I just keep telling myself, and anyone willing to listen, that it’s the LAST SNOW STORM. Just get through this one and it’ll all MELT AWAY. That warm SPRING SUNSHINE is just around the corner. If I keep capitalizing these words winter will be over! Meanwhile snowmageddon is on its way.

Remember when you were a kid and you loved the snow? Neither do I. I’ve become far too jaded when it comes to winter and snow. The running joke in my house is moving somewhere else during the winter just to avoid it. This joke has now become a part-time strategy where we hold regular meetings at the kitchen table. Generally the kids are around when we do this and they moan and groan about ever having to move. Then we say, “Just joking!”, watch them leave the table, and continue on our strategy.

A quick Google search tells me that the Canary Islands, New Zealand, San Diego, Nice, France, and a numerous other places in the world that I don’t care to list out all seem to have the climate I’m looking for. Just imagine, it’s spring weather all year round and the daily decision to make is whether to wear shorts or not. I just don’t know how much I’d miss shovelling snow. Speaking of which, it’s probably time to go shovel again.

This week's issue is a 6 minute read:

🍽 Winter cooking

🧴Skincare is not just for women

🐐 KD is BACK

What the &$#@ do you make in Winter?

If you’re like me, you live to BBQ. If my barbecue can stay warm and there isn’t 2 feet of snow outside, I will most likely use it. If I don’t know what to cook, I will most likely BBQ. If it is summer weather outside, I WILL BBQ. But in keeping with the theme of this week’s issue, it’s been too damn cold outside to BBQ for months now. So what do you make in the winter and more importantly HOW do you make it?

Another running joke in my house is “BBQ chicken drumsticks”. With young kids whose favourite food groups consist of sushi, noodles, and fries, chicken drumsticks have been the answer to the fun question, “what do we make for dinner?” I’m happy if I never have to look at another bottle of Stubbs, Bullseye, or Diana’s sauce - we’re so tired of BBQ sauce. I truly could go on and on about BBQ sauce brands - I live in the sauce aisle at the grocery store. But if you ask my wife, iT aLl TaStEs ThE sAmE. Now as much as I admit that I’m tired of BBQ sauce, anyone with tastebuds will tell you that they DO NOT all taste the same. (She’s going to read this and hit me out of nowhere and I’m going to have no idea why she hit me)

Wow that was a lot on BBQ sauces

So you love to BBQ but winter is saying “hell no” - what do you do? These are the three things we use if we’re desperate to try to get some semblance of BBQ-ing in during the winter.

Ye olde faithful - Cast Iron ANYTHING

I bought this on a whim walking around Kitchen Stuff Plus. You know how you get these stupid thoughts in your head about what would you pick up to defend yourself if someone tried to break into the house? I feel like this would knock a MF out. They are super heavy though, so perhaps stick to cooking steaks and burgers with them. If you want that BBQ style sear, cast iron works every time.

The 2023 edition of “Every kitchen should have one” - an Air Fryer

If you don’t have one, I was once like you. What’s all this hype about? I can just use my microwave. I can just use my oven. I can just use…NO, you can’t. You ever try to cook a steak in a microwave? Cooking a steak in an air fryer doesn’t quite get the typical sear you may be looking for but man, it cooks a mean steak. And you just have to set it and forget it. Also, you haven’t had grilled cheese until you’ve done a grilled cheese in the air fryer - you’re welcome.

A frying pan - what, did you think I was going to give you a Martha Stewart list?

Surprise, surprise - a pan works too. That said, if you own a T-Fal pan, I’m sorry but you are not going to get the quality of cooking a pan should actually give you. Do yourself a favour and buy one good pan. When we were a young couple and didn’t know any better (read: didn’t have money) we bought a T-Fal set. It was cheap, it looked decent, and the first few meals cooked well with the set. But then we got used to mediocre cookware…it happens! We’ve since transitioned - a good quality pan goes a long way.

The only disclaimer I want to throw out here is cooking with #1 and #3 could cause your house to smell like whatever you cooked until at least the next day. You’ve been warned.

Skin Care - the adult thing you should do

So I was at an event on the weekend catching up with an old friend and we were talking about how we’re not young anymore. You know, the conversation you have when you’re 20 and you say, damnit, I’m not 18 anymore. Or when you’re 29 and you say, ugh I’m turning 30. Heck, I’m in my 30’s so I’m sure there’s a 40-50 something reading this telling me to F-off. As much as I used to raise an eyebrow at my wife for her nightly THREE HOUR skincare routine, I’ve finally seen the light (I’m joking, it’s not 3 hours…she’s going to hit me again).

I’m an honest guy so I’m going to tell you the truth - I watched a YouTube ad for this stuff and I decided to purchase it. And it has been one of the best purchases I’ve made in a while. Lumin offers a free trial pack so I only paid about $10 for shipping and received a trial size pack of some face wash, face cream, and exfoliator rub stuff. It was all enough to last me a good month and a half washing my face every night. You put the charcoal stuff on your face and then wash it off. Then you put the exfoliator stuff on your face and then you wash it off. Then you put the moisturizing cream on your face and go to bed. It takes like 3 minutes to do - this stuff is really good.

I used to just wash my face with soap and water like a typical guy does in the shower and then I’d wonder why my pillowcase was starting to get this yellow-ish tint to it (I told you I’m an honest guy). But now, no yellow tint (new pillow case) and you know how I know this stuff really works besides me writing 3 PARAGRAPHS about it? I’m still getting carded at the LCBO!

***Let me just say that they have disclaimers on the packaging about your skin potentially turning red or becoming irritated by using their products. Like any new product that you use on your body, use your own best judgement. I have had zero issues with their products but don’t rely on some random guy’s newsletter to convince you to buy skincare products. Notice how I don’t have an affiliate link here? ☹️ 

Looks like I need to buy a Phoenix Suns jersey now

Let me get this out of the way - Kevin Durant is my favourite active basketball player* Back in 2015 I started a $1000 bet with a friend of mine right before KD made his choice to join the Warriors. The bet was that before KD retired, he would play 82 games in a Toronto Raptor jersey. At the time Toronto was in the rumour mix as one of KD’s next destinations - he had the Drake connection, he liked playing in Toronto, and Vince Carter was his favourite player growing up. So every time KD has been rumoured to move teams, my heart skips a beat. During this year’s NBA trade deadline I thought Toronto was a front runner for sure given all of the potential trade options Toronto could have provided the Nets. Alas, I now need to buy a Suns jersey to add to my KD jersey collection. As for the bet, it’s still technically alive - I can’t see Kevin Durant retiring in a suns jersey.

*I say active because MJ is my favourite of all time and obviously the best of all time - bring it on Lebron and Kobe stans!

Also this was hilarious: