TrishCT

I go to Disneyworld every other year or so for no good reason... The trip before last at Epcot, it was soooo hot... and I had brought my parents, who were getting short tempered and testy... We ducked into Le Cellier.... it was a dark, cool, refreshing respite from the oppressive heat... Thanks for reminding me, Steve.

I was at Disneyworld last year so my account is not that recent, but I was non-plussed with most places. I did enjoy The California Grill at the Contemporary, decent fresh food and wine, and we went late and watched the fireworks from our table. In my opinion Albert & Victoria's and The French Bistro in Epcot were nothing special. We did enjoy some of the fast food Japanese at Epcot though. Wolfgang Puck's in the marketplace was good, albeit pricey. Someone told me they enjoyed an all you can eat seafood/clambake I think at your place, the Yacht Club (or Beach Club??) Good luck and have fun! Edit: I almost forgot, I love the Dole Whip stuff, near Pirates of Caribbean and at The Polynesian Resort!

Wow Marlene.... Thank you for putting up my recipe! I guess I will have to check that function out on here...

Sauteed Carrots 4-5 carrots, peeled, and cut into sticks roughly 3 inches long (Don't worry about making them fancy or even) 2 T unsalted butter 2 T maple syrup Salt & Pepper Melt the butter over medium high heat in a fry pan. Add the carrots and stir them to coat, drizzle the syrup over and coat. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan on occasion. Natural juices from the carrots will cook them. Uncover and raise heat to medium high heat, cook 10 more minutes until carrots start blackening.... Some black is good. Add Salt & Pepper to taste. Keywords: Side, Easy, Vegetables ( RG341 )

Agreed. In Connecticut its pizza, pasta, etc.... Also we have more Dunkin' Donuts' than you can shake a stick at.... People are mega-addicted to their coffee... Not uncommon to see a Box of Joe at any event....

Hnmmm.. Not Gandhi, he'd just pick.... Not Henry VIII, he eats with his hands... Not Japanese food with Dubya's dad..... I'll take Paul Newman.

Eric, I like what you have to say. Different people/different tastes. Professional chefs/food writers view things differently than those not "in the biz." Some folks like to watch the Food Network to learn, not just to say "Hey I can do that and much better..." Working in law and familiar with the inside of a courtroom, I laugh out loud sometimes at the plot absurdities on The Practice... but its TV... its ENTERTAINMENT.... ALL of it.... Even the weather channel can't resist, with specials on tornado chasing... Like it or not, Emeril put the FN on the map, and its because of him that some very fine chefs have gotten widespread play... Eventually overexposure will winnow down the field of commercialism.... Fashion designers used to put their names on everything... I recall seeing a Bill Blass toilet seat cover at Macy's... And look at the Osbournes (actually try avoiding them, its difficult).... I think Ozzy's 15 minutes are up...again... Gotta give the public some credit for having some savvy... Graham Kerr (a/k/a The Galloping Gourmet) may have cashed in on his foppishness, but no one mistook his culinary genius for Julia Child's... Let's have some fun...

My mother-in-law Joan is one of the best Yankee New England cooks I know, so I asked her about this since she makes it... She said "creamed" means a thickened cream/milk type sauce, i.e. creamed corn, creamed potatoes, etc... She said creaming can be thin, medium or thick, depending on the amount of cream/milk, butter and thickening agent used, and your personal preferences. She offers the following basic creamed spinach recipe (medium thick) which I have re-named: Creamed Spinach 101 1 bag fresh spinach (cleaned and stemmed) or 1 box good quality frozen spinach 1 Cup Milk 1 Tablespoon flour 2 Tablespoons butter Salt & Pepper 1. Cook and thoroughly drain the spinach. 2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, strirring like a roux. 3. Add the milk gradually, stirring continuously. 4. When all the milk is added and the sauce is thickened, add the cooked spinach and stir to heat through. Add salt & pepper to taste. Some variations... adding a dash of nutmeg, garlic, onions, shallots, etc... Bon Appetit! Edited : I forgot the flour in original post, recipe is good now!

Creamed Spinach 101 From THE BEST: Creamed Spinach in NYC thread My mother-in-law Joan is one of the best Yankee New England cooks I know, so I asked her about this since she makes it... She said "creamed" means a thickened cream/milk type sauce, i.e. creamed corn, creamed potatoes, etc... She said creaming can be thin, medium or thick, depending on the amount of cream/milk, butter and thickening agent used, and your personal preferences. 1 bag fresh spinach (cleaned and stemmed)or 1 box good quality frozen spinach 1 c Milk 1 T flour 2 T butter Salt & Pepper 1. Cook and thoroughly drain the spinach. 2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, strirring like a roux. 3. Add the milk gradually, stirring continuously. 4. When all the milk is added and the sauce is thickened, add the cooked spinach and stir to heat through. Add salt & pepper to taste. Some variations... adding a dash of nutmeg, garlic, onions, shallots, etc... Bon Appetit! Keywords: American, Vegetables, Side ( RG322 )

I honestly didn't notice any cream or dairylike ingredients in the Luger's spinach I ate recently... that's why I liked it...

Wilfrid you are making me laugh so hard I just snorted up my diet coke.... Note to self... Don't read Wilfrid's posts during lunch....

