highchef

I always take them home when they come with room service, mainly because I feel like I've paid for them. They're usually other flavors besides the grape I have on hand for the kids, and then I get to have something different at home for the adults without buying a big jar. Taking them off the table in the resturant would give me pause, but hey. I'll bet if you ask, it'll be fine. It does crack me up when I see people filling their pockets and bags with the sugar etc.. it reminds me of my college days. We never bought catshup or sugar. Anything on the table was fair game back then. I hope I'm never in a position like that again.

prawn/shrimp cocktail. Butterscotch pie. Cake made with liquor...they also made a popular cocktail with the booze and o.j. Yellow stuff...what is the name??? Big ad campaign with recipies for all sorts of things you could put it in. and who could forget 'spam kabobs'???? alternate cubes of spam with pineapple and God knows what else. That was creepy. And mom putting melted velveeta cheese on everything to get us to eat it. Broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, meatloaf. All things became covered with velveeta sauce.

here's a good place to start with something besides gas. check out post #3

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Pirates Pantry is the local Junior League cookbook.

Well it would have been hard to hate Athlone from what I saw. The cousins are in a lovely area and the river Shannon is down the hill as you leave the drive. I cleaned my purse and cannot find the receipt from the offending resturant. It was the name of a town with 'school house' after it. I guess it was the old school house for the area and they converted it. I cannot think of that experience too much as it triggers nausea. My DH says it's a psycological reaction to trauma. I kid you not. I think the main offense I took at Jury's was the utter lack of help from the attitudinal blonde who checked us in. No info was forthcoming, no help, no directions, not even a finger point toward the door to the lifts. If I hadn't felt so bad it would have ended there. I don't pay good money for crappy service. I was in no position to move the family so we had to accept the conditions and move when we were better. I do plan on sending a note to the corp. headquarters. Maybe we'll be compensated somehow here in the states. We go to Boston every other year and the Jury's there is quite nice. Yes, I like Bushnell's quite a lot. I tried a local whiskey and thought it was quite good, and definately had a peaty aroma...but I'm sure the fire added a bit to that. When I find that receipt from the resturant I'll post the name. In the meantime avoid anything with 'school' in it! Cheers.

Mrs. Woman, thanks for clearing that up...there was very little whiskey left to consume when we arrived, but loads of scotch. Not to insult the local spirits, but it beat running to the store! thom, I've seen your place from the road, and between it and the 'castle' right beside/above it (you'll know it from the helicopter pad) I'd say you'll be fine. Great views and you don't have to travel Sky road for miles to get there. Be aware, when the tide is out the bay is dry. Ships sit in the muck waiting to be refloated, but having 'energetic' boys myself I'd say your 2 yr old will love it. Do watch for sheep on the road from Galway. We had a few near misses with their red and blue rears. How do they get that paint off the butts when they shear them??? And the lamb on the menu at Oliver's is good, but I'd stick with the seafood. Irish lamb is not australian lamb. IMO It's climate and diet make it a muskier meat. Good enough, I just prefer to eat Australian and wear Irish. The mussells and crab claws are very nice. I've already told you about the salmon. If you get the seafood salad and you can eat it all please let me know! Coming out of Clifden take a left at the church and it'll lead you to the Abby and the Connemara Park. Daybreak is around 4:30, but nothing opens until around 10, so take the tyke to hike the park. The ticket office is closed before then, so it's 'free'. Otherwise you pay a bit. Don't feel bad, he won't be able to hike up the mountain, so if you did pay you wouldn't get your money out of it. Just let him run up the entrance trails for a bit and enjoy the scenery. It's very beautiful. I take it you'll be there when it's a bit warmer..I'm sure the local resturants will have geared up big time for the tourist season by then, although they were pretty busy last week. I imagine they'll be tweaking the menus. There is a large grocery store right on the main square. Easy enough to grab picnic supplies for the beach, and cheaper than having someone else make up your basket (your pop will appreciate that!) If I hear of anything else, or remember specifics that might help entertain the lad, I'll add later with an edit. have fun.

