Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment, Music/Concerts

Chess for starters

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Have you ever played chess? Chess is a game that has more ways to play than possibly the stars in the known Universe. It’s a strategy game where the opposing enemy has to capture the king to win. In a game of chess, you could win, stalemate (also known as a draw), or lose. There are people who play chess and yet, they don’t know the three stalemates. This article will show the two special moves, and stalemates, that regular players could possibly not know of or should know about.

To win, you need to capture the king by putting the opposing enemy’s king in checkmate. To do this, you need to put the enemy’s king in a position where no matter where the king goes the king would be captured.

There are three ways to stalemate in the game of chess. Threefold repetition,           50-move rule, and a stalemate where the king can’t move but isn’t in check. Threefold repetition is when the same position has occurred for 3 times by the same players. The 50-move rule is when the last 50 moves are made without the capture of any pieces or the movement of a pawn. Lastly, the regular stalemate, that many players know of, is when you or the opposing enemy can’t make a move without their king being captured. This means that you or the opposing player can’t make a move and the game ends in a stalemate.

Two special cases for the game of chess, that some players still don’t know of, is the castle and the En passant. The castle is a special move, and the only move that allows the movement of two pieces on the board at once. They are the king and the rook. The castle could occur on the left or right side of the board and could be played if there are no remaining pieces between the king and the rook. The castle could also only be played if the king plus the rook haven’t moved, and can only be played if the king isn’t in check, the rook isn’t being targeted by a piece, and if all the spaces between the king and rook is not being targeted with any enemy moves. To do the castle, the king would move two spaces to the right or left. The rook the king moved forward to, would jump over the king and go directly to the other unoccupied space next to the king.

The other special case is the En passant, and it is a special capture done with by the pawns. The En passant is allowed when your pawn is either on the 5th rank or the 4th rank. If you are white, your pawn would be on the 5th rank and if you are black, your pawn would be on the 4th rank. This is because to do the En passant your opposing enemy’s pawn needs to do a double jump. As many starters know, the pawn is allowed to jump two spaces forward on their very first move. Any other move is just one space forward. To do the En passant, the enemy’s pawn would need to jump two spaces, and is right next to your pawn. Once the enemy’s pawn is next to your pawn, you would capture the pawn diagonally towards them. Your pawn doesn’t capture the pawn next to them like moving the rook, king, or the queen, but moves forward as if the enemy’s pawn has only moved one space instead of two. However, the En passant could only be done immediately after the moment the enemy’s pawn moves. If you or your opponent waits a turn before doing the En passant then it will become an illegal move.

Entertainment

Anticipated movies coming out in 2018

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By Aicha Minoui and Jamie Zarn

So far, 2018 has had its ups and downs but, in the section of movies, now that is a different story. 2018 is bringing forth new sequels, or ending movies to a franchise, such as: The Maze Runner: The Death Cure, The Incredibles 2, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Wreck It Ralph: Ralph Breaks The Internet. Even new single movies like Winchester, a horror movie, and Ready Player One, an action movie.

One of the listed franchise movies such as, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure finishes off the Maze Runner series in a way which leaves the audience wanting more, and missing forgotten characters, as well as answering some unanswered questions from the last two movies. The movie also sets the series to rest in a way where you can leave the theatre astonished, and be assured that the series has ended, which is usually never the case but, this time, it does seem like that is the case.

Wreck It Ralph: Ralph Breaks The Internet, is a new and upcoming sequel from a favorite movie released in 2012. In this film, not much has been said about the plot except that it’s set six years after the previous movie, and that Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz (or just Vanellope) and Ralph go to find a replacement part for the game Sugar Rush after a Wi-Fi router is connected to the arcade. What that replacement is, is still not known but, it’s said that an algorithm Yesss, which is another version of Youtube called Buzztube, will be included, as well as an appearance of the Disney Princess line-up (voiced by the original voices), Stars Wars characters, and Marvel characters. This is something to look forward to.

