Thank you guys! Mtn- please dont apologize i asked for the crazy. I loved your suggestions we are kindred travel spirits. I just have a tendency when sick to push all reasonable boundaries. The best part is I now have 2 remission trip destinations-- feel free to add a third or fourth. Heck les go crazy 4 or 5 more. I'll be able to pick up books to keep me dreaming should a match come up and I'm once again in hospital isolation for 3-4 weeks. Not to mention the first 100 days post transplant where life is so very very different from well life! Travelogues, guidebooks, maps and national geographic videos help me pretend I'm anywhere else! I get the worst wanderlust when a patient! Great memory! you do have our careers correct. However, just because I know what limits are, doesn't mean I think they apply to me. I may be the worst patient ever? All told, I think this will be a perfect escape. Julie, Hawaii made the short list but we decided on Nevis. The deciding factor is my best friend, her husband and her daughter (who now live in Sao Paulo) will be able to join us for the 2nd week! my son is over the moon about our traveling companions. I'll file away the hotel rec for a later time. Thank you. Now I can obsess over what to pack :) Have a great day everyone! This post was edited by iheartgiantschnauzer on Sun, Feb 23, 14 at 11:57

I owe somebody here a big apology! I copied and saved this recipe from here but I don't know who posted it originally. Sorry! Its a yummy cake (yes I've made it) and it doesn't get much simpler :) Pine Nut Cake (Budin de Pinones) 2 large eggs 1 can (14 oz/440 g) sweetened condensed milk (I have also used fat free with good results) 1-1/4 cups (5 oz/155 g) pine nuts confectioners sugar (for dusting) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/Gas 4). Put all ingredients in a blender and blend, stopping to scrape the pine nuts off the sides of the blender as needed, until completely smooth. Butter a round 9-inch (24-cm) cake pan, place a wax paper round on the bottom of the pan. Butter again and flour lightly. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold the cake, bottom side up. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. Great with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Great with Italian meals, Spanish or Mexican meals, or anything at all. Note: I always flip the thing over so the top side is up since it's more attractive...

Naughtykitty, that is smart. It always galls me to pay an exorbitant price for a bottle of water that is usually more than I want. For a long trip, I pack a turkey sandwich, maybe grapes and some lifesavers. I don't know why, but I always crave lifesavers when traveling, I never eat them any other time. I find things that are not smelly, messy or noisy for the plane. Another requirement is that it is not gas producing! Hope that is not TMI. For a very long trip, like to Europe, I take a beano. LOL, just thinking of my fellow passengers and not wanting myself to be bloated. Somehow my sandwich always ends up at the bottom of my carry on and is smashed flat. Tastes the same, though.

I swear I posted a bunch of recipes.....but I'll try again! Rye Party Puffs Posted by luvtocook at recipegoldmine.com May 2, 2001 Dough 1 cup water 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup rye flour 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 eggs Caraway seeds Corned Beef Filling 16 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 (2 1/2 ounce) packages thinly sliced cooked corned beef, chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons minced chives 2 tablespoons diced onion 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 10 small stuffed olives, chopped In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flours, parsley, garlic powder and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at time. Beat until smooth. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 2-in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with caraway. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. I n a mixing bowl, combine the first eight filling ingredients; mix well. Stir in olives. Split puffs; add filling. Refrigerate. Yield: 4 1/2 dozen. NOTE: These puffs might sounds like a lot of work but, they are fabulous and great for party if they last that long. The corned beef filling makes enough for fill two batches of the dough puffs. SAVORY SPINACH BALLS - from Ruthanna 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained 1 large onion, chopped fine 4 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup melted butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon thyme 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 2 cups Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing mix Mix all ingredients in a large bowl; chill 1/2 hour. Roll spinach mixture into small balls (rounded teaspoons or tablespoons). At this point, you can freeze the unbaked balls on cookie sheets, then transfer to plastic freezer bags and bake when needed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Bake balls for 15 minutes. Note: I like to serve these with a dip of mayonnaise or sour cream mixed with mustard and some dill. Makes about 4 dozen. Savory Cheddar and Jalape�o Jelly Cookie Source of Recipe Annie/Readinglady Makes about 4 1/2 dozen 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups) 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup jalapeno jelly, or sub apple butter or chutney Place cheese and butter in a food processor (could be creamed by hand or mixer); add flour and process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until chilled, about 45 minutes. Position two racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 400�. Line two baking sheets with parchment or use nonstick sheets. Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll the dough into small balls and place 1 inch apart on the sheets. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or 1/2-inch-thick dowel, poke an indentation in each cookie. Place the jelly in a small plastic bag and force it down into one corner. Snip off the corner of the bag to make a small hole. Pipe the jelly into the indentations. Return to the oven and bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.) Transfer to racks and cool completely. PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper � perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine. 1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups) 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk appetizer biscottiPut oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350�F. Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart. Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300�F. Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes. Cooks' note: Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. Makes 5 to 6 dozen biscotti.