Toliver

Surprisingly, the early results are in and the new "McAngus Burgers" (be careful not to drop the "g"! ) are considered a success: "Supersizing it: McDonald's tests bigger burger" Don't bother watching the accompanying CNBC video of the story as it says pretty much everything the article says. It's an interesting (albeit, short) point at the end of the article where it speculates that the competition against these new burgers could be the casual dining chains like Applebee's. However, I don't think that would really be the case since the suggested demographics for the new Angus burgers (young males) is a little different than that of the casual dining chains.

From MSNBC: "Healthier tomatoes grown in seawater" The article title is misleading. The tomatoes are grown in a 10-to-1 ratio of fresh water to seawater mixture. I am curious as to whether it is soley the salt that's making the difference or if there's also something else in the seawater that's boosting the antioxidant output. I wonder if the home gardner could duplicate these efforts, especially those who live near the ocean. The question is, how would the home gardner know if they were successful other than sending the fruit off to a lab?

Brace yourselves... The results of the vote is in: "Results from grocery strike vote due Monday" Union employees have authorized the union to call for a strike, if necessary. The grocery worker's strike two years ago was focused on Von's but spread to the other two (Ralph's and Albertson's) when they locked out union employees. This strike, if it happens, is supposed to be against just Albertson's but could spread if the same lock-out tactics occur. The last grocery worker's strike completely changed my grocery shopping habits. There's a Von's just down the block from me and I've only stepped foot in it two or three times since the strike. I now do the majority of my shopping in a non-"Big Three" grocery store chain and haven't missed them a bit. Ralph's, where I did quite a bit of grocery shopping, closed all their stores in this area so they're no longer a factor here. If there's another strike, will you cross the picket lines? Or will you do your grocery shopping elsewhere?

Sugar. This is a little off-topic since you're discussing new-speak euphemisms... I get a kick out of seeing products like "Sunny D" that can't call themselves orange juice because they don't have enough juice in them to label themselves as such. So they're orange "drinks" or as Sunny D calls themselves "SunnyD® Tangy Original Style"...original style what? The second ingredient behind water is high frustoce corn syrup...and don't forget the canola oil in the list of ingredients.

Cake-like brownies are also sometimes called "Texas Brownies". This is a link to an eGullet Recipe I submitted: "Clara’s Brownies (aka Texas Brownies)" What makes them brownie-like is the icing...it's chocolately and nutty. The recipe calls for a 9x13 pan which helps contain the heated frosting as it's applied. I'm not sure how you could translate it into a wedding cake tier since the heated frosting probably wouldn't stick to the sides of the exposed cake. Take it for a test drive...

The game activity seems to be slowing down a bit... Here's a Monday morning recap: Please don't assign numbers to your new movie foods...if a movie is solved before it gets put into a recap, it's not given a number since it's out of play. Also, we're getting some repeat movies. Try not to use "Pretty Woman", "The Godfather", "Cool Hand Luke", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Fargo", "Moonstruck", "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Dirty Dancing" as they've all been used twice. Some new clues have been added to existing puzzles. CONGRATULATIONS TO: -The Blissful Glutton for solving #141 (An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert...) as the film "Tideland". ************ WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION: -insomniac has guessed that #123 ("you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta.") is the film "Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events". -Toliver has guessed that #123 is "The Goodbye Girl" We know that #97 is not "Little Miss Sunshine" #153 is not "Legal Eagles" ************ STILL UNSOLVED AND TAUNTING US UNMERCIFULLY: 97. Ahi Tuna, a glass of water CLUE: toothpaste CLUE: Christmas cookies, herbal tea CLUE: a big stack of pancakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup 123. "you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta." 148. In a marketplace, buying pears, Brioche, grapes, fresh cheeses, wine, crusty loaves of bread, and a fresh pork hock 153. cold hot dogs, mustard, potato chips, beer, milk 154. REVISED CLUE: A floor picnic of roast chicken, rudely interrupted by monetary concerns and time constraints. CLUE: Every meal in the movie was disrupted by SOMETHING, but no other by money. 155. Sugar and HIGH TEA. CLUE: Breadcrumbs. CLUE: BAGS OF breadcrumbs. Cheap. 156. laughing, guffaw....."CHICLETS!!!!!!!!!!!" CLUE: there is a concession stand with a big stack of cookies displayed on a long pole and the guy selling the cookies does not like loud music, only "Sha Na Na" 158. "I love their eggrolls" " Eat your eggs" and four perfect T-bone steaks 159. An oatmeal cream pie, an apple, and a family dinner featuring a turkey. 160. Name the film in which mushrooms play a minor, but significant role in forwarding themes - For a fleeting moment, a hunt for trumpet mushrooms unites a disengaged father with his two children. Hidden deep within the woods, chanterelles evoke nostalgia for those resigned to the grimness of their ongoing lives: a time of family connections when traditions were passed down from one generation to the next. The best mushroom one could ever find, they represent promise. As long as they keep it a secret from their mother, the children may be taken high into the mountains to search for them one day when they are older. Black mushrooms mean death: inescapable, horrifying, thrilling. **** NOTE: If you post a movie, please check back to see if the guesses on your movie are correct or not so we can keep the "Still in Play" list accurate. Also, consider posting more clues if your movie remains unsolved. ****