I think everyone can agree that Incredibles 2 is the movie everyone is looking forward to. The sequel to the favorite animated superhero movie, released in 2004, is finally being released. Not only are children excited, but people who grew up watching the Incredibles over and over again are super excited for the sequel as well. Regarding the plot, the movie is about Mr. Incredible taking care of Elastigirl and his kid, Jack-Jack, while she is out saving the world.

Two movies I’m personally excited for, are Pacific Rim: Uprising and Ready Player One. Pacific Rim: Uprising is the sequel to Pacific Rim, which was released in 2013. Pacific Rim was about mecha robots, called Jaegers, fighting Kaiju that are trying to destroy the world. Uprising is about Jake Pentecost, whose father was Stacker Pentecost, abandoning Jaeger training and getting caught up in the criminal underworld. Suddenly an even greater threat than the Kaiju come and Jake Pentecost gets one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy, given to him by his estranged sister, Mako Mori. This movie stars John Boyega, well known for his role as Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Ready Player One is an action movie about the creator of a virtual reality game called OASIS who dies and challenges every OASIS player to find his Easter Egg. Whoever finds it will win his fortune. Wade Watts finds the first clue and starts a race for the egg. To me, this movie just seems like a fun action movie, and I’m pretty excited for it.

Winchester is a new horror movie about one of the most haunted houses in the world, on an isolated stretch of land outside San Francisco. It follows Sarah Winchester, as a prison for the vengeful ghosts that have a score to settle with the Winchester family. It is currently pulling 10% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Travel/Food

Treats and gifts for Valentine’s Day.

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It’s that time of the year again, when the stores start putting out heart shaped everything and love is in the air. Another Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly; a time of year to show your loved ones just how much you appreciate and love them. So, here are some treats and gifts that’ll show just that!

Treats:

Sweetheart Cherry Pies:

If you’re looking for an easy but very delicious treat, this is the thing for you! It only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and bake. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Pie dough (you can usually find this in any grocery store)
  • Fresh Cherries
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Sugar
  • 1 tbsp of butter, melted
  • Heart cookie cutter

Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and make sure to line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.

Step 2: Take your pie dough and roll it out to about an inch thick and then take your heart shaped cookie cutter and press them into the dough. Make sure to use all of the leftover scraps to make more!

Step 3: Take all of your cherries and make sure to remove the pit, an easy way of doing that is by using a straw to help push it out. After you’ve removed the pit, chop up the cherries into small little pieces.

Step 4: In the bowl of cherries add a small pinch of sugar, or more if you have a sweet tooth.

Step 5: On the lines baking sheet, take the heart shaped pie dough and lay them on gently. After you’ve placed all of the pie dough out, take a spoonful of the ricotta cheese and place it into the middle of each heart, doing the same with your chopped up cherries.

Step 6: Lay down the top dough and seal the edges with a fork. After you’ve sealed the dough together, take your melted butter and brush it over top.

Step 6: Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to let the little pies cool down before serving!

Step 7: Enjoy the sweet treat with your friends and family or with your significant other!

Candy Heart Bark:
This chocolate dessert is one of the easiest treats to make! All it takes is about five ingredients; here’s what they are!

  • White chocolate
  • Canola or vegetable oil
  • Semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • Conversation heart candies
  • Food coloring of your choice

Step 1: Take a baking sheet and like it with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you have one.

Step 2: Using a double boiler or a microwave melt down your white chocolate, taking it out every 20 seconds to stir it thoroughly, adding about a tbsp of your oil into the chocolate. After melting the chocolate you can add any color that you want.

Step 2: Melt your semisweet in the same exact way that you did with the white chocolate. After the semisweet chocolate is melted, pour it onto the lined baking sheet, spreading it out evenly.

After you finish spreading the chocolate, use a spoon to scoop up your white chocolate/colored chocolate and randomly pour it into different spaces on top of the semisweet chocolate.

Step 3: Using a tip of a toothpick or even a fork, to drag the white chocolate into different shapes, creating a water marble effect. Before the chocolate hardens up, take your heart candies and place them all around your chocolate.

