BT Edmonton Blogs

I have just spent the most wonderful week with my sister and her family - they flew in from Goderich, Ontario to spend Christmas and my daughter’s birthday with us. As promised, here are just a few of the things I have learned today!

1. It doesn’t matter how cold it is if you are dressed properly.

2. Nothing’s yummier than birthday cupcakes decorated by 5 year olds.

3. The kid’s table is the best seat in the house.

4. Mothers will do to their kids what their Mothers did to them (Matching outfits are cute after all!)

5. Not everyone appreciates a raucous party.

6. A parent will face the most daunting of challenges just to see their child smile.

Kitchen Before                                                                           Kitchen After

7. And Finally…Time flies by far too quickly.

December 2006 (Chloe 4lbs, 13oz)                                                             December 22, 2008 – My Big Girl

One of our BT team members, Tammy Dubetz, said it best – “If you have to work on Christmas Eve, there’s no better place to be than here at Breakfast Television with all of our family and friends.”

We decided to make our Christmas Eve show unlike any other – aside from our regular news/traffic/weather updates throughout the morning, we threw format out the window. With Wendy Sandwith and Michele McDougall enjoying well-deserved family time, Bridget Ryan joined me in studio for the entire morning. We welcomed (BT fitness guru) Marjorie O’Connor and her son Keenan into the kitchen…Marjorie’s take on “Christmas bacon and eggs” was the best diet food I’ve ever seen (hint: it contains neither bacon nor eggs, and is made of nothing more than pretzel sticks, white chocolate and smarties.)

Gene Principe from Rogers Sportsnet sat around the BT Christmas tree with me to share his Oilers’ Christmas wish (consistency), and our very own Reid Wilkins shared his story on a real-live reindeer ranch in Leduc. Viewers shared Christmas thoughts, greetings and messages (via our new website www.btedmonton.com – click “Connect with BT”). We were overwhelmed by the number of emails, and the varying circumstances they represented. We are blessed to have such loyal viewers.

Through the morning, I embarked on my first attempt at baking a traditional Jespersen family Christmas morning treat – Blintz Souffle. While it took me the full four hours of the show to get it all together, the end result was…passable. An “A” for effort, I was told.  That said, at least half the pan was gone by the time we finished shooting our BT promotional spots to run through the weekend, so I’ll let that speak for itself!

If you happened to watch the Blintz Souffle segments and would like to try it at home, I’m attaching the recipe below. Have a very Merry Christmas, and we’ll see you again Monday morning at 6am!

rpj.

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BLINTZ SOUFFLE

Filling:
1 250 g. package Philadelphia Cream Cheese
500 g. cottage cheese
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
 
Beat cream cheese [softened in micro on High for 15 secs.] until smooth. Stir in cottage cheese, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. Set aside.
 
Batter:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/3 cup white sugar
6 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup orange juice
 
Cream butter, sugar and eggs. [add eggs one at a time] Beat well. Measure flour and baking powder [combine in small bowl] and add alternately with sour cream and orange juice to butter mixture.
 
Pour 1/2 of batter into buttered 9×13 inch pan. Pour filling over batter [smooth batter over entire surface with fork] and top with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Edges will be a bit golden and sort of pulled away from the edges of the pan. Serve with sour cream, yogurt, syrup, strawberry sauce or jam.
 
Strawberry sauce:
1 425 g. pkg. frozen sliced strawberries in light syrup
1 Tbsp. Corn starch
1 Tbsp. orange juice

Thaw strawberries. Heat in saucepan until hot – do not boil. In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and orange juice until smooth. Remove strawberries from heat and quickly stir in cornstarch mixture. Put mixture on burner and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir one minute, turn heat off and let mixture gently bubble. Serve warm and ENJOY!

When you go on vacation,…how long do your friends put up with your photos?  Just a few more from Mexico – I promise!!   

Below I have inserted 2 pictures.  The first is from the eco park called Xcaret.  It is pronounced “ish-karett”–and means small inlet in Mayan.  It is an archaelogical site that has been turned into a tourist park.  Kind of a “Jungle Disneyland”.  There are tons of actitivies, wild animals, and environmental awareness(guess which was my favorite!)  I am sitting in front of Mayan ruins.  Shortly after that, I went for a snorkel out to the barrier reef.  It was nothing short of amazing to see the tropical fish up close and personal – in their own home, undisturbed.  What a privilege!

In the second photo, I am peaking out behind a blue agave plant–pronounced “ahh-gah-vay”.  From the blue agave plant comes tequila.  I must admit not my beverage of choice, but when in Mexico …    

I hope you have been watching BT for the Mexicode word of the day.  So far, I have given out:  MAYAN, SNORKEL, and LAGOON.  There are 2 more words to go.  Good luck!

