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Would it work to wear your vest?
Judi I agree that’s the obvious answer but I tuck almost everything. i will look among my tops and see if I have something long enoigh to tuck in and slightly blouse over. And yes bbstx, the vest should def help. Next week I’m going to start trying on combinations according to the itinerary and that should help weed out things I don’t need. The striped dress is already out; if I take a dress it will have to be black and serve as the recital attire backup.
I used to tuck in everything too. Some things look better untucked.
I second njmomma’s suggestion of Visit A City. I use it often. I also use Rick Steves Audio Europe. It is free and gives you guided tours of many many places, such as the Duomo and the Baptistry in Florence.
The Last Supper isn’t in a museum as such. It is a fresco on the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria della Grazie. Only 25 people are allowed in the room at a time and then only for 15 minutes. Tickets for the May-June-July quarter went on sale in March. I suspect the tour companies snap them up and that is why you have to take a tour in order to gain admission to The Last Supper.
I do not like having every moment of my vacations planned either. I would never do a tour group because I just don't like that kind of thing. But I do need to have my hotel(s) reserved. I'm very picky and would be too worried everything would be booked and I'd end up having to stay somewhere not good.
But, again, it's admirable that you don't worry about these things!
While you are in Sorrento, look at taking the hydrofoil over to Capri. We didn’t. I regret it.
Positano has been in the news recently because of the overcrowding by tourists. You can get to Amalfi from Sorrento without going down the coast road which runs through Positano but I don’t know that you would want to. However, if you do go to Amalfi, go on to Ravello. It is a cute little mountain top town overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
If you are looking for a driver, in Sorrento contact Charm Limos and ask for Claudio.
ETA: not news but a fair overview of Positano https://anindigoday.com/why-positano-in-italy-isnt-worth-the-hype/
Pal for the win. I found some floating frames with gold edging at Michael's. They were $9.99 and looked it. I ordered these:
Wow! Looks fantastic. When I had a gallery wall, I used little pieces of museum putty to keep the frames straight. It does not leave a mark when you take it off the wall.
I love the burl wood -- my favorite of the options.
I am not feeling the tiger pillows but I always prefer leopard. I wouldnt be concerned about theme-y between LR and sitting room. They are very different spaces and each has its own personality.
Love the burled wood console! Use the leopard pillows!
I think the Aurora needed a better PR team. A lot more people will probably be able to see it than saw totality eclipse, but somehow I didn't even know about it until Oakley posted. And I knew there was an electrical storm coming, but not specifically the Aurora.
Tennessee!
Yesterday I made shrimp burgers using a recipe from America's Test Kitchen
similar to this video.
I had watched this video on TV recently, but to make the burgers, I used the recipe in the ATK cookbook, which is slightly different. The cookbook adds the breadcrumbs to the burgers instead of rolling them onto the exterior, and it adds parsley and lemon zest, in addition to the scallions. Otherwise it is pretty similar. I added some minced jalapeño for heat instead of the cayenne.
I make my own tartar sauce, which is similar to theirs, but I add lemon juice instead of pickle juice, and I add fresh dill, if I have it.
What variations of shrimp burgers have you made? I revived this thread because I was intrigued with the Redbook recipe, which I have saved and intend to follow the next time I make shrimp burgers. The ATK recipe is pretty bland.
Mmmmm, fried capers. Been so long I've forgotten about fryng them. Kind of nice in potato salad. I'll have to remember that when I make some this summer.
Thanks, Lars! Now I have this ear worm stuck in my head!
There is a Craigslist Palm Springs for listing free stuff, and I might try that. Not sure if I could list things on both Craigslist and Nextdoor at the same time - I do not want the furniture to linger on my front yard.
The is also Craigslist Palm Springs furniture for sale that seems to be more active, and I wonder if I should list the furniture there instead of the "free" section. I don't want to waste time trying to sell it on the street. It will be around 100° when we move the furniture out, but with around 15% humidity, it should not feel that bad, but it will be extremely sunny.
Lars, I’m glad you and Kevin went to the festival and enjoyed it. It must have been fun to receive all the compliments on your hat!
Best of luck with the move and with getting rid of the big unwanted furniture. Not easy today. I think others have given the best advice. Do what is easiest and safest for you and Kevin.
I have 24 sage green cotton napkins 20” x 20” from Amazon. They wash well but i do not put them in the dryer. After hanging on a rack to dry I send them out to be ironed. More trouble than paper but measurably nicer.
“Thou shalt only use toile as an overall pattern.”
Decor Bible: the first commandment
what is the style name for those Adidas?
The Adidas are the 'sambas'. I have them too and love them. Sorry, I don't know if the insole is removable. I never tried to remove it.
I know those North Sea winds ☹️ However, like everywhere else the average temps have climbed in that part of the world. Historical averages say 45 to 50 lows and 65 tp 70 highs during the first two weeks of June. So basically our late spring weather of a month and earlier ago. When we are ten days away from departure I’ll get the actual forecast that might change my packing. I think / hope I’ll be all right with a knit turtleneck sweater, the vest and a raincoat to cut the wind.
