Needing a day off? Or perhaps a day on? Good thing Family Day is coming up and it’s a time to get out and enjoy some winter activities or stay in and relax with the family.
In Ontario, the statutory holiday, which will be on Monday, February 21, this year, has been around since 2008 and was instituted so that people would be given time to spend with their families, but also to have a day off in the three month block between New Year’s Day and Good Friday.
Family Day is a great time to explore our local area, hike the trails, ski the slopes, and shop through the downtown. It can be a little overwhelming, all this free time, so here are few ideas on what you can do.
Blue Mountain Village offers a range of activities all year round, but winter is when they truly shine. Aside from their usual attractions of skiing and snowboarding, there is also the option to skate through the forest at the Woodview Mountaintop Skating, or have a little fun tobogganing at their Hike N’ Tube area. If you really want to test your skills, try Fat Biking, a new fun way to bike all year round even in the snow! Wind down a full day with a walk through the Blumination Fire, Ice and Lights, open from dusk until 10 p.m. Axed is now at Blue Mountain Village if you’ve been itching to tap into your inner Viking. For couples or groups, this is a great way to hang out and test your primal skills of axe-throwing.
If you’re looking to keep things a little closer to home, the Meaford Arena has a free public skate from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Family Day. Also nearby, Word of Life Camp on Grey County Road 18 is hosting a family fun day from 10 until 12:30. They are offering a wide range of activities like tubing, hiking, skating, a scavenger hunt, and ball hockey. All activities will be held outside and there will be a bonfire and BBQ.
There are a million and one things you can do with your family on Family Day. If you’re looking for a day inside, try building a blanket fort and having a sock ball fight. An indoor picnic is a fun way to kick the winter blues. Set up a blanket in the living room, have summer plates, even dress in your summer clothes and decorate to give the room a summery atmosphere. Another addition to this scene could be a fireplace cookout. Roast hot dogs and marshmallows over the flames to get that taste of summer in the middle of winter. Get out a puzzle and put your mind to work, get your hands sticky with a fun craft, have a lesson in the kitchen about cooking or baking. The important thing is to just be together and have fun. It’s a day to try something new, shake up life a little, and reconnect with your inner kid.
A fun treat to try, Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Bites from the LCBO Holiday 2021 issue.
Ingredients
Canola oil for frying
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, whisked
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp fine salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Cinnamon sugar for rolling (1 cup sugar + 2 tbsp ground cinnamon)
Directions
1. Fit a heavy-bottomed pot with a deep-fry or candy thermometer and pour in oil to come 2 inches up side of pot. Heat oil over medium heat until thermometer reaches 350°F.
2. As oil heats up, prepare batter. In a mixing bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and milk until well-blended.
3. Sift in flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until batter comes together.
4. When oil reaches 350°F, spoon in batter, using heaping 1 tbsp per doughnut. Make 3 or 4 doughnut bites at a time. For evenly sized doughnuts, use a ¾ to 1 oz ice cream scoop. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove doughnut bites and transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Roll in cinnamon sugar while doughnuts are still warm. Repeat until no more batter remains.
Makes 16 to 20 doughnut bites.