Cold enough for ya????  Snow and blowing snow,…minus 20, windchills, and it’s not even winter!  Winter Solstice arrives Sunday, December 21st @ 5:04am Alberta time.

Mother Nature seems to have a sense of humour and has just been putting us through the practice round. 

Did you know that the word “Solstice” has Latin origins?  Sol means sun,..and sistere means to stand still.  The mid day sun is at its lowest point above the horizon on that day.

We also see the shortest day of the year on and around winter solstice.  For instance,…in Edmonton, the hours of daylight on the shortest day of the year are:  7hours-30minutes.  Compare that to the l-o-n-g-e-s-t day of the year with 17 glorious hours of daylight.

And just think,…after the first day of winter — the days start getting longer!

Be careful out there!

Michele

The fine folks from Nova Scotia came to town on Friday and promised i would learn EVERYTHING there is to know about lobsters…and they weren’t kidding! Here is how Lobsters make lil’ lobsters…parental guidance is recommended! he hee.

Here

This has been a time of real economic panic.

Students face big tuition hikes. Property taxes are up, and investments are down.

We are all feeling the pinch.

And we are all tired of feeling bummed out about what we don’t have.

So… to heck with reality!!!

This is the time for big dreams, big fantasy, and big, big diamond rings!

So we booked a whole show of over-the-top indulgences, from private jets to haute couture and award-winning home decor.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Fantasy is one thing.

Wearing $500,000 of exquisite jewelery is another.

I am clearly in awe as Ryan clutches his Man-Bling.

This ring costs $100,000. ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!

Hey, 9am might be a little early for some, but when offered a taste of Remy-Martin’s Louis XIII,  you don’t say no.

The end result?

Well, I think my expression here says it all.

While it is thrilling to have a half-million dollars worth of jewelery on, I am not entirely comfortable celebrating opulence in these uncertain times. This holiday season, it seems to me that the thing we should be consuming is a boatload of lessons about living within our means, and celebrating the things that really matter.

I’ll be off the radar for the next week. I have family coming in from the East and will be celebrating the season with my family from the West.

From my family to yours, wishes of health, happiness, and every blessing in 2009.

xo Wendy

Recession. The word is enough to launch many of us into full panic mode, and for good reason. Investment portfolios are taking a hit, real estate values aren’t even in the same neighbourhood as this time last year, and it’s safe to say many of us will be tightening our proverbial belts this Christmas when it comes to gifts and travel.

What better time to dream big? We decided to “bling out” BT for a day, and feature some of the wildest items out there for purchase this holiday season. “Dream big” was the order of the day, and boy did our guests answer the call!

From a $35,000 private Napa Valley wine tour (for you and 15 friends aboard a Beech 1900 aircraft) to a $120,000 shopping jaunt to Paris on a smaller private jet, Geoff Carlyle at North Cariboo air painted a picture of life without spending limits. Marty and Dave at Premier Audio set up a $60,000 MBL stereo system to pump our studio up…and told stories of a $700,000 (that’s SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR) home stereo system they’d be happy to install at your place! Norma Button adorned Wendy’s ears, neck and fingers with half-a-million dollars worth of jewelry, as I nestled into an $11,000 award-winning chair featured at McIlheran’s Fine Furniture. Our lucky draw winner (through participating in the email question of the day – “What would you do if you won the lottery?”) walked away with a beautiful fedora cap from Harry Rosen.

Perhaps the biggest sensory overload of the morning came when our good friend (and chef extraordinaire) Paul Shufelt came in from the Century Hospitality Group. Along with a foie gras french toast and truffle popcorn layout, Paul cracked a $2,000 bottle of Louis XIII. Nothing like serving $150/oz cognac to catch your guests’ attention!

All in all, our Blinged Out BT was one for the ages. There is perhaps no better time to dream big than when our wallets seem emptier than ever before! Maybe it’s not the year we spend the most on gifts for our loved ones – but boy, did we ever get some great ideas on extravagant expenditures from our viewers! Opulence aside, the message that resonated most was a consistent desire on the part of our viewers to share their wealth (however modest it may be) with loved ones around them. There’s no better holiday theme than that!

rpj.

Just returned from a 5-Star resort in Cancun!!  Wait a minute, before you get all sour-puss,…it was all for YOU, the viewer.  We are giving away a 7-Day trip All Inclusive to Secrets Capri in Cancun.  Watch BT, of course,…Not only for your chance to win, but for beautiful pics of sand, surf, and sun!  Good Luck!

I am already relaxed.

Chef Jonas has the recipe for good times!

Up close at the Barrier Reef