I brought all neutrals on my recent trip to Portugal and loved having a colorful scarf too.
Collectively they looked like the cast from The Hunger Games movies.
If only Lauren Sanchez had worn the Met Gala dress to the White House...
Lars, you got the "holy trinity" right,--- the celery, sweet peppers and onions.
Re okra sliminess. My gumbo recipe calls for separately sauteeing the sliced okra in a tiny bit of oil ”until it is no longer ropy.” Yes, it will get slimy or ropy for a while, but then the slime cooks out of it.
If you are getting fried okra that is slimy, it hasn’t been cooked long enough. I grew up eating tons of okra. My 2 least favorite ways were boiled and buttered or stewed with onions and tomatoes. Both of those were slimy. My most favorite was sliced crosswise, breaded with cornmeal, and fried until almost but not quite burnt. I can still eat my weight in it fried like that!
Try Pinterest. Lots of suggestions there
I was at a wedding last week. One of the passed appys was peppadew peppers stuffed with cream cheese or maybe it was goat cheese. Each one had a pick in it. I also like dates stuffed with a chunk of parm about the size of the date seed, wrapped in bacon and baked. They are generally served with picks in them.
Mustard prawns are a nice finger food....
Chicken teriyaki with fresh pineapple chunks and circles of blanched pea pods. Stick the skewers in a fresh pineapple (or a fresh pineapple halved lengthwise). Makes a nice presentation.
Bloody Mary skewers - Marinated cherry tomatoes using vodka, olive juice, Tobasco sauce and spices (I use Mrs. Dash table grind), olives, celery, shrimp and candied bacon.
Agmss15, as I have looked for the cookie that I’m hoping Mtn will pop in and come up with, I’ve run across several recipes for sables made with hard boiled egg yolks. While crisp, they are described as ”melt in your mouth.” IF it would work with the vegan baking sticks @plllog recommended above, I think the texture would work for your elderly friend with the broken bones.
ETA: I just ran across the recipe Mtn had previously mentioned. It is Pierre Hermé’s Olive Sables. I can’t find a reliable recipe online. Perhaps someone here can point us to a reliable recipe.
To clarify: I’m talking about the Pierre Hermé’s sables for your friend with MS and a plain sable but made with vegan baking sticks for your friend with the broken bones.
Broken bones and few teeth. Doesn't eat dairy. Am I being simple minded?
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookies this one has no flour and no dairy. I liked them.
Unfortunately, sablé needs butter to get the texture right. Shortbread is fine with marj. Crisp, even flaky, but not sablé crumbly or melt in your mouth. Partly it's the melting point. Butter melts at body temp and marj. significantly higher. Partly, if I understand correctly, it's the size of the fat globules. And partly the amount of water steaming out, but I think baking stick are pretty close with the water. Anyway, you can achieve a nice cookie, same recipe, with vegan butter, just not melt in your mouth.
Thanks bbstx, I couldn’t remember which thread and there are a few mentioning clothing choices so I didn’t want to search.
My issue with omelets (eating, not cooking) is that they often get a tinge of brown on the bottom. I’m not talking burned, just a tiny bit of brown. That little bit of brown, to me, changes the aroma of the eggs from eggy to what I call ”wet dog.” DH loved to make omelets, but they were always browned. I simply cannot abide the smell. I’m not overly sensitive to food smells or textures, but there are a few things that I just can’t handle. Eggs that have begun to brown fits squarely in that category.
Whether or not I break the eggs directly into the skillet is a function of who I’m feeding. Just me…they go directly into the pan. If I have guests, the eggs are cracked into a bowl, thoroughly beaten and then scrambled.
Eating eggs for breakfast has only been part of my diet since adulthood I would not touch them as a child. I ate eggs, but never for breakfast. For breakfast, my mother made me a cheeseburger every morning. I would have gladly eaten cereal, but Mother insisted on a hot breakfast. I’m sure there was a bit of spite in my request for a cheeseburger.
@islay corbel Yes, technically, it is an island, or rather a tidal island. For the others reading, at the high tides it becomes an island once more. The rest of the time, it is fully connected to the mainland by great swaths of exposed sand.. I understand they've been working for ten years to restore this, as silt and sand action threatened to make it no longer an island. I too went in the off-season, and still there were tons of tourists.
Eggs, onions and cream cheese… introduced to me by my wonderful Jewish friends…
I'll buy one if it is delivered by George Clooney.
I love Max Miller’s Tasting History and have his first cookbook 🙂 Townsends is also good for historical recipes and techniques.
I also like Chef James Mackinson- he does some really good demos but when he critiques other people’s recipes, he calmly explains why whatever they’re doing is incorrect, and what the right thing/ingredient would be. Vincenzo’s Plate is similar but with more verve (I’m learning to swear in Italian 😂) and mostly focused on Italian food. His recipes are good 😋
Uncle Roger is hilarious, but as well as the funny critiques he will get someone who is good at their craft on the show and then you learn something.
