I’m happy to say that, my beloved Play Palace is open for business. Every year around May, they remove the ice from the Kerrisdale Arena and start inflating…some FUN!

This venue is the perfect place to beat the heat (or get out of the rain…depending on how the summer goes). This year, a new array of bouncy fun has been added to the menu. No longer do kids have to jump on equipment that is skilfully held together by the almighty duct tape. Four new pieces of bouncy equipment “light” up the space. An obstacle course with slide, a pirate-themed bouncer with slide, a super duper slide structure with a central staircase and 4 slides, plus a very cute bouncer for the preschool area…another pirate theme (I guess there was a sale on pirates…what’s a princess to do?). The changes are fantastic.

I wonder if they will rotate any of the older items into the line-up (supposedly, they’re still in storage). The only item I will miss is the big, yellow, tube-like apparatus. Kids would climb up a tube, enter a transparent “bubble” and slide out the other side. Now that’s fun and unique (and reminiscent of a gerbil habitat I had as a kid). If bouncers don’t do it for your child, direct them toward the foosball tables, PlasmaCars or playhouses.

After an energetic play session, you can head to one of the Little Tike plastic picnic tables near the entrance to eat your packed lunch or…do what I do…walk out the front door and veer left 20 paces and go to McDonalds…shameful but true.

If you are thinking of making the Play Palace part of your routine, consider purchasing a “10 ticket strip“. It will save you $8 on 10 visits for a preschooler.

Thank you Play Palace and my very, very fair son thanks you too…we’ll be seeing you a lot in August!

Play Palace Drop-in Schedule
Open 7 days per week between May 2-September 1, 2011

All Statutory Holidays – July 1 (Canada Day) & Aug 1 (BC Day)
Open from 9:30-1:30pm only for all ages play

Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena
5670 East Boulevard Vancouver, BC
(Corner of East Boulevard and 41st, behind McDonalds)
Phone: 604-257-8121

Last Easter, I made my first cut-out cake (a mommy right of passage). I feel like I just earned my baking badge. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! I used a coconut cream cake recipe and found the standard bunny cake template online (which I redrew in illustrator so I could print at 100% –I need things to be idiot proof).

The cake was really simple to “build” and decorate (especially if you bake the cake one day and decorate it the next). This type of cake improves in the fridge over night. Either way, you should give it a try. The kids (aged 3 and under) were in awe, while the adults just plain dove in. I wish all recipes could be as successful, which brings me to my annual Easter time baking flop.

Yes, a combination of hyper multi-tasking coupled with sleep deprivation resulted in some beautiful, garbage-worthy cookies.

Upon completion of these gems, I was horrified to learn that I had read the recipe wrong and added a whole package of cream cheese instead of the 3 oz the recipe called for…Oh the humanity….it was a crying shame! I vow to make these beauties again. Hopefully next year the taste will match the look.

I’d been to the Whip over 10 years ago. Back then, it was known as a decent brunch spot with bad service (which is probably the reason I never returned). It had the kind of service that makes you feel like you’re intruding when you interrupt a riveting “inter-server” conversation to ask for a cup of coffee. The servers then greet your friendly, upbeat banter with a blank stare while they unceremoniously dump a plate of food in front of you. On this memorable first visit, I had Eggs Benny and sat outside on a narrow patio hugging the sidewalk.

Fast forward 10 years, I bravely entered the Whip once again but this time with a rambunctious toddler and a grumpy, starving husband. Heaven help us. The first thing I noticed is that people were friendly (shock of all shocks). Still artsy and alternative (with a bit of Goth, some bleached blond, and a plethora of tattoos thrown in for good measure) but “oh, so, friendly”. It felt strange to receive this warm welcome. Let’s face it, when you enter most restaurants with a toddler you get the cold shoulder but not this place….at least, not this time. The girls chatted with Caden. We asked to move to a bigger table (which was no problem). The food came fast and it was really good. My hubby devoured his….and I savoured my Eggs Benny (which definitely tasted better than the last time). It is nice to know that there are funky, little joints out there that make you feel welcome…kids or no kids.  I think I shall return…and this time I won’t wait 10 years!

The Whip Restaurant and Gallery
209 East 6th Avenue (at Main Street)
Phone: 604 874 4687

Note: The adults had more fun at the pumpkin carving party than the child did.

