Tweeting with Kelly Gruber

A few weeks ago I had a fun experience on Twitter with 1992 World Series Champion and Blue Jays alumnus Kelly Gruber.

The Official Blue Jays Twitter feed participated in something they called #ChirpChairs. Basically, selected people (some former players and broadcasters) took over the Blue Jays twitter feed for about 20 minutes each, answering fans tweeted questions. I didn't pay too much attention to the other guest tweeters, as all my excitement was focused on tweeting with Kelly Gruber.

Kelly Gruber was my favourite Blue Jay as a kid. I had two different Kelly Gruber posters (not including the 1992 World Series team poster). He was on a t-shirt I wore frequently, and he was my favourite player to watch when I watched Blue Jays baseball with my Dad. He was so much my favourite, that when I played little league, my Dad always announced my trips to the plate with an enthusiastic: "Kelly....Gruuuuuber!" So I was super excited to send him a tweet to say hello and I really hoped he would see it.

Kelly Gruber doesn't actually have his own Twitter account, so this may have been his first time tweeting, which could explain how our interaction went.

Here is a picture of Kelly Gruber tweeting. Spoiler Alert: he is tweeting at me!

Thanks to @BlueJays alumnus Kelly Gruber for taking part in tonight's #ChirpChairs! pic.twitter.com/tsmlpzVm3u
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 25, 2014

When it was Gruber's turn to tweet, Blue Jays Official announced he was there and I sent him a welcome/you are the best tweet:

@BlueJays Welcome Kelly Gruber! You were my favourite player when I was a kid. Had two posters on my wall! All the best! #chirpchairs
— Jen B (@myadorableblog) June 25, 2014

To my complete joy and surprise he tweeted back to me. Ten year old me was over the moon that I got a response.

@myadorableblog thats cool, thank you
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 25, 2014

But then I got another tweet from him - and I knew instantly that it wasn't meant for me.

@myadorableblog he definantly is right now. too old right now. lol
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 25, 2014

And then another one came. Again, not for me. Twitter is tricky and it was his first time, so instead of replying to the fans who asked the questions, he kept replying to my twitter handle. I didn't mind.

@myadorableblog i have and made him admit it. hes a great sport
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 25, 2014

It was a lot of fun, actually, and a reminder of how magic Twitter can be. But I felt bad that the other fans weren't getting their responses so I tried to let him know what was up.

@BlueJays I love getting all these tweets from Kelly Gruber, but I think these replies are for other people. Just so you know. :)
— Jen B (@myadorableblog) June 25, 2014

But I got one more tweet, which is actually my favourite one from him, and it seems to go with my original tweet, so me (and ten year old me) think this was the tweet that was actually meant for me.

@myadorableblog thank you sweetie. im honored. go jays!
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 25, 2014

Isn't that the best?

I summed up my Kelly Gruber encounter that night with the following tweet, which is still how I feel about the whole experience:

Kelly Gruber tweeted me on purpose and then maybe by accident a few times and it was the BEST. THING. EVER! @BlueJays #LoveThisTeam
— Jen B (@myadorableblog) June 25, 2014

On Repeat: "Happy" and "Tacky"

I know I am probably driving John nuts, but for the past 24 hours I have been listening to the following two songs over and over: Weird Al's "Tacky" and Pharrell's "Happy". It happens that the first is the a parody of the second and why both are so incredibly stuck in my head.

The joy of Weird Al's "Tacky" is the video, the best part of which is Jack Black, who is just too funny. It is all one big camera shot, which also makes it super fun to watch.

And it's hard not to get a perma-smile while watching (and dancing, obviously) to Pharrell's "Happy". I've been bouncing around the house to this song over the past few months, but the past few days I've increased my daily "Happy" level.

There is Just Something About Baseball

This spring/summer I've been pretty excited about baseball. I started following the Toronto Blue Jays at the start of the season and have had a fun time learning about all the players, MLB rules, and watching the team hit a tonne of home runs (see: Edwin Encarnacion in May).

I haven't been this into baseball since I was a kid and played Oro Minor Softball during the summers. My dad had two boys who weren't interested in baseball (they liked farming and computers respectively), but his baby daughter loved baseball. I can't say I was great at it, but I loved playing and there's a trophy on my shelf that says my team won First Place in 1991, so we must have been pretty good.

Thinking about my childhood baseball days always makes me think of Peter, Paul, and Mary singing "Right Field". Not only did Dad get me interested in baseball, but great music too. Adult me can't get to the end of this song without tearing up (just like I can't get to end of Field of Dreams without tears in my eyes...). There is just something about baseball.

Mug Brownie with Coconut Oil

One minute mug treats are just the best. They are quick, easy, use on hand ingredients, and they save me a trip to the store (and some money) if I have a craving that just won't quit. They also produce no leftovers, which stops any secondary snacking that could happen later. They really are the perfect treat solution for me. My go to is normally Mug Coffee Cake, but Mug Brownie is perfect for chocolate cravings.

I recently got some coconut oil and wanted to try it in my baking. It initially felt weird to use it, as I normally purchase and use coconut oil as a moisturizer or bath oil. I had to remind myself it was food and perfectly good to eat. I replaced the butter in the mug brownie recipe with coconut oil and was really pleased with the results. The brownie was pretty much exactly the same as the butter version but with a subtle hint of coconut (which was lovely).

For my Mug Brownie, I use the recipe found here. I cut the original recipe in half as I found the full recipe made a little too much brownie for me.

Mug Brownie
1 tbs coconut oil (or butter), melted
1 tbs water
splash vanilla
dash salt
1 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs flour

Coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, flour, cocoa powder

Method
1. Choose a mug perfect for the occasion. I chose my Care Bear Cousins mug, as I wanted to "treat myself to something special" as they suggest.

2. Melt coconut oil in mug. Using a whisk, mix oil, water, vanilla, and salt until mixed.

3. Add coca powder and whisk until mixed. Add sugar and whisk until mixed. Add flour and whisk until mixed.

Pre- microwave

 4. Microwave for 60 seconds.

1 minute brownie!

Enjoy as is, or got nuts and add whip cream and dark chocolate chips to the top.

Have fun!

Butter Tarts - A Canadian Tradition

This past Canada Day I was feeling festive and tried making butter tarts for the first time. I used some pre-made tart shells and Mom's recipe for the filling. They were delicious and really easy to make. They were the perfect addition to my Canada Day. I'm really excited to make these again - I just love them.

If you want to learn more about this fun little dessert, check out the Wikipedia page which has lots of great info.

Butter Tarts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
3 tbsp soft butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecans (or walnuts or raisins or nothing)
12 pre-made tart shells

Combine sugar, corn syrup and butter until mixed. Next add egg, vanilla, salt and pecans. Stir.

Place mixture into 12 tart shells, aiming for 2/3 full.

Bake at 425°F for 8 minutes. Lower temperature to 350°F and continue baking until filling is set and pastry is cooked, about 18 more minutes.

 Enjoy!!