Canadian Buffoon's DISmeet vacation - 09/14 - Bowled Over

[pkondz]

Popping in to say hi!

Well hi there stranger!
Nice to see you again!

to the TR!

Enjoying the start of this report.

You must've read it wrong then.

I'll go with 'fool' (since I can't say both) and yowza - that's alot of driving.

Correct.

On both counts.

At least you were smart enough to do that solo.

Oh, well...
It's either do it solo...

Or don't do it at all.


I may be a fool, but I'm not stupid.


Well..... Never mind.

Off to finish up reading where I left off on your last one.

Okay! See you later, I hope.

 

[pooh'smate]

"Do you have any fresh fruits or vegetables to declare?"

"Nope, nothing."

"How about any PB&J sandwiches?"

"Dang it!"

Haha this reminds me that once my mil said she had grapes in her lunch on their way to come visit us. The guard said she would have to throw them away. She replied while I hope you enjoy them in your lunch after all they are from California. He said that is ok you can keep them.

 

[pkondz]

Haha this reminds me that once my mil said she had grapes in her lunch on their way to come visit us. The guard said she would have to throw them away. She replied while I hope you enjoy them in your lunch after all they are from California. He said that is ok you can keep them.

You can't bring those foreign devils in here!!

But they're natives!

 

[pkondz]

We'll Meet Again

Time for new recipes.
As per suggestion
(Thanks @natebenma !)
What's your best
or favourite breakfast recipe?

Cereal? No problem.
What's your favourite?

While Eggs Benedict
is probably my favourite,
it's also fairly common.
So... let's do this instead:

Sausage & Tomato Egg Pizza

Ingredients
2 sausages
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
6 eggs
1/2 tsp each basil & oregano
1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
1 thinly sliced tomato
1 cup shredded mozzarella
2 green onions, chopped

Directions
Cook and break up skinned sausage, set aside.
Heat 2 tsp oil and fry mushrooms and peppers for 2-3 minutes.
In a bowl, beat together eggs, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
To sautéed veggies, add 2 tsp oil to cover bottom.
Add egg mixture and cook 2-3 minutes.
Lift edges so egg flows underneath until almost set.
Sprinkle sausage over egg mixture, arrange tomatoes on top.
Top all with cheese.
Place 4 inches from broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted
and eggs are set and puffy.
Sprinkle with green onions.
Slice. Eat. Marvel at how good it tastes.



Well, then let's continue,
shall we?
Things to do,
people to see!

When I first started thinking
about this road trip,
I had one destination
in mind.

The Harley Davidson museum
in Milwaukee.

The trip morphed quite a bit
from there,
but it was still on the agenda.

Care to come along?

If you don't...
Just skip the next 28 photos.
The TR will be much shorter,
but the duration of your sanity
will be much longer.

Trade-offs. It's what it's all about.
Or not.
That's a trade-off too.



I got in my car on a cloudy
June morning and headed out.

Not long afterwards I was crossing
the Menomonee River,
made famous by the Muppets in 1969.
Surely you know it? It's been heard
as recently as 2011.


Menomonee
do do do do do
Menomonee
do do do do
Menomonee
do do do do do, do do do, do do do do do do do do do do
Menomonee...

Where was I?
Right!
Crossing the river and
catching my first glimpse
of the museum.

FYI, 1903 isn't the address
but the date the company
was founded.

Bit more on that later.

I pulled up and parked
around 9:40am.
I spent the next two
hours wandering around
both outside and inside
the museum.

Just adjacent to the parking area was this shed:

So not even the original.
Sheesh! Rip-off!

Moving on...
I wandered the grounds for a bit
before venturing inside.

I noticed this curved wall and sashayed over.

It was part of a larger structure.
What was with all the... dots?

The "dots" were what they
called "rivets".
(Awfully big rivets, but...
they're rich, I'm not...
so I guess they can call
them whatever they want.)

Upon inspection, they all had names
of people both living and deceased
or companies.
You could pay $250 for the privilege
of having a name inscribed on a
three inch rivet or $1,500 for a six inch.