I'm dying to hear how the World Peace Brownies came out. ← Everybody loved them, but the texture wasn't quite what I was after. I want the brownies to have the same sandy crunch to them that the cookies did. I made the cookies with 1/2 cup of coarse dark brown sugar only (instead of the 2/3 cup brown and 1/4 cup white called for). So my next experiment will have some turbinido sugar stirred in at the very last minute, with the salt. I'll let you know how they turn out. ← I was imagining that you could do a layered brownie with the World Peace Cookies. Use the cookies as a bottom crust with the brownies on top. Though as crumbly as the cookies can get, I don't know if they'd hold up well once they were cut.

I thought I would bump this discussion back up having seen this Sunbeam 7530 Rocket Grill Electric Grilling Appliance on Amazon. From the product description is sounds like a vertical George Foreman grill or a glorified toaster. Of course, you have to buy the disposable parchment bags to hold the food in order to use the appliance. Obviously they haven't heard of Toast-N-Serve bags!

You're welcome! Sometimes following the White Rabbit down the Google hole can be fun and enlightening. Uhm...er...yes, I do have a job and I am supposed to be working...

Oooo, more info on the Smoked Paprika Baked Beans please! A recipe, perhaps?

Our end-of-the-week morning recap: Please don't assign numbers to your new movie foods...if a movie is solved before it gets put into a recap, it's not given a number since it's out of play. Also, we're getting some repeat movies. Try not to use "Pretty Woman", "The Godfather", "Cool Hand Luke", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Fargo", "Moonstruck", "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Dirty Dancing" as they've all been used twice. Some new clues have been added to existing puzzles. CONGRATULATIONS TO: -waterdogs for correctly guessing that #157 (In separate instances, a green apple eaten each morning, and a glass of milk and cookies "warm and gooey, right out of the oven." CLUE: The lead character never liked cookies until he tasted these which had been baked especially for him) is the film "Stranger Than Fiction" ************ WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION: -The Blissful Glutton has guessed that #141 (An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert) is the film "The Corpse Bride". -insomniac has guessed that #123 ("you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta.") is the film "Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events". -Toliver has guessed that #123 is "The Goodbye Girl" -Simon_S has guessed that #141 is the film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". -The Blissful Glutton has guessed that #141 is the film "Tideland". We know that #97 is not "Little Miss Sunshine" #153 is not "Legal Eagles" #141 is not "The Corpse Bride" or "The Brothers Grimm" or "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" ************ STILL UNSOLVED AND TAUNTING US UNMERCIFULLY: 97. Ahi Tuna, a glass of water CLUE: toothpaste CLUE: Christmas cookies, herbal tea CLUE: a big stack of pancakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup 123. "you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta." 141. An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert. CLUE: a jar of peanut butter and ants CLUE: It had a very limited release even though the director is well known for both his direction *and* animation. CLUE: Director was a member of Monty Python. 148. In a marketplace, buying pears, Brioche, grapes, fresh cheeses, wine, crusty loaves of bread, and a fresh pork hock 153. cold hot dogs, mustard, potato chips, beer, milk 154. REVISED CLUE: A floor picnic of roast chicken, rudely interrupted by monetary concerns and time constraints. 155. Sugar and HIGH TEA. CLUE: Breadcrumbs. 156. laughing, guffaw....."CHICLETS!!!!!!!!!!!" CLUE: there is a concession stand with a big stack of cookies displayed on a long pole and the guy selling the cookies does not like loud music, only "Sha Na Na" 158. "I love their eggrolls" " Eat your eggs" and four perfect T-bone steaks 159. An oatmeal cream pie, an apple, and a family dinner featuring a turkey. 160. Name the film in which mushrooms play a minor, but significant role in forwarding themes - For a fleeting moment, a hunt for trumpet mushrooms unites a disengaged father with his two children. Hidden deep within the woods, chanterelles evoke nostalgia for those resigned to the grimness of their ongoing lives: a time of family connections when traditions were passed down from one generation to the next. The best mushroom one could ever find, they represent promise. As long as they keep it a secret from their mother, the children may be taken high into the mountains to search for them one day when they are older. Black mushrooms mean death: inescapable, horrifying, thrilling. **** NOTE: If you post a movie, please check back to see if the guesses on your movie are correct or not so we can keep the "Still in Play" list accurate. Also, consider posting more clues if your movie remains unsolved. ****

