Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[2xcited2sleep]

Asking for good thoughts and/or prayers for our friend Sheryl (shovan). She has had back/spine problems and was told she'd probably need surgery sometime this year. This past week she's developed numbness and is now waiting on word as to whether or not the surgery should be done sooner rather than later. She's not coping very well and could use all of our good thoughts, prayers and support.

Prayers, good thoughts, hugs and support heading to Sheryl!

 

[oybolshoi]

Asking for good thoughts and/or prayers for our friend Sheryl (shovan). She has had back/spine problems and was told she'd probably need surgery sometime this year. This past week she's developed numbness and is now waiting on word as to whether or not the surgery should be done sooner rather than later. She's not coping very well and could use all of our good thoughts, prayers and support.

Thanks for letting us know, Kathy. I wondered where Sheryl had been lately and was hoping it wasn't back trouble that was keeping her away. Please let her know that we're all thinking of her and wishing her the very best.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

TigerKat - Your friend is in my thoughts.

I too must also ask for good thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. My grandmother is just not doing very well. She spent all of November, and most of December, in the hospital and a physical rehab center, came home right before Christmas, only to end up back in the hospital and the rehab center again in February. She's home now, but seems to be weaker and more senile every day. She is literally losing her mind.

Anyway, on to happier thoughts.

My Easter brunch and dinner were a great success, as was the dinner I had tonight for family who was visiting out of town.

Starting with Easter brunch. It was small, but we had quiche;

Two different types, shrimp and leek, as well as quiche lorraine. Though the quiche lorraine was technically not quiche lorraine as it had cheddar cheese instead of swiss, as I was out of swiss, and I was not going to drive around looking for an open store Sunday morning. (I like cheddar better then swiss anyway.)

I also made an almond-apricot crescent ring.

OMG, this was so good.

We also had fruit at brunch.

For Easter dinner, we had ham;

The ham had a brown sugar and mustard glaze that was delicious.

Carrot Risotto

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Creamy Leek Fondue

and Strawberry-Orange Compote

Which didn't turn out the way I thought it would, but it was still super yummy.

Tonight and on Easter I had Beringer white zinfandel to drink, which is mine and my sister's favorite. I didn't take note of what everyone else was drinking.

Tonight I made the appetizers I had planned on making on Easter.

The bruschetta things are in the front, and the blue cheese and fig tartlets are in the back.

And the Easter basket I put together;

And the little pina colada cakes I made in flower molds.

We also had a pecan pie and a lemon cheesecake, but I'm not sure if there're pictures of them. I know there's some pics on my sister's camera, I'll have to get them and check.

 

[PNO4TE]

Asking for good thoughts and/or prayers for our friend Sheryl (shovan). She has had back/spine problems and was told she'd probably need surgery sometime this year. This past week she's developed numbness and is now waiting on word as to whether or not the surgery should be done sooner rather than later. She's not coping very well and could use all of our good thoughts, prayers and support.

Thanks for letting us know.

 

[PNO4TE]

Disneyfav4ever - Your Easter meal, and the follow-up tonight, looks amazing!

 

[jeminni]

My thoughts and prayers are with you Sheryl and with Disneyfav4ever's grandmother. Hope you both will be doing better soon.

 

[jeminni]

Disneyfav4ever-

Your pina colada cakes are too cute. Any chance of a recipe?

 

[oybolshoi]

For a hot minute there I thought you were headed my way!

Which cookbooks do you have? I might (insert probably) have fixed everything in any W'burg book you can find... and am up to providing suggestions if they are required.

We very much want to come back to your neck of the woods ... the last time we were there we drove and we're not sure that's how we want to travel the next time we come to Williamsburg. But flying is kind of a pain in the butt since there isn't a direct flight.

As for cookbooks we have the Raleigh Tavern bakery cookbook and the standard Williamsburg cookbook ... we've made a fair number of dishes from the standard book. Right now I'm most looking forward to some welsh rabbit (or is that rarebit?).

that would make me

BUT, that being said... I want a complete description... sip-by-sip.

