Dreamfinder2, his bride,and the sorority sisters! - five days of reviews finished!

[srdipert]

Sounds like you had some great meals and even the picky eater survived!!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks Dreamfinder2 for the great reviews. I think we will have to put Chef de France on our ADR list for December. It has been about 3 years since we were there last. I agree with you about the sausage at O'hanas, there is no taste to it. It has got to be the worst tasting sausage I have ever had.

 

[nanadeb]

That green bean thing mystified me for years. My grandma cooked her green beans to death with bacon. My mother did too. Considering that my mother started with canned green beans, they were really mushy.
Some background here. My grandmother was from Southern Illinois and a cook for the railroad during the Depression. Her family came to Illinois via North Carolina in the 1830's. Her cooking was Southern all the way.
My mother kind of cooked, but we won't get into that one.
I prefer my green beans fresh picked and steamed. Bright green and slightly crunchy. They even taste like green beans. For years I couldn't figure out why in heaven's name a good cook like my grandma massacred green beans.
Then a few years ago we moved to Virginia and we visited the Frontier Culture Museum near Staunton. It's one of those open air living museums with houses fromt the times and countries from which the settlers came. And they also have one house from the first settlement days.
On this particular hot summer day, the wife of the house was stringing green beans on some sewing thread and then hanging them up to dry. I asked her why she did this, and she said it was so they could have green beans in the winter. They put them in the pot with a bit of smoked meat and cooked them most of the day.
The light finally went on.
Despite the fact that they no longer dried their green beans for winter consumption, my ancestresses still cooked them the same way.
Mystery solved.
Now if only I can figure out why that same grandma rolled out noodle dough, cut them into big squares, plopped them into a kettle of stewed chicken, and called those big old flat noodles "dumplings," I'll have it made!

 

[Dreamfinder2]

That green bean thing mystified me for years. My grandma cooked her green beans to death with bacon. My mother did too. Considering that my mother started with canned green beans, they were really mushy.
Some background here. My grandmother was from Southern Illinois and a cook for the railroad during the Depression. Her family came to Illinois via North Carolina in the 1830's. Her cooking was Southern all the way.
My mother kind of cooked, but we won't get into that one.
I prefer my green beans fresh picked and steamed. Bright green and slightly crunchy. They even taste like green beans. For years I couldn't figure out why in heaven's name a good cook like my grandma massacred green beans.
Then a few years ago we moved to Virginia and we visited the Frontier Culture Museum near Staunton. It's one of those open air living museums with houses fromt the times and countries from which the settlers came. And they also have one house from the first settlement days.
On this particular hot summer day, the wife of the house was stringing green beans on some sewing thread and then hanging them up to dry. I asked her why she did this, and she said it was so they could have green beans in the winter. They put them in the pot with a bit of smoked meat and cooked them most of the day.
The light finally went on.
Despite the fact that they no longer dried their green beans for winter consumption, my ancestresses still cooked them the same way.
Mystery solved.
Now if only I can figure out why that same grandma rolled out noodle dough, cut them into big squares, plopped them into a kettle of stewed chicken, and called those big old flat noodles "dumplings," I'll have it made!

OK, pal, you've just drawn the line in the sand!

I'll grant that green beans are apparently a matter of taste. And (shhh!) when I'm making them for the family, I do take green beans and steam them until they're "pliable." Then, I render up some bacon and give 'em a quick stir fry in the drippings. They are still pretty green, but not the florescent color they are in WDW restaurants. There's no crunch or snap, tho.

And dumplings? Don't get me me started. My Marine son has a good friend of German descent from the Spokane, Washington, area, and he has the same response to dumplings you do. What you've described is a true Southern staple, chicken & dumplings.

Don't worry. I forgive ya!

 

[BCV23]

I really enjoyed your reviews. We think Chefs is great these days too although usually go for lunch.

Loved your description of green beans, Southern style. I prefer them green and crisp these days but grew up with them being served soft and mushy green too. Heck, in those days stores didn't even carry them fresh in the winter.

nanadeb, very interesting story. I never knew the origin of the term "string" beans.

Have you ever tried Kona for dinner, Dreamfinder? We have never tried 'Ohana but need to do so one of these trips.

 

[undertheseas]

Wow, great reviews, thank you! I'm glad to read that you enjoyed Chefs, it was the one ADR that I was undecided on but now I'll keep it. The chocolate and praline dessert sealed the deal. I agree the server at PT 50s makes or breaks the visit. Thanks for the great reviews!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Loved your reviews and your attitude, very refreshing!

 

[disneyjunebug]

Great reviews!! My daddy ran Officer/NCO clubs in the USAF and studied at the Cordon Bleu in Paris (I was born there) and at Cornell. He still cooked his green beans like his Momma had for us -- lots of fatback or bacon and really limpish. My mom says mine aren't done when I saute them with butter and garlic until tender crisp and bright green colored! I try to make them "the right way" for her when she comes to dinner!

