Susan in FL

Holy shit, Sam was a Hagar Slacks model?? I'm not sure what is the bigger news, that, or the beer. Also of interest in these beer news items sent to me by a very good friend was the notion of Lew Bryson mud wrestling. Let's see... Lew, mud wrestling... Sam, modeling Hagar slacks... That's a tough call. But I'll say given the choice, I would be eternally grateful to anyone who can link me to a Hagar Slacks ad featuring Sam.

I love good Malbec, and today on sale for $10.49, I think this bottle of 2002 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina was quite a find. Anybody else tasted it? I would recommend trying it if you like Malbec. It's one of those wines that we like to open and let sit for two or three hours before drinking, although I did like it more than my husband did.

The honeymoon with the new grill continues... Capon, potatoes, onions, zucchini, yellow squash -- all grilled. 2002 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec Yum!!

I've been wanting to try that.... is it yummy, worth the price? It's in our regular supermarkets.

A seeded, and halved lengthwise, avocado in the skin, sprinkled with lemon juice and S&P, using a spoon to scoop this delicious substance into my mouth.

John, what a great idea, and easy. Next week we're having company for a grill dinner on the porch. Maybe that will be dessert. But I think I should practice practice practice before serving it to guests. Robyn, armadillos?!? I thought they were larger animals. These holes are pretty small. Actually, I wondered if they were made by snakes, but my husband suspected squirrels. I haven't looked too closely to see how deep they are. We have 1.5 acres, most of it wooded, and there are lots of squirrels. I think I want to believe that they're squirrel holes instead of armadillos or snakes. Wow, you're full of all sorts of cheery gardening news!

Whoa... yum, would you please tell me how you did that?

Hey, PJ! Will check out Church's, thanks.

That sounds really good. Isn't it nice when you're on your own, and can eat something your partner doesn't prefer?! And there is something about anchovies with veal... I forgot to mention the wine, from my birthday shopping spree. I got Burgess 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet. Wonderful. Was the Montelena a Zinfandel? What a great idea about the chips!

Too good, doc! ... but I'm not going there!

Yum, a good topic. I've never had any take-out chicken as good as English's, from when we lived in Delmarva. Does anybody know of this? I'm wondering if it's still up there. I do not like KFC. In this area, so far, the fried chicken from the Publix deli is my favorite.

Oh my. Thanks for the info. We're forewarned and forearmed about the bugs... but birds, haven't had that problem for the 2 1/2 years I've lived here. Yet. And no coons yet, either. But squirrels, yes! They are digging holes like crazy in the the tons of mulch I've spread! The soil IS part of the problem, I must say, after having been used to growing tomatoes in Delmarva. And New Jersey... nothing beats New Jersey tomatoes.

I love your plates! I think a little larger will be better, too. Usually I'm all in favor of smaller pictures because with my size computer screen, many posted here are too large and I have to do the arrow thing to view them. But yes, a little larger... What I usually do to mine is resize to 640 x 480, and then crop, or reduce by 70 or 80 % to comfortabley fit the screen. IMO, the best food photographer here is pcarpen... I'm still working to achieve the clarity of his photos!

Ah, Fordham. Not bad! I imagine that will surely do, in the meantime. Thanks for the update. Way cool, for you and Woody to "accidently" meet as you did!

All, thanks for sharing in my excitement. And thanks for the idea of jerk marinating. I have never made jerk anything, so I think the time has come!

LOL, almost! We did have to -- or chose to -- rent one of Lowe's trucks to drive it home. They would have delivered it, but not until yesterday, and we couldn't postpone the gratification a day longer. No, but a rotisserie basket does sound like a handy thingie. I wonder if that is available separately.And yes, on the tomato plant... The little salad garden is two weeks old now. We were warned about how terrible Florida soil is for tomatoes, but we dug out a lot and hopefully brought in enough new store-bought dirt. So far, so good. Yum, veal chops. I just put that on my mental list of things to cook on the grill. I think tonight is going to be grilled fish of some kind, depending on what is freshest.

Last night, second dinner from the new grill was chicken. It was marinated in oil, garlic, ginger, and orange zest, and at the end of the grilling, brushed with orange marmalade and the juice of an orange. With it, fried plantains with mango & avocado salsa, and black beans & rice. The night before, an early birthday dinner from our new grill.

I'll be on the lookout for grilling ideas and recipes, so please share some of your favorites. For my birthday, my husband bought us the grill I have been lusting after for the past year or so. It's a Coleman, with a rotisserie (...yesss!!) and a deep fryer. He gave me "one dinner included" and sent me out shopping with his plastic. How dangerous was that... I was tempted to buy an outfit and accessories to wear at dinner, but thought that would be pushing my luck. Anyway, the dinner which was all cooked on the new grill was lobster tail as a starter, beef tenderloin roast using the rotisserie, homemade french fries (no mess indoors!), and portobella mushrooms, sweet onions, and Belgian endives. Everything was delicious. Happy Grilling!

Nice job, RP. Thanks for reporting. I'm looking forward to my next trip to PHL!

So glad to see your new thread... I'll be following it, to help with the decision making for the trip up north. Thanks!

Mmmm.... that sounds, um, very meaty. I have found that if I want to resume other parts of my life, I can't post what I have for dinner every night, as much as I enjoy sharing in the joy on this topic. I've got to face it: The Reality of eG's Addictive Qualities. Tonight was especially good, though, so here goes... Pasta with Fried Eggs, Caramelized Onions, and Bacon from the April 2004 Bon Appetit. I couldn't find the recipe on Epicurious yet, or else I would have provided a link. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and it was delicious. Salad of romaine, tomatoes, celery root, and sliced blue cheese-stuffed green olives, dressed with EVOO and golden balsamic vinegar and topped with toasted pine nuts. Domaine Ste. Michelle sparkling wine, extra dry.

I know... I should have specified... We have many old-Florida seafood style restaurants where we live, so I'll pass on those for this occasion. We're looking for fine dining, but not formal. If it's exceptional food, expensive is fine. Tasty creative food, on the upscale side, real good wine selection, etc. etc. etc. What I've read about Cool Beanz appeals to me. That could very well be our choice for lunch the next day. Thanks!

I did a couple of searches and didn't find many reviews. One described it as "sophisticated Southern regional cuisine in a rustic metropolitan setting." Is there anything you would add, to describe it? Thanks for the reply.

Oh my ... where have you been all my life? That sounds just too good. Curious, though... why the gender split for the fish?

My son is in Pensacola and we're planning to meet him and his girlfriend approximately half way for a night in Tallahassee. That will be one dinner, and perhaps breakfast, brunch, or lunch the next day... What are the best recommendations? I did a little research, and Cafe' Cabernet looks good. Has anyone been there? I've never been to Tallahassee. All info and advice is welcomed.