I dunno if bigger is better,
but it's definitely more expensive!

I continued on, just enjoying the
nice day.

Took one last shot of this sculpture.
Seems... improbable, but...
I'm still fairly new at this,
so who am I to judge?
Guess I'll have to try it
on my bike.

I wandered inside.
The doors were enormous.
Those grab bars are about chest high.
Yet they were so well balanced
that opening them was no more
difficult than opening a normal door.

Note the exhaust pipe lights.

Admission to the museum is $20.
But as a H.O.G (Harley Owners Group)
member, I got in for free.

Score!

The very first thing you see is this:

The oldest Harley in the world.
It has a bit of a story to it though.
The engine is old enough,
but doesn't quite match what
is known about the first engines.
The frame itself dates to 1905,
which is two years after the first bike.

However, many of the components
had the serial number "1" stamped on them.

So... while it's not the first Harley...
it is the oldest known.

A few things that stand out to me:
(maybe not to you. Maybe you don't care...
I did tell you to skip ahead, you know.)
The bike is basically a bicycle with
an engine instead of pedals.

And the drive belt... is leather.

How cool is that?
(I can ask that, because if you don't
think it's cool... you've skipped ahead.)

There were a whole bunch of early
year Harleys lined up for display.

Some of the notables
(although, considering their age at
100+ years, I suppose they all are)
include:

This 1919 Army issue bike.

The US government became interested in
bikes for war use during
the Mexican Border Campaign of 1916.
The government bought a third of
the Harley's built during WWI.

Some of my more astute readers
may note that the date is 1919
while WWI ended in 1918.

True.. but it ended in November.
I don't know, but suspect this bike
was built for action in WWI
and either just missed it,
or was built after the war
as per government contract.

This 1920 bike,
that was designed and marketed
specifically to women.
Kinda flies in the face of
the clichéd June Cleaver model
of thirty years later.

There were bikes celebrating
the hey-days of oval track racing.

After a few too many fatalities,
Harley Davidson refused to race
on wooden tracks and opted instead
for other pursuits.

Such as:

In 1937 this bike broke the land-speed record
reaching a rather pedestrian (for today) speed
of 136 MPH on the hard sand at Daytona Beach.
The large cowl located behind the seat
caused the bike to wobble and was removed
for the record breaking run.
Notice anything about the front cowling?
Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise.
Compare it to the fuel tank.

It is in fact a cut open fuel tank.

Interesting fact that the rider
retired soon after and went to work
with Howard Hughes on the "Spruce Goose".

A popular past time back in the day....
Hill climbing:

This one caught my eye:

The same type of bike used by
Evel Knievel.
(I don't know if it's an original
or a replica, I'm afraid.)

This caught my eye too.
See the bike in the photo below?

Actually, no you don't.
It's not really there.
Here's another view.

Sometimes I get so used to seeing
vehicles (bikes... cars... whatever)
as a whole that I forget that they
are really the sum of their parts.

I also liked this display of the
evolution of their engines.

And this display of tank art:

There was also a collection of
bikes used in or for movies, etc.
Like this Captain America bike,

or this one from the classic,
Easy Rider.

There was a ton more bikes...

But I can honestly say,
(like you could several minutes ago...
I told you to skip ahead!)
that I was sick and tired
of looking at bikes by now.

Time for a change of scenery.
I left the museum about 11:30
and headed south.
But not before the obligatory
gift shop and poker chip.


I stopped about an hour later
at Uke's Harley Davidson
in Kenosha, WI.

I did not look at the bikes.
Still traumatized...
But I did get a poker chip.

Moving on...

I had programmed the next
stop into Betty (my semi-trusty GPS)
but she led me astray.

I wasn't where I wanted to be
despite her protests.
"Arriving at destination, on left."
Umm... there's a gas station ahead,
not what I'm looking for.

I figured I could top up on gas
and ask for directions at the same time.

"Recalculating" Betty said petulantly.

I turned her off.
I have that effect on women.


I pulled into the station
and asked the attendant
for directions.
I knew I was close so
of course he'd know where it is.

