starbucksbrew's Profile
ISO: 1 amazing dinner for parents traveling without kids
Thank you all. Sage and Le Cirque have been among my top choices. I didn't know about The Barrymore, but it looks like a good possibility as well. I have two months until I need to think about making a reservation. *sigh* too many good possibilities and only one night!
(fortunately, I also have a LV trip with girlfriends in October, so whichever ones I don't hit this summer, there's another chance)
Thanks so much again!
ISO: 1 amazing dinner for parents traveling without kids
My husband and I will be in LV in July. We will have one Friday night to have an amazing dinner of our choice, without kids in tow (for a change).
Preferences:
* We would rather spend not more than $250 total, including one bottle of wine. We'll go $300 if it's truly amazing food and unique atmosphere.
* We are adventurous eaters, but we also enjoy gourmet versions of familiar foods. One of my favorite prior LV dinners was Red Square at Mandalay.
* We especially like a place with extraordinary desserts, not your run-of-the-mill creme brûlée, cheesecake, or key lime pie. We are willing to do dessert at a separate location from dinner.
* We are in our 30's and want to go somewhere comfortable, where we won't be side-eyed by 20-something couture models wondering what the old people are doing there. (This is less important than the food though - food is first.)
* We get our fill of outstanding Asian food at home, so $50 kung pao chicken isn't at the top of our list, although amazing sushi is a possibility.
Thanks!
Southside Jacksonville / Baymeadows
Hi, I did a search and didn't find what I'm looking for. I live in Orlando and will be spending one night in Jacksonville in mid-December, at I-95 and Baymeadows Rd. What are some "mid-range to nice-ish" eats nearby, particularly something we might not have in Orlando? We especially like ethnic foods, but anything is fine as long as it's good.
FOR TONIGHT - need good eats along I-20
Hi there, I did a search for "interstate 20" and "I-20" and didn't find anything, so I need good kid-friendly (but not fast food) eats along I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta for tonight, around 5-6:00. Thanks so much!
Father's Day Brunch in New Smyrna Beach
We live in Orlando and will be in New Smyrna Beach on Father's Day weekend. What's good for a nice brunch? thanks!
Side dishes for crab claws and cheese grits
Family is getting together this Saturday at the beach and having king crab claws, cheese grits, and cole slaw. What should I take that goes with this? I'm thinking a vegetable and a dessert.
Breakfast in Macon, GA??
I did a quick search and didn't find anything on this. We will be driving I-75 overnight Tuesday and will need to get breakfast in Macon, GA on Wednesday morning. I have driven through Macon on the interstate many times b/c I used to live in Atlanta, but I haven't really been in Macon. Is there anything besides fast food for breakfast? thanks
Disney Must haves?
Bluezoo is great. I haven't been to Artist Point, so I'll be thrilled to hear how it is.
-----
Artist Point
901 Timberline Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Disney Must haves?
Have you been to Jiko or Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge? They are both fantastic.
Moe's Southwest
I was just thinking the same thing. At every Moe's I've been to (which is at least 6 or 8), they always let me build whatever I want. I went to Chipotle a lot when it first opened in Florida, but stopped going after about a year because it was all the same.
That being said, if you like spicy, as beerambassador said, you'll probably have better luck at Chipotle. I thought some items at Chipotle that should have been mild were pretty spicy for the average person.
Trying to find a Thanksgiving ham to go for my son in college
I was going to say Honey Baked Ham too. You can get a "mini ham" for $19.99, which will feed two college kids for at least two meals, even if they have big appetites. They also have sandwiches, sides, etc. They even have online ordering now. Check them out.
-----
Honey Baked Ham
2924 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL
Thanksgiving dinner in Orlando.
How Chowish are you looking for in that price range? When our son was born right before Thanksgiving two years ago, we did a casual Thanksgiving at Cracker Barrel, and we had a great time. There's one in Altamonte Springs on Douglas Ave.
You might also call and find out if TooJay's in Altamonte Springs will be open Thanksgiving Day. I know they are open on Christmas, because we have been on Christmas (but it's a Jewish deli, so that may be why, but if Christmas, then maybe Thanksgiving???).
-----
Cracker Barrel
3316 Daniels Rd, Winter Garden, FL 34787
Orlando in November
The comments have been great. I have only a few things to add:
* According to the Orlando Sentinel, Johnson's Diner closed about three weeks ago.
* 4 Rivers is outstanding, but so is a lesser known entertainment complex in Sanford (I saw you mention the drive to Sanford, so I'll put it here) called Route 46 (located conveniently on Hwy 46 in Sanford, just west of BJ's warehouse). It has several restaurants, a saloon, and live music on the weekends. It's a large place with lots of parking, but it gets crowded on weekends with Seminole County locals. Of their restaurants, we usually go to The Smokehouse. I think their smoked meatloaf beats anything at 4 Rivers (don't get me wrong, I love 4Rivers too). The Smokehouse also has the best creamed spinach I've had anywhere. Plus, I usually don't care for sweet potato fries, but theirs are superb.
