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

[TigerKat]

Glad you enjoyed them and I hope you feel more yourself soon.

Thanks my friend, the holidays are always tough with no family.

 

[oybolshoi]

Thanks my friend, the holidays are always tough with no family.

Here's a big huggle from Stinktown (and stench-free, just for you!) ... ... holidays are tough when you're missing the people who mean the most to you. But they are with you, of that I'm sure.

 

[honeybee30]

honeybee, hope your little nieces get better soon! Are they babies? We are home again today as predicted, but I think dd will be better enough to go back to school tomorrow.

Yes, they're almost 18 months old. Little puddin's!

Happy Birthday to whogirl! Glad she's feeling better and that she liked the Dollywood tickets. Way to go, mom!

Thanks kindly ... today the NCAA winning went directly to next year's cruise fund. We now have the entire cruise cost sitting in a separate savings account and still have 13 more months before we have to pay it off in full. We're just going to keep salting money away so that we'll have a nice stash for our big honking September 2010 Transatlantic cruise.

That transatlantic cruise sounds amazing! Details, details!!

We're nickle and diming it for our trip to WDW in 5 weeks. Saving is tough for us instant-gratification types.

And ... ... on the Jane Fonda imagery. No one in my classes dresses like that. There's a good mix of ages in class and a lot of ladies who are heavier than me and all of them are better at picking up moves quickly than I am. I just don't pick up stuff like this quickly and am truly a klutz ... my mom used to call me Grace when I was younger because I wasn't at all graceful. I mean ... I tripped over my own feet all the time. Of course, once she figured out that I was half-blind it wasn't as funny ...

My mom used to exercise to aerobics videos in the eighties, and I have images of Jane Fonda in head to toe spandex demonstrating grapevines and jazz squares with great enthusiasm.

Sad to say I'm not the most sportif of creatures, either. *sigh* I'd say I'm more of the bookish type. No coordination required.

Is that something similar to scarlet fever? Poor girls, I hope they're better soon.

It's a virus. Thankfully adults can't get it, as far as I know. They are pitiful, though. Head to toe spots. Alex's are gone, but Sophie still had them as of yesterday. Hopefully they will have cleared up for Easter pictures tomorrow.

What's everyone planned for Easter / Passover / Egg Drop Day?

Everyone's Easter feasts sound so good!

We will be spending the day with my parents and my sister's family. Here's what's cooking:

Deviled Eggs
Fruit Salad
Flank Steak (for the meateaters--Heather and I are doing the veg thing right now)
Potato Pancakes
Asparagus
Green Bean Casserole
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

BTW ... the History Channel is showing the 7 Deadly Sins and tonight's episode is gluttony.

Gluttony and sloth...my two favorite deadly sins. I manage to fit in gluttony every now and then, but I need to work on sloth. Just not enough time in the day.

I don't read all the reviews that are posted over there because I cannot bear to read anything that isn't written properly. A random spelling error I can forgive, it's easy to do when posting, but poor grammar and reviews that consist of, "We ate at ----- last night and loved it; you will too ... " make me run screaming from the thread faster than you can say, "We're out of beer."

I'm the exact same way. It's the English teacher in me, I guess.

This next picture is a little disturbing ... we think it's Mickey only partially covered with ivy. Whatever it is ... it's creepy!

How about a hug?

Yeah, Mickey's looking a little long in the tooth.

I'm gonna finally chow down on some stale peeps.... they're air drying as we speak...

Peeps are like good wine, they need to breathe....

We're a 2 holiday household....

Tuesday night we'll have Passover Seder--gotta love a holiday with a 4 drink minimum
Seder Plate will have Lamb Shank, hard boiled egg, parsley, horseradish, Charoset and Matzoh
Dinner:
Gefilte fish (not for me, yuck!)
matzoh ball soup
noodle kugel
probably sweet potato casserole for a veggie
brisket with carrots & onions

dessert will be flourless chocolate torte w/strawberries & chocolate sauce

I can totally relate to the two holiday household thing. Noodle kugel! Yum! Have you ever tried the chocolate covered Matzo crackers Manischewitz puts out around Passover? We usually have a box sitting next to the Easter baskets.