Nope. He pointed in what I knew
was the wrong direction
and said "I think that's over there
somewhere."

Extremely helpful.


At least he admitted he wasn't sure
and told me to ask in the adjacent
Dunkin Donuts.

I walked over and looked around
for someone that worked there.
I didn't see anyone, but there were
too middle aged ladies sitting
at a table.

"Excuse me, would you
happen to know where
The Shanty restaurant is?"

They were very helpful.
They told me to get back
on the road I'd been on
go another couple miles
and at the traffic lights,
it would be on the left.

The fact that they pointed in the
wrong direction was immaterial.
I knew what they meant.


A few minutes later and...

Made it!
With even a couple minutes to spare. Ha!


Sure enough, within a couple of minutes,
@irene_dsc walked in.

I must admit that every time
I do a DISmeet,
I wonder if the other person
will show up.

It's always such a relief/pleasure
when someone does!
(And no. Don't think I've been
stood up yet.)


Irene had picked this place
for our meeting.
Her firm had designed
the interior.
(Have I got that right, Irene?)

We were seated right away
and she recommended the
crab cakes.
I wasn't starving and that sounded
just about right.
I'd never had crab cakes before
so I wanted to try them.
We both wound up ordering them.

We sat and chatted about kids
and life and Disney and...
Just whatever and wherever
the conversation took us.
It was a very nice DISmeet.
And the crab cakes were tasty, too!

When we were done,
Irene also mentioned that
the Key Lime pie was good here.

Well... you certainly don't have
to twist my arm!

This was soooooo good!
Easily the best Key Lime pie
I've ever had!
OMG.
Go here.
Just for the pie.

Just... take my word for it.


After about an hour or so,
Irene had to get back to work.

We walked out and she told me
that she had a little something for me.
She handed me a bag of
G. H. Cretors Chicago Mix popcorn.

Thanks!!

I think I told her that I'd save it
for back in Canada.

Yeah... well... About that...
It didn't even last until the
end of the next day!

One last hug and it was time to
say goodbye.

Irene? It was really nice meeting you,
thank you for taking the time
out of your busy day to come say "Hi."


I climbed back on my trusty steed
and set out in search of fame and fortune.
I got neither, but I did pick up three more
poker chips at Lake Shore HD in Libertyville, IL,
Chicago HD and City Limits HD both in Chicago.


I had another DISmeet lined up for
late afternoon, but wanted to pop into
my hotel du jour first.
I was making pretty good time until...
I turned down a street and came to a complete stop.
For the next half hour or so, I, along with
my captive fellow drivers managed to travel
about the length of a football field.
Betty was telling me that the hotel was
"Right there! Look! You can almost see it!
It's just a mile up the road."

I kept nervously glancing at the distance
remaining and the time until my DISmeet.
After sitting at a virtual standstill for another
five or ten minutes, I made a U-turn
and headed back in the opposite direction.

I arrived in Carpentersville right on time.

Some of you may remember Nebo and Smidgy.
Nebo especially, was very active on the DIS
a few years ago. His were among the first TRs
I ever read and commented on.
And I credit him with getting me started.
(So... it's his fault. Blame him.
Name and phone number on request.)
Unfortunately, several health issues
prevent him from writing any more.

If you don't mind, I dropped the TR
writing at this point and didn't take photos.
I just wanted to spend some time
with some old friends.
I hadn't seen them since
the Niagara Falls trip back in 2014.
Since then, Nebo's eyes had failed
and he was pretty much blind,
he'd had or was about to have
surgery on both wrists and his spine.

I'm sorry to say that since this visit
his health has continued to decline.
Smidgy posts on Facebook and I
call on occasion.
He's doing a bit better than he was
at the beginning of this year,
but there's still a long road ahead for him.

Sorry to bring the mood of the TR down,
but it can't always be roses and sunshine.
Life's just not like that.


Then again... if you know Nebo...


We elected to go for dinner at a place
called Luke's of Carpentersville
or Luke's Beef for short.