 

[wilma-bride]

Excellent reviews - you really had me laughing and the whole green bean saga reminds me of the ongoing jokes here in the UK about Brussels Sprouts at Christmas - you have to put them on to boil about 2 months before

Have you written a trip report, by any chance - I get the feeling it would be a riot

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Hijacking my own thread here, but I happen to like brussels sprouts. I can imagine that there's a LOT of boiling involved (I've actually only had frozen, not fresh, at home.)

I love regional foods, no matter where I am. True Southern cooking may not be haute cusine to most, but done right, you just can't find anything tastier, IMHO. It just doesn't translate well into a restaurant setting - you gotta be at Grandma's. There are a few notable exceptions - if any of you ever happen to be headed east on I-20 outside of Atlanta toward Augusta, stop in Social Circle, Georgia, and have a meal at the acclaimed Blue Willow Inn. By any objective standard you can come up with, it is an experience to savor.

Or drop by my house. I'll feed you until you are begging for mercy.

Wilma-bride, I'll get around to a trip report one day. We typically go a couple of times a year these days, so maybe there's something worth sharing. This last trip was an absolute joy ... those two girls kept me convulsed.

Another thought on Chefs de France ... as I stated, our last two visits were among our best Epcot meals. It's not everyday that everyone in a party can be pleased, but chef Bruno and his crew get kudos for a job well done for us. I heartily recommend it, even for picky eaters who might look at the menu and think, "What the heck is THAT?!" Steak and chicken, for cryin' out loud.

Wish I had some of that soup right now, and it's 90 degrees outside.

Oh yeah, BVC23 - I haven't had Kona for dinner, but I have had lunch and breakfast there. The legendary Tonga toast is a holdover from the old Tangaroah Terrace days, long since gone from the Poly, but it's still one of my favorite breakfast concotions ever. The last time I had lunch there was early summer last year, and I honestly can't remember what everyone else had. I had a beef teriyaki salad that was light and refreshing, and as befitting an entree salad, there was plenty of it. I think it was served in a bowl sort of like a taco salad would come in an edible shell. I've got a good memory; it just doesn't last very long.

 

[pperfectmom]

That green bean thing mystified me for years. My grandma cooked her green beans to death with bacon. My mother did too. Considering that my mother started with canned green beans, they were really mushy.
Some background here. My grandmother was from Southern Illinois and a cook for the railroad during the Depression. Her family came to Illinois via North Carolina in the 1830's. Her cooking was Southern all the way.
My mother kind of cooked, but we won't get into that one.
I prefer my green beans fresh picked and steamed. Bright green and slightly crunchy. They even taste like green beans. For years I couldn't figure out why in heaven's name a good cook like my grandma massacred green beans.
Then a few years ago we moved to Virginia and we visited the Frontier Culture Museum near Staunton. It's one of those open air living museums with houses fromt the times and countries from which the settlers came. And they also have one house from the first settlement days.
On this particular hot summer day, the wife of the house was stringing green beans on some sewing thread and then hanging them up to dry. I asked her why she did this, and she said it was so they could have green beans in the winter. They put them in the pot with a bit of smoked meat and cooked them most of the day.
The light finally went on.
Despite the fact that they no longer dried their green beans for winter consumption, my ancestresses still cooked them the same way.
Mystery solved.
Now if only I can figure out why that same grandma rolled out noodle dough, cut them into big squares, plopped them into a kettle of stewed chicken, and called those big old flat noodles "dumplings," I'll have it made!

Just so you know, some of us do still dry our green beans. They're called Shucky Beans and are sooooo good(cooked with some jowl bacon, of course). We never string 'em up though(usually just lay flat on an old window screen) and, I'm pretty sure that is NOT why green beans are called string beans. They are called that because you have to string them(meaning take the stringy things off the edges) before you cook, can or dry them out.

As for the chicken and dumplings, both my grannies always made the flat kind and I loved them growing up. I had a boyfriend in college with German roots and his family made big ole fluffy ones that were just so light and tender that I had to turn my back on the Southern tradition. Now that's how I make mine and even add *shock* herbs to them. I'm sure both grannies are turning over in their graves right now.

BTW, dreamfinder2, thanks for your great reviews.

 

[Allensfan]

Dreamfinder...I normally don't post on reviews but yours was fresh and funny! I enjoyed reading your posts!!

Great job

 

[Allensfan]

That green bean thing mystified me for years. My grandma cooked her green beans to death with bacon. My mother did too. Considering that my mother started with canned green beans, they were really mushy.
Some background here. My grandmother was from Southern Illinois and a cook for the railroad during the Depression. Her family came to Illinois via North Carolina in the 1830's. Her cooking was Southern all the way.
My mother kind of cooked, but we won't get into that one.
I prefer my green beans fresh picked and steamed. Bright green and slightly crunchy. They even taste like green beans. For years I couldn't figure out why in heaven's name a good cook like my grandma massacred green beans.
Then a few years ago we moved to Virginia and we visited the Frontier Culture Museum near Staunton. It's one of those open air living museums with houses fromt the times and countries from which the settlers came. And they also have one house from the first settlement days.
On this particular hot summer day, the wife of the house was stringing green beans on some sewing thread and then hanging them up to dry. I asked her why she did this, and she said it was so they could have green beans in the winter. They put them in the pot with a bit of smoked meat and cooked them most of the day.
The light finally went on.
Despite the fact that they no longer dried their green beans for winter consumption, my ancestresses still cooked them the same way.
Mystery solved.
Now if only I can figure out why that same grandma rolled out noodle dough, cut them into big squares, plopped them into a kettle of stewed chicken, and called those big old flat noodles "dumplings," I'll have it made!