This stuff has received a 100 rating from both Robert Parker and Wine Spectator.

Here are the winemaker notes:

The color is already a very pale yellow. The nose has intense fresh fruit aromas (pineapple, passion fruit and mango) accompanied by very attractive floral nuances (rose and acacia blossoms) as well as a touch of vanilla. This wine has a great deal of personality on the palate as well as beautiful volume, substance, and a perfect balance between alcohol, sugar and acidity. The overall equilibrium is extremely elegant and lively. The complexity , smoothness, and length this wine will acquire during barrel aging are sure to make this an altogether impressive Yquem.

You will have to wait for a taste assessment until after May 29th.

 

[PNO4TE]

We very much want to come back to your neck of the woods ... the last time we were there we drove and we're not sure that's how we want to travel the next time we come to Williamsburg. But flying is kind of a pain in the butt since there isn't a direct flight.

As for cookbooks we have the Raleigh Tavern bakery cookbook and the standard Williamsburg cookbook ... we've made a fair number of dishes from the standard book. Right now I'm most looking forward to some welsh rabbit (or is that rarebit?).

yes...

 

[oybolshoi]

Disneyfav ... your pictures from your Easter-feaster are wonderful and drool-inducing. That spread looks amazing and I'm sure you worked your tail off to put it all together.

Best wishes and good thoughts for your grandmother and you and your family.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Disneyfav4ever - Your Easter meal, and the follow-up tonight, looks amazing!

It was so good.

My thoughts and prayers are with you Sheryl and with Disneyfav4ever's grandmother. Hope you both will be doing better soon.

Thank you.

Disneyfav4ever-

Your pina colada cakes are too cute. Any chance of a recipe?

Sure, I'll just have to find it first. All the recipes just got kind of shoved somewhere during cleanup. I need to find them.

Disneyfav ... your pictures from your Easter-feaster are wonderful and drool-inducing. That spread looks amazing and I'm sure you worked your tail off to put it all together.

Best wishes and good thoughts for your grandmother and you and your family.

Thank you.

 

[A&A'sGrammy]

Brenda, You can certainly call me Grammy!!! Most people call me Di (or Diane) but you and my beloved Grandchildren may call me Grammy!!!

I guess my DH and I should try V&A's. It's great to know that from home we can mention his likes and dislikes. He would be upset if it became a big thing "in public"!!! He might be very fussy but it's supposed to be a secret! LOL

I lost my Mom this past November. I mention this because I now realize how easy and important a few phone calls are. If you have any love or closeness for someone, don't feel those phone calls are nothing but a pain in the *** tookus. Once they are gone, you can't get "just one more conversation". Call that 94 year old grammy!!!!

 

[oybolshoi]

Finally got our pictures uploaded tonight ... for some reason the computer was moving a lot faster tonight than it has been since recovering from the Blue Screen of Death. Before I get to the porn, some quick updates:

1) Jay finally called his grandmother today.

2) The nephew called me yesterday at work and was very apologetic for basically forgetting that we were waiting for him and his wife to make an appearance. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it still hurts my feelings and I know Grimmie was upset.

3) We're going to a special dinner tomorrow night (4/16)!!! I found a restaurant in town that is hosting a 12-month guest chef dinner ... once a month a guest chef from a local upscale restaurant will prepare a 5-course meal and the proceeds go to that chef's charity of choice. Tomorrow night the head chef from Harvest (a fabulous STL establishment) is preparing the menu and Jay and I just snuck onto the guest list about 3PM this afternoon! $65 per person and one of the courses is FOIE GRAS!!

I will take pictures and post a review later this week or next week ... lots going on at work and that includes some kamikaze travel but I've got my food cap on and have made lots of plans for the next few weeks!

And now ... Easter!

Or more appropriately, the night before Easter when all through the house not a creature was stirring but Bendy and her slightly buzzed spouse!