Another Note: If  you use a cake mix you are supposed to get 24-28 mini cakes out of this Wilton cake pan. Somehow, I got only 9 which made me laugh pretty hard. I used too much batter and really had to trim the heck out of the cakes. I’ll do better next time.

Pumpkin Cake Recipe

This nifty little recipes is probably more appreciated by the adults than the kiddies. You can use a spice cake mix and omit the pumpkin spice if you like. This is not a light and airy cake. It is heavy and moist and tastes similar to a pumpkin pie in flavor.

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package white or golden cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
2 eggs
2 tsp pumpkin spice mix

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice mix and  eggs until well blended.
4. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. 
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool and serve, or store in the refrigerator. This tastes even better the next day.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Yellow and red food coloring

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
2. Mix in the vanilla and food colouring.
3. Gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar.
4. Store in the refrigerator after use.

On Saturday, I went to the York House School Fall Market and I have to say, “It’s about time”. Every autumn, for the past 10+ years, I have passed the fair signs, which line Granville Street, and wondered what the event was like.

Now that I have a child, I’m always on the look-out for deals on books, DVDs and toys. I finally got it through my head how ridiculous it is to pay full price for new toys when most toys are used for such a short time. The used toys I buy are like new and at his age, Caden, doesn’t understand “brand spankin new”. If it’s new to him, he considers it “new”.

The fall market was extremely well organized. The Attic Treasures, Fashion Accessories and Fashion Repeats were located in an underground parking lot that seemed to go on forever. A Buzz Lightyear hockey jersey from Disney, a Seattle Mariners jersey and two Mickey Mouse baseball caps sum up my purchases in that area. The total came to a whopping $2.50.

I’d hate to tell you what I spent on toys, books and DVDs, so I won’t. Let’s just say we are all Franklin, Bob the Builder, and Diego-ed out. Not to mention the golf clubs, toy cars, new Crayola finger paints, new Playdough fun factory and new (yes, new meaning unopened) Aquadoodle mat, I purchased. The new stuff has been put away for Christmas.

If you happen to have a girl, you would have been in heaven, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks when I saw the brand new $6 Easy Bake oven…sniff…sniff…I LOVED my Easy Bake Oven as a kid in all it’s orange retro glory. I was so tempted, but somehow I couldn’t see my son baking little cakes so off I went in search of Hot Wheels…sigh.  In my travels, I spotted a pile of Groovy Girls dolls priced a $1 each. That’s just silly, they retail for $15….double sigh.

Those were the highlights of the market for me. Although there was much more to see and do (eg: silent auction, bottle booth, cakewalk, haunted house), I was loaded down and broke so off we went. Had I been there on my own (ie: without husband and my “cutie pah-tootie”), I could have killed a couple of hours shopping but it wasn’t really a great place for small kids and husbands (at least my husband). Maybe I’ll get a chance next year.

My hubby celebrated his birthday today. Yesterday, he told me that he wanted to go to Denny’s for a free breakfast. Sad but true. Regardless, that got me thinking. Where else could we get our hands on free food? It became a bit of an obsession for me, as I scoured the Internet into the night, looking for leads.

The result: Darryl ate a 13 oz T-bone steak, 2 eggs, hash browns and 2 pieces of toast for breakfast at Denny’s. His meal was free (regular price around $19). That was followed by a free BBQ Burger (regular price $9) at Vera’s burger shack for lunch. Later that afternoon, he downed a free scoop of key lime ice cream with blueberries from the Cold Stone Creamery (regular price around $4).

Unfortunately (or you could say fortunately), we had a birthday dinner to attend that night or we would have continued on our free food quest. We were on a roll (no pun intended).  Thankfully, we still have a week to use the Baskin Robbins coupon. Whew!

Next year, we’ll be more organized, so watch out. We’ll start earlier, travel farther and eat more. Why not, your birthday only comes around once a year. As a friend of mine likes to remind me, “Free is the best price”.

Let me know if you come across any more deals in Metro Vancouver area, I’d love to add them to the list.

Free Food (on Your Birthday) Guide

Note: Some of these deals require you bring another person to dine. Others want you to sign up well before your birthday; so sign up earlier so you don’t get left out in the cold.  Also, be sure to bring picture ID with you, just in case.

