but not a real green dress, that’s cruel

Friday, I will return to the location where I disrobed my MasterChef Canada green dress, never to wear it again.  So I thought it was as good a time as any to tell you more about it.  

When I was invited to Toronto, I was asked to think about my “Signature Style”.  Anyone who knows me in real life knows I do not have a style, other than yoga pants from Costco and sweatshirts from Disney World.  So this was difficult.  After my dull outfit choice at my Calgary audition, I knew that I needed something colourful and although pink is probably the colour that I would prefer, I decided to try and represent Saskatchewan.  And there is no better colour to do that, than green.  Rider Green.  I only have one shirt in that colour, and that is reserved for the one time a year I may attend a Rider game so I was wondering if a dress could even be found in it.  Apparently, it can.  

And then I had a completely genius idea…Hillberg & Berk Sparkle Ball earrings!  Of course!  Everyone in Saskatchewan would know exactly what those earrings were, and who I was representing.  So, I bought a few pairs to match whatever I may have to wear on the show.  I still wear them every day…with my yoga pants and Mickey shirts.  I love my Hillberg & Berk, but I hate the green dress, for many reasons:

For any of you who move on to do reality TV, pay attention to this paragraph.  If you wear a dress (as opposed to a skirt and blouse), it is much harder for the sound technicians to put on your microphone battery pack, which goes on a belt around your waist.  Translation: to put on your battery pack, your dress has to go up over your head so the sound guys can access that area! And in my case, this occurred every day, in a parking lot outside a warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario, surrounded by dozens of people.  If that is not enough, during a long day of shooting, the battery pack is changed every few hours so they do not lose audio during a cook or interview, etc.  In summary: dress over head, several times a day, middle of a parking lot.

What you likely don’t realize is even though on television it appears that everything happens in one day, it does not.  And therefore, we had to wear the same thing multiple days in a row.  To top that off, we were told NOT to wash our clothes in the hotel laundry room because if a machine were to wreck a garment, we would have big continuity problems.  That made sense to me, but after a couple of days, you kind of get to wondering what you smell like.  My genius roommate, Debra, ran out at one point and bought a bottle of Febreze so every night we would spray our outfits, and I think we managed pretty well.  After we taped all the top 50 auditions, I assumed we were done with those outfits, but when we were told to put them on again the next day of shooting, I couldn’t take it any more and decided to hand wash the dress in the hotel room sink.  That had to be safe, right?  It took all of about 5 seconds for the water to turn Rider Green and I knew a pale green dress would not be what wardrobe would want to see the next day, so that dress got pulled out of the sink very, very quickly.

I mentioned that I am returning to the place where I took it off for the final time so here is one last secret for you.  While shooting, if there is a chance you will be eliminated on that day, you pack your bags and all your luggage goes to set.  So, if you are eliminated, you go directly to the airport.  There is no going back to the hotel to change.  And so, when I was eliminated from the “competition”, I was sent to the airport in that green dress.  Anticipating this, I had packed a change of clothes in my carry-on bag and as soon as I got checked in at the airport, I went directly to the bathroom to change.  I would have hated to look crazy going through security after all.  I’m sure my television makeup was suspicious enough.  I don't know why I didn't just leave it in the bathroom garbage actually.  I had full intentions to burn it when I got home, but it does hang in a closet in the basement because I thought the day may come again that someone would want to see it.  Certainly not me…but maybe one of the children.

Wascana Wanderings

This past week was my annual “Week of Awesomeness in Regina” where the kids are at camp so I get to do what I want to do around the city, and it always includes lots of time in Wascana Centre.  In past years, I have also gone to the movies by myself and enjoyed ice cream at Milky Way without any children chattering in my ear.  Unfortunately, my pants are entirely too tight this year to be rewarded with any Milky Way.  However, I did get a few good runs in around Wascana which is always a treat for me as I’m used to running between crops, with nothing particularly interesting to look at (but don't tell the farmers their crops are not interesting to look at...I've learned this the hard way).  I love seeing every age and level of athletic ability in the park, appreciate the challenge of playing sprinkler roulette, and my mind is allowed to wander in a whole new set of ways...

Does anyone else think the geese may be pooping less now that we can’t feed them bread crumbs?  I spend a lot of time trying not to step in droppings (yes, it is a hopeless battle) and I feel like perhaps there is a bit less of it out there this year.  I think the geese may be generally in the way less this year as well.  Perhaps because they’re not looking for bread.  Or, are there just less geese because they are peeved about not getting the bread that I was saving for them all winter??  Maybe they have moved to another park.  That one goose who decides he/she does not want to move out of my way is still there though.  What it doesn’t know is that I play “chicken” with large farm implements, so I am not afraid to steamroll it.  

I noticed that not everyone runs clockwise.  Why is this?  Isn’t everyone crazy like me?  Or are they just backwards crazy?  In any case, clockwise is the way to go!  However, I do like to meet the "counter-clockwise people" and see who’s out for a stroll.  Last year, I swore I saw Mr. Dressup and then I had an extra jump in my step trying to quickly make my way around to meet him again for a better look.  Never saw him again…of course.

I often find myself cursing the people who walk right down the middle of the path so you can’t get around them, but this week I noticed myself right in the middle as well.  I realized that I am prone to run down the middle the more tired I get, to avoid rolling right into the lake.  So, my apologies in advance if you have to take the grass to get around me because I’m weaving and staggering.  