 

[TigerKat]

Here's a big huggle from Stinktown (and stench-free, just for you!) ... ... holidays are tough when you're missing the people who mean the most to you. But they are with you, of that I'm sure.

Thank you so much Brenda, you are such a great friend. I feel honored to get a stench-free huggle!

 

[Tink rules]

B...

The Plankman thanks you for his evil twins take on the F&G fest... he's now scheeming to see what he can do if he makes it down there... Perhaps bungee jumping off the Mickey topiary...

 

[honeybee30]

Thanks my friend, the holidays are always tough with no family.

I'm sorry you're feeling sad, Kat.

Here's a little chocolate bunny humor to cheer you up:

 

[ChelleinNC]

I can totally relate to the two holiday household thing. Noodle kugel! Yum! Have you ever tried the chocolate covered Matzo crackers Manischewitz puts out around Passover? We usually have a box sitting next to the Easter baskets.

I haven't tried those, but I did make a yummy treat last night. Have you had the "faux toffee" (otherwise known as White Trash toffee or heathbars). Normally it's made with saltines, butter, brown sugar and chocolate. I made Matzho toffee last night and it's really yummy!

Bendy - Thanks for posting the lovely pics. I've been feeling a bit down today and they made me smile.

Thanks my friend, the holidays are always tough with no family.

Always room for 1 more

 

[oybolshoi]

I'm sorry you're feeling sad, Kat.

Here's a little chocolate bunny humor to cheer you up:

The 2010 cruise we're taking is on the Disney Magic ... the 2-week transatlantic repositioning cruise that leaves from Barcelona September 18th and ends up in Port Canaveral on October 2nd.

Ports of call include:

Barcelona, Span
Gibralter, UK
Madeira, Portugal
Many days at sea (here's hoping there's no hurricane action)
St. Martin
Tortola
Castaway Cay

We wanted to try for a Med. Cruise or a Baltic Cruise but those are way too pricey. And we like the idea of a transatlantic crossing ... it feels so 19th and early 20th century.

 

[TigerKat]

honeybee & Chelle - y'all are great, thanks.....

 

[honeybee30]

I haven't tried those, but I did make a yummy treat last night. Have you had the "faux toffee" (otherwise known as White Trash toffee or heathbars). Normally it's made with saltines, butter, brown sugar and chocolate. I made Matzho toffee last night and it's really yummy!

White trash toffee. Does sound good though!

The 2010 cruise we're taking is on the Disney Magic ... the 2-week transatlantic repositioning cruise that leaves from Barcelona September 18th and ends up in Port Canaveral on October 2nd.

Ports of call include:

Barcelona, Span
Gibralter, UK
Madeira, Portugal
Many days at sea (here's hoping there's no hurricane action)
St. Martin
Tortola
Castaway Cay

We wanted to try for a Med. Cruise or a Baltic Cruise but those are way too pricey. And we like the idea of a transatlantic crossing ... it feels so 19th and early 20th century.

Very QE2! Or Titantic....we'll add icebergs to the list right behind hurricanes.... Seriously though how exciting!

honeybee & Chelle - y'all are great, thanks.....

We all luvs ya, babe!

 

[oybolshoi]

Very QE2! Or Titantic....we'll add icebergs to the list right behind hurricanes.... Seriously though how exciting!

We're very excited about it ... it's the reason we canceled the cruise we originally booked for this October.

And although we're not staying in steerage we're not in First Class, either.

 

[honeybee30]

We're very excited about it ... it's the reason we canceled the cruise we originally booked for this October.

And although we're not staying in steerage we're not in First Class, either.

Out of curiosity (and vacation envy), I just looked up your cruise on the DCL website and the price is suprisingly reasonable!

 

[oybolshoi]

Out of curiosity (and vacation envy), I just looked up your cruise on the DCL website and the price is suprisingly reasonable!

