Power Out Smashed Potatoes

Yesterday evening we had a power outage right before dinner. Normally, that would result in us eating out. However, last night we were cooking cedar plank chicken on the grill with smashed potatoes and green beans. The chicken was already on they grill and the potatoes were cut when we lost power.

My husband asked what we were going to do about dinner, and I said no problem. The chicken's on the grill and I can manually light the stove for the potatoes and the green beans. Of course, I forgot about mixing the potatoes. I usually use my Kitchen-Aid mixer and don't have a potato masher, so I had to improvise.

I don't have a potato masher I rummaged through my kitchen tools and found a few things to experiment with. I found a dough blender which I also use to break up fruit for jelly. I vetoed my wire whisk since it would not be sturdy enough to whisk the potatoes. However, my Calphalon Teflon whisk was stronger. I used a dough blender to mash the potatoes and a Calphalon Teflon whip to fluff them up. 

To make my smashed potatoes, I used Klondike Rose potatoes and left the skin on, but cut them into 1/2" pieces to boil in salted water. I cooked the potatoes a little more than I usually do so that they would mash easily. I added butter, low-fat ranch dressing, and milk as I mashed them. By using the ranch dressing, I am able to use less butter.  We typically add garlic and rosemary, but since we were working in the dark/no power we took a few shortcuts. First I used the dough blender to mash the potatoes and start incorporating the liquids. Then I used the whisk to fluff and fully incorporate all of the liquids. Fortunately, I was making smashed potatoes so I wasn't aiming for a whipped consistency.

I had resigned myself to an inconsistent texture, but was really happy with how they came out.

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Toronto Vacation: CN Tower and 360 Restaurant

Outside CN Tower

We visited Toronto in early August. I had previously visited Toronto as a child, and we had skipped going to the top of the CN Tower, so it was on my to-do list for this trip.

Note: All prices listed are in Canadian Dollars and reflect pricing at the time of our visit. Pricing is subject to change seasonally and over time. Menus and movie attractions are also likely to change. 

When I looked up the information for visiting the CN Tower before the trip, I saw they had the 360 Restaurant which rotates while you eat. I had initially dismissed the restaurant as too expensive - $55 for lunch (adult) for a 3 course Prix Fixe menu. They do offer a 2 course child's menu of entree and dessert however they do not list the price on their website and I cannot remember how much it was.

Regular admission to the CN Tower is $32/adult, $24/child 4-12. The admission includes your elevator ride to the Lookout Level, the Glass Floor, Legends of Flight 3D movie, and Himalamazon a motion theater ride.

When I realized that the lunch price included your elevator ride and access to the Lookout Level and the Glass Floor, it suddenly did not seem so expensive (only $23 more than regular admission for adults, less for kids). While we did not receive admission to the 3D movie or the motion theater ride, we may have skipped them even with our paid admission.

We were able to obtain a reservation on the spot for lunch, at 11:45a. However, the restaurant quickly filled up and had we arrived even 45 minutes later, we may not have been so lucky. Your reservation can be made at the 360 Restaurant Kiosk next to the ticket counter. You then proceed to a special elevator for the restaurant (to the right). Prior to boarding your elevator they will take your picture in front of a green screen and while you are dining they will bring you a photo with the CN Tower view to purchase if you wish. Since we were arriving at the start of lunch when they were not fully booked, we were able to have our picture taken and board an elevator without a wait. We were also seated right away at a round table by the window looking out at Lake Ontario.

Seated at the Table

The central dining floor takes 72 minutes to rotate the 360 degrees. The windows and the inside supports for them are stationary as is the inner walkway around the restrooms, wine cellar, and stairs. It can be quite confusing to come out of the restroom and have your table be in a different location.  With the 3 course Prix Fixe menu we were in the restaurant for about 90 minutes so we were able to see the entire view. We were about halfway through a bus tour of the city before lunch, so we had some idea of what we were seeing and were able to find some landmarks.