I do apologize Corinna, I had such plans! And you are correct, had we stuck to the Irish whisky (no e in Ireland, right?) we probably would have been protected from whatever tried to kill us. I really expected Jury's to be the Holiday Inn type. I was not expecting to be stuck in a bed for 2 days there though. The view overlooked the laundry/garbage facilities and garage. The bed sucked and the toilet had to be finagled with to flush. It was not a good thing to be broken at the time. However, we more than made up for it in Scotland. I highly reccommend The Scotsman hotel. I shall be paying for it until Christmas, but at least I'll smile when I write the check. Charming. It's centrally located and has a wonderful ambiance and a terriffic staff. Feather beds. Wish I could tell you about the resturant, but all I had from there were crab cakes (don't bother) and liver pate' (ok). A nice lemon brulee' as well, went well with pistachio biscotti. Another odd note: Normally I forbid the consumption of ANYTHING from the mini-bar. I'm not a tightflint by any strech, if we want it and have the money, we buy it, but here the mini-bar bill would equal the room rate. I mean, if you got what you paid for, besides convience...it'd be ok. There the prices were the same as in the grocery stores. Very nice way to try local favorites with out breaking the bank. I love the no tax on food, med's and kids stuff...brilliant. We have a new vocabulary now as well. My oldest can put on the perfect brouge (sp?) and the younger one's noted that it was 'pissing' rain when we got home! My other lament re:Dublin...the boys did not get to Trinity college, or St. Patrick's. We could not muster the stomach control for the former, and the latter was closed due to filming (I thought we had lucked out as the hunger strike had just ended the day before). Doesn't matter. When their dad told them in Clifden to pay attention to the history etc. because they'd never be here again, they BOTH immediately corrected him. They have every intention of returning, proclaiming it the 'most perfect vacation ever'. That with all the poignancy and illness, and hours and hours of travel involved. The wild west made quite an impression on my boys, and returning there someday is a goal of their's now. It's good to have goals! Love your weather, btw. I'd rather hike around hills in cold weather than what I came home to which was 90 F and 80% humidity. I was rewarded with a rainbow after the hail storm monday morning. It only lasted a few seconds, but I had my camera in hand and captured the moment. The fishing business is so sad. I've read recently that the situation seemed to be turning around, and more and more resturants were sourcing the local bounty. I did not see any evidence of that, but then again I didn't go seeking it out. It does makes sense that the West would serve the local fish more readily than say Dublin or Limerick. Their economy is small and the branches are greatly intertwined and interdependant, not the huge global network prevelant in the larger cities. It's kind of like buying Chinese crawfish in Louisiana. They're a heck of a lot cheaper, but you're shooting yourself in the foot. Slainte' Patty