We ordered food and Nebo and Smidgy
insisted that I try a "beef", a Chicago hot dog
and a pizza puff.

There's no way I could eat all that.
I ordered as I was told,
settling for a half beef sandwich
and saying I'd take the pizza puff to go.

We got our food and sat down.
Smidgy jumped back up to get
something that she'd forgotten.
Nebo looked at me and said
"Did I ever tell you I almost became a doctor?"

This surprised me, because I know
his career was as a machinist.
"No! I had no idea." I said.
"I didn't have the patience for it."

I nodded sagely.

About two seconds later,
I started to laugh.

Same old Nebo.


How was the food?
Well... peppers and I
have a long running feud.
So the "beef" without peppers
was a bit on the bland side.
The hotdog was good, though.

And the pizza puff
(Like a pizza pop. Or a small calzone.)
I took with me to eat later.

And... not to keep you in suspense,
I did eat it the next day.
I had considered tossing it, actually.
I'm not a big fan of pizza pops.

But... well... I should try it
in case they ask me about it, right?

And holy crap was that good!
I'd go back just for that.


Not long after eating, I took my leave.
I managed to drive to the hotel
in a much shorter time
than my earlier aborted attempt.

All in all, a pretty good day.


The haul for today:

Today's map:

And in case you didn't see it..
Notice the odd weather vane
that the restaurant has?

Did you see it in this chapter?

Coming up.... That sinking feeling...

The World's Most Expensive Donut​

 

[Steppesister]

OH goody!! A new update before your trip. Looky at that ticker!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Your next trip is coming up soon! I hope it's a great one

What's your best
or favourite breakfast recipe?

Hashbrown casserole. Nom!

Bag of breakfast hashbrowns (the ones that are like little cubed frozen french fries for breakfast, not the shredded potato patties.
Small tub of sour cream (I sometimes sub greek yogurt)
One can of cream of chicken soup (can sub cream of mushroom. Probably also cream of celery, but I've never tried that. I make my own gluten free/low dairy condensed soup substitute with butter, sweet rice flour, cashew milk, and a chicken bouillon cube.)
1 cup-ish of shredded cheddar cheese (optional: divided)
1/2 cup-ish melted butter (divided)
1 cup-ish corn flakes, roughly crushed into smaller pieces

Mix hashbrowns, sour cream, condensed soup, and approximately half the melted butter and cheese (or all of the cheese if you prefer) together in a bowl. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Mix the remaining butter and the crushed cornflakes together, and top casserole with this mixture. Optional: top with remaining half of cheese.

I'm sure there are people who have more legit recipes for this kind of casserole, but mine is pretty loosey-goosey. Nom!

The Harley Davidson museum
in Milwaukee.

Cool!

I've been to Milwaukee twice. Once to meet my neurosurgeon, and the second time to have my surgery. Of all the places in North America to have a state-of-the-art Chiari hospital specializing in my condition, Milwaukee is it! (Well, technically there are two: Milwaukee, and New York. We went with Milwaukee.) The lead surgeon there has zero bedside manner and is phenomenal.

We didn't go to the Harley Davidson Museum, but we did go to the zoo. And we also stopped in for a visit to Jellystone Park, because I worked for a few summers in rec at a Jellystone Park in New Brunswick.

Seems... improbable, but...
I'm still fairly new at this,
so who am I to judge?
Guess I'll have to try it
on my bike.

Pictures! We need pictures of this.

How cool is that?
(I can ask that, because if you don't
think it's cool... you've skipped ahead.)

Very cool, indeed!

I turned her off.
I have that effect on women.

Ha!

I must admit that every time
I do a DISmeet,
I wonder if the other person
will show up.

Yep, fair enough. Kind of like a blind date with another Disney fan.

You had some nice meets with friends this day! Sounds like a success to me.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

What's your best
or favourite breakfast recipe?

1 car
3 dollars
33 cents
1 Burger King drive thru

Drive to Burger King. Order sausage biscuit and vanilla iced coffee. Pay for items.

I'm not a big breakfast person. Most of the time I grab some sort of granola bar. If I'm feeling motivated I'll make a smoothie.