Yep ... we booked with airfare and were stunned at how reasonable it was for a two week trip that includes Europe (at least a little of it). It will be our first (but hopefully not last) trip to the Mother Continent.

 

[luvillians]

O Holy Tuna, where has this thread been all my life? I may be in luvs See, this is what you miss when you tuck your tail between your hefty legs and hunker down on the Budget Board pre/post/dead-center econ melt-down. Food carnality, how I have foresaken thee!

It was so good even the waiter used little scooty steps to avoid spilling a drop (way to up your tip there bud).

Sadly, no photos of the other apps we had -- beef carpaccio & veal cheeks (yeah that's right, like Kaiser Soze, we took out the WHOLE family).

Thanks for letting me share

Too freakin funny!!!

 

[oybolshoi]

I really really do not know why you haven't visited me.

It's not for want of visiting ... it's just been easier and less expensive to stay in the lower 48, know what I mean?

Thanks for the welcome!! I spent way too long last night trying to comb through this mammoth of a thread. Nothing like drooling at 2:00 am. You're my kind of peeps.

You're gonna fit in just fine ... it was obvious from your first post!

Ahhh, D'Affinois...everytime we go for cheese, DH eventually moans, "I can't find it!" and I say, "Look for the cow". It's like all the places around here only cut out the part of the label with the cow head and chuck the rest. Have I mentioned in cases like that I wouldn't be above dumpster diving? And is it remotely possible to say this word normally? I have to trail it out in my best (worst) asthmatic frenchman imitation, "oooh D'AFF-eeen-waaaaaaaaa, hohohaha"...yep, right there in Whole Foods even. Which is okay because our closest location is the flagship corporate store , and their mightiness has made them immune to the oddities of the little people.

I love the d'affoinois so much that we had to buy two wedges last night ... one for Jay and me to decimate (it's already gone ... ) and another to share with the family on Sunday.

The Mother Ship?? You're within driving distance of the Mother Ship???

Would you tattle for us and tell them that the Town & Country Whole Foods is selling cheese in their case that has been cut and wrapped from as far back as February 2009?

I peeved the cheese man last night at Whole Foods by making him cut all new wedges for all the cheese we bought. I am not paying $11 per pound for three-week-old sliced cheese ... ain't gonna happen while I can still read the fine print.

BTW, I just wanted to admit that I have read all of your reviews over the past few years and I don't think I've commented once. I am a bad, evil girl...no braids, but possibly fit for "The Bad Seed." I will do better next time. The funny thing is how often I've had discussions about your posts with DH. In fact, just a few months ago we were on our way home from dinner and I was telling him all about your latest trip to F&W. And in the middle I paused and said, "Do you think these people realize that some stranger, in a land far far away, who they have never met, is sitting around tonight talking about them? Does that make me a little creepy?" Which I may be, but probably about far more issues than this one.

Well, thanks for letting me know you're a lurky loo! I appreciate the time you must have spent on our threads if you've been reading for a few years ... I feel like I should send you a stipend or something.

And your story is a riot ... I do that to Jay a lot about things I read on the DIS so if you're a weirdo then I am too ... to the power of 10.

 

[branv]

The irony of it all is, they don't want the PowerPoint talks I have ready to go (and have successfully used) on Culinary History. Instead they want 5 - 45" presentations read on the secondary topic I gave them - introduction to Opera and Classical music, and various composers.

branv - I can tell from your beautiful photos that you are indeed a dyed-in-wool foodie. I've never been to Texas but imagined it served primarily steaks as big as your plate. Does Austen have all sorts of ethnic restaurants?

