JenBrava

I'll blend a bulb of roasted garlic (the oven is hot anyway..) and a package of softened cream cheese into a batch of mashed potatoes on holidays. My Grandmother who "hates" garlic with a passion (her words, not mine) can't figure out why my mashed potatoes are better then her's. I just smile and shrug.

We LOVE our Toddy. We got it on sale ($10 off), so we figured we'd give it a try because my husband gets heartburn quite easily from acidic beverages. Now, he can take a bottle of the concentrate to work and add some hot water from a spout and he can get his buzz (albeit, perhaps, less - as I believe cold brewed coffee has less caffeine) without the heartburn.

Thanks for the congrats. I think we're just going to consider the Bellagio buffet a lost cause and never go there again. We got such a good deal on the room for the week that I think we'll just cut our losses - especially since the other restaurants there were so great: Fix is a great spot for dinner and I LOVED sitting at the chairs around the kitchen at Sensi. The experience was overall positive with that one downside. If I had to do it over again, I'd just get pastries to go from Bouchon every day. To they make their coffee to go? The Bouchon Caramel was to die for! Heck - we're actually thinking of just staying at the Venitian next time just so we can be close to Bouchon and the awesome bread.

Blech!! We ate at the Bellagio Buffet (we stayed at the Bellagio on our honeymoon) on 8-31 and it was awful! None of the food was at all fresh, the scrambled eggs were runny, the sausages were over cooked (I could barely cut them with a knife!), and there was barely any food available! I couldn't believe the way the guests were fighting over the scraps like rats in the NYC subway. Worst of all, the waitress we had was MEAN! (We tipped up front when we paid, too, apparently we didn't tip enough.) We couldn't get any coffee and when we did, the coffee tasted like DIRT! After 45 minutes of begging for scraps and caffeine like the rest of the masses, we bailed and drove down to the Venitian to go to Bouchon and eat a civilized breakfast. This was my first trip to Vegas, but it'll be my LAST trip to a Vegas buffet.

This is my first time in a CSA and it seems to be really fun. Basket of Life Farm in Northeast Ohio brought us: Zucchini Patty Pan Squash Cherry Tomatoes Green Bell Peppers A crazy looking yellow waxy pepper (I'm not sure if it's hot, but it'll be fun to play with, but it may just be a mild banana pepper) Cucumber (which is wonderful, since the beetles eat all of mine before they grow) Two heads of leafy lettuce (roots still attached) 6 beautiful eggs! I'm off to find a good recipe for zucchini muffins and something to do with the patty pans - I think we'll grill them with some garlic butter and add a little cheese and make pizzas, unless someone else has a better suggestion. Cheers, until next week!

What's your pet peeve? It doesn't need to be a cooking issue - just the one thing that drives you more crazy then anything on this planet. (Oh, and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED you on Iron Chef America!)

Maybe I should rephrase: I've got one lunch not at the Mouse's House. Is there any amazing sandwich shops or burrito places or any other casual or semi-casual lunch eateries that will knock me off my feet? I've searched the threads and I see there are amazing dinner places, and I'd love to visit all of them, but time and responsibilities just don't allow. Suggestions?

My BF and I are in a wedding in two weeks at Disney. After much hemming and hawing, and a few lucky clicks on the internet, we discovered that renting a car for 5 days would actually be cheaper (and better) then taking shuttles and taxis all over. The Rehearsal Dinner is on Thursday and the Wedding on Friday. Since we get in Wednesday night, we have the whole day until dinner on Thursday to explore and see Orlando. Dinner is provided for us that night, but as we are foodies, we'd like to try something interesting for lunch on Thursday (and possibly something quick on Wednesday when we get in, after 9 PM) that ISN'T at Disney. I have nothing against Disney, per se, but, beginning Thursday night we are stuck there until Saturday morning! I need my freedom. Any diamonds in the rough I should know about?

I wondered what happened to him after the show. I have to admit I'm obsessed with the show, but I know it has a healthy amount of BS and editing, like any reality show. According to my digital cable (and I'm Tivoing the show because I have no intention of staying home on a Saturday night to watch it live, plus I love fast forwarding through the commercials), JC is going to offer to buy out Rocco's portion of the restaurant. I didn't think he'd accept, hence the lawsuits, but I didn't know what the status of those were. That was an awesome update and critique of Rocco's.

I'm going to Disney late June. The only issue: my boyfriend (we're the bridesmaid and groomsman for a mutual friend, so he doesn't have a choice but to go with me!) keeps kosher. I'd love to eat at the seafood places down there, but I feel guilty digging into a pile of lobster legs while he's got 1, maybe 2, things to pick off the menu - grilled chicken breast or grilled steak. Any suggestions for the best of both worlds?

Kit Kat Mint are awesome. So good. So, I might not fit into my stupid bridemaid's dress, good. I highly recommend picking up a pack. The orange, not so much. Buy an extra mint! Oh, and to stay on topic. I bought some (highly overpriced) Shrek M's at Blockbuster when we were renting a video. I couldn't really tell the difference between the regular and big peanut variety, but I loved the plain. They are much larger and crunchier. It seems like there's more candy coating and it makes eating them so much more satisfying!

So, where are you going for your birthday? Or, is MsMelkor keeping it a secret?

Is that the Liquid Amber from Sweet Maria's or did you decide to change it up and go for something else at the last minute? Is this the first time you've tried it, or have you roasted and brewed it before? Is Tom's description of the flavor accurate?