May 30th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

Living in Toronto for the last 25 years I’ve never made the Snowbird’s trip down to Florida. Florida is a popular haven for Canadians, especially those in Toronto who suffer from the harsh winter months and depressing lack of vitamin D, needing to regenerate and rejuvenate. But I’m allergic (not literally) to bland, generic food, buffets of any sort, watered down drinks and large flying insects like Palmetto bugs. I had much reason not to be interested in Florida.

Florida happens to be the home state of my friend and colleague, Daniel Chimento. He was born and raised in Orlando, the home of the mouse, that being Mickey and Disney World. My version of how Daniel got me to book is shortened as this:

Daniel: “We should go to Florida together. It would be fun.”

Me: Sipping on my third glass of straight Grey Goose on the rocks. “Sure.”

Daniel, a few minutes later: “Can I have your credit card?”

Me: “Sure. Can I have another drink?”

Daniel: “Sure.”

Next day, I check my email and see BMO has sent me a message saying that I’ve activated my online security code. I called them rather indignant and insisted that I did not do any such thing. “Perhaps, ma’am you booked a trip on-line?”. Hmm?

And that’s how I ended up here in Florida, and in Orlando of all places. To me, as an entrepreneur, vacations are like having children. There’s never a good time so you just have to do it. Everyone deserves to recharge their batteries. Unfortunately for me, Daniel (pictured below) booked us two weeks out from my next event, the PROFIT 100 CEO Summit, so this has become a working vacation. Fine. With wifi access in most places plus my trusty BlackBerry, I’m all set to stay connected on the beach. My main concerns right now are whether I’ll get too much sand in my netbook and will my cabana boy remember to refill my margarita glass?

There is an upside to visiting a place where your friend knows the local scene and still has friends and family there. You get to meet a lot of people, like my new friend Ronald pictured below! Plus you can stay with family gratis, saving valuable hotel dollars.

After three ridiculous days working from morning till midnight prior to leaving, making sure that I’ve got all of my clients covered, Daniel and I get a ride to the airport from our friend, Jay Deakin. Jay (pictured below) is one of the most down to earth, relaxed, easy going, gracious and charming Brits you’ll ever meet… except when he’s driving and then he turns into a rage-infused homicidal manic. When he’s pumping gas, he’s annoyed. When he’s changing lanes, he’s annoyed. When he’s passing cars, he’s annoyed. When he’s tailgating, he’s annoyed. I’m sure you get the picture. And by no means does this mean that I am not grateful for the ride. But I am even happier that Jay lives another day to drive again.

We arrive in Orlando an hour late, tired, and slightly tipsy from Bloody Caesers, knowing that we won’t be putting our lips to Clamato juice as easily in the U.S. Clamato is the main ingredient in a Caesar, a Canadian anomaly, versus the popular Bloody Mary’s that you’ll find throughout the States. Their loss.End up eating at some chain place, the Ale House, by the airport. First mistake? Ordering oysters. When asked what kind of oysters they have, the server says, “Raw or steamed”. I meant what variety, what kind of oysters are they? “No variety just raw or steamed.” I ate one and immediately felt queasy. I have a delicate stomach. Delicate when it comes to crap. We had $3.50 pints that tasted like watered down pee. Snow crab legs, clam chowder, and prime rib down the hatch. Our total bill $50 plus tip.

Later, on our journey to Jen’s house, Daniel’s unrelated sister of sorts, which will be the first stop for accommodations he’s set up, I have to ask Daniel to pull over. I have the pleasure of advising you that I left my mark or rather the oyster’s mark on a side road in Florida.

Oh, but the revelry doesn’t stop there. We finally arrive at Jen’s house a little after 1AM. After greetings, Steve, her husband shows us the guest room. Daniel showers. I lie down and start coughing. I instantly know where this is going. Those cute little dogs and that cat hiding under the chair are getting to me. I haven’t been around animals in ages, unless you count Daniel, but I’m not allergic to him. I start to wheeze and tell Daniel I’m going to sleep in the car. Orlando is humid my friends. And it’s humid in the car, normally my respite when the indoors, like mouldy cottages, get bad. I’m short enough to find comfort sleeping in the front seat but not today. I am wheezing like a banshee and I text message Daniel that we have to go to emerg. He just took a sleeping pill but we take the risk and drive 15 minutes down to the Saint Cloud hospital.