Windmill Farms started life as an Alpha Beta nearly 50 years ago. Alpha Beta was acquired by Lucky's which in turn was eventually acquired by Albertson's. Back in the day Alpha Beta was a competitor to Safeway. ← You mean the specific building in question. I think that Windmill Farms itself was another store that was born from the Boney's dissolution (from which the Henry's chain was started). edited to add: Thanks, Ellen, for the trip to National City. My brother's in-laws are Filipino so I look forward to our large family gatherings for the Filipino food they bring...and to see them, as well, of course.

A mid-morning recap to correct a misplaced clue: Please don't assign numbers to your new movie foods...if a movie is solved before it gets put into a recap, it's not given a number since it's out of play. Also, we're getting some repeat movies. Try not to use "Pretty Woman", "The Godfather", "Cool Hand Luke", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Fargo", "Moonstruck", "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Dirty Dancing" as they've all been used twice. Some new clues have been added to existing puzzles. There have been no new solved movies since the last recap. ************ WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION: -The Blissful Glutton has guessed that #141 (An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert) is the film "The Corpse Bride". -insomniac has guessed that #123 ("you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta.") is the film "Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events". -Toliver has guessed that #123 is "The Goodbye Girl" We know that #97 is not "Little Miss Sunshine" #153 is not "Legal Eagles" ************ STILL UNSOLVED AND TAUNTING US UNMERCIFULLY: 97. Ahi Tuna, a glass of water CLUE: toothpaste CLUE: Christmas cookies, herbal tea CLUE: a big stack of pancakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup 123. "you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta." 141. An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert. CLUE: a jar of peanut butter and ants CLUE: It had a very limited release even though the director is well known for both his direction *and* animation. 148. In a marketplace, buying pears, Brioche, grapes, fresh cheeses, wine, crusty loaves of bread, and a fresh pork hock 153. cold hot dogs, mustard, potato chips, beer, milk 154. REVISED CLUE: A floor picnic of roast chicken, rudely interrupted by monetary concerns and time constraints. 155. Sugar and HIGH TEA. CLUE: Breadcrumbs. 156. laughing, guffaw....."CHICLETS!!!!!!!!!!!" CLUE: there is a concession stand with a big stack of cookies displayed on a long pole and the guy selling the cookies does not like loud music, only "Sha Na Na" 157. In separate instances, a green apple eaten each morning, and a glass of milk and cookies "warm and gooey, right out of the oven." CLUE: The lead character never liked cookies until he tasted these which had been baked especially for him. 158. "I love their eggrolls" " Eat your eggs" and four perfect T-bone steaks 159. An oatmeal cream pie, an apple, and a family dinner featuring a turkey. **** NOTE: If you post a movie, please check back to see if the guesses on your movie are correct or not so we can keep the "Still in Play" list accurate. Also, consider posting more clues if your movie remains unsolved. ****

