hjshorter

Congratulations Jaymes! That sounds like an evening straight out of a romantic novel.

Never even heard of one. Where are they located?

I'm probably going to be considered a rube or something...but I thought the cover was cute. Better than another picture of a city that we don't have the time or money to visit, or a dish I would never cook. And who cares about RR's dress sense? Edit: yes, most colors used by pastry chefs are artificial.

More than a few ban them - it's one of the reasons we decided to rent a flat three years ago for a trip to London with then 18-month-old Emma (for a trip we ended up not taking). That, and having a kitchen available reduces the need to find restaurants that allow children. It was surprising how many did not allow children under 12 - is tourism such a small part of the London economy that people with children are discouraged from even visiting? Tourism is a major part of the Washington DC economy, so much so that most places would permit children rather than lose the business. Of course, I'm not speaking of high-end places like Citronelle. And I don't know of a single hotel here than bans them entirely. A posted "no kids" policy would likely get all of the lawyers here in a tizzy.

Sorry to hear that. What a bummer. Where did you go afterwards?

I'd like to bake my own bread consistently, and get into canning and preserving.

Chairman Kaga is the Liberace of the foodie set! I think we need Carson from Queer Eye to help him update his wardrobe to some 21st century costuming, dontcha think? I happen to find Kaga's shirt in the opening (the white one with splotches that look like black ink drops or a pinto pony) incredibly sexy. I have looked all over fine men's stores for one (for my husband), but nada. Hmm...maybe Carson knows... The shirt is very nice, but my favorite is the black and cream patchwork sequinned thing that he wears occasionally. Holy cow is it over the top.

We have the KitchenAid attachment and it does a fine job. What I would really like is a slicer (for sandwiches, etc.), but haven't done any research yet.

Count me in the "love it" category. What makes the show for me are the voice-overs; it's not surprising that Kris would find it tiresome on the original language. Chen is my favorite IC. And Kaga's jackets...

We drank 3 bottles of champagne (there were five of us ), but interestingly enough if the champagne costs more than $40 a bottle it doesn't mess me up. Then again, I didn't have any of the tequila shots that came out after the champagne was gone.

I haven't been able to focus on much lately, but now that the holidays are over I would still be interested in doing a couple more menus from J&J.

The light one sounds incredible. Do you have the recipe?

Beautiful photos, tommy. Thanks.

Essentials of Asian Cuisine by Corrine Trang. We've found out that Emma is allergic to dairy and that cuts a lot of foods out of our diet, so I'm reading up on asian and mediterranean cuisine.

I just got a call from Jamison cancelling our pre-theater reservation for Friday. What a bummer, especially since we had to cancel our reservations there last summer. The good news is that he's cancelling due to an equipment installation. Apparently they're expanding. They deserve some nice new stoves after all the great reviews.

Jaymes, that was standard procedure in my family too. Behave, or you sit in the car until mom is finished shopping, or the family is done eating, or whatever. As I recall it only had to happen once, and every time it was threatened afterward we would toe the line. Now there's a law against leaving your kid in a vehicle unattended.

"She was all over him like white on rice." In my family it was "I'm so hungry I could chew the a** out of a teddy bear". No idea where it came from.

I'd like to avoid a car, but with little ones we will probably rent one - too much gear to take along. The last time we took the streetcar and bus everywhere we wanted to go. My main concern is avoiding the dates with maximum tourist potential. No Carnival, no Jazzfest, etc.

Ooops, I forgot Louisiana has its own forum now. My bad. We're thinking late spring, Brooks. Our kids will be 2 and almost 5, and we haven't been since 1997.

Scott and I are considering a trip back to his hometown. We haven't been to NOLA since before we were married. Is New Orleans a good place to visit with kids? We'd most likely stay in our friend's B&B uptown (Coliseum St). We know about the zoo and aquarium - any more kid friendly stuff to do? What about kid-friendly restaurants? Scott's main hangout was Checkpoint Charlie's, but we're not taking our toddlers there.

I check the caller ID, but unless it's Publisher's Clearing House calling to tell me I've won (I'm still waiting), the call usually goes to the answering machine.

Once the kids get a little older I'm looking forward to having movie night once a week, maybe on Sundays, with pizza. That would be a fine exception to the "no tv during dinner" rule. edit: spelling broken today

Archie MacPhee is the greatest store on earth.

I like to read during meals but only when I'm alone. Scott would always read at meals if I didn't remind him to put the book down occasionally. It's tough getting a book away from him though - he even reads in the shower. I forgot to mention that when the kids eat in the kitchen they're sometimes allowed to watch the Wiggles, or Sesame Street, or whatever.

We have friends that we will not go to restaurants with because their children get up and run around, and if they're doing it my kids will want to get down too. We eat dinner together every day, at the dining room table. Ian (age 20 months) sits in his high chair with a tray, and Emma (age 4 1/2) has a special wooden chair with a footrest. If Emma wants to be excused she has to ask politely and clear her plate. Ian is excused when he starts throwing his meal. I don't make Emma sit until the grownups are finished. There's no TV in our dining room. Very occasionally we will eat in family room where the TV is, but only for the World Series or some other special event. We listen to the radio all the time though, NPR quiz shows, or music, or Prairie Home Companion on Saturday nights. We have a breakfast bar in our kitchen and sometimes Emma will eat breakfast or lunch there while Ian is in his high chair in the kitchen.