All in all, I love Wascana Centre…just love it!  You are so lucky to have such a gem, Regina, and I hope that everyone takes advantage of it this summer!  Just hold onto your keys.  Because when you drop them in the park, it’s really, really NOT fun to try and track them down.  Trust me on this one.

Saskatoon Berry Butter Tart Bars

 I have become known for working with Saskatoon Berries (aren’t we all on the Prairies?).  I can’t even imagine how many pounds I went through testing recipes in the last year.  I considered them my lucky charm during MasterChef Canada as I used them in both of my successful audition dishes, as well as the “Signature Dish” I pitched to them in my original application.  Come to think of it, the first time I didn’t use Saskatoons was the dish I was eliminated on!  And here we are, on the Eve of their reappearance at the Regina Farmer’s Market, and I suspect orchards and markets throughout the Prairies!  Everyone shout with me, 

“The Saskatoons are here!!  The Saskatoons are here!!”

In celebration, I have created for you a new recipe to highlight our beloved berry:  Saskatoon Berry Butter Tart Bars.

Elbows up, everyone!  It’s Saskatoon Berry time!!

The Buttery Base

2 C. flour

3/4 C. icing sugar

1 C. butter

Mix together until smooth and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until slightly golden along the edges.

The Buttery Berry Topping

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 C. corn syrup

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/3 C. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp. melted butter

2 C. Saskatoon Berries

Whisk together eggs, corn syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and butter, and then add into egg mixture and mix well.  Fold in the Saskatoons.  Pour mixture over top of the crust, evening out the berries.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until topping is set and lightly golden.  Let cool (as long as you can...it’s hard to wait) and then slice into 24 bars.

MasterChef Canada Audition  Secrets

MasterChef Canada Season 3 Auditions are now happening across the country.  These are the auditions that you do NOT see on TV which take place in various cities throughout the summer, and by which the Top 50 home cooks are chosen.  I have a few friends auditioning this weekend so thought I would pass along some of the things I learned from my own audition last summer.  I am pretty sure I did not sign a confidentiality clause on this portion of the process, but if this blog post is suddenly deleted, you will know I was wrong.  

1.  Wear something that makes you stand out.  I wore black and grey which I immediately regretted.  How boring is that?  So, I immediately pledged that if I made it through to Toronto, I would wear a bright colour, and hence the birth of that (also regrettable) green dress!  More on the dress in a later blog post...I have much, much to say about it!
2. Think about your “story”.  What makes you interesting?  There is nothing interesting about me so I still cannot figure why I was chosen.  Actually, no, I am pretty sure I know why I was chosen (see point #7).  Keep in mind, this is television!!  They need memorable, engaging personalities and fascinating stories (a comeback story or personal triumph is particularly good!).  So think about what your story is and what is engaging about you and your life.  And if you are boring like me, but really want to be on television (unlike me), dig deep and “embellish” a little bit ;)
3. Be prepared to tell them (a hundred times over) what your food dream is.  This was hard for me as my real food dream is “To be able to eat whatever I want and not gain any weight” but this did not seem to be the answer they were looking for!  I didn’t want to say the standard “I want to open my own restaurant!!” and then have the entire town waiting for it to happen!  I have had my own food truck since before food trucks were cool called “My Car Going to the Field at Harvest Time” so I couldn’t say that either.  So be prepared for this one…know what your food dream is.  And if you don’t have one…dig deep and “embellish” a little bit ;)
4. You need to present a dish and a professional chef will be judging it.  He or she will also be asking you questions about the ingredients and processes you used.  I was listening in on this questioning and quickly learned that the correct answers to the following questions are:  “Did you make this mayonnaise yourself?” YES “Did you make this bread?” YES “Where did you get this produce?” THE FARMER’S MARKET “Where did you source the beef?” MY LOCAL BUTCHER  Another thing that really seemed to trip applicants up is the preparation of seafoods and other high risk foods.  It can be hours from the time you cook your dish to when the chef tastes it, so you need to make sure everything is prepared and held properly, or he or she may not take the risk of tasting it.
5. Think about what you call your dish.  Mine had an ice cream component but when I got there, I realized that I had no idea how long it would be sitting at room temperature.  I quickly listed that portion of the dish as “Popcorn Cream” to be on the safe side.  Truthfully, by the time the chef and producers got around to me, it was nothing more than a cream with a slightly firm centre, so that was a very smart decision.  I think I would have been challenged on it had I called it an "ice cream".  
6. Everyone plates their dishes at the same time.  Last year, and I was told it happened the same way for Season 1, applicants were then seen in alphabetical order by first name.  So, that may help you prepare for how long you will be there.  I think with my “D” name I was about 13th in the process.  If your name is Xavier, your food is going to be sitting for potentially a few hours at room temperature.  So keep that in mind too.  All in all, there were about 35 of us who auditioned on the first of two days in Calgary.  I am proud to say that only myself and Kenya emerged from that audition day and were invited to Toronto.
7. So, how did I do it?  Honestly, I think my biggest edge came from being from this Province.  And maybe that is my chronic lack of confidence talking, but the show needs someone to represent the various demographics and geographic regions so I know they were looking for someone from Saskatchewan.  Maybe there weren’t many applicants from here?  I will never know.  But that is my biggest piece of advice to the Saskatchewan applicants:  Do NOT sell yourselves short!  They are looking for one of us (or more) and you may have a better shot than many from the bigger centres with a larger pool of applicants.  So get out there and cook your heart out, sell your story and food dream, and let’s have someone from Saskatchewan win Season 3!!