Step 4: Put the tray into the refrigerator and let it harden for about 2 hours. After its hardened, take the chocolate and break it into pieces as large or as small as you’d like!

DIY gifts:

Heart Bath bombs:

  • Baking Soda
  • Citric Acid
  • Fine Epsom Salts
  • Jojoba Oil
  • Love Potion Essential Oil
  • Red food coloring
  • Witch hazel
  • Mesh strainer
  • Spray bottle
  • Silicone heart mold
  • Plastic gloves

Directions:

Take your mesh strainer and place it over a large bowl, pour in 1 cup of your baking soda, 1/2 cup citric acid and 1/4 cup of fine epsom salts.

Stir baking soda, citric acid and epsom salts until well blended, making sure there are no lumps.

Next, slowly add 1/2 Tablespoon of jojoba oil to the dry mixture. Add 10 drops of Love Potion essential oil and 1-2 drops of food coloring.

Wearing plastic gloves, mix the oils and food coloring through the dry mixture, until it is well incorporated and pink.

Once mixture is blended, slowly add witch hazel, one spritz at a time, until the bath bomb mixture sticks together when squeezed.

You’ll need about 8 to 10 spritzes of witch hazel to get the right consistency. The mixture should not be crumbly. It should stick together when squeezed, but you don’t want it too wet or it may begin to fizz.

Pack the slightly damp mixture tightly into the heart shape molds. Be sure to pack the mixture well, fitting in as much as possible into each mold. (This recipe should make 5 to 6 heart-shaped bath bombs.)

Allow to dry for several hours, or ideally overnight, then remove the homemade bath bombs from the molds.

They should be very hard when you remove them from the molds. Wrap bath bombs tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place, away from any moisture.

Strawberry Sugar Scrub:

This perfect, and easy little gift is perfect for anyone who loves smooth skin! This strawberry sugar scrub is made in a few minutes, and smells absolutely amazing; here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
  • 3/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil, room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Take a big ziploc bag and place your freeze-dried strawberries in them. Make sure to seal it real tight, taking all of the air out to make it easier to smash it. You can use a rolling pin to smash the strawberries into almost a dust like consistency.

Step 2: place your strawberry dust into a bowl and add your cane sugar. After you’ve added your sugar, take your coconut oil and place it into the bowl as well, along with your vanilla.

Step 3: Combine everything together!

You can put this scrub into any container that you’d like, big or small! Enjoy using this while showering or while taking a nice hot bath! This will do wonders for you skin.

I hope you take your time to make these wonderful little treats and gifts, whether that be for your loved ones or even just for yourself! Have an amazing Valentine’s Day this year, spend it doing something fun!

Movies/TV/Theaters

Starbucks Blonde espresso review

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By: Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

In early January, Starbucks launched a new espresso. This is called the Blonde espresso. This new espresso is different because it is a mix of Latin American beans and East African beans, which is what creates the drink’s sweet flavor. The vice president of Global Coffee, for Starbucks, stated, “By taking a lighter approach to espresso which created a bright taste with sweet citrus notes and a smooth body.” So, after hearing the hype about the new espresso we gave it a try.

First, we tried an espresso shot; the blonde espresso shot was pretty good. We thought that it was still a little strong, although you could taste the smoothness and a little bit of citrus. It wasn’t as bitter as a regular espresso shot; it was smoother and sweeter. Neither of us is a big coffee drinker though, so we would not get the plain blonde espresso shot again.

Starbucks features a few drinks as well, probably as a recommendation, one of the drinks was the Blonde Vanilla Latte. This was the second drink we tried. It consisted of milk, vanilla syrup, and espresso.

Riley’s review: This drink is my favorite, you can still taste the coffee flavor, but it doesn’t have a burnt bitter taste. It was a little sweet because of the vanilla flavoring but I personally thought it was very good.