Jason Perlow once mentioned the Puerto Rican homemade "Spicy Pineapple Vinegar", which, by the way, is made without the meat of a pineapple...it's a bonus condiment you can can concoct with just the rind. The link takes you to Daisy Martinez's "Daisy Cooks!" website for her recipe used in her PBS cooking series. Jason mentioned in a pineapple discussion you could use it where ever you would use regular vinegar. You could always add spicy peppers the vinegar you have to kick it up the proverbial notch. edited to add, according to this website, pineapple vinegar is used in some Mexican dishes. The United Nations FAO site (Food and Agriculture Organization) mentions that you can use pineapple vinegar where ever you would us regular vinegar. re-edited to add: DOH! Barbecue sauce! It's a natural. I Google-stumbled across a recipe that used a homemade pineapple vingegar spooned over oysters. The pineapple vinegar can be used in Latin American dishes calling for vinegars. The El Salvadoran dish of Curtido is basically a slaw of sorts (substitute pineapple vinegar for the white vinagar in the recipe), which you've already done. edited yet again to add: Cochinita Pibil is a Mexican dish of marinated pork that, from the pictures I've seen, looks like it ends up as pulled pork. Some recipes for the dish include Seville oranges and pineapple vinegar but pineapple vinegar isn't the "star" of the dish, which is what you've requested. So it can be used in pork marinades...perhaps for pork chops?

The other day I received some ad flyers in the mail, one of which had a dollar off coupon for a McDonald's Angus burger. So I took it as a sign (okay, I'm a pushover) to go try one. I decided to try the most "foreign" one...which was the mushroom & swiss cheese version. The McDonald's in my area have never offered swiss cheese on anything nor have they offered mushrooms on anything, either. First off, the burgers are relatively expensive compared to their usual burgers. They're a penny shy of four bucks for just the burger. I can buy four double cheeseburgers off the McDonald's Value Menu for that much money so I had high expectations of this burger. The Mushroom and Swiss Cheese burger is the most "stripped down" version of the three Angus burgers they offer in that you don't get any of the usual toppings with the burger. It's swiss cheese, mushrooms and a slathering of some mayo on the new fancier sesame seed bun. No lettuce, no pickles, no tomatoes, etc. The mushrooms were quite good. They had a very earthy mushroom-y taste and there were plenty of them on the burger. The swiss cheese was melted though I don't know if the burger sits in its little holding tub with the cheese pre-melted or if they melt it per order. It was white like swiss cheese but it didn't have the tang of a really good swiss cheese. It was sort of generic tasting and really didn't do much to enhance my Angus burger experience. As for the Angus beef hamburger patty, it is a little thicker than the usual McDonald's hamburger patty. It definitely had a nicer texture to it, more like a homemade patty than the usual fast food hockey pucks that pass for hamburger patties these days. As for the flavor, well, I wasn't bowled over by it. It's funny but the last third of the burger seemed to be much saltier and "beefier" than the previous two-thirds. I don't know if this means the balance of spices weren't mixed in properly or if it just means that my burger patty had sat in the holding bin in beef juices at an angle so only a third of it got salty. It was just odd to come across the saltiness just as I was fnishing the burger. I think the biggest drawback to the burger is that it screams for flame broiling (see Carl's Jr/Hardee's) or some other cooking method to give that extra little "oomph" to it to justify the higher cost. The new McDonald's Mushroom & Swiss Cheese Angus Third Pounder hamburger needs to be sent back to the kitchen labs for further improvement. It's not worth the price, in my opinion. Perhaps if they added grilled onions to go with the mushrooms...I don't know. As a quick aside, sometime ago Wendy's offered a burger with grilled onions served on this amazingly soft hamburger bun. I think it may have been their version of a ciabatta (sp?) bun. Where Jack-in-the-Box's ciabatta bun is dense and chewy, Wendy's bun was ethereal and a joy to eat. It was incredible and I hope to see it again. By the way, the McDOnald's ad campaign for this burger sucks. The ads actually mention the fact that this area is a test market for the new Angus Third Pounders and they basically tell you "hey, go try one...other people in the country aren't this lucky, you schmuck." Thanks for that.

This may not be the best day for this since it's still very winter-y in parts of the country but today, Wednesday 3/21, is Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin' Donuts web site

A run to the South Bay today...How far down? I'm imagining a tour of the Filipino restaurants in National City. Or Mexican in Chula Vista or IB? Thanks for the tour of the Del. As great an experience as it is, it's even better at Christmas time. They really go all out with their decorations. I'm enjoying your blog quite a bit. I grew up in Linda Vista and Serra Mesa (Birdland) so it's great to see familiar ground once again.