The food was mostly good. I started with the 360 Caesar Salad and had the Crab & Mussel Spaghetti with Lemon and Arugula as my entree. Both were delicious and the spaghetti was a nice size serving. For dessert I had the Dark Chocolate Tower with Caramelized Bananas. I have to say that while the dessert looked fantastic, that I was disappointed in the taste. I did find that it improved if I ate the tower vertically instead of by level. With the kids menu, my daughter did not receive a starter (although bread was served to all). She selected chicken fingers for her entree and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate chip cookie. She called it a reverse ice cream sandwich since the cookie was wedged between two scoops of ice cream.

My daughter insisted that I take her picture returning from the restroom as she straddled the moving floor and the stationary floor.

I am so glad that we decided to do the 360 Restaurant. The restaurant is a level above the Lookout level and you have unimpeded views of the city and Lake Ontario that come to you. It was an extremely relaxing way to enjoy both our lunch and a view of the city.

We have been to the Sears Tower, Eiffel Tower, and many other lookouts over the years. While the 360 Restaurant rivaled other views, I was very disappointed with how the Lookout Level compared. About 1/4 of the Lookout Level windows are in the Horizons Restaurant which you cannot enter if you aren't eating. The Lookout Level was so packed (probably because it was a long weekend in Canada) that you could barely squeeze in to see out of a window. Also, there were no signs, or markers pointing out what you were looking at or what cities were in different directions. Fortunately we had taken a bus tour that morning and were able to pick out a few highlights.

The Glass Floor is located one level below the Lookout Level. When we had been to the Sears Tower a few years ago, my daughter and I had gone out onto their Ledge and looked through the glass floor to the street below. On the Sears Tower, the glass floor extends out from the building. However on the CN Tower it is the lowest level of the saucer at the top and is part of the regular structure. My husband again refused to venture out onto the glass floor, but my daughter and I braved it again. We were able to see the Ripley's Aquarium below.

View through Glass Floor

There is also the SkyPod that is 33 stories above the LookOut Level. SkyPod costs an additional $12/person to experience it. We did not make the trip up the additional level. And for brave teens and adults, you can do the EdgeWalk and walk on the edge of the roof the 360 Restaurant. You are harnessed, and are free to lean over

I was very happy with our trip to the CN Tower and having lunch at 360 Restaurant. I definitely felt that the price was worth it. Had we not done lunch, I think I would have been extremely disappointed in the experience. I definitely don't feel that the experience of the Lookout Level and Glass Floor was worth the regular admission cost.

Easy Carnival Games for Kids

This afternoon we were at our church picnic. For the last several years, I have been in charge of the kids games. We want our games to be individual games that can easily be adapted for kids in a wide age range. Our games are free and our goal is to have the kids all walk away with a prize.

Anytime you are running carnival games, you can either give prizes at each game or give tickets that can be combined at a prize table. While the prize table allows you to have nicer prizes, it also requires additional volunteers and additional effort in distributing prizes across various ticket ranges. For simplicity, we have decided to offer a prize for each game.

By far, the most popular game today was Block Balancing. I developed the game 2 years ago by adapting it from one that I found on the Minute to Win It website. Rather than set a time limit, I set a tower height for the kids to achieve.

Block Balancing - Paper/Plastic plate, letter blocks - Kids balance the plate on their fingertips and try to stack the blocks on it. I used my daughter's wooden letter blocks (~1" diameter). I had candy as the prize and gave kids 1 piece for 5 blocks and 2 pieces for 10 blocks. This works best when you can setup at a table so the next blocks are easily accessible. 

The kids could not stay away from this game. There were some kids I saw at this table for most of the afternoon. They didn't even care about the candy, it was definitely trying to beat their own record or their friends. We had 48 blocks and 4 plates, so several kids could play at the same time.

Another popular game is the pencil drop which is a game that my parents used to have us play at birthday parties when I was young.

