Columns

Homemade is Better—Hollandaise Sauce

I wrote about the five mother sauces earlier when we looked at mayonnaise, which is really an altered form of the mother sauce hollandaise.  Today, we’ll discuss hollandaise, one of the more popular breakfast sauces.  It doesn’t have to be a breakfast sauce, but that is generally when you see it get used.  Hollandaise is… Read more »

The Creative Spark!—What it Takes to Realize our Dream

Is there something we desperately want?   But what we desire most can either rob us of our humanity or bring us closer to our truest nature. It’s helpful to note what was said by Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter for The West Wing and The Social Network: “You want to write the character as if they… Read more »

Dear Barb—The Prodigal Father

Dear Barb: I don’t know what to do; after many years my father has contacted me.  He left my mom, me, and my younger brother when we were really young.  My mom raised us as a single mother with no help from him.  He never even contacted us in over 25 years.  We just assumed… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Knowledge in a Moment

Every day holds potential for learning if we look at life that way.  Glorious new experiences are only ever a mouse click or a calm stroll or an exchanged glance away.  And knowledge is only partly contained in our AU course materials.  One can read a text forward and backward and still only know it… Read more »

Homemade Is Better—Gnocchi Poutine

Poutine is one of those iconic Canadian dishes.  Some go kilometres to find good poutine.  When the hot gravy melts the cheese, and the fries are crispy—so good!  Here in Edmonton, there are a couple of places to get decent poutine.  But what do you do when you have leftover mashed potatoes or maybe extra… Read more »

Beats from the Basment—Aly & AJ

Album: into the rush Artist: Aly & AJ The record came at an ideal time: Aly was at the peak of her popularity as an actress, and having a couple cover songs by famous recording artists helps bring attention to newcomers as well as giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent.  Although I enjoy… Read more »

Dear Barb—Stepping Out

Dear Barb: My husband and I have been married seven years and are the parents of two young girls.  Our marriage has been good, for the most part.  We have had the usual problems with a hectic lifestyle and two young children and now with the virus things are more stressful.  I always thought we… Read more »

The Creative Spark!—Brick Walls May Lead to Bliss

The most painful way to grow is to face a brick wall.  But if managed well, brick walls can lead to bliss.  Indeed, brick walls can make life exciting and rewarding. Let’s examine the role of brick walls for characters in fiction—and for us. Everyday people live exciting lives. If people were to walk in… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Never Again Versus the Wars of Tomorrow

Huddled as a mass, we across Canada gather at our local cenotaph on November 11th.  The experience transcends differences of rural and urban, class and race, gender and belief, because the spectre of war brings us together today as it has throughout our history as a nation.  As we give thanks for those whose sacrifice… Read more »