The Wednesday morning recap: Please don't assign numbers to your new movie foods...if a movie is solved before it gets put into a recap, it's not given a number since it's out of play. Also, we're getting some repeat movies. Try not to use "Pretty Woman", "The Godfather", "Cool Hand Luke", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Fargo", "Moonstruck", "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Dirty Dancing" as they've all been used twice. Some new clues have been added to existing puzzles. CONGRATULATIONS TO: -kartoffel for correctly solving #140 (A peanut butter sandwich, rationed into halves in an attic, and gobbled as a storm rages outside the flapping window. CLUE: Not only garbage goes into the dumpster. CLUE: A potful of wiggly things, sampled by the cook) as the film "The Neverending Story". -Tkrup also solved #150 (In seperate scenes, creme de menthe, tinned and irradiated fruit, tinned ham, tinned peas, tinned beans and.........omelette (also off). CLUE: Absolute rage ! ) as the film "Twenty-Eight Days Later". ************ WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION: -insomniac has guessed that #123 ("you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta.") is the film "Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events". -Toliver has guessed that #123 is "The Goodbye Girl" We know that #97 is not "Little Miss Sunshine" #153 is not "Legal Eagles" ************ STILL UNSOLVED AND TAUNTING US UNMERCIFULLY: 97. Ahi Tuna, a glass of water CLUE: toothpaste CLUE: Christmas cookies, herbal tea CLUE: a big stack of pancakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup 123. "you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta." 141. An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert. CLUE: a jar of peanut butter and ants CLUE: It had a very limited release even though the director is well known for both his direction *and* animation. 148. In a marketplace, buying pears, Brioche, grapes, fresh cheeses, wine, crusty loaves of bread, and a fresh pork hock 153. cold hot dogs, mustard, potato chips, beer, milk 154. REVISED CLUE: A floor picnic of roast chicken, rudely interrupted by monetary concerns and time constraints. CLUE: there is a concession stand with a big stack of cookies displayed on a long pole and the guy selling the cookies does not like loud music, only "Sha Na Na" 155. Sugar and HIGH TEA. CLUE: Breadcrumbs. 156. laughing, guffaw....."CHICLETS!!!!!!!!!!!" 157. In separate instances, a green apple eaten each morning, and a glass of milk and cookies "warm and gooey, right out of the oven." **** NOTE: If you post a movie, please check back to see if the guesses on your movie are correct or not so we can keep the "Still in Play" list accurate. Also, consider posting more clues if your movie remains unsolved. ****

If true, I had the opposite results. When I first intentionally ingested yogurt for the bacteria (to correct my stomach problems) I had purchased the small individual containers you can buy at the supermarket. While it did help a little, it didn't fix the problem completely. It wasn't until I bought a couple of rather large tubs of yogurt and consumed a large bowl full each morning and night (the serving was about twice the serving of the individual containers) for a week that my stomach problems ceased completely. The large tubs o' yogurt did the job, so the bacteria still must have been alive. I find it intriguing that one of the health claims about the bacteria in yogurt is that, supposedly, increasing your yogurt intake may decrease symptoms of lactose intolerance. It seems to be an oxymoron of an idea. Has anyone put this to a test?

The MSN article: "The Bacteria You Want in Food" Here is another website with more information (that I had trouble getting back to ...so good luck with it): USProbiotics.org And another website with information: "Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Probiotics and Prebiotics " As a testimonial of the benefits of probiotics, a few months ago I got the stomach virus that was making its rounds. It was a terrible ordeal and left me with lingering symptoms, to be polite. It wasn't until I ate yogurt with active live cultures in it that my body finally returned to normal. I also recall that when I was a child my dad had taken a round of strong antibiotics and suffered similar stomach problems. On the advice of his doctor, he bought a home yogurt maker and made his own yogurt which he ate for a month and his stomach problems also went away. Activia and Danactive are leading the new wave of probiotic products in the market place. Danactive is promoted as helping your immune system and Activia is supposed to help regulate "intestinal transit time", which is New Speak for keeping you regular. Probiotics are also becoming big business in Health Food and Supplement stores. Do you consume/take probiotic products on purpose (meaning with the intent on helping your body, as opposed to incidental ingestion)? Is there a downside to ingesting probiotics? Aside from my personal anecdote, do they truly help? Or is it the placebo effect and it's all just a bunch of hype?

I wouldn't put any of Dave's Insanity Sauces on your list. Sure, they're insanely hot, but they do little to add flavor to your food. How about something like Pickapeppa Sauce? Mild heat, but with some nice Jamaican overtones. I find it almost steak sauce-ish.