Gabe’s review: I am not a fan of coffee, therefore this drink was not one of my favorites. Although, I did prefer this over the plain espresso shot. It was much sweeter, and smooth. I thought you could still taste a bit of a bitter taste, but it isn’t as strong as a normal cup of coffee.

The final drink we tried was an iced caramel macchiato, and we substituted the regular espresso with the Blonde espresso. This drink consisted of milk, espresso, vanilla syrup, and a caramel drizzle over the top.

Riley’s review: The original caramel macchiato is my go-to drink in the summer; I always get it iced and it is very refreshing. Without the blonde espresso, you can’t really taste any bitterness from the espresso. After trying it with the blonde espresso I thought it was way too sweet. I couldn’t taste a coffee flavor at all; it also tasted a bit watered down.

Gabe’s review: I just recently started drinking the caramel macchiato. I think it is pretty good. It is a good drink for someone who does not like a strong coffee flavor. After I tried it with the blonde espresso I also thought that it was too sweet, although, I liked it a little bit more because it wasn’t as bitter. If I got this again I would probably ask for it without caramel, which would eliminate some of the sweetness.

Overall, we liked the Blonde espresso. If you are new to coffee, or don’t like that strong bitter taste, we recommend asking for the Blonde espresso.

For more information, please visit: https://news.starbucks.com/press-releases/starbucks-blonde-espresso-launches-in-u.s.-stores

Entertainment

The art of EDM

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Electronic Dance Music, more famously known as EDM, is a genre of music that uses technology and electronics to create music. Such components are electric instruments, MIDI contollers, synthesizers, and other electronic components to create sounds that are interpreted as music. EDM originated back in the early 1980’s and slowly continued to evolve as technology grew and changed overtime. EDM back then wasn’t famously known or used, as the complexities in technology, and the challenging steps of creating EDM music made it difficult to produce. Even today, the most famously known EDM artists take weeks to create tracks and albums.

For EDM, there are branches of genres for people to take a liking to. The most famous type of EDM, that present artists create, is called: Electronic House Music (EHM). One famously known artist of this genre is Steve Aoki. Steve is one of the most highly acknowledged EDM creators, and DJ producers, and he’s earned many awards including two Grammys for his EDM creations.

Electronic House Music uses average instruments to create a baseline of melodies, drums, basses, and beats, but EHM also uses vocals and other instruments that the artist can create on their own. Electric Dance Music allows an individual to create sounds and beats virtually, and then place them on a track that they can then alter to create music. The creation of EDM music is really complex and challenging; many artist struggle when they try and create new tracks.

“If I could play it, I would, but since I can’t I have to ‘draw’ it.”

-Deadmau5, Joel Zimmerman

Deadmau5 is another artist who creates EDM. He has uploaded many videos about EDM, and streams for viewers to see and watch how he creates tracks. After the 21st century, MIDI control pads; also known as Musical Intrument Digital Interface, were created with more advance complexities and diverse controls, from sound tuning to octave levels for a sample or track.

Entertainment, Movies/TV/Theaters

Grammys review

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On Sunday, January 28th, the 60th Grammy Awards occurred. This award show is to honor the biggest artists of 2016. According to the Grammys official website, in order for an artist to be nominated, they have to release their album between October 1, 2016, and September 30,2017. Besides the show itself, Grammy nominations are always anticipated. It’s exciting to see which artist will represent each category.

This year, the show was hosted, for the second year in a row, by James Corden, the host of the Late Late Show with James Corden. His experience with music includes roles in musicals such as Trolls and Into The Woods, and a continuous segment on his show, Carpool Karaoke. The show included great segments of Cordon’s Carpool Karaoke on a train in New York, a skit of various celebrities auditioning for the audiobook of Donald Trump, and he even included his parent in the fun. Overall though, even though he was a great host, the night was all about the music.