I ordered these wicked solid chocolate eggs from Dean & Deluca and Jay and I decided that since we didn't have enough to share that we should just eat them up yum before anyone else could be the wiser! I'd love to tell you more about them but they're not on the website any longer. There was one milk chocolate, one dark chocolate, and one white chocolate egg ... and they were packaged in a nest that was moulting and smelled like wet duck.

Yummy eggs, stinky nest

Eggie-weggies!

We mutilated the green egg before realizing that we could just slice down the center and neatly halve the darn thing. The green egg turned out to be milk chocolate and was it ever tasty!

Green = good!

The blue egg was dark chocolate and the yellow was white chocolate. The dark chocolate, while not my favorite, was still very good. Neither one of us are terribly fond of white chocolate (it's not really chocolate anyway!) and it was waaaaay too sweet. We finished it, but not without a struggle and some extra scotch.

Eggcellent!

The remnants of our Scotch sampler from Christmas ... so so good with chocolate!

Why have just one when you can have all three?

For breakfast we shared something else I ordered from Dean & Deluca ... Babka! It was on sale for $12 and we received two loaves - one cinnamon and one chocolate. It's a Polish coffee cake that uses a special enriched yeast dough that is rolled around a cinnamon or chocolate filling which then produces a lovely marbling effect.

Babka

These were both really really good ... fresh and moist and very flavorful - no cooking involved just open the packaging and dig in! Jay and I thought the cinnamon babka was more breakfast appropriate and it wasn't nearly as heavy as the chocolate one, which we thought would be better as a dessert option.

OK ... I'm going to cut it short here because I'm tired and it's past my bedtime. More Easter food pics coming on Friday (no time tomorrow) and hopefully a review of tomorrow night's dinner later next week!

 

[Tink rules]

Grammy ... may I call you Grammy?

If you want to dine at V&A then you should ... they are very accomodating there and if you share your concerns with them upfront the chef and maitre'd will do everything they can to make a special menu for him. The night that Jay and I dined at the Chef's Table we were just finishing up and Chef Hunnel had disappeared ... our waitress told us a little while later that there was a guest in the dining room who wouldn't eat anything but cheese and bread and had literally driven the poor chef to distraction.

In a less formal restaurant chef Hunnel might have taken a very sharp, very long knife and run screaming from the kitchen into the dining room to teach that patron a thing or two about food, but at V&A he just simmered under his hat.

My point is that if your hubby doesn't like seafood, don't worry because they will have plenty of meaty options for him to choose from. Beef ... Kobe Beef ... Wagyu Beef ... Pork ... Buffalo ... Ostrich ... Elk ... and others that I'm sure we haven't tried or don't remember trying.

He was part of a large group in the dining room and was apparently a jerk ... prided himself on being as difficult as possible. Chef Hunnel actually went out to the dining room and sat down and had a chat with this person to find out exactly what he would and wouldn't eat because he kept sending stuff back to the kitchen ... can you imagine doing that at V&A?

I'd make him 5 kinds of Gourmet Mac and cheese and bread... from every restaurant on the monorail...

Although not gourmet fare, I thought I would share with you all one of our local hangouts.

Last night I was done teaching at 7:00 so I met Bob and Kristin at

for $1 Burger Night! You read that right, folks... $1.00 for a half pound Certified Angus Beef Burger with lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions. Add cheese to that burger and it costs a whopping $1.50.

Order a specialty burger (The Maytag Burger: Melted Maytag Bleu Cheese is on this tasty burger, topped with lettuce, ripe tomato, caramelized onions and dill mayonnaise, The Smokehouse Burger: Applewood-smoked bacon and smoked Gouda cheese top this burger with lettuce, ripe tomato, caramelized onions and house beer-b-que sauce or The Southwestern Burger: Our half pound Certified Angus Beef Burger with southwestern seasonings, grilled and topped with Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese) and you will only pay $2.00.