Pencil Drop - Stool, Water bottle, pencils - Kids stand on the stool, hold a pencil waist high and try to drop it into the bottle. Smaller kids don't need to stand on the stool. They win the pencil as a prize. 

The Pencil Drop project is easily transitioned to match your party theme. By swapping the type of pencils and decorating your container, you can have a game that matches any theme.

When I was searching for prizes, I found foam gliders. I decided to incorporate the glider into the game.

Airplane Flight - Hula Hoop, Rope, Tree, Gliders - Hang the Hula Hoop from a tree branch (or other post) and assemble gliders. The goal is to fly your glider through the hoop. You can either let them keep the glider they use, or give them an unassembled glider and keep a few assembled ones for use. If you have the room, you can use two hoops at different heights for different ages.

When I took over the games, I was provided with the materials for three games:

Duck Pond - Plastic sided pool and 24 rubber ducks. Fill the pool about 1/2 way with water and float the ducks. You have a few options for numbering your ducks: individual numbers, equally distributed numbers (i.e.. 8 each of 1, 2, and 3), or the rare number (ie 15 1s, 6-2s, and 3-3s). Our ducks were already equally distributed as 1, 2, or 3. With the rare number method, you could have a better prize for the rare number. Personally, I am not a fan of the individual numbers as you would need to many prizes.

Treasure Chest - Treasure chest, play sand, pennies, fish net. Our treasure chest is a cooler that has been painted to resemble a pirate's chest. Hide pennies in the sand and have the kids take a scoop with a fish net or a plastic container with holes poked in the bottom. The kids can keep the pennies. You can also add a few larger denomination coins or fake coins that are traded for a prize. You could use fake coins as the prize, but I have found that pennies are considerably cheaper.

Bean Bag Toss - Bean bags, 3 pails. Kids stand at a distance and try to toss the bean bags into the pails. Adjust the starting line for younger kids to be closer. You can give additional or larger prizes for multiple pails. We found taping the pails together kept them from tipping as easily.

Also, we provide a craft area. The crafts are fairly simple, but my favorite craft for a carnival style party is:

Paper Bag Decorating - plain brown lunch bags, crayons, markers, stickers, and stamps. Let the kids decorate a bag. You can use the fancy colored bags, but they are typically coated and crayons, markers, and stamps will not work as well. 

Trust me, the parents who are tasked with holding their kids winnings will thank you for the bags.

I also learned the hard way that small foam stickers are not a great choice for outside because the backings blow away. When we do have activities that generate trash, I have found that a plastic container with a lid is a great temporary trash can.

This year we did Face Painting since there were volunteers who wanted to face paint. In previous years, we have used temporary tattoos since they are quick and easy. We are still using the extra temporary tattoos as game prizes.

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Home Depot Kids Workshops for Fall

Home Depot has announced their fall schedule for kids workshops. They offer a kids workshop the first Saturday of each month from 9a-noon at all of their stores. Kids Workshops are FREE! Each child will receive a craft to take home, a certificate of achievement, a workshop apron, and a commemorative pin. Registration for the Workshops is available on the Home Depot website.

On Saturday, September 7, Get Ready for Game Day and Make a Football Ring Toss Game. This is a perfect activity for opening weekend of the NFL season, or to get ready for a big college football night game.

It is Home Depot to the (Fire) Rescue on Saturday, October 5. In celebration of Fire Safety Month, children will build a Fire Rescue Plane. While supplies last children will also receive a FREE mini LEGO City Toy and Fire Safety Tips. I know if my daughter heard about the LEGO toy, she would want to get that, and wouldn't care about the plane. Unfortunately her soccer schedule will keep us from being able to attend.

Sail a Mighty Ship on November 2. Kids will build a Tabletop ship with sales at the workshop.

My daughter and I have not yet attended a Home Depot Kids Workshop, but we really enjoyed the Lowe's Build & Grow Workshop that we attended.