I spend a lot of time in my car, mostly in hour - hour and a half chunks. Podcasts keep me entertained. My favorites are Milk Street with Christopher Kimble and Sporkful with Dan Pashman. I need to put Francis Lam and The Splendid Table back into my rotation. I also enjoy listening to David Lebovitz’ eponymous podcast.
There is a new one that I’m enjoying, The Recipe. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen) trade recipes they’ve developed and compare them. So far I’ve heard Meatloaf and also Tomato Soup.
Not food related, but I also enjoy A Way with Words, a podcast about language and linguistics. The hosts are Martha Barnette and Grant Barret, who occasionally make guest appearances on Milk Street discussing food words.
John, as always, it’s a treat to read what you’ve been up to!
That isn’t even a face frame, it is the actual exposed solid maple structure of the furniture!
I was waxing rhapsodic to SWMBO about the construction of our new kitchen cabinets when she said “I don’t see any difference between these and Ikea cabinets” and I am now laying down with a towel on my face quietly weeping.
Building the cabinets did occur to me but I was deep into stripping the house siding last year and just couldn’t imagine stacking on another project.
There may yet be an opportunity to ruin some good wood. The bid to replace the seven failing vinyl windows on our second floor with wood windows, replace three original casement windows on the landing, and repair three original double hung wood windows on the first floor, came in much higher than I hoped.
When prepping the siding I took out and rebuilt the three original casement windows on the landing. They work and look fine now, and I didn’t spend the $7,500 for replacements.
So I am thinking about trying to build a double hung window. If one succeeds, I can build six more and save, well, a bunch of money. I think if I keep it simple without a lot of lights and muntins, it might be feasible.
If building doesn't work, try architectural salvage. Fixing might be easier.
When I was little, my mother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I promptly responded ”A queen.” Mother had to break it to me that my life’s work was probably not going to happen. I’m getting closer and closer…I have the same watch.
She is Argentinian by birth so it is possible that her natural skin tone leans olive.
I think the gloves are a nod to royal etiquette. Also, I suspect they are comforting when one is expected to shake many stranger's hands.
“ I think a non-matching sweater can just come off as a sweater, no matter how nice it is.”
True that, but in my world there’s nothing wrong with “just” a sweater, especially in the daytime 😎
I also love this ensemble although I don’t care much for purple as a general rule
This dress looks to be embroidered and appliquéed silk and is one shouldered— and her husband is wearing a tuxedo— so the shawl is a better choice here.
Interesting that you linked the two in your mind! If I had to spend the night in one, it would be the Van Gogh version. The HW room gives me the heebie jeebies.
Very cool, Daisy! I know all of my kids had art assignments in elementary school where they copied famous paintings. I think I saw more than a few versions of this and that was why it struck me immediately.
I agree with bbstx. Spare, clean, simple vs cluttered, sloppy, mishmash.
Do they have a gluten free style?
Commenting so I remember to come back. As I said before DH’s were from REI. They are Komperdell but while they collapse, it isn’t a quick collapse. It takes a lot of fiddling, unscrewing, etc. DBIL is out of reach right now. He bought a quick collapse pair from AMZ last year and they are as good as the ones DH had. I’ll aslk him tomorrow.
I have one each of these hangers. The non-folding one stays in my large everyday purse. The one that folds into a circle goes into dressier purses. Not only are they good for hanging purses, but they work for hanging folded canes when you are at table. (P.S. I do not have these brands. Mine were bought eons ago at a shoe store)
These are the ones DBIL bought and likes.
They make bicycles and camera tripods out of carbon fiber. They support weight with less twist.
There's only so much you can do with poles. If they can't support your weight...and you think carbon fiber will help.....with squishy handles....go for it? Carbon fiber is stronger than aluminum without the weight.
quote:
An aluminum sheet weighs 16.2 kg, while carbon fiber makes it much lighter at 9.3 kg.
Carbon fiber has a specific tensile strength of approximately 3.8 times that of aluminum and a specific stiffness of 1.71 times that of aluminum.
If your off balance...poles can only do so much...then it's about the user.
I corrected my previous post.
As noted, I am not looking for the poles to support my weight-- it's the sensory input from the poles on the ground that help me maintain balance and lets my brain know (despite what it is getting from my eyes) that I AM balanced. It's a complex problem that is helped by a pretty easy solution.
Nicole, ftr I am NOT eager to pay over $200 which is why I asked for input. My current hiking poles are pretty similar to yours from what i can tell ... except mine had foam handles.
I haven't found any other options with the black diamond quick release online or from here-- I will continue to look but that is the feature that I WILL pay $200 for if I need to ... well under $200 because at least I have found a few sales. Sorry that I wasn't more clear. If no quick release, then I will keep what I have .