Hi nana, as a southern cook myself I can tell you that 'sheets' of dough or the wide noodles we call "chicken and pastry" and the round balls of dough we call 'chicken and dumplings". So I bet she was serving you chicken and pastry and called it dumplings.

Either way, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

 

[nanadeb]

I checked on my green beans in the garden, and the vines are starting up the poles. Don't know when I will get actual green beans, but I am growing two different kinds this year. One you have to string (yep, that stringy thing!)and one you don't. Totally different flavors. The first ones will be eaten straight off the vine with no intervention from the stove. The rest will be steamed or lightly stir fried.
But I must admit that I do fall back to comfort food now and again. Every time I hit Popeye's Chicken, I have to have the green beans! Overcooked and swimming with cubes of smoked meat and a bit of onion. Total nostalgia time. Oh, and the Popeye's Chicken has to be spicey!
And despite my confusion over the naming of my grandma's chicken and dumplings, I still make them that way, too. I do like regular dumplings, but I make chicken and dumplings like my grandma used to make them.
Otherwise, they just wouldn't be chicken and dumplings any more.

 

[BCV23]

Oh yeah, BVC23 - I haven't had Kona for dinner, but I have had lunch and breakfast there. The legendary Tonga toast is a holdover from the old Tangaroah Terrace days, long since gone from the Poly, but it's still one of my favorite breakfast concotions ever. The last time I had lunch there was early summer last year, and I honestly can't remember what everyone else had. I had a beef teriyaki salad that was light and refreshing, and as befitting an entree salad, there was plenty of it. I think it was served in a bowl sort of like a taco salad would come in an edible shell. I've got a good memory; it just doesn't last very long.

I've had that Teriyaki salad and agree with your description...light and refreshing.

Ah, yes we have very fond memories of Tangaroa Terrace over the years. And Tonga Toast was always available at Coral Seas too...now known as Kona Cafe. Except in the good ol days it wasn't called Tonga Toast. Whatever it's called, it's soooo good and sooo bad for you!

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Nanadeb, just so you'll feel in good company - Emeril Lagasse admits to being a Popeye's spicy fried chicken addict. He stops for some on his way home frequently. I love it, too.

I also love me some chicken and dumplings. If you've got a Cracker Barrel close by, they do a *pretty* good job, but it's nowhere close to homemade. Or Mamma's. Or mine, for that matter. But they're ok in a pinch.

I want Paula Deen to open a TS restaurant in Epcot at The American Adventure. Hey, we can dream, can't we?

 

[nanadeb]

Dreamfinder2, have you eaten at Lady and Sons? My daughter, who just happens to live in Savannah, introduced us to her restaurant back in its old location. She made sure we made it for the Sunday buffet so we could have all different kinds of Paula's down home cooking.
That is truly food to die for.
Really. That woman is a heart attack waiting to happen. But the food is soooooo good. I just can't figure out how come she doesn't weigh a thousand pounds.
Good thing for me, Lady and Sons is a long way from my home in Virginia.
But I do love to watch that woman cook.
So, shall we all get together a petition to get Paula into Epcot?
If she can go halfsies with her brother for Bubba's restaurant, surely she can find time for a partnership with the Mouse!

 

[shovan]

Thanks for your funny, fresh reviews!

I have to say I'm not a fan of those nasty mushy frozen brussels sprouts my Mom always fixed. Ugh! I decided to give them a try again recently. Bought them fresh & roasted them. (Thanks to tips on the What's for Dinner Thread here on the Dis!)

And I guess I'm gonna insult you again, but this Cajun girl has never met a dumpling worth eating! Just give me some good ole rice & gravy or red beans & rice! Yeah, big rice eaters, I guess we eat what we grow.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Looks like I'm shamelessly bumping my own thread here, and honestly, I'm not.

Nanabev, check THIS out - I was given a cooking class at a local kitchen shop for my birthday, and the class was last night. It was taught by Paula's brother Bubba. AND - I got to talk to his sister on the phone (actually, I didn't talk so much as gibber ... long, stupid story.) It was way fun.

Shovan, for those poor souls who don't like chicken and dumplings, I think it may be a texture thing. I'm not insulted. We used to live just up the road from y'all, up I-55, in McComb, Mississippi ... and those folks would eat rice topped with chicken and dumplings. I'd never seen that, before or since. Some kind of local thing, I guess - a carboholic's delight!

But I love red beans and rice, with some big ol' hunks of andouille sausage. Das fine eatin', I guar-an-tee, chere.

 

[Busymom85]

Great reviews, fun to read.