The catch? You have to buy a beer.
With 62 craft and import beers on draught and over 300 selections of bottled beers it is not a difficult task for us! You can also order wine or a cocktail instead.

So, for $50 (which included a 20% tip based on the pre-discounted price) had a beer, a great burger and two shared desserts. Not a bad way to start the work week off!

Ohhhh my kind of place... except for Logans that has $1 crappy beer on Mondays...

Yes ... I really think that if you give them some advance warning they will customize as best they can. They ask questions about allergies and such when you first book and then call back to confirm about a week before your scheduled dinner to go over those things again and to discuss anything else you might want or need. That's usually when I've placed orders for cakes or other special items.

BTW ... nothing from the nephew. I called twice and emailed and got nothing ... Sometimes he is just like my brother who could be the most thoughtless, inconsiderate berk.

And then I've got Jay refusing to call his grandmother. Saturday was her 94th birthday (which I didn't know) and Jay's dad called us and specifically asked that we call and wish her a happy b-day. I agreed because Jay's dad never asks us for anything and here we are three days later and my husband hasn't called.

I told him last night not to make me the bad guy on this one. I barely know his grandmother and feel very strongly that Jay should be the one to initiate the phone call and jesus-pleasus .... the man gets home from work by 3PM - he's got plenty of time to workout and play with the wii but not five minutes to spare to call his dessicated granny?

What the hell is wrong with the men in my life???

Maybe Jay is uncomfortable talking to her... does she hear well? I know I've been in uncomfortable situations like that... (but I still call...)

Btw... once when my brother moved out to TX for his first job... I sent him a $10 check and told him to call mom... it didn't work...

 

[Tink rules]

Bendy...

You realize that if you had kids... you'd be eating Mac and Cheese and chicken fingers 5 nights a week... Pizza the other 2...

 

[Tatania]

Asking for good thoughts and/or prayers for our friend Sheryl (shovan). She has had back/spine problems and was told she'd probably need surgery sometime this year. This past week she's developed numbness and is now waiting on word as to whether or not the surgery should be done sooner rather than later. She's not coping very well and could use all of our good thoughts, prayers and support.

I wondered why I hadn't seen shovan on the boards. I believe that positive thoughts and prayers can make a difference and am sending some Sheryl's way right now

Bootiful--no DVC here. We have tried Pop Century, which was fine for our first trip and dd(then 5) loved it. We've been to AllStar Movies and never again there, just too crowded, too many tour groups and I'm over the double beds. This year we're trying Coronado Springs since they will have renovated all the rooms by our trip--queen beds, flat screen tv, and sliding doors to separate the bathroom from the bed area. I was planning on Wilderness Lodge this trip until I saw how the prices skyrocketed the week before Christmas! When is your trip?

No DVC here either because it doesn't make sense for a single person. I also don't spend every vacation at Disney because there's too many other interesting things in the world to see. Besides, I'm not really into the "deluxe resort" thing because your only contact with the locals is having them as bartenders and maids. A grass hut on a perfect, uncrowded beach is my idea of heaven and it's a lot cheaper, so I can travel more frequently.

However, I'm staying at the Coronado next trip (and have stayed at the Poly, the Campgrounds and Wilderness Lodge). When will you be at the Coronado, whogirl'smom?

Everyone's food pictures look fabulous and the colors on the Easter eggs were very pretty.

 

[Tink rules]

Just bought our airfare from Southwest for October ... $378 round-trip, nonstop from Stinktown to Orlando and then back. I didn't expect to find $84 per person fares this far out but when given a giftie from the travel gods one does not question ... one books the airfare!

Even better ... we had $500 in SW gift cards from my parents and now have about $120 leftover for (hopefully) a Vegas trip next May if the cards all fall the right way.

Check the fares at Southwest, friendies ... and see if you, too, can get a deal!

Keep an eye out also and download Ding... sometimes they will lower it even more and they will give you your credit back... (you know...you've got to save for the Rosa somehow...)