Because the Grammys is all about music, the performances were not lacking. Sam Smith, U2, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Kesha were just a few of the performers. Billboard created a list deciding who had the best performance of the night, and amongst the twenty artists, the top three performances of the night were:

3. Kesha, “Praying”

2. Bruno Mars & Cardi B, “Finesse” (Remix)

1. Kendrick Lamar feat. U2 & Dave Chappelle, “Medley”

To view the complete list, click the link:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8096816/grammys-2018-every-performance-ranked

When it came to the awards, some artists were more successful than others. The most nominated artist of the night included Jay-Z with 8 nominations, Bruno Mars with 7, and Kendrick Lamar with 6.  Even though he had the most nominations, Jay-Z walked home empty-handed. Bruno had the best night, winning all 7 awards he was nominated for, including Album of the Year (“24K Magic”) and Song of the year (“That’s what I Like”). Kendrick won five out of the six awards he was nominated for.

For the full list of the winners in every category, click the link:

https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2018-grammy-awards-complete-winners-list

Overall, the Grammys was a great show this year. Everything, down to the visuals, was amazing. From Kesha being joined by various artists, to U2 performing on a moving platform on the New York Upper Bay, the 2018 Grammys weren’t one to miss.

Movies/TV/Theaters, School Life

IB Dance review

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Highland Park Senior High has an IB dance program that goes in depth into different types of dances. DP dance is a way for students to come together and learn different types of movements, genres of dance, and the background behind them. This year, DP dance consisted of 35 dancers performing duets, trios, small groups ( 4-5 people), and large groups (35 dancers). Instead of nine dances, there were eight due to a missing member. Each dance was different from each other.

Charlotte Landreau is the DP Diploma coordinator and teaches TOK (Theory of Knowledge) and Dance. She introduced the show by encouraging students to participate in the arts at Highland, and to try new things this semester. She was supportive of the dancers and what they were able to produce.

On January 18, the DP Dance kids put on a spectacular show. While all the performances were strong, we have some opinions on the show. We saw that the dancers didn’t have much support from the crowd. Every dancer was strong and did their best, but the audience was lacking in positive reactions. The dancers were brave enough to put themselves out there, but the crowd didn’t reciprocate the energy. While everyone did great, we saw that Fiona (11) stole the show. She is a strong and memorable dancer who will continue to show her talent.

We would like to give props to all the performers because it is hard to dance in front of your peers. We know the feeling of working hard to produce something that means a lot to you, and presenting it. If you would like the chance to branch out and try something new, an art class next semester may be right for you.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Pitch Perfect 3 review

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By Natalie Braga, Piper Gallivan, & Alivia Arredondo

The Barden Bellas are back in the third installment of the Pitch Perfect series. This movie was filled with jokes, music, and all of the fan favorite characters. After seeing it in theatres, we found ourselves simultaneously hating and loving it, and here is why. (Warning: this will contain spoilers.)

The plot strayed from the general predictable storylines of the first two movies. In those, the characters goals were laid out at the beginning, and you could easily tell they were going to achieve their goals. In this movie, the plot kept taking weird turns and it was hard to tell what was going on.

The overall plot was the Bellas, now in their early 30s and dissatisfied with their lives, are going on a reunion tour across Europe for the USO to be together one last time. On this tour, there was also a competition where DJ Khaled, a powerful and comedic character, was going to pick one of the acts to open for him on his upcoming tour.

As with most movies, there were sub-plots, but these didn’t really add to the movie, instead making it more confusing. Nothing seemed more out of place than Fat Amy and her dad’s storyline. He was a powerful, crime-bust, drug dealer who had been out of touch with her since she was a teenager. He recently found her and was trying to get the 180 million dollars that she had stored away from her mom. Through all of this, he ends up kidnapping the Bellas and holding them hostage on a boat with the threat of harming them.

Then came a scene that was more like a spy movie than anything else, with Fat Amy setting off a bomb and saving her team members. It was hard to understand why this was incorporated because it was a major distraction for a movie that already had a lot going on.

The ending was not what would be expected, with DJ Khaled only picking Becca instead of all of the Bellas. This led to a heartwarming and emotional scene, where they tell Becca they support her, and that they all love each other. Although the plot, at times was all over the place, the ending was still nice for a series so many people love.