We've just returned from an interesting adventure to Connemara, Dublin and Edinburgh. I say interesting because of the sheer unexpectedness (is that a word?) of the experience. Nothing and everything I expected all at once and on so many different levels: but before I start waxing poetic about genetic memory etc. I will stop and get to the skeletal meat of the matter....the food. It did not play out as I planned, as so many of you helped me with...i.e resturants etc. We arrived in Clifden late, having been up at that point and en route 24 hrs. Driving, flying, flying, driving. The road from Galway to Clifden is a good 2 hrs. Here it would be 30 minutes. Arrived at the B&B to find 13 of my family already into the 2nd case of wine, so proceeded to destress in a most delightful way. I'll have to post on the wine hilarity on the spirits board later. No food. Morning, no hangover for some odd reason, but starving. Typical Bangers, overcooked eggs and thankfully lovely jam and toast.( What is the reason for the tomato no one eats? I've always wondered.) Hired bus to Athlone to visit the 2nd cousins. cousin Anne married a texan and lived in Houston for 40 years before retiring to Athlone (that was the deal she struck with husband Ken, and he's very happy with it) a few years back. Guess what was for lunch. Barbeque. Very good one too, she's still light on the salt, and I guess I should have brought some Community coffee with me cause sorry. Maxwell House SUCKS. So we flew 4000 miles to have brisket and baked beans. Cousin has an AGA stove she got on the cheap from the local convent when it closed. It is a beautiful thing, and she says it's completly stopped the mold upstairs in the 108 year old house. The grounds are like a cool rain forest. The herb garden is like a small green world within a world. Angelica to wold. You could cook anything, mend anything, dye cloth, cure avian flu with the bounty of that garden. Left sated, and returned to Clifden to finish off the 2nd case of wine. Sunday morning. Even though the sun rose at 4:30, nothing opened until 10, so drove to the cliffs, and te'burrens. Froze our asses off, and used an excellent scotch to warm up....started with it in the hot chocolate(a trick I learned 6 years ago in Scotland) and ended with it neat...sooo smooth I almost could not stand it. Almost. Dinner in Cleggan, a tiny fishing community west, on the coast, from Clifden. We were the only ones not from the town. My 2nd cousin once removed waited on our table. Her father had caught the crabs we ate. It's a wonderful place called Oliver's. The seafood bisque was bountiful, and perfectly put together. It lacked white pepper and salt, but once that was rectified the freshness of the seafood was the nearest thing to purity I've ever tasted. The salmon 'teaser was like butter that was born in the ocean. I will never buy salmon from Albertson's again and expect to be happy. I shall remember the feel of that fish in my mouth for the rest of my life. Unfortunatly no time for dessert as we had to catch low tide at 8pm. I have to digress for a moment. The reason for this trip was what we did next. My truly beautiful brother died during the second coming. This is what I call hurricane Rita, as she came on the heels of Katrina which had already saturated athe 5 state area with refugees. This being the case, we had no place to go and chose to ride it out. My brother died and I was not able to be with him. His wishes were that his ashes be spread in Ireland. My great-grandparents, cousins etc. are buried on an island off Cleggan that can only be reached when the tide is out. So we drove across the Atlantic ocean floor to a cemetary that has been there as long as the people themselves have been.. It was 0 degrees C. Raining. Glorious. What a place to go in the end. I'm seriously thinking about it for myself. It gives a marvelous excuse for a family reunion as well. The wishes were carried out. We retired to yet more wine, scotch and the warmth of a peat fire. I'm sure the owners of the B&B are convinced we are all alcoholics. When we get together we can put it away, but we are also very discerning about WHAT we drink. So she can wonder all she wants, but must admit in the end we have excellent taste. She's lucky we left her the cheese. Left Mon. am for Dublin. Here is where all hopes of gourmet nights became a nightmare. Everyone is starving by the time we get out of Galway. We stop at a couple of places and check the menues, but they tend to be 'bankers food' types and I have 3 growing boys. They want burgers and there is not a fast food place to be seen from the road. Finally my son who is driving has had enough and pulls into the first place advertised. I wish I'd kept the receipt so I could post a warning here. It's somewhere near Kennegard off the road to Dublin, before the toll road. Some old converted schoolhouse. As we drive up, the owner/chef is sitting outside with his coffee and cigarettes. We are the only one's there. I cannot write anymore about this, because just the thought of whats to come is bringing on a headache and I'm feeling physically sick. I will never, ever, ever be able to eat anything with horseradish again, and possibly ground meat. I literally get a physical reaction from even thinking about that meal. DH is 'feeling funny' in the car. He passes out in the hotel room (Jury's hotel HighChurch SUCKS by the way, but a bed is a bed when you think you are dying) so I get the kids grilled cheese downstairs. I get them in their room with the tray barely in time to get to the toilet and proceed to lose weight from various points of my body. Thank God DH never needed the facilities, we would have been seriously fighting over access. 2 days later, and the second sick child with a garbage bag on his knee we fly to Scotland. Things are better here, at least the 2 kids who remain to fall prey to the insidious menace have a 5 star hotel to recover in. However this means we have to divvy up. One staying 'home' while the other takes the survivours out to the sights. Pub food. Room service. I cannot really say much about food in Edinburgh because I could do nothing except normal maintaince and try to keep potassium in our systems so our muscles would work. I could not bring myself to try haggis, and I apologize for my utter lack of guts, but please try to understand that I was under some serious limitations and did not want to test my inflamed innards to other innards. I we flew halfway around the world and am no wiser as to the finer resturants than I was before. That's not to say I did not learn anything. Irish cheese is a gift from God. Scotch whisky is a gift from God. There is a paradox in Ireland regarding their seafood. Most resturants seem to think there is a shortage and charge accordingly. If you seek out the local coastal resturants I think you will discover the magic that is in the waters there. At least I've been able to tell you about one. Those of you who live there are blessed, and I promise next trip I will spend more time and money in your resturants than in your shops. Or at least as much. there no food left in the house as my oldest son's girlfriend house sat, and I told her and her friends to eat away. They are young and skinny and students so they took me at my word. I wiped the fridge and started fresh. 229$ later I begin to cook again. I think I'll bake bread today and open a beautiful marmalade I bought back. I will always love Ireland, but it's good to be home. edit: clarity

can you lenghthen the opening for a double oven? I mean, you're already kinda not wide..I know, I am there with one up and down. Upper convection, lower reg. it's easier to lenghten, than it is to widen.

