, I was truly amazed that while the whole play was composed of several vignettes with musical numbers, the kids actually enjoyed it.  My 7-year-old, DD#1, was immersed in the comedy and transfixed not only at what was happening on stage but also the dialogue.  Meanwhile, DD#2, still being weaned from afternoon naps, managed to overcome her restlessness during the first act and actually watched the second.  Needless to say, some of the humor could be more fully appreciated by mature audiences, especially audiences who used to read Charles Schultz.

The show was like a re-enactment of a Peanuts Treasury with no actual plot.  Those who missed this show can actually catch the animated version on film.  What pulled the play together, however, were the actors, who were great. The girls especially loved Snoopy’s performance, particularly his classic "fights" with the Red Baron.  Crabby old me liked Lucy.  Charlie Brown and his gang did not disappoint.  Even the younger generation who did not really grow up with them had fun.  It was a nice play, overall, and one that I am happy that the girls got to see. In a few more years, we can progress to Shakespeare –maybe we’ll start off with a comedy when we go back to Stratford.

Avon theatre

The girls already love watching Sound of Music on DVD and listening to the music of Wicked. They also watched (and enjoyed!) a Lés Misérables special on TV a few weeks ago.  They wouldn’t go to bed until after Eponine had sung “A Little Fall of Rain.”  So, I am quite confident they will enjoy many more plays in the future. I cannot wait to watch all my favorite shows all over again with them. Now, this is what Happiness is…

Max’s of Toronto: does it compare with Manila’s?

Whenever we talk about Max’s Fried Chicken in Toronto, the question we often get asked is: Is it the same as the one in Manila? We eagerly awaited the restaurant’s opening a couple of years ago to find out if it satisfied the cravings and homesickness for delicious Filipino food. When it first opened, they only had service for dinner. The line-ups went beyond the front door, and there was a considerable wait (sometimes, beyond an hour) to be seated. Folks sometimes drove from more than an hour away just to get to the Dufferin and Steeles location. We had a visitor from BC once whom we took to Max’s, so that could well be among the farthest places Canadian customers can come from.  After all, this is the first (and only one so far) location in Canada. Dining at Max’s Toronto definitely beats flying over to Manila just to have fried chicken. 

The menu pretty much looks the same except for the prices. A whole chicken would cost about 40-50% more (depending on the exchange rate) in Toronto. Maybe the chicken in Toronto speaks French? Surely, labor and other operating costs are more expensive here. On the other hand, this is almost about the same price as a half-chicken at Swiss Chalet (even if that came with rolls and a side dish). It all boils down to what you feel like having – fried or rotisserie chicken – and how much of a premium you are willing to pay.  Then again, some people are just not into fried, I suppose.

Anyway, they have all the basics here as well—lumpiang ubod, pancit, kare kare and all the comfort food that reminds one of home. There is sinigang as well as the all day Tapsilog breakfast. Not only catering to Filipinos, Max’s also has people of other nationalities dining there (mostly as guests). Filipino hosts surely have picked one of the best places in Toronto to introduce guests to their cuisine.

Pancit Palabok

Even if we try out the other dishes in various occasions, fried chicken and garlic rice remains a staple in our order. Golden-fried, the skin is always crispy and the meat very tasty. And when dipped in Jufran banana ketchup mixed with Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, it is absolutely yummy! Over the past couple of years that we have been going there, the quality has been consistent. The other dishes are good as well. I would recommend their Crispy pata, which is among the house favourites.  We also like the tapa.

Tapsilog

For dessert, while the ube ice cream and leche flan are good, the ingredients are simply not sufficient for a satisfying Halo-Halo. There is too much gulaman and not enough of nata de coco, kaong, beans and others ingredients. The presentation is good, though, and it does refresh. And I believe they also serve their classic Caramel bars, but we haven’t tried them yet.

Wanderlusting Mama’s verdict: Yes, it comes very close to Max’s in Manila, if not the same. A “Sarap to the bones!” treat.

Another lobster meal at Red Lobster

I admit that we have only eaten in this chain a handful of times. We usually go to the location at Yonge and Steeles and in all the times we have been there, we have never been seated immediately. There is usually a wait time involved. Thankfully, at the entrance, there is a live lobster tank which the kids enjoy checking out while waiting.

We went there last month, at my girls’ request, to celebrate awards they got. We started off with some biscuits which we all loved. They were buttery, crumbly, with a touch of herbs. They were absolutely delightful.  

For appetizers, we had lobster pizza which my kids enjoyed. The crust was thin and crisp, and the toppings were flavourful.

For our main course, we got combinations of lobster, garlic shrimp, coconut shrimp (I hesitate to call it Jumbo), garlic-grilled shrimp skewers and the girls’ favourite Shrimp linguine Alfredo—we came during the “Endless Shrimp” special they have every so often. The lobster was well-cooked and juicy. The shrimp was plump. All in all, the dishes were well-seasoned and tasty.  However, for the price, the servings were not big. The lobster was actually quite small.

For dessert we all shared an order of Chocolate wave. Now that was divine. The cake was moist and served warm. The vanilla ice cream on the side provided a nice complement.

Both service and ambience were okay. However, if you have an intense craving for lobster, you are better off having some in O Mei or other good Chinese restaurants. Red Lobster is okay if you are in the mood for something like a TGI Fridays or Chili’s with a seafood twist.