The music and the acting overall in the movie wasn’t up to the standards set up by the other two movies. There seemed to be a lack of music, which was very unfortunate. However, the songs and remixes that did make it were quite good and the girls continue to be very talented singers. Music is such an important factor in movies, especially in the Pitch Perfect series, so to cut the amount of music in this movie was a bad idea by the writers and disappointing to the viewers.

The acting in this movie wasn’t bad, but overall there were some parts that seemed to be forced and unnecessary. For example, many of the scenes with Fat Amy and her father were not very well acted out and the whole thing seemed very forced. It is hard to tell why DJ Khaled got lines in this movie. Though some people disagree, he seemed to have lines that didn’t add much to the story and the acting was subpar. Aside from him, the Bellas and the other supporting actors did a good job with their parts. Most of them were able to bring their characters to life and seemed very believable, which was pleasing to watch and is appreciated.

In comparison to the other two Pitch Perfect movies, it seemed to be not as high quality and more forced than the others. Nearly all the characters came back, excluding Jesse, Bumper, and for the most part Stacy, if you don’t count her small and somewhat irrelevant appearances of her being pregnant. It was sad to see that Jesse was gone due to him being a very beloved character in the last two movies, and to cut his character entirely was a disappointing.

The girls still had crazy, hilarious personalities that were amusing for the most part, however, they seemed a little overdone after having the same jokes being made as the other two movies.

Though this plot continued to mostly follow Becca, this was the first movie where Fat Amy played a major role, which made sense due to her being a fan favorite. Unfortunately, we found her to be a bit too overpowering in comparison to her smaller, but still important, roles like before.

Besides these things, the bubbly personalities of the talented group still kept their charm, and were still satisfying enough to watch for anyone who had become invested in these girls over the years.

Overall, the movie was not the best quality, and we expected more from the creators, however, we don’t regret seeing how the beloved Barden Bellas’ trilogy came to an end. For those who have never seen the other movies, the jokes and plot may seem confusing, but for those who loved the first two, it is worth it to watch the Bellas go on one last crazy adventure together.

Entertainment

Things to do in the Twin Cities

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By: Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

Minnesota winters can be dreadful, and some people like to stay inside away from the cold. This year though, there are many events and places to visit. The Twin Cities is a great place to have fun this winter.

Starting off with Saint Paul, there are many different things to see and do. This winter you can spend your time outdoors ice skating, or indoors watching a movie.

Next, to the Cathedral, there is the Red Bull Crashed Ice Championship. This event takes place January 19-20, 2018. Saint Paul has hosted this event the past six winters. This sport is challenging, which makes it fun to watch. Skaters race through a long ice track with many obstacles. This event is free! Although you can purchase tickets to access better views, the price ranges from $20-$350. You can purchase tickets here: Tickets.

The Crashed Ice Championship is not the only exciting thing to do outdoors, there is also the Wells Fargo WinterSkate. You can go ice skating next to the Landmark Center. This is a small rink perfect to learn how to skate, or practice skills. Skate rentals are $4 per person, or if you are a Wells Fargo cardholder your skates are free. Open skate hours are Monday-Thursday from 11am to 4:50pm, Friday-Saturday: 11am-10pm, and Sunday: 11am-8pm.

If you aren’t a fan of the outdoors but love sports; the 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff is for you. The Frozen Faceoff is a championship involving the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. This tournament is taking place downtown at the Xcel Energy Center, March 16-17, 2018. Tickets are on sale now, prices are based on seating and are from $50-$379. You can purchase tickets here: Tickets.

Saint Paul is also a fun place to learn and get away from the cold. Visiting the James J. Hill House, the Twin City Railroad Museum, the Science Museum, and the Minnesota Transportation Museum is a way to have fun indoors. If you don’t like museums, there is the Omnitheatre at the Science Museum.

You can also have lots of fun indoors playing mini golf. Can Can Wonderland is an indoor course, created by artists. Mini golf is not the only fun thing at this location, there is also an arcade, a restaurant, and two stages. Can Can Wonderland is located in the Hamline Midway neighborhood.

