In case you weren’t aware “Milkshake” Hitmaker Kelis has embarked on a culinary career and she returns as Host of exciting new Cooking Competition Series, COOKED WITH CANNABIS!

Synopsis:
Long gone are the days of pot brownies and marijuana cookies. Today, the top chefs around the country and around the world are creating cannabis-infused culinary masterpieces. Here lies the most fun-filled, fascinating and mouth-watering cooking competition series that gives a whole new meaning to the word “baked.”

Hosted by singer and chef, Kelis and chef, Leather Storrs

See a Trailer:

COOKED WITH CANNBIS streams on Netflix Friday, April 20, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

As many of you know, TROLLS WORLD TOUR is getting an unprecedented ON-DEMAND release going an alternate route amidst our current climate.

Synopsis:
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in Trolls World Tour, an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical hit. In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Trolls tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.

A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends — Biggie (James Corden), Chenille (Caroline Hjelt), Satin (Aino Jawo), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar) — set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all.

Cast as members of the different musical tribes is one of the largest, and most acclaimed, groups of musical talent ever assembled for an animated film. From the land of Funk are Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and Anderson .Paak. Representing Country is Kelly Clarkson as Delta Dawn, with Sam Rockwell as Hickory and Flula Borg as Dickory. J Balvin brings Reggaeton, while Ester Dean adds to the Pop tribe. Anthony Ramos brings the beat in Techno and Jamie Dornan covers smooth jazz. World-renowned conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart and Charlyne Yi as Pennywhistle from the land of Classical. And Kenan Thompson raps as a newborn Troll named Tiny Diamond.

To get us excited, here are some fun at-home activities to get your family excited for its release, including some drawing tutorials which your kids will love!

HOW TO DRAW TINY DIAMOND

HOW TO DRAW POPPY

HOW TO DRAW BRANCH

Here’s also an awesome Home Premiere Party Pack which you can download to keep that Trolls spirit alive!
Download here.

Universal Pictures Canada release TROLLS: WORLD TOUR on-demand Friday, April 10, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Pork Belly Bao. This was an ambitious challenge! The Bao came out light and fluffy with a pleasing bounce. The pork belly required a long, slow simmer and melted in my mouth. Mom wanted thirds!

Bao:
2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
25 ml milk
1 1/2 tbsp organic raw sugar
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp yeast
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions:
1. Mix flour, salt and 1 tbsp sugar together in mixing bowl.
2. Dissolve yeast and 1/2 tbsp sugar into 1 tbsp warm (not hot) water.
3. Add into flour, milk, oil, rice vinegar and 100 ml water. Mix till dough forms.
4. Turn onto floured surface and knead 10 minutes. If dough is too try, wet hands with warm water till dough is pliable and not sticky. Roll into ball and transfer to greased bowl, roll around till covered. Cover bowl with damp cloth and place somewhere warm (laundry room while drying/preheated oven that is warm, not hot). Allow to rise 2 hours.
5. Transfer dough to surface and flatten dough. Dust with baking powder. Knead 5 minutes.
6. Roll dough into a log. Cut into 9 even pieces (about 3 cm wide).
7. Roll balls into ovals at about 3 mm thick. Brush with oil. Dip chopstick in oil, place chopstick onto oval and fold over.
8. Cut 9 squares of parchment paper and place dough on each. Transfer to a flat sheet. Cover with greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise somewhere warm for 1.5 hours.
10. Steam buns on medium-high heat in batches for 8 minutes.
11. Serve with pork belly, pickled carrots, coriander, Kimchi, green onion and Hoisin Sauce.

Braised Pork Belly:
2 lbs pork belly
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 cubes ginger
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp white wine
2 star anise
1/2 tsp 5 Spice Powder/ allspice or cinnamon

Marinade:
1 tsp chilli paste
1 tbsp organic raw sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions:
1. Cut pork into 1-inch thick pieces. Place in marinate overnight.
2. Heat oil in wok on medium-high heat. Sautée ginger, garlic, star anise and cinnamon. Add-in pork belly and remaining marinade. Fry till cooked. Add wine, stir.
3. Add just enough water to cover surface. Bring to boil and simmer on low heat 2 hours.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Chris Hemsworth, but he’s back in Netflix‘s EXTRACTION, produced by the Russo Brothers (Avengers).