The TR will be much shorter,
but the duration of your sanity
will be much longer.

Well that was gone long ago.

So not even the original.
Sheesh! Rip-off!

I hate when that happens

Note the exhaust pipe lights.

I like those! Better not let Joe see or I can see him trying to make them

But as a H.O.G (Harley Owners Group)
member, I got in for free.

Score!

I wanted to make some sort of pig joke here, but can't think of anyone. I blame the last couple of days at work.

The bike is basically a bicycle with
an engine instead of pedals.

I did notice that.

How cool is that?
(I can ask that, because if you don't
think it's cool... you've skipped ahead.)

I mean.....kinda cool? I feel like it would wear out rather easily, but what do I know?

Some of my more astute readers
may note that the date is 1919
while WWI ended in 1918.

Nope. I'm awful with dates. The only reason I know the dates of the Civil War is because my high school marching band did a Civil War themed show the year before I got there and the shirts everyone wore had the dates on them. And people wore them a lot.

But not before the obligatory
gift shop and poker chip.

Did you get a shirt?

I must admit that every time
I do a DISmeet,
I wonder if the other person
will show up.

It's always such a relief/pleasure
when someone does!
(And no. Don't think I've been
stood up yet.)

Boy we really must have had you sweating.

I'd never had crab cakes before
so I wanted to try them.

Oh man, I LOVE crab cakes! Order them almost any time I can.

OMG.
Go here.
Just for the pie.

Ok! If I leave now.....

Did you see it in this chapter?

I did! I did! Made it less of a ripoff.

 

[pkondz]

OH goody!! A new update before your trip. Looky at that ticker!

Look at yours!

They seem eerily similar.

 

[pkondz]

Your next trip is coming up soon! I hope it's a great one

Yes it is!
Thanks!

Hashbrown casserole. Nom!

Bag of breakfast hashbrowns (the ones that are like little cubed frozen french fries for breakfast, not the shredded potato patties.
Small tub of sour cream (I sometimes sub greek yogurt)
One can of cream of chicken soup (can sub cream of mushroom. Probably also cream of celery, but I've never tried that. I make my own gluten free/low dairy condensed soup substitute with butter, sweet rice flour, cashew milk, and a chicken bouillon cube.)
1 cup-ish of shredded cheddar cheese (optional: divided)
1/2 cup-ish melted butter (divided)
1 cup-ish corn flakes, roughly crushed into smaller pieces

Mix hashbrowns, sour cream, condensed soup, and approximately half the melted butter and cheese (or all of the cheese if you prefer) together in a bowl. Transfer to a greased baking dish. Mix the remaining butter and the crushed cornflakes together, and top casserole with this mixture. Optional: top with remaining half of cheese.

I'm sure there are people who have more legit recipes for this kind of casserole, but mine is pretty loosey-goosey. Nom!

Sounds very loosey-goosey.

I like it!

You make your own condensed soup!

Cool!

I've been to Milwaukee twice. Once to meet my neurosurgeon, and the second time to have my surgery. Of all the places in North America to have a state-of-the-art Chiari hospital specializing in my condition, Milwaukee is it! (Well, technically there are two: Milwaukee, and New York. We went with Milwaukee.) The lead surgeon there has zero bedside manner and is phenomenal.

Odd that it would be in Milwaukee.
But then again... why not?

I guess if I have to chose
between a competent
or a pleasant surgeon...

Yeah, fix me.

We didn't go to the Harley Davidson Museum, but we did go to the zoo. And we also stopped in for a visit to Jellystone Park, because I worked for a few summers in rec at a Jellystone Park in New Brunswick.

I've never been to
a Jellystone Park.
Believe me...
When I was little,
I wanted nothing more.

Pictures! We need pictures of this.

I'll see what I can do.

Very cool, indeed!

Ha!

Ha yourself.
You haven't met me (yet).

You'll see.
Irene was doing everything
she could not to bolt from her seat.

Yep, fair enough. Kind of like a blind date with another Disney fan.

