Recipe of the day – Beefy enchiladas

Every other weekend, it’s my turn to do meal prep for the week as well as grocery shopping. Each time I sit down with some cookbooks and my phone and try to come up with a handful of meals for the family. As weeknight meals, they ideally are pretty simple, tasty, and something everyone will eat.

Going through this process 26 times per year, you get stuck in a rut. You get bored of what you are cooking. It’s only natural. So, for me, it’s good to have a few meals that are fun to make, enjoyable to eat, and provide that homecooked feeling with real ingredients.

More and more, I am starting to realize that there is a dish that checks all the boxes. The enchilada.

Navigating the hilarious chaos of parental burnout

Parenting is a roller coaster of emotions, from heart-melting moments to the occasional meltdown. While the joys of fatherhood are unparalleled, there’s a side of parenting that often goes unnoticed – parental burnout. Dads, we don’t need Elmo to ask us if we are okay? It’s time to shed light on the comical chaos that comes with being a parent, share a laugh, and perhaps pick up a tip or two on surviving the whirlwind of in my case, fatherhood.

Friday Newsletter – The all Toronto edition

Every Friday I fire off a list of things I think you need to know. Want me to know something in return? Leave it in the comments.

It’s Jamaican Patty Day – I love Jamaican beef patties. But I had no idea there was an actual Jamaican patty day in Toronto. Well it’s today. Here is the back story. 39 years ago Toronto authorities determinded that the term “beef patties” was too misleading when referring to the tasty Jamaican patties. They said vendors could no longer call them beef patties. As you can imagine, it did not go over well. It created some serious negotiations between the city and Jamican beef patty vendors. Eventually the vendors won the right back to call them beef patties. Guess what day that happened? Yep, February 23. So that is why in the city of Toronto, today is known as Jamaican Patty Day. Another little tidbit I did not know – Toronto consumes more beef patties than anywhere else in the world other than Jamaica. This is just another reason why Toronto rules.

Want all the Toronto food news? I suggest following Suresh Doss.

My interview with NBA broadcast legend Mike Breen

This is not a real interview with Mike Breen, however it is me seeing how realistic ChatGPT can be. Spoiler alert, it’s pretty good.

For those not familiar with Mike Breen, he is an American play-by-play sports commentator. He has been the lead announcer for NBA games on ABC and ESPN since 2006, including the NBA Finals. He is also the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen previously called NFL regular season games for both NFL on Fox and NFL on NBC, as well as New York Giants preseason games.

You most likely know him for yelling “BANG”, when a player hits a big shot.

Why did I choose to fake interview Mike Breen? Well, he is a well-spoken guy with a distinct voice and style and I figured that would be a good kind of person to use ChatGPT with.

So without further explanation, here is my fake interview with Mike Breen.

Travel tactics: Mastering the family vacation when you have teens

Embarking on a family vacation with teenagers can sometimes feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. As a parent, you’re torn between excitement for the journey ahead and the inevitable eye rolls and sighs that may accompany your well-intentioned plans.

As we all start to plan our summer vacations, fear not, as I am going to try and lend a helping hand. With a dash of humour, a sprinkle of dad wisdom, and a pinch of patience, you can turn your family vacation into an unforgettable adventure for all.

Spring is near, let’s all keep laughing

We are at the point of winter where it just starts to drag. While I admit Toronto has had a pretty decent winter so far, I still am counting down the days until spring. Today it’s supposed to be sunny and a high of 8 C. Perfect day for a long walk somewhere.

The sun is a sure bet to get people through winter. Another is just having a good laugh as much as possible. Laughter cures all.

Today on X I saw this post from Ricky Gervais and to me it’s so true.

What TV shows I am watching right now

Happy day after Family Day. It’s back to the normal grind for most after a long weekend of family activities, the usual weekend stuff, and catching up on TV shows.

While things were looking pretty empty for a few weeks, the TV show library is starting to pick up the pace again.

The streamers are starting to release new shows on the regular after the various strikes from last year slowed everything down.

Here’s what I have been watching in 2024 so far.

Friday Newsletter – The over hype of winter and free fishing in Ontario

Every Friday I fire off a list of things I think you need to know. Want me to know something in return? Leave it in the comments.

Why are we afraid of snow? – It’s mid February and in Canada, that is known as winter. Yesterday Toronto had some snow. The first real snow of the entire season. In our area it was many 2-3 cm. But if you turn on the news or read social media, we apparently had a major snowstorm. Was it a storm? What counts as a storm these days? It snowed. In fact it was that big movie like snow that is peaceful and relaxing. I went for a walk. It was actually refreshing. If you want to see what as snowstorm is, maybe check out what’s going on in Atlantic Canada. Over the years, we have become more and more unable to deal with winter. Not because people are incapable. It’s because in my opinion the media has conditioned us that way. Putting the fear of God into everyone when there are flurries. Like I said, this was the first real snow of the winter. Instead of covering traffic accidents, transit pulling stops and all the negatives of what snow can do. Why not pump the breaks a little and treat it as normal. It’s winter. This is what happens. It snows, we clear the snow, we all do our best to deal with the snow and maybe we should try and enjoy winter. Look at kids as soon as it snows. They are in their gear and sledding down hills. Sure there is some inconvienence, but that’s life.