• Dairy Queen – Free Blizzard if you upload your photo onto their facebook page. BOGO (buy one, get one) coupon upon joining the Blizzard Club, plus an email coupon for a blizzard on your birthday
• Baskin Robbins – Free 2.5 oz scoop or 3 oz soft serve cone
• Denny’s Restuarant - Free Grand Slam breakfast if you are alone OR you can choose anything off the menu if you dine with someone that orders an entree
• Pajos Fish and Chips – Free small fish and chips and drink OR a burger, fries and drink
• Vera’s Burger Shack – $10 gift certificate which you can use towards anything on the menu
• Red Robin Restaurant – Free burger
• Boston Pizza – My “spidey sense” tells me they have something (appy or dessert thing) but I can’t find it on their website. Can anybody confirm this one?
• Milestones Grill and Bar – Free dessert (just ask, at least we did) or go online to get a birthday coupon where you eat free as long as you bring 3 friends with you who buy entrees ( I use the word “free” lightly).
• Boathouse Restaurant – $25 coupon (I have a feeling that they ask you to bring paying customers with you…I’ll look into it)
• Cold Stone Creamery – Free scoop of ice cream with one mix-in

What do you serve at a monkey party for a 2 year old?

Let’s face it, people can only eat so many bananas and toddlers aren’t going to eat much. With that in mind, I decided on food with a Mexican/tropical/monkey flare that was simple and tasty. Don’t worry, I threw a few bananas into the mix for fun, I couldn’t help myself.

A short, afternoon party (2 -5pm) meant I had to get all the food out at the beginning and be ready to replenish if necessary.

The menu looked something like this:

• Slow Cooker Cocktail Meatballs
• Spicy Cilantro Dip with Veggies
• Banana and Black Bean Empanadas
• Mini Pizzas
• Chicken Tortilla Rolls
• Guacamole
• Tortilla Chips & Salsa
• Healthy Handfuls (store bought monkey-shaped cookies)
• Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas on a Stick (Video)
• Banana Shaped Sugar Cookies
• Monkey Cupcakes

The Verdict:

The meatballs were a hit….not my favorite thing but I figured “the men folk” needed something substantial to gnaw on. I made 60 and they disappeared…poof! I have no idea where they went? It’s a good thing I ate one before they left the kitchen (quality control…wink, wink). I used frozen meatballs and added a 1/4 cup of grated onion to the sauce outlined in the recipe.

I make the cilantro dip a lot because it’s different than the average dip and it’s a snap to make in the food processor. (Caution: mucho spicy)

The banana and bean empanadas, an idea borrowed from Kelly at Buzzville and her Monkey Party Recap post, were the surprise hit of the day. Everyone “pooh-poohed” the idea (banana and beans?!?!) but loved the taste. We served the turnovers with warm red pepper jelly for dipping. (Note: these are fussy things to make, my Aunt almost had a breakdown chopping and fitting all the filling into the tiny pockets…these are not for anyone with high blood pressure…thank you AC!)

Auntie Alison did the mini pizzas…which rocked. They were supposed to be for the kids but she ended up making 60 because the adults kept scarfing them down. You could put little monkey faces on the pizzas by using black olives, pepperoni and peppers if you have extra time on your hands (yah right?!). We decided to form a frantic assembly line and throw on the toppings at high speed instead of making monkey faces.

Chicken Tortilla Rolls were good filler and a good thing to dunk into the guacamole and salsa. Thanks Costco.

Healthy Handfuls, the store-bought monkey-shaped cookies, sucked. They looked so awful, I did not serve them. My audience was 2 year olds, so you know that’s bad. Talk about false advertising.

The “chocolate dipped frozen banana on a stick” was a highlight. A unique idea that’s fun and super simple to make. We handed them out before the cake, while the kids (and parents) were playing in the yard.  I’m sure you can imagine what the kids looked like with their faces and hands covered in melted banana and chocolate. This is definitely not an indoor treat.

Banana-shaped sugar cookies were super cute and yummy. This recipe never fails and the kids love them. Either the kids are getting older or the Moms are mellowing because no one wanted the plain cookies. ICING for everyone…wooHOO!