Good analogy!

You had some nice meets with friends this day! Sounds like a success to me.

They were really nice meets
with even nicer people.

 

[pkondz]

1 car
3 dollars
33 cents
1 Burger King drive thru

Drive to Burger King. Order sausage biscuit and vanilla iced coffee. Pay for items.

I'm not a big breakfast person. Most of the time I grab some sort of granola bar. If I'm feeling motivated I'll make a smoothie.

Well, that's certainly
an easy recipe.

I'm... 50/50 on breakfasts.
I'll go weeks without eating one...
But when I do have one,
I usually really like it.

Well that was gone long ago.

Yes, sorry about that.
My visiting you did it, right?

I hate when that happens

I guess it's too much
to expect.
Plus... if it'd been the real one,
I'm sure they wouldn't have
left it outside in the elements.

I like those! Better not let Joe see or I can see him trying to make them

I wanted to make some sort of pig joke here, but can't think of anyone. I blame the last couple of days at work.

Uh, oh.
Working hard Annie?

I did notice that.

Just... so not what I think of
when I think of a Harley.

I mean.....kinda cool? I feel like it would wear out rather easily, but what do I know?

I'm sure they did.
But... I just think it's cool
that that's what they came up with.

Nope. I'm awful with dates. The only reason I know the dates of the Civil War is because my high school marching band did a Civil War themed show the year before I got there and the shirts everyone wore had the dates on them. And people wore them a lot.

Yeah, that'd do it.
I must admit that I forget
a lot of dates except WWII,
because my Dad,
who lived through it,
would talk about it a lot.

Did you get a shirt?

As a matter of fact...


Had to get one from there.

Boy we really must have had you sweating.

Well... actually...

I'm going to reserve commenting
on that until a couple of updates
from now.

Oh man, I LOVE crab cakes! Order them almost any time I can.

I really liked them!
I'll definitely have them again.

Ok! If I leave now.....

Look, I drove it,
so you should be able to.

I did! I did! Made it less of a ripoff.

 

[irene_dsc]

Irene had picked this place
for our meeting.
Her firm had designed
the interior.
(Have I got that right, Irene?)

Almost - we were the architects for the addition and remodeling (both of The Shanty, and Captain Porky's next door). But, they did all of the interior design themselves. (It also is getting a new addition right now, designed by another architecture firm. I guess we didn't go back to eat there often enough?)

I'd never had crab cakes before
so I wanted to try them.
We both wound up ordering them.

Yup - that's my favorite thing to order there!

When we were done,
Irene also mentioned that
the Key Lime pie was good here.

Well, they don't always have Key Lime pie. But, they do have a great dessert chef. So, pretty much anything for dessert is good.

We walked out and she told me
that she had a little something for me.
She handed me a bag of
G. H. Cretors Chicago Mix popcorn.

I had to - as I told pkondz, you have to eat one of the cheesy kind and one of the caramel corn at the same time. I think since then, they renamed the mix, too, in case anyone looks for it! We haven't been buying it lately, since dd can't eat it with while she has braces. They will be coming off soon, so I will need to buy her a big bag...

Yeah... well... About that...
It didn't even last until the
end of the next day!

This really doesn't surprise me one bit!

Irene? It was really nice meeting you,
thank you for taking the time
out of your busy day to come say "Hi."

It was great to meet you, too!

There's no way I could eat all that.
I ordered as I was told,
settling for a half beef sandwich

An Italian beef sandwich is another Chicago thing. Not nearly as well known as a lot of other regional foods, but definitely something I haven't seen as much anywhere else. There are a bunch of similar sorts of places around the area. We usually go to Sammy's by us.

So the "beef" without peppers
was a bit on the bland side.

I usually get a cheesy beef, when I do get one...

And the pizza puff
(Like a pizza pop. Or a small calzone.)
I took with me to eat later.

And... not to keep you in suspense,
I did eat it the next day.
I had considered tossing it, actually.
I'm not a big fan of pizza pops.

But... well... I should try it
in case they ask me about it, right?