Hear hear..Although I do think the toast from Out of Africa had a nice ring, as well. "To Rose-lipped maidens, light foot lads"

I LOVE that movie...

Asking for good thoughts and/or prayers for our friend Sheryl (shovan). She has had back/spine problems and was told she'd probably need surgery sometime this year. This past week she's developed numbness and is now waiting on word as to whether or not the surgery should be done sooner rather than later. She's not coping very well and could use all of our good thoughts, prayers and support.

TigerKat - Your friend is in my thoughts.

I too must also ask for good thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. My grandmother is just not doing very well. She spent all of November, and most of December, in the hospital and a physical rehab center, came home right before Christmas, only to end up back in the hospital and the rehab center again in February. She's home now, but seems to be weaker and more senile every day. She is literally losing her mind.

Major prayers and pixie dust going out to those who need it...

 

[whogirl'smom]

I wondered why I hadn't seen shovan on the boards. I believe that positive thoughts and prayers can make a difference and am sending some Sheryl's way right now



No DVC here either because it doesn't make sense for a single person. I also don't spend every vacation at Disney because there's too many other interesting things in the world to see. Besides, I'm not really into the "deluxe resort" thing because your only contact with the locals is having them as bartenders and maids. A grass hut on a perfect, uncrowded beach is my idea of heaven and it's a lot cheaper, so I can travel more frequently.

However, I'm staying at the Coronado next trip (and have stayed at the Poly, the Campgrounds and Wilderness Lodge). When will you be at the Coronado, whogirl'smom?

Everyone's food pictures look fabulous and the colors on the Easter eggs were very pretty.

We will be at Coronado Dec. 15-22. I'm looking forward to bigger beds and renovated rooms! We probably won't ever do DVC as long as we can earn Disney reward points to pay for our trips (using it for business expenses all year really helps!)

1) Jay finally called his grandmother today.

2) The nephew called me yesterday at work and was very apologetic for basically forgetting that we were waiting for him and his wife to make an appearance. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it still hurts my feelings and I know Grimmie was upset.

3) We're going to a special dinner tomorrow night (4/16)!!! I found a restaurant in town that is hosting a 12-month guest chef dinner ... once a month a guest chef from a local upscale restaurant will prepare a 5-course meal and the proceeds go to that chef's charity of choice. Tomorrow night the head chef from Harvest (a fabulous STL establishment) is preparing the menu and Jay and I just snuck onto the guest list about 3PM this afternoon! $65 per person and one of the courses is FOIE GRAS!!

I will take pictures and post a review later this week or next week ... lots going on at work and that includes some kamikaze travel but I've got my food cap on and have made lots of plans for the next few weeks!

And now ... Easter!

Or more appropriately, the night before Easter when all through the house not a creature was stirring but Bendy and her slightly buzzed spouse!

So glad Jay called his grandma and the nephew finally surfaced. It still doesn't help the hurt feelings, though.

I'm so jealous of all of you that live in/near big cities with all the dining options; the chef's dinners sound really good, Bendy! Looking forward to the review next week. I'll be gone this weekend to a scrapbooking crop--never been to one. This is the big east TN meet, so I'm just preparing to sit back and be overwhelmed. At least my friend I'm going with, and her friends, are great wine and food indulgers like me! Meals are included and the food is supposed to be really good, so we'll see.

All the Easter Eve offering look yummy! Chocolate babka picture making me drool....


disneyfav--that apricot almond ring looks delicious! Sending prayers for your grandmother, too.

 

[oybolshoi]

I'm glad Jay called his granny, finally. I don't know why he didn't call sooner ... he's not particularly close to her so maybe he just didn't give a blip. Or maybe he just didn't like the idea of his dad "telling" him what to do.

 

[ibouncetoo]

Three weeks till I hit Chicago. Budget is tight, so no uber-dining, but I sure am looking forward to some tasty treats!

I'll report back with anything interesting.

.