The Monkey Cupcakes brought a tear to my eye. Why can’t everything be so easy? Thanks to Auntie Clare, Auntie Lerae and especially to the bottle of wine.

Related posts
Thinking of Planning a Monkey Party?

Calling all monkeys…calling all monkeys

More monkey music…Mommy!

Banana cookies – best of the bunch

Monkey cupcakes made easy

I’d like to take a moment to rant about these cookies, if I may.

Let’s take a look at the box…now the cookies…now the box again. What’s wrong with this picture? Do the cookies look even remotely like monkeys to you? These misshapen, oblong lumps are not even close (and half of them were stuck together?!?). Another shining example of creative marketing at it’s finest.

I bought the cookies for a monkey party I was throwing for my 2 year old. When I opened the box (mid-party) and saw these things, I was so irritated by how awful they looked that I threw them back in the cupboard.

Three weeks later (yes, it took me that long to get over it), I tried the cookies and actually “downed” half the box. I hate to admit it but they tasted pretty good. Unfortunately, the feeling of being duped has lingered, so my house will now be known as a “monkey-cookie free zone”!

Let’s make some monkey cupcakes, shall we?

First, I used my Mom’s chocolate cake recipe (the same one I used for the boob cupcakes).  It’s super yummy and a snap to whip together…only one bowl required!

Truth be told, I bought the icing (yes, I know). I could have made it but decided my sanity was more important.

My inspiration for these playful primates came from Amy and her wicked blog, Serving Pink Lemonade.

How to Make Those Marvelous Monkey Cupcakes

Decorating goes something like this:

1. Ice cupcake with store bought chocolate icing
2. Position a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each cupcake for the muzzle
3. Place a mini ritz cracker on either side of the face for the ears
4. Cut miniature marshmallows in half with scissors and reshaped into circles for the eyes
5. Place narshmallows in the center of the cupcake against the vanilla wafer muzzle
6. Press mini M&Ms against the marshmallows to make the pupils
7. Use a piping bag with melted chocolate or an icing pen, or Candy Writer to draw the nose and mouth on the wafer.
8. Add chocolate sprinkles on the top of the cupcake for hair
9. Do the happy dance!

Monkey Cupcake Tips

• Get help, invite a couple of friends over. It’s much more fun that way.
• Apply marshmallows sticky side out, then your M&M pupils won’t budge
• M&M’s go dull if refridgerated (important to note if you care about that sort of thing)
• Make slits on either side of the cupcake to insert the ears
• Mini Ritz crackers come in a few sizes within the box make sure the ears match

(Thanks to Lerae and AC, who took this picture)

Related posts
Thinking of Planning a Monkey Party?

Calling all monkeys…calling all monkeys

More monkey music…Mommy!

Banana cookies – best of the bunch

Monkey party menu made memorable

The assignment: banana cookies.

No, not cookies made with banana but cookies that look like bananas. Ohhhhhh…

Once again, it’s Mom’s famous sugar cookie recipe to the rescue. The trick was to find the right cookie cutter. I read on another blog how one Mom used a large circular cutter to cut out bananas “freehand”. A good idea but I didn’t have a large cookie cutter. So, I made the illogical decision and bought a banana cutter (like I’ll ever use that again?!?).

I found a 4-inch banana-shaped cookie cutter at cookiecutter.com. In addition, I bought the cheapest (potentially useful) thing I could find (a Candy Writer) in order to reach the minimum order dollar amount ($5.00US). What, you ask, is a Candy Writer? They describe it as the following:

Squeezable candy in a tube makes decorating cakes, cookies, and candies extremely easy! Simply warm in a microwave or hot water, snip off the end and decorate. Dries hard. 1 – 5/8 oz tube. 

 Sounds a little sketchy but it worked beautifully. I used it to add details to the banana cookies and to add a nose and mouth to my monkey cupcakes. The little tube went a long way and I still have half a tube left. I sure if will last forever (kind of like a twinkie).

The banana cookies were a nice accompaniment for the monkey cupcakes.

Related posts
Classic Sugar Cookie Gallery

Thinking of Planning a Monkey Party?

Calling all monkeys…calling all monkeys

More monkey music…Mommy!

Monkey cupcakes made easy

Monkey party menu made memorable