Synopsis:
Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering the lives of Rake and the boy.

See the Trailer:

EXTRACTION streams on Netflix Friday, April 24, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Matcha-Cherry Blossom Shortbread. Nothing says Spring like the fragrant, fresh notes of blooming Cherry Blossoms in High Park and harvested Matcha in May. We’re saddened at the thought that High Park won’t be even be open this Spring for Cherry Blossom viewing. Combining these flavours into a Tea Time favourite allows us to savour the season, even if we will be doing it in isolation this year. Enjoy the perfume-like aroma that fills the air as these bake! 🌸🍵

Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons of flour
Two pinches sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (not melted)
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
1/2 tablespoon (or more) Matcha powder
1 tablespoon (or more) Sakura Latte powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Three drops of red food colouring

Instructions:
1. Prepare two mixing bowls. Divide half of butter into each bowl. Cream with sugar and vanilla.
2. Prepare two more bowls. In Bowl #1, mix evenly half of the flour with Matcha powder and a pinch of sea salt. In Bowl #2, mix evenly the other half of flour with Sakura powder and pinch of salt. Put-in a couple drops of red food colouring into Bowl #2.
3. Mix Matcha and flour into creamed butter and sugar in Bowl #1. Mix Sakura powder and flour into Bowl #2. Form each bowl’s contents into dough, handling gently.
4. Turn each dough into floured surface and form into a rectangle. The green and pink doughs should be equal in size. Cover each rectangle in plastic wrap and freeze for an hour.
5. Remove doughs from freezer and place one above the other on cutting board. If dough splits, wet hand with a bit of water and gently piece back together. Press doughs together firmly and cut into 16 pieces.
6. Place slices onto parchment paper and freeze for another hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and space each cookie 1-2 inches apart.
9. Sprinkle with a bit of organic raw cane sugar.
10. Bake 15-17 minutes till slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool about 30 minutes. Serve. Store in air-tight container.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

More than ever, we are blessed to be living in the time of Netflix.  I can’t even imagine how else I’d be passing the time during this period of isolation. If you’re like me and pretty caught-up on your theatrical releases, that leaves us with plenty of Television to watch and here are some of our favourites, which are worth your time the streaming service.

THE TIGER KING. If you still haven’t streamed this gripping Docu-Series, you are in for a treat.  We’ve got murder, drugs, a gay love triangle, country crooning, felons and a heaping serving of spite in this deeply-enthralling look at the world of feuding Tiger Conservationists. At the center of it all is Oklahoma’s flamboyant Joe Exotic who recently was sentenced to a 22-year prison sentence for several counts of animal cruelty and two counts of murder-for-hire? Who did he try to have murdered?  His arch-nemesis, Tampa’s Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue who also is at the center of some revived controversy surrounding the disappearance of her ex-husband, Don Lewis. Several too crazy to be true plot twists and turns are revealed, with even more unbelievable characters surrounding the story. The buzz was warranted. We remember it popping-up on our screen and not being interested at first, but are we glad we gave it a chance. Obsessed.

COFFEE & KAREEM. Ed Helms stars in this Buddy-Cop Comedy as disgraced officer James Coffee, who finds himself wanted for murder and the abduction of his girlfriend Vanessa‘s (Taraji P. Henson) potty-mouthed son Kareem (Terrence Little Gardenhigh). Little do they know that he actually is protecting Kareem as they are on-the-run from Detroit’s most dangerous gangsters after Kareem plots to scare-off James by hiring a criminal in the first place and it goes horribly wrong, all because Kareem doesn’t approve of James. The jokes are crude, the humour is purely-raunchy but the shock-fueled giggles are plentiful. We love Harris, and Gardenhigh stamps himself a name to look-out for. We just wish there was more Henson!

OZARK SEASON 3. The Byrde Family are back, launching their riverboat casino The Missouri Belle, and matters get even more complicated with the arrival of Wendy‘s brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) who battles addiction and mental illness. He falls in love with one of our favourite characters, unpredictable firecracker Ruth (Julia Garner). The Drug Cartel’s fierce lawyer Helen (Janet McTeer) returns and we wonder whether or not she can be trusted, as she vies with The Byrdes for favouritism with Cartel leader Omar Navarro (Felix Solis). We go deeper into these characters’ minds as we see The Byrdes coping with their crumbling marriage with their fight for survival continuing to weigh them down. We see a bit more of Ruth’s vulnerability as Ben peels a layer off of her and he keeps us at the edge of our seats with his erratic behaviour, unsure if he will ruin everything for his family. Yet another cliffhanger of a season finale and we can’t wait for Season 4!