And holy crap was that good!
I'd go back just for that.

Ok, this one I haven't tried, I have to admit.

I think I mentioned this at lunch, but I did go to the Harley Davidson Museum once, for a bar mitzvah luncheon! We got to wander around the museum after we ate, although I don't remember if we looked through the whole place or not.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

I'm... 50/50 on breakfasts.
I'll go weeks without eating one...
But when I do have one,
I usually really like it.

Every now then I get on a breakfast kick. Generally when I've been overseas. Never mind I don't eat breakfast on a normal day, but as soon as it's not available to me I start craving it.

Plus... if it'd been the real one,
I'm sure they wouldn't have
left it outside in the elements.

I guess that makes sense.

Same thing happened at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum. All the cars on display were the winning cars.....EXCEPT Mario's 1969 car, which was a replica. But we did ask the guide, and he said the original crashed a couple of races later, and the slightly wrecked original belongs to the Smithsonian currently.

Working hard Annie?

It's not that. Just one of those weeks where everything takes 12 extra steps than it should. And we recently "upgraded" our ATM software, but it's a different process to use it now and people just aren't grasping it.

I'm going to reserve commenting
on that until a couple of updates
from now.

Not gonna say it was the only reason I'm following this thread......but it plays a nice big part

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Well... peppers and I
have a long running feud.
So the "beef" without peppers
was a bit on the bland side.
The hotdog was good, though.

And the pizza puff
(Like a pizza pop. Or a small calzone.)
I took with me to eat later.

And... not to keep you in suspense,
I did eat it the next day.
I had considered tossing it, actually.
I'm not a big fan of pizza pops.

But... well... I should try it
in case they ask me about it, right?

And holy crap was that good!
I'd go back just for that.

Good Chicago beef is getting harder to find—too many mediocre chain versions. The good stuff should have garlic and oregano and such, even without peppers it’s not bland. As for the pizza puff, I don’t think I’ve ever had one at a restaurant or fast food dive. Last time was probably junior high lunchroom.

G. H. Cretors Chicago Mix popcorn.

YUM!

 

[pkondz]

Almost - we were the architects for the addition and remodeling (both of The Shanty, and Captain Porky's next door). But, they did all of the interior design themselves.

Ah! That's what it was.
I couldn't remember.
I recalled that the building
was there already...

Sorry! Should have remembered that.
Next time I'll take notes during lunch.
Or just record the conversation.

(Don't say anything incriminating. )

(It also is getting a new addition right now, designed by another architecture firm. I guess we didn't go back to eat there often enough?)

Well, we tried!!

Yup - that's my favorite thing to order there!

I really liked it!
Might go back in the fall and have another.

Well, they don't always have Key Lime pie. But, they do have a great dessert chef. So, pretty much anything for dessert is good.

This is another thing
I couldn't remember.

I remember that it was one
woman who did all the desserts...
But I couldn't remember if
it was you, or the server
who told me.

I had to - as I told pkondz, you have to eat one of the cheesy kind and one of the caramel corn at the same time.

I actually went to Garrett's
a few years ago.
But I ordered a bag of caramel
and a bag of cheese.

I just couldn't get my head
around mixing them...
So I didn't.

I have evolved since then.

I think since then, they renamed the mix, too, in case anyone looks for it!

Really?
The name of the company
or the name of the popcorn?

We haven't been buying it lately, since dd can't eat it with while she has braces. They will be coming off soon, so I will need to buy her a big bag...

One large enough for her
to crawl into, I presume.

This really doesn't surprise me one bit!

It was great to meet you, too!

An Italian beef sandwich is another Chicago thing. Not nearly as well known as a lot of other regional foods, but definitely something I haven't seen as much anywhere else. There are a bunch of similar sorts of places around the area. We usually go to Sammy's by us.

Hadn't heard of it until just then.

I usually get a cheesy beef, when I do get one...

This was an option?

Dang!

I just got what I was told.
Didn't even look at the menu.

Ok, this one I haven't tried, I have to admit.

I was extremely skeptical.
No way this was going to be good.

Soooo wrong.