Saint Paul isn’t the only place to have fun this winter, Minneapolis and other cities also have a few winter activities. If you are brave and don’t mind the cold, you can race or watch the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival. There are many events during the festival, which include: cross-country skiing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice bike riding and many more! This is located in Uptown Minneapolis and taking place February 5-7, 2018.

If you are a fan of art, this winter you can visit the Midwinter Light. This event is taking place at The Commons, January 27-31 from dusk-10pm; this is open to the public and free. Artist Jennifer Hedberg created art using ice and light.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.minneapolis.org/calendar/seasonal/events-for-winter/

https://www.visitsaintpaul.com/things-to-do/winter-fun/

Travel/Food

Easy winter treats

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Winter time is the time for staying inside and trying to keeping warm, so why not be productive and spend your time inside making different winter treats that will impress almost anyone who sees them. For those who need some different treat ideas, here are some that I’m sure that you’ll love.  

For those of you who are looking for a very easy, winter sweet treat, this is perfect for you. This treat is for those of you who have a liking for all things chocolate! Here are the things that you’ll need:

  • White Almond Bark or a white chocolate of your choice (half package)
  • Mint Oreos or another cookies and cream alternative (half package)
  • White Peppermint M&M’s
  • Red and green sprinkles

On a parchment paper, laid on to a square pan, you’ll want to spread out your melted chocolate, or your white almond bark, if you’re using that.

The next step is to crush up your Oreos; I find that the easiest way to do this is by putting them inside a bag and using a rolling pin to smash them into different pieces.

The next steps are pretty simple! Carefully sprinkle on your M&M’s and sprinkles on to the chocolate.

If you think that was easy, now all you have to do is put it into the fridge at let the chocolate harden; this took about 7-8 minutes for me.

After your chocolate has hardened, now all you have to do is take your treat and break them into pieces, big or small, it’s all up to you.

If you’re in need for an easy treat, one that’ll only take you only a few seconds, then I’m sure this little snack will tickle your fancy.

The simple ingredients that you’ll need are:

  • Strawberries
  • Vanilla frosting (either canned or homemade is just fine)
  • Black gel icing

The steps to this treat are very simple.

All you’ll need to do is to wash your strawberries and cut off the top off each.

Once you’re done with that, you’ll need to cut each one in half, make sure to keep track of which half goes with which!

Once your strawberries are all cut up, you’re going to take your frosting and place some onto the middle of your strawberry halves, placing the top of the strawberries on to the frosting.

With that done, you can then have fun with all of the different faces you can draw onto the strawberry, creating a small little strawberry Santa!

This treat is for those who love all things cookies; which we all know is a lot of people!

The ingredients you’ll need are:

  • 1 bag Hershey’s Kisses Candy Cane – Kisses
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Red and green colored sugar

The very first thing you want to make sure you do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees and also to remove your wrappers from the candies. You will need about 35-40 pieces of candies, depending on the sizes of each of them.

In a big bowl, you’ll want to mix together your butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until everything is blended in fully.

The next thing you’ll want to do is to begin adding in your dry ingredients, starting with the flour and then adding in your baking soda and salt.

Once that is complete you’ll want to add your milk and butter mixture into your bowl, making sure that everything is well combined.

Now it’s time for the fun part! Taking your cookie dough, you’ll want to roll them into balls, any size that you’ll like will do, with each ball you’ll take the cookie dough and roll them into either the green or red sprinkles and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet!

You’ll now want to put the cookies into the oven and let them cook for about 8-10 minutes, making sure to rotate the baking sheet in between.

Once the cookies are done cooking, take them out and let them rest for about 2-3 minutes before you press your chocolate kisses into the center of each one!

These are a small sample of some different winter treats that you can make;  there are a lot of others out there, and I hope that you take some time to make these wonderful sweet treats. You won’t regret it at all; it’ll make the winter time seem ten times better!