Bunchland

Kid-friendly, camp-inspired long weekend eats and treats

Cook up the flavours of summer with your kids and you can have a barbeque-quality feast wherever this weekend takes you. If you’re staying in the city, don’t worry — you don’t even need a barbecue for these recipes. Here are some fun and easy ideas for long weekend grazing:

1. Avocado mango salsa

This creamy and sweet salsa is so versatile it can be used as a topping for grilled fish, burgers, or tacos. Or shovel it into your mouth with corn chips. Summer just ain’t summer without a fresh salsa.  Read more...

• ½ cup diced mango
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped (you can omit if this makes your kids squirm)
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too

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Our long weekend Bunch Poll in the National Post.

As the first long weekend with (hopefully) warm weather, Victoria Day unofficially kicks off the Canadian summer. People trek up to cottage country, head to patios and are finally allowed to wear white again. In addition to cottages and fireworks, one of the most dominant images of a long weekend is booze. After all, despite its shifting date, Victoria Day is commonly referred to as the May Two-Four. But does partying end once parenthood comes along? We asked some moms and dads how much drinking, if any, is permissible when there are little ones around:

“Parents like to think their kids don’t notice when they’re drunk but let’s cut the B.S. We all remember seeing our parent’s friends at parties reeking of booze and doing that cross-eyed smile where they seemed way too into our stupid toys and they’d hang out for so long, the other spouse would say “Charles, put down the Spider-man and come back to the table for chrissakes.” We didn’t know they were high on alcohol per se but we knew something was up and it was pretty disturbing. So no, you cannot be wasted around kids.  Read more...

Well, not necessarily you personally, but you should take in some fireworks

Last year, Amanda had some great suggestions for creating an amazingly explosive family fireworks display. We think her tips still apply for this weekend. So, grab some rockets and roman candles and remember your safety rules when doing any sort of pyrotechnics. Plus, that firework ice cream idea is terrific.

Don’t forget the sparklers!

Photo by SJ Photography via Flickr