Did you know there is no medical coverage in the US? And thinking that I’m healthy and we’ll be staying with family doing nothing riskier than beach hopping I decline the $40 medical coverage. One asthma treatment and $220 later – I consider that a small price to pay to breathe – and a prescription for a week’s worth of prednisone, a heavy duty steroid that allows me to not die the rest of this week, I walk out of the ER around 6AM. We can’t go back to the cat house. Which the nurse advised me means a brothel or house of sin in Florida. But I’m not allergic to whores either so that would actually have been better for me.

And worse, Daniel, the fab event planner that he is, has our schedule jam packed including getting free passes to Disney World the next day to hang out with his mom, Wanda and twin brother, David. We need to be at Wanda’s house by 8:45AM to meet the free pass guy. And if you’ve ever been to Disney World, you’ll realize that an all park pass for four can run you about $800. There was no missing this meeting.

Exhausted, we decide to go to Daniel’s mom’s. She has two dogs too and it’s 6AM. Too early to wake her. So we park in the driveway to sleep for an hour. Apparently during that time Daniel’s mom, Wanda, woke up to walk the dogs, saw the car, poked a flashlight in and I’m only guessing here but I think she would probably have said WTF? Anyways, that was more or less Day One. Well the first 9 hours anyways. Stay tuned for more highlights from Florida.

May 19th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

In March, I posted about working with Jangles Productions. Mark Jacot (pictured below) heads up Jangles and he brings together a great conference team to fill different roles for his variety of successful events. He’s a great example of a dream company to work for and you can see that by the contract staff who get in line to come back to work with Mark and the Jangles team, year after year.

Along with his wife, Margaret, who is also an extremely talented cook, they always throw a fantastic after-party for the team that brings us all together in a fun, casual environment. Mark and Margaret are seasoned world travelers and serious food people and it shows. I have to admit that I feel truly fortunate to be included in the Jangles crew and not just because I rolled out of their home with belly bursting. It’s a special gift to be able to run a big crew like this and keep everyone happy. Mark is like a mentor to me. He runs his business with honesty and integrity and that’s an amazing model for anyone. Thanks to all the Jacots for allowing me to be a part of this fantastic team.

I thought I’d share with you a few of the creations that the Jacots put together for the team party – everything is made from scratch (well not the cheese but they don’t have room for cows in the backyard with the outdoor pool). If you were invited and missed it, eat your heart out. More for me I say. Here’s what you missed and yes, you can be jealous. I ate everything.

May 11th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I can’t say it enough. I love spaghetti squash. Lucky for me, it’s one of those vegetables that we get here year round, though it’s peak season is in the fall and winter. Spaghetti squash has a cylindrical shape and runs from yellow in colour all the way to a deep orange. It has a mild flavour, is low in calories, and acts as a fantastic foil for any delicious home-made sauce. I always like to have one on hand in the house. When I’m stumped for dinner I use spaghetti squash to make a satisfying, healthy meal in 30+ minutes. The average spaghetti squash can serve 4 to 5 people as a side dish and 2 to 3 people as an entree.

Here’s how easy it is to cook a spaghetti squash. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place face down in an oven-proof pan. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Place the pan in the oven and set your timer to 30 minutes after which you can test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into the squash. It’s ready if you can insert the knife and remove easily. If not, put it back in for 5 minutes at a time until ready. It shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes or so max time. Remove from the oven and shred the squash with a fork. You may wish to wait a few minutes before shredding as the squash will be hot but I can’t resist and usually dig in with oven mitt-covered hands. While the squash is cooking, I make a sauce or thaw some leftover sauce I probably have in the freezer. This is when you’ll be glad you froze those odd cups of leftover tomato sauce. I freeze mine in plastic zipper bags to save space.