Oh, you are a renaissance person! I am impressed Sadly, the only opera I ever saw was when they carted my 6th grade class to La Boheme (wow, were those teachers ever brave). We were caught in a downpour between the bus and the opera house, so I spent the bulk of the performance shivering and making squirty sounds with my wet jelly shoes. Perhaps I should try again now that I'm older (*sigh* waaaay older) and we're in a drought

Well you just need to get on over here! I'm always surprised that people who've never been to TX assume the entire state looks like a scene from "Giant" (which I could live with if it meant my very own James Dean). Austin is a great place to visit if you've never been to the state -- amazing foods of about every kind, amazing music/art scene, beautiful and quirky. Oddly, though, rather diff than the rest of the state (my uber-uptight cousin in Dallas keeps referring to all those Austin weirdos with pointed glances at me ). But yes, you can get a steak as big as yo' head..just don't touch the longhorn or the college students will jump you.

Bob Saget will probably never be entertainment on a Disney ship again. Actually I didn't think his routine was all that bad but the scuttlebut was that there were apparently numerous complaints.

Okay...trying to wrap my mind around a potty-mouth Bob Saget. No wonder those Olsen twins always look so shell-shocked. Though I shouldn't be surprised after my sister told me Betty White was about as filthy a comic as you could get. Yeah..just does..not..process.

I haven't tried those, but I did make a yummy treat last night. Have you had the "faux toffee" (otherwise known as White Trash toffee or heathbars). Normally it's made with saltines, butter, brown sugar and chocolate. I made Matzho toffee last night and it's really yummy!

I've made faux toffee!!! And burnt it right up. Not a good smell. So maybe I can't technically say I have made faux toffee so much as made a mockery of it. Very sad, because I just really really love toffee. Man, now I need a snack. Look what you people are doing to me!

So I bought a kajillion clamshells of blackberries b/c they were an outrageously low price at Sunflower Market. Don't really feel like going through the effort of cobbler, so was wondering if any of you mighty-cooks have a decent crumble recipe? Something that can hold up to about a pint of vanilla ice cream (it's low-fat, don't give me that look!)

Thanks

 

[luvillians]

Thank you Who'sgirlsmom for the cornbread salad recipe! Sounds yummy!

There had been so much talk about Whole Foods that I have to tell you my "oops!" story. I had been in the Tulsa branch of Whole Foods (a little less than a week before they found that rare spider in the bananas that was all over the news) and had picked up some purple carrots for the fun of it. Well, later that week I had thrown a roast in the crock pot before work. I later called my husband to tell him to cut up some potatoes and carrots to throw in about mid morning. By the time I got home after work the entire meal in the pot had turned a nasty shade of purple. It tasted ok but was not really visually appetizing.

 

[oybolshoi]

Well, our fruit is all chopped up for tomorrow and my amaretto cream cheese dip is chilling in the refigerator along with the honeybaked ham, prosecco, and crab cakes.

and while washing the dishes a few minutes ago I suddenly had a brain wave ... it's amazing what chocolate, scotch, and dishwater can do for a person.

Jay and I celebrate our 10th anniversary on May 29th and thanks to the economy our plans have been whittled down to the point where we're having a stay-cation in Stinktown. We've been struggling with what to do to mark the day and it finally occured to me that since we honeymooned in Williamsburg we should make ourselves a celebratory Willamsburg tavern dinner!

We've got two different cookbooks from Williamsburg and we think it will make for a memorable fun and romantic evening.

 

[luvillians]

Ok people! I need help! Was sorting through my liquor cabinet the other day and found two huge bottles of Frangelico (hazelnut liquor) in there. I do realize that alcohol really doesn't have an expiration date but.....I am now in need of recipes for this over abundance of hazelnut flavored stash. I have added it to chocolate that I drizzle onto crepes but need more ideas....

 

[oybolshoi]

Ok people! I need help! Was sorting through my liquor cabinet the other day and found two huge bottles of Frangelico (hazelnut liquor) in there. I do realize that alcohol really doesn't have so much of an expiration date but.....am in need of recipes for this over abundance of hazelnut flavored stash. The only thing I have done with it is add it to my chocolate that I drizzle onto crepes. Any ideas?

Ooooohh, that is one of the few boozes that Jay and I don't like. We gave our bottle away to my parents last summer (they sucked it down in less than a week ... ).

I googled for you ... it's what I do for my friendies ... and here's something that might be helpful:

Drink recipes