NAILED IT! OMG. How have we not heard of this Show sooner? Life has been changed forever after witnessing the greatness that is NAILED IT!, a Series which refreshingly gives mediocre bakers a shot at glory and a $10k prize as they are pit against one another to replicate some unattainable-level difficult baking creations each episode. Each episode has a new guest judge from a wide array of disciplines: sports, entertainment and culinary. The banter between Comedienne Nicole Byer and head judge, Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres is amazing. We love the vibe, we love laughing with everyone about the mediocrity. This hot mess aesthetic is exactly the lift in spirits we need right now and through it all we usually learn something out of these contestants’ failures. I zipped through all four seasons rapidly.

THE CHEFS’ LINE. This Australian series is a hidden gem and a must-watch for lovers of diverse cuisine. Each week the Series explores a new ethnicity of fare with four home cooks competing with a line of chefs each episode from some of Australia’s hottest restaurants. The judges, Mark Olive, Dan Hong and Melissa Leong, aren’t told who made each dish and you’d be surprised how great some of these amateur cooks are and how close a match it is sometimes! Lots to learn about process and details in what elevates good food to great. We adore Melissa Leong, such an eloquent beauty!

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER. Travel with world-renowned Chef David Chang to Los Angeles, Phnom Penh, Vancouver and Marrakesh with Lena Waithe, Kate McKinnon, Seth Rogen and Chrissy Teigen. While this four-episode Docu-Series acts equal parts as celebrity one-on-one and an exposition of each city’s fantastic food finds, we found ourselves fascinated by the subjects and their paths to success. Above all the food looked amazing, and we’re taking notes what new places to try next time we visit L.A. It was trippy seeing Rogen and Chang enjoy Chinese Roast Pork at a hole-in-the-wall in suburban Vancouver! We are excited for Chang‘s UGLY DELICIOUS 2, which is coming soon on Netflix.

Some exciting new releases coming soon including a Documentary SURVIVING R. KELLY and LOVE WEDDING REPEAT starring Sam Claflin and Olivia Munn! Stay tuned.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Cinnamon Buns. An all-time favourite I’ve been looking to tackle! Pleased with the results! These buns are comparable to ones at the mall. Recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 cups of pastry flour
1 packet of yeast
1/4 cups soft butter (not melted)
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 1/4 cups warm milk (about 45°C)
1/4 cup organic granulated cane sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/2 cup organic granulated cane sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Frosting:
1/2 block cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Or Betty Crocker makes a great fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting! Easy! No shame.

Instructions:
1. Stir yeast into warm milk (like a warm bath) in large mixing bowl.
2. Add-in sugar, mix.
3. Add butter and eggs. Beat two minutes. It’s okay if yeast doesn’t dissolve.
4. Combine flour and salt. Add half a cup at a time into milk mixture, forming dough.
5. Transfer dough onto floured surface. Knead 8-10 minutes till elastic and punchy.
6. Grease large bowl with oil. Roll dough ball till coated. Cover with damp cloth or two damp paper towels. Place somewhere warm (i.e. laundry room while drying or preheated oven that is warm, not hot). Allow dough to rise over 1.5-2 hours.
7. Dough will double in size. Transfer to floured surface. With rolling pin, roll dough to a rectangle (14″ w x 9″ l).
8. Brush dough with 1/4 cup melted butter. In bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough, pressing into the buttered dough.
9. Roll dough tightly into a log. Cover with plastic wrap to aid if you wish.
10. Remove wrap. Trim edges off dough log. Cut log into 1 inch-thick slices. Line into a greased baking pan. You should have about 9 rolls.
11. Cover pan with plastic wrap and damp cloth/paper towels. Keep somewhere warm for 45 minutes. Rolls will rise.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 25-28 minutes till slightly golden.
13. Remove from oven. Cool 30 minutes.
14. Prepare frosting in bowl, creaming Cream Cheese with butter and vanilla. Fold-in icing sugar and beat till fluffy.
15. Spread frosting onto rolls. Store in container in fridge for a week.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

VVS Films x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to win a Digital Download of acclaimed Guy Ritchie film, THE INFORMER.