You can make a ragout sauce from scratch if you have time to let it simmer on the stove but my stand by for days when my brain feels squishy from too much computer work (hmm? like right now) is a ridiculously simple bacon and onion tomato sauce. And yes, I know that fatty bacon pretty much counters the low cal benefits of the spaghetti squash but who cares. It tastes great and so does spaghetti squash which I’m eating because I enjoy it and not for some crazy diet. On that note, there are a number of contestants on The Biggest Loser who swear by spaghetti squash dinners to help keep the pounds off.

Anyways, we are a pork family in a big way and there’s no changing that. So I always have bacon around. When I open a package, I usually split the remaining slices, wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a zipper bag and freeze. If you hunt through my freezer you’ll easily find these little bundles of bacon, containing about 6 to 8 slices in each packet, for these just in case moments. They thaw in the fridge well overnight or gently defrost on that setting in your microwave. Bacon can save you when you’re stuck for ideas at any meal. And you can even candy them with brown sugar and maple syrup for a sweet treat. Ah, but that’s another post.

Shown here is a serving of spaghetti squash with bacon and onion tomato sauce topped with a generous portion of grated fresh parmesan (yet another staple in this house). Here’s the sauce recipe:

Bacon and Onion Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

6 slices of streaky bacon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped to a large dice

1 clove garlic, grated or minced finely

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 398 mL can of diced tomato (San Marzano preferred)

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat a frying pan on medium high and add the olive oil to coat the pan. Add the bacon pieces and sautee for about 4 to 5 minutes until just cooked through. Don’t overcook as you’re looking for soft, fatty pieces of bacon meat with the fat rendered, NOT crispy bacon bits. Add the diced onions and sautee until translucent. Add garlic and oregano and cook for another minute. Add canned tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. You may not need much salt as bacon usually has a lot in it. Lower the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes so the flavours can combine. Serve over a bowl of baked spaghetti squash as noted above. Top with grated parmesan and more freshly ground pepper, if desired. And dig in.

May 4th, 2010 by Dawn Becker

It’s that time of year when the good weather beckons and weekends start to get booked up. People often ask me what I’m doing for the weekend so I thought I’d write up a quick post of some events that have been on my radar. I haven’t attended any of these events in the past but they sound interesting if you’re looking for things to do in May. If anyone’s been to these events please comment on them.

GREEN THUMBS GROWING KIDS – GARDEN PARTY & FLOWER TASTING
Sunday, May 16, 2010
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Allan Garden’s Children’s Conservatory
Carlton Street, East of Jarvis
Price: Adults $50; Children FREE

Experience the beautiful Victorian-era greenhouses and a new children’s garden. Sample a fanstastic menu prepared by chef Anne Sorrenti, inspired by and infused with local organic seasonal flowers and herbs. This event includes a silent auction and plant/seed sale along with food and music plus a receipt for a portion of the ticket price can be issued.

TASTE OF MACLEAN’S
Monday, May 17, 2010
6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
7:00 p.m. Dinner
Buca Restaurant
604 King Street West
Price $130

Maclean’s exclusive Taste evening includes an elegant cocktail reception, followed by an exquisite five course chef’s tasting menu complemented by wine pairings. Hosted by Maclean’s columnist Scott Feschuk with special guests, food author Jacob Richler and executive chefs Rob Gentile in Toronto.

KOREAN FOOD PRODUCTS & BEVERAGES EXHIBITION TORONTO 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010: 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 22, 2010: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
255 Front Street West, North Building, Room 106
Price: General Admission $5; Children under 7 FREE

The goal of this event is to showcase Korean foods and products. The price is great for an event in this city especially if you happen to be in the area. There are some unique Korean performances planned including something called “Mixing Bibimbap for 200 People” – which needs a better marketing spin or translation assistance for a sexier title – and what I’m looking forward to, Korean Traditional Pancake Cooking Competition. Based on the location and price set your expectations appropriately. You may be surprised to find that an intimate activity turns out to be a better experience. You be the judge.