Ina (the Barefoot Contessa) a "hottie" who looks like she stepped out of Melrose Place??? What episode of Melrose Place did I miss????? Let me add to Wilfrid's list .... the sexy Emeril, Wolfgang, and Alton...my gosh where did they find such hunks... modeling underwear in the Sears catalog?

Nightscotsman.... Thanks for highlighting the other thread about this.... How come there are 2...?

I just caught the bouillabaise episode and enjoyed it as well.... GO TYLER!

I am only (HA!) forty friggin' four...and was just a wee one when Julia arrived on the scene on Channel 2 in Boston.... she was the first tv chef I recall.... I think her show initially ran about 15 minutes, though it may have just seemed that way.... I don't recall Dione Lucas.... It's odd how I started watching Julia..... I actually misread the tv guide and thought the show was called "The Fire Chief" and was about firefighting. Serendipity!

Hi nyfire guy, nice to meet you.... My point...and I have one, not just on the top of my head ... Is that I credit television, in particular, Mme. Julia Child, for encouraging american cooks to use fresh ingredients in cooking. I remember the 60's as being a veritable wasteland for suburban american cuisine... And not just in my home.... Anyone else have a plate of wonder white bread on the table with a stick of margarine as your evening "bread basket?"... As Emeril would say, Julia kicked it up a notch... I have nothing against frozen foods or dried spices, my home is full of both as well.

In our household, the family tradition is a Sunday morning breakfast of pancakes or waffles or crepes.... We usually use Grade A Medium Amber syrup because that's what's most commonly sold around here... Regardless of the brand, we noticed it has more flavor than the Light Amber... I like the good stuff so much I created an original (I THINK its original.. one never knows what's original these days) side dish recipe for sauteed carrots that I would like to share with you.... What's nice about this recipe is 1. The carrots are not boiled and actually taste good.... and 2. The syrup is used sparingly, and gives the carrots a certain Je ne sais quoi... They don't taste like maple syrup....they aren't sticky or glazed.... Sauteed Carrots 4-5 carrots, peeled, and cut into sticks roughly 3 inches long (Don't worry about making them fancy or even) 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2 Tablespoons maple syrup Salt & Pepper Melt the butter over medium high heat in a fry pan. Add the carrots and stir them to coat, drizzle the syrup over and coat. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan on occasion. Natural juices from the carrots will cook them. Uncover and raise heat to medium high heat, cook 10 more minutes until carrots start blackening.... Some black is good. Add Salt & Pepper to taste.

Speaking as a customer and consumer, non-food professional (not even a wannabe): I will not usually order dessert if the server just says "Are you interested in dessert".... Although I have never analyzed why.... I think it's because I get the impression dessert is very much an after thought at this place, so why bother.. However... if there is a special dessert menu and it is handed to me and the waiter makes a suggestion or 2 then takes his leave for just a few minutes.... chances are a dessert or two may be ordered.... even better if the menu has a few regular or specialty coffees or after dinner drink things listed.... User friendly is key to me.

I'm new... but I really do like you .... I voted...

My 2 cents for what it's worth.... I watched Date Plate last night just because of the messages on this site... I figured it was a dirty job but someone had to do it and I was up to the challenge... I corralled my poor unsuspecting husband into watching it with me. At the outset I predicted the winner.... My husband accused me of cheating... I admitted I had read the recipes ahead of time.... and the flowers did it for me... I don't care how good lamb and crepes are, that a man would put edible flowers in a dish is the height of romance.... So, alas, the show was predictable... I think the idea of Date Plate is actually fun...imagine if you were the one that two people were trying to impress by cooking for you... its way cool.... but that's real life... as tv, the show blows.... its that simple...

Wilfrid, Also should mention, especially if you are bringing kids, Stew Leonard's Supermarkets (there is one somewhere in Westchester also), one in Norwalk (the original), and one in Danbury. The one in Danbury IMHO, is nicer... Stew's shameless promotion calls itself the Disneyland of Supermarkets and it lives up to that... petting zoo, ice cream cones, free samples, men in cow suits, animated singing thingies... Its a large dairy store...so prices of yogurt, butter, milk etc...are very good buys.... other stuff can be expensive.... its a mixed bag... but say what you want pro or con.... (irony with the word "con," as Stew was indicted and jailed for tax evasion once)..its an experience!

Simplicity and convection got me thinking.... When I travel to Canada every little hole in the wall place and convenience store serves piping hot, fresh croissants.... they buy them pre-formed and bake them in the convection oven... couldn't be easier...and man are they good....

I like a good Parker House Roll....it tastes great on its own or with butter, yet its bland enough for those who must dip....

Although I like raisins in some things.... nothing disappoints more than biting into a cookie that you think has chocolate chips in it and egads, its not chocolate, its RAISINS!

Yes, I have watched FN since the beginning...I remember Emeril in How To Boil Water... and Pasta Every Night...and a lotta other tough stuff to swallow ... I just disagree that the whole network is basically not worth watching.... it has moments of delight and entertainment.... I never would have discovered Mario Batali, A. Bourdain, Jacques Torres, and yes Iron Chef.... If a network can be dedicated to weather and game shows, it surely can focus on food..... Let's just have more variety and spice on the menu...