Synopsis:
An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.

Starring: Ana de Armas, Clive Owen, Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike

Directed By: Andrea Di Stefano

Trailer:

To enter to win a free Digital Download, click “like” on this Post over at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet as well from @mrwillw for an extra chance. Contest is open in Canada only.

Rules and regulations here.

VVS Films release THE INFORMER as follows:
Available now on Digital and Video-on-Demand
April 28, 2020 on DVD, DVD-Blu-ray Combo Pack

Follow VVS Films on Twitter: @vvs_films and Facebook here.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

2020 has been awful challenging. Believe me, our hearts are with the Horse Racing community right now with racing cancelled or postponed both sides of the border, with a select few racetracks continuing operations with access restricted to the public. With the 2020 season postponed indefinitely at Woodbine Racetrack, we are glad that safety of the community is being placed first on the backstretch. At the same time, we worry for our friends whose livelihoods depended on that initial April 18, 2020 start date and also the concerned owners who have to wait even longer for a return on investment from their stock. We know for certain this period of isolation amidst COVID-19 worries, will continue into the Summer and our racing season’s marquee event the Queen’s Plate, accordingly has followed suit in its postponement.

Despite all this, we have our health and safety to treasure and I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else than Canada where at a provincial and federal level, the situation has been handled in an exemplary manner.  The 2020 racing season will commence at some point and those fruits of labour also will come. Sending all my support and encouragement that while times are harrowing and tough right now, we are all in this for the long haul and we are not alone in our losses. While setbacks are temporary, resilience will prevail in the end. Let’s not obsess about things that weigh-down our spirits, but instead do all we can do to help us all get back to business as soon and safe as possible. Know at the end of the day those fans will be there to cheer the community on at the end of the tunnel when time allows.

That being said, we were so excited to see Mr Will return to training last month after nursing a minor injury over the winter. The time away looks to be paying off. His Owner/Trainer Michelle Love reports to us after outfinishing his workmate under exercise rider Nikki Alderson, “Our boy came out of his workout better then ever!! He thinks he’s a racehorse now. All business.”.  That brings me joy and he just returned home again for some rest with the delayed start of the racing season. His much anticipated debut will come before we know it and we know it will be so worth it!

Some Snaps of Mr Will‘s first jog on Woodbine‘s Training Track under Love, accompanied by his Dad, Rob Love, Woodbine’s Head Outrider. It was awful quiet that morning, being frigid out, but he was super-professional!

Mr Will also was paired again with Jayne Smith, who always gives him that extra bit of loving care.

…and of course a new Snuggle Buddy for our little champ! He loves his plushies.

Did I tell you how Mr Will and Princess (A Pic by Mrwill) finally met? I was overjoyed seeing them together at last! Mr Will and some of the babies from Love’s stable were brought to the facility where Princess is boarded for some schooling earlier this year. They hit it off just great!

Princess continues to thrive in her life of retirement. Her Mom Emily Fisher (second photo, above) has done a fantastic job nursing her back to wellness and socializing her with her new family. Princess always has been a special filly, perhaps getting along better with humans than horses. You might recall she almost lost her life as a baby, getting nursed back to health by caretakers and of course our constant pampering made her lose sight of who she really is. She’s adjusted beautifully, enjoying her time outdoors in the company of her family.

This looks amazing! Check-out these just-released stills from Ryan Murphy‘s HOLLYWOOD, coming soon to Netflix.

Synopsis:
A new limited series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, HOLLYWOOD follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost. Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood’s Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day. Provocative and incisive, HOLLYWOOD exposes and examines decades-old power dynamics, and what the entertainment landscape might look like if they had been dismantled. HOLLYWOOD stars David Corenswet as Jack, Darren Criss as Raymond, Jeremy Pope as Archie, Laura Harrier as Camille, Samara Weaving as Claire, Dylan McDermott as Ernie, Holland Taylor as Ellen Kincaid, Patti LuPone as Avis, Jim Parsons as Henry Willson, Jake Picking as Rock Hudson, Joe Mantello as Dick, and Maude Apatow as Henrietta.

See new Stills:

HOLLYWOOD streams on Netflix Friday, May 1, 2020.

(Photo credit: Netflix)