Author: Gary Hilson

Latest Lego Acquisition: Star Wars 7915-1: Imperial V-wing Starfighter

/ Gary Hilson

Imperial V-Wing StarfighterMy parting gift from my last job was an HBC gift card which I struggled to spend at The Bay; however, a trip to Zellers allowed me to buy a Christmas gift for my nephew and something for myself.

I prefer the Classic Star Wars Lego over the Clone Wars, even though some of the ships are pretty cool. A lot of the sets being released right now are obviously trying to bridge the gap between the Clone Wars era and the original trilogy. Case in point this set is a tweak of an earlier Republic V-Wing fighter but with darker Imperial colours. Totaling 139 pieces, this was quickly assembled and pretty cool.

 

Recipe: Hash Brown Casserole

/ Gary Hilson

This is really easy to make, goes well with meat of your choice or salad for you vegetarians.

2 – 16 Oz Package of Frozen Hash Browns
2 cups sour cream
2 – 10 oz cans of mushroom soup
¼ cup of melted butter
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Topping: ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Break up frozen potatoes. Mix with other ingredients. Put in buttered 9×12 casserole dish. Sprinkle the topping on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hour.

Lego Spotlight: LEGO 891 Two-Man Scooter, Non-US Version of 442

/ Gary Hilson

LEGO 891 Two-Man Scooter, Non-US Version of 442

Being between jobs gives me more time for my hobbies and since I recently moved but haven’t had the time to really organize the new place until now, I thought I’d finally get around to doing a formal inventory of my Lego collection.

My Lego collection is the only thing I own that’s actually worth money, but I could never part with it. I still get Lego for Christmas every year (recently it’s been Star Wars Lego) and when I have income, I do hunt for older sets on eBay.

This is the first set I have got when I was four or five in the late 70s. I actually have two of this set, but have used one for spare parts for other broken sets.

Early Space Lego only had white and red astronauts. Over time, other colours were added starting with yellow and later, blue and black.

Recipe: Golden Mushroom Pork & Apples

/ Gary Hilson

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell’s® Condensed Golden
Mushroom Soup (Cream of Mushroom soup will work too)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
8 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick (about 2 pounds)
4 large Granny Smith apples, sliced
2 large onions, sliced (about 2 cups)

Stir the soup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire and thyme in a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the pork, apples and onions.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or until the pork is cooked through, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a field greens salad tossed with toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and red wine vinaigrette with
Texas toast or garlic bread. For dessert serve a fruit and yogurt parfait; layer strawberry yogurt with chunks of pineapple and green
seedless grapes, then sprinkle with granola.

Nutrition Information
Calories 277, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 57mg, Sodium 603mg, Total Carbohydrate 26g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein
23g, Vitamin A 11%DV, Vitamin C 7%DV, Calcium 4%DV, Iron 7%DV

Yes, You Can Cha Cha to Lady Gaga

/ Gary Hilson

Daniella, Lindsay and GaryWhen I first started my ballroom dancing lessons last September, I’ve learned a lot more steps across six dances: waltz, tango, fox trot, rumba, swing and cha cha.

The latter has proven to be my favourite dance of late. It’s fast, it’s fun and it’s great for dancing to a lot of popular music. So when it came time to select a dance for my latest spotlight dance, it was a no brainer. I told Lindsay, one of my teachers, that a cha cha to Lady Gaga would be fun. I was half kidding, but only days later she and my other teacher Daniella conspired to develop a route to Bad Romance.

But here’s the kicker: I wouldn’t be dancing with just one partner – I would be dancing with two!

Dancing with two partners made rehearsals challenging, but I knew it would be routine to remember. It was tricky, but a lot of fun and it caught the audience by surprise too. My friends Jonathan and Izabella were there once more to cheer me on, as well as my friend Natalie and my friend David, who snapped some photos.