The morning recap: Please don't assign numbers to your new movie foods...if a movie is solved before it gets put into a recap, it's not given a number since it's out of play. Also, we're getting some repeat movies. Try not to use "Pretty Woman", "The Godfather", "Cool Hand Luke", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "Fargo", "Moonstruck", "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Dirty Dancing" as they've all been used twice. Some new clues have been added to existing puzzles. CONGRATULATIONS TO: -petite tête de chou has correctly guessed that #151 ("Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte") is the film "Young Frankenstein". ************ WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION: -insomniac has guessed that #123 ("you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta.") is the film "Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events". -Toliver has guessed that #123 is "The Goodbye Girl" -Tkrup has guessed that #150 (In seperate scenes, creme de menthe, tinned and irradiated fruit, tinned ham, tinned peas, tinned beans and.........omelette (also off). CLUE: Absolute rage ! ) is the film "Twenty Eight Days Later". We know that #97 is not "Little Miss Sunshine" #153 is not "Legal Eagles" ************ STILL UNSOLVED AND TAUNTING US UNMERCIFULLY: 97. Ahi Tuna, a glass of water CLUE: toothpaste CLUE: Christmas cookies, herbal tea CLUE: a big stack of pancakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup 123. "you know what a putenesca is? it means naughty girl's pasta." 140. A peanut butter sandwich, rationed into halves in an attic, and gobbled as a storm rages outside the flapping window. CLUE: Not only garbage goes into the dumpster. CLUE: A potful of wiggly things, sampled by the cook. 141. An extremely bizarre tea-party. The table is set with beer braised rabbit with carrots, onions and potatoes, a jar of lemonade and butter tarts for dessert. CLUE: a jar of peanut butter and ants CLUE: It had a very limited release even though the director is well known for both his direction *and* animation. 148. In a marketplace, buying pears, Brioche, grapes, fresh cheeses, wine, crusty loaves of bread, and a fresh pork hock 150. In seperate scenes, creme de menthe, tinned and irradiated fruit, tinned ham, tinned peas, tinned beans and.........omelette (also off). CLUE: Absolute rage ! 153. cold hot dogs, mustard, potato chips, beer, milk 154. REVISED CLUE: A floor picnic of roast chicken, rudely interrupted by monetary concerns and time constraints. 155. Sugar and HIGH TEA. CLUE: Breadcrumbs. 156. laughing, guffaw....."CHICLETS!!!!!!!!!!!" 157. In separate instances, a green apple eaten each morning, and a glass of milk and cookies "warm and gooey, right out of the oven." **** NOTE: If you post a movie, please check back to see if the guesses on your movie are correct or not so we can keep the "Still in Play" list accurate. Also, consider posting more clues if your movie remains unsolved. ****

I'm sorry I don't have pictures but if I could bronze a meal for posterity, it would have been last night's. St. Patty's Day celebrated a day late... The corned beef was cooked just about all day in a slow cooker. What a heavenly aroma. It turned out fork tender and makes me wonder if the cheap-cut-on-sale turns out this good how would a good cut of corned beef turn out? It was sliced and served with some horseradish (leftovers make great sandwiches slathered with a horseradish mayo). Using the liquid the beef cooked in, I steamed a cabbage, sliced into quarters, and served it with a splash of cider vinegar. This could be a meal in itself. I also used the beef liquid for boiling red potatoes and carrots. I didn't use any salt in my food preparations, thankfully, since the corned beef was salty enough (and passed that great flavor onto the water it cooked in). Just a nice, comforting meal...

This weekend my brother prepped the soil in my mom's tomato planters. For some reason she's only doing 4 planters this year instead of the six she did last year. Less tomatoes can't be a good thing. She did have them on a drip irrigation system and may not want to go through the trouble it took to extend the system through all six planters. I don't know... I'm more of the mind that you plant six tomato plants and if you get 4 good plants out of the bunch you're doing well. If all six take off then it's a good thing. It also turns out the neighbor's lime tree didn't completely die from the last freeze. She paid a local handyman to cut it back and, though he didn't do a very good job of it, the tree seems to have new growth sprouting up from the trunk. It may not bear limes for a while, but at least it's not dead.

Dean, Now that you've lived with your remodeled kitchen for quite a while, is there anything you would change? What has worked out well beyond your expectations? I noticed (if I interpret the pictures correctly on page 13) that the doors to the refrigerator/freezer opened away from the main part of the kitchen, instead of opening towards it. It's minor thing but could become an annoyance after repeated daily openings. Or is it no big deal?