I've never had any luck with the kind that come chopped and frozen in the bag, they're good for a quick soup, but never cooked crunchy/soft enough inside for hash browns. I started using left over baked potatoes from Sat. night chopped up, skins and all instead for sun. brunch. Throw some seasoning blend, s&p in there, and for some reason they cook up just fine..if you press them into the pan they'll stick together and the seasoning vegetables cook through while the outside crusts. And they'll flip fine, if you have a pan with sloping sides!

His book is cheep,considering what he offers. I've only found one flaw in a hundred of his recipes.. icyi..the flaw is in the coconut cake recipe.

This cake is usually one layer, sort of like cake/brownies. I'd lose the pecans(unless she likes them, mine don't) and make a layer cake...2 sheet cakes together with icing on top and between. This icing is like fudge, and the cake is rich like a brownie, but not as dense.

Beaker, thanks. I'm gonna do it now. let you know. Patty

southern living did one as well. something along the line of 1000 kitchen secrets. you'd get tips on carving watermelens and the next paragraph would be defining woks..very, um, disconcerting.

Thanks everyone, sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I've mixed feelings about the hotels, and probably should be looking at more B@B's. Trouble is, I need to be centrally located in Dublin and Excuse my previous mispelling, Edinburgh. What do you know of the Hyde park Hilton in London? btw, yes. I know Ireland is not part of the UK, and they use euro's while GB is still on the English pound. It was not intended to read as though I were a total idiot!! But if you think Jury's is crap, I have to tell you the places I've stayed in Ireland and England and Scotland before were set up by a discount tour guide, and they were really truly big time crap. I'd rather go with a decent chain than go through that again. Just need the decent chain!! While we can afford 4 star, I'd rather spend the money on goodies..if it were just dh and myself it would be different, but I'm afraid the boys won't give a rat's butt. I've spent hours and hours chasing chains around the area, as well as tips from travel sites. Thanks for the resturant suggestions, I've copied and pasted to my file. we leave on the 18th, I'll post my findings (especially on Jury's, I know we'll be staying there in Dublin) and where we lit in London and Scotland. Cheers. Patty after checking with the above links, they have nothing to offer on the dates I need, however it led to me googling and spending my entire afternoon on checking out 'boutique hotels' which arn't cheap...they arn't out of my price range however, and since I'm paid up in Clifton, and for the tickets..well it is our last 3 days. you can check this out the scotsman hotel it requires (is it the kids?...please tell me!) 3 rooms and will cost about 2 grand for 3 nights. I've really not decided. I've tried the others, and have stayed at the grassmarket hotel (not bad, and not really that cheap as it turns out, but loud). I must decide at some point quickly. I've stayed longer at more expensive hotels, but honestly it seems a waste while dragging kids. BUT. We are spending the last of our time here, and I truly love the city and would like a nice place to roost. Why is it that I keep thanking God that I've paid next year's tution already??? Patty I do not mean to come off as cheap, because I'm not. I just want the biggest bang for the buck because I'm still raising kids and don't know what tomorrow will bring.

...and a hard rain is a gonna fall. Eat up today guys, you're gonna get this crap tomorrow. It just ain't barbeque weather, and the tents arn't going to hold up in this wind, so it's indoors on Sunday. Gotta make a birthday cake, any suggestions? (no, I'm not going to spike it, I want to eat some too.) I'm thinking lemon velvet cake.