I think I mentioned this at lunch, but I did go to the Harley Davidson Museum once, for a bar mitzvah luncheon! We got to wander around the museum after we ate, although I don't remember if we looked through the whole place or not.

Yes, I remember you mentioning it.

 

[Heluvsme]

Breakfast--- eh. Unless I'm at Disney, or on vacation somewhere else, I'm just a cup of hot tea kinda girl.

The museum looks really cool! And for someone who rides I imagine it's the pinnacle of all things Harley Davidson. Very, very cool! Does Mrs. Pkondz ride with you?

Love dis meets ! I'm a little nervous to ever try to arrange one, but I do find myself scanning crowds when I'm there to see if there's anyone I recognize from the boards.
--Dawn

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hey there! So sorry to be a stranger! I have just been so busy with studying, trying to do keep up with the things Jim usually does, and sometimes just tired by the time I can sit down to read. I knew you had another TR out there, but no time to sign in. Jim came out on Mar 21st, and we headed to WDW on Mar 24th with Ryan's family and our fam from Anaheim. We had a great time, but it went by too fast, as usual. I think sometimes it was like herding cats to make the plan work during Spring Break. I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to get a F&W in for just the two of us. I'm pretty sure it will turn into a cruise, though.
I'm sorry Kay had surgery. Hope she is healing well. Now back to catch up here!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Recipes! How Fun! I can't wait to try some of these! Here is mine:

Pudding Breeze (use any flavor)
1 1/2 C. Flour 3 C. Cool Whip, thawed
3/4 C. Margarine 3 (3.9 oz) Pkgs instant pudding
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese 1 C. chopped Pecans (opt.)
2 C. Powdered Sugar 5 C Whole Milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F (190 C)
2. Crumble flour and margarine together, blending well. Press into bottom of 9 x 13 in. pan. Sprinkle 1/2 C. of pecans over if desired.
3. Bake 15 min at 375 and let cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese together. Add 2 C. of Cool Whip and mix together. Spread over cooled crust
5. Mix the 5 C of milk with the pudding mixes. (do not follow box directions) Beat well and spread over cream cheese mixture.
6. Spread remaining Cool whip over top and sprinkle with remaining pecans if desired.
7. Refrigerate and serve chilled

 

[vamassey1]

I'm here! I know I'm late but I'm still trying to get caught up. The trip to Disney in February put me behind. On that note I'm going to pimp the trip report my daughter just started for the trip. It's located here [URL="https://www.disboards.com/threads/blended-ohana-lights-water-fountains-and-characters-oh-my.3674644/"]Blended O'HANA: lights, water fountains, and characters OH MY![/URL] . I know you are already following too many reports but it just started and I promise lost of cute pictures.

Loved you start but you had my heart pumping with the accident. I also want to know what happened? You can't leave me hanging even if it's imaginary. Your pictures are so funny. My youngest went to another Anime Con over the Easter weekend and she dressed as Ariel in the blue dress one day. You would have loved it.

I do have a dessert recipe. It's requested at all family gatherings.

Fruit Salad

1 cup sugar
1 8 oz creme cheese
1 cup cool whip
assorted fruit clean and dried.

I usually let the creme cheese sit out to soften and make sure the cool whip has been in the fridge and not freezer. I wash, drain and set the fruit out on paper towels to dry. If it's too wet in makes the salad too watery. I like strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries and some fruit cocktail. Bananas are good too but turn brown after a bit.

Creme the sugar and the creme cheese together until smooth. Make sure it's no gritty. Blend the cool whip in and then fold in the fruit. If I have time I let the sugar, creme cheese and cool whip sit in the fridge for a while before adding the fruit.

It's real easy to increase this recipe. I usually double it or ever triple it.

I've only made it trough the first page so I'm going back to read some more.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[pkondz]

Evening folks.

Just to let you know
that I probably won’t be
doing shout outs for a bit.
Just... stupid hard on a phone
and that’s all I got for a few days...
and then I happen to be leaving
for California.

So there’s that.

I’ll be around, though!