Not from the child who says he's my son. He forgot his camera and the girlfriend forgot to charge her battery. Man, the priorities of these kids these days. BUT, he said Dylan was singing the blues (any surprises?) and was wonderful, he got to see a legend, and the kid is a musician...I'm proud. Well, at least he knows what to see in the 2 days he's there, and he gets that from mom. I'm trying to get him to go see the Doctor (John), but since he's following Dylan, I guess that's a given. God Bless New Orleans. I know at least 200 of my bucks are being spent there. I'll get the final total when I get the MasterCard bill! (the 200 was just beer money, hey! it's his birthday, and he's legal now) ← You sound like such a cool mom (dad?)! However. I feel that forggeting not only ONE but BOTH cameras is grounds for revocation of beer money! ← I'm the mom. He gets his taste in music (and beer, probably) from me. He gets his talent from his dad. I think the money's done been spent, or I'd take it back in a heart beat... not only did they not bring cameras but they're trying to tell me they can't afford to bring me a poster! such brats! I think I'll spike his birthday cake with ex-lax...

Not from the child who says he's my son. He forgot his camera and the girlfriend forgot to charge her battery. Man, the priorities of these kids these days. BUT, he said Dylan was singing the blues (any surprises?) and was wonderful, he got to see a legend, and the kid is a musician...I'm proud. Well, at least he knows what to see in the 2 days he's there, and he gets that from mom. I'm trying to get him to go see the Doctor (John), but since he's following Dylan, I guess that's a given. God Bless New Orleans. I know at least 200 of my bucks are being spent there. I'll get the final total when I get the MasterCard bill! (the 200 was just beer money, hey! it's his birthday, and he's legal now)

It's got a hellofa line-up. here's the link. My kid is going over tonight and catching Dylan in the morning. He's coming home Sun. morning and I was trying to get him to bring me home some strawberries on the way back through Hammond to make some preserves. He won't bring me anything from Jazz fest though, but he might take some pic's of what's cookin' if 'he thinks about it'. Yes, he's spoiled, but he's also not a foodie. The girl-friend might be more cooperative. If you go, please share! Patty

Corrinne, and others have been helping here but the 4 men in the family keep getting in the way of plans, they have nothing to offer and not a clue. Here's what I need: Hotels? Jury's in Boston had a cool little resturant (actually had my grandfathers picure on the wall) so I'm thinking Jury's for both Dublin and Edinbourgh. Given the ages of my kids(21,15 and 12) on this trip I can do a few nights out with the hubby. In Edinbough, In Dublin..high end and good food. I've stopped counting at this point as how much this is going to cost...It's gonna be a good one...Anyone know of a B&B halfway between Dublin and Shannon? I have to have the kids do the tourist thing, but does this mean I have to starve? Or, please, not have really crappy tourist food. First trip was cheap, this one we're ready. I want to satisfy everyone this this trip, because I can see it'll b the last time we'll all be together (without wives, etc. )...save me. To get back to food..remember, Dublin and Edinbourgh.

I still like mine. wow, you guys are smart. here's to egullett...

I think it's too do with the sugar's smoothness...like fine, 600 ct. pima cotton sheets. They feel cool cause they're sooo smooth. Or the page of a fine book. Just open it, and you feel cooler. It's a mind thing, like a yawn is contagious. And it is. It's catching like watching sex in a movie and getting in the mood....same function of the brain. coolness by association. (hey, isn't that an afternoon special movie??)

less than 2 weeks ago, I reluctantly boxed off my green lc buffet cassarole to ship off because the enamel was popping off. I loved that pan, I used it 3-4 times a week. It's the perfect size for etouffee', and jambalaya, and sauted shrimp for pasta, and creoles and the list goes on. After contacting lc of n. America, I called and got a return number for my baby. I was told they discontinued the color (of course) and I chose buff in case they replaced it. I needed something neutral to go with my hodgpodge of lc colors.... If they determined neglect was the cause, there would be no replacement, but a 75% discount for a new pot. I got the replacement pot today. What a great warranty. What a great turnaround time. What a great pot!!!!! I love my lc.

From what I've found, they tend to keep the carbon steel cleavers behind the counter or in a display case rather than out on the shelves. Dunno why. Uh, Chad. Did you take a good look at that thing? I wouldn't leave it hanging around either. I still can't find mine, hid it good! It's the one Martin Chan's wife was selling a while back. I think so anyway. I'll look again, but it may have been used for yard cleaning back in Sept. Patty