* I heart Ravenous Pig.
-----
Johnson's Diner
595 W Church St Ste E, Orlando, FL 32805
Cracker Barrel
I love high end restaurants, but I can always go for Cracker Barrel, especially since I have two toddlers. It's very family friendly. I don't think I have ever had a bad food item there, although I'm not usually a fan of restaurant mashed potatoes anywhere except upscale places. But Cracker Barrel has fantastic breakfasts (pancakes, biscuits & gravy, and they are famous for their hashbrown casserole; admittedly, they sometimes have "off" days on the hashbrown casserole, but it's usually great). I love love love the fried shrimp and hush puppies. The salads are always SUPER FRESH. I have never had even the slightest wilted or brown lettuce on a salad at Cracker Barrel.
They offer approximately 15 different vegetables, and each meal comes with 2 or 3 vegetables, depending on the meal. You can also get a veggie plate with 3-4 veggies. They are all good. My kids and I love the green beans. Also their "fried" apples aren't really fried. It's like apple pie filling without the pie crust, and it's heavenly.
If you are a tea drinker, the raspberry iced tea is very good, but it's presweetened and it's overly sweet (I grew up in Alabama, and even I think it's overly sweet, it's pure sugar). I always order a half unsweet/half raspberry tea, and it's perfect.
Putting together a Thai menu for dinner party
Oops, and it won't let me edit. This should be the right one for the salad: http://blog.al.com/scenesource/2009/02/california_pizza_kitchens_reci.html
Putting together a Thai menu for dinner party
I make this Thai crunch salad that is a copycat of the California Pizza Kitchen one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970866/
It is amazingly good! I call it my "candy salad."
It takes a while to put together the two dressings, because there are so many ingredients, but it is soooooo good. I have sub'd crunchy chow mein noodles when I couldn't find wontons to fry, and I leave off the little white rice sticks because I can't get them to fry right (plus, I don't need all that fry on my waistline).
Pumpkin pancake help needed
I actually made pumpkin pancakes this morning! I start with Krusteaz Belgian waffle mix. Following the recipe for 4-5 pancakes on the box, I added 1/2 or 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (I don't really measure), 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice. If the first pancake pours out too thick, I add a little water until it's the right consistency. I have also made an apple compote to go on top of pumpkin pancakes - peeled and sliced apples, brown sugar, butter, and more pumpkin pie spice, cooked in a pan with a little water if necessary to prevent sticking.
Good luck!
I found it!!! (chocolate chip cookie cake)
A few weeks ago, I was searching for a chocolate chip cookie cake to make for my daughter's birthday party (it's not until February, but I knew I would need at least one trial run on the cake). I didn't want a giant chocolate chip cookie, and I didn't want a white cake with chocolate chips in it. I wanted a cake that looks and tastes like a chocolate chip cookie, and THIS IS IT: http://www.thatssoyummy.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookie-cake/
I made it today, and it is perfect! My original plan was to do a Cookie Monster theme, but she's not really into Cookie Monster anymore, so I think we are going to do a "milk & cookies" theme, like this: http://blog.tinyprints.com/trends-ideas/adorable-milk-cookies-party-featuring-tiny-prints/. How cute is that, with the chocolate, strawberry, and white milk "buffet" with cookies?
Other uses for a spaetzle maker other than spaetzle?
And if you add some melted butter to the dough, it will slide through the holes easier.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake - need ideas
My daughter is turning 3 soon, and she is soooooooo into Cookie Monster. So of course that's what we are doing for her birthday, but I don't want to do a blue cookie monster "head" cake. I want to make a round cake that looks like a chocolate chip cookie, and then put a little cookie monster on top of it.
I want the cake to taste like a chocolate chip cookie. What are your thoughts on how to do that? I did a google search and didn't really find anything, but I'm sure I can do this. I'll probably start with box cake mix, so no scratch recipes please. And of course, it will have chocolate chips. But to get the cake to taste like cookie, would I put vanilla extract and brown sugar into a white cake mix? Has anyone ever done this?
Other uses for a spaetzle maker other than spaetzle?
You can control the stiffness of the dough by how many eggs you use. For a 1 cup flour recipe, 1 egg will yield a softer dumpling, and 2 eggs will be firmer.
Other uses for a spaetzle maker other than spaetzle?
The Cuisipro I recommended is called a ricer. It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Browne-Cuisipro-Stainless-Steel-Potato-Ricer/dp/B00004SU1J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1287189673&sr=8-1
I actually like the small or medium hole size best, because the spaetzle plumps up when it cooks.
Besides the obvious pies, what will you serve for Thanksgiving dessert?
I originally got the recipe from a Williams-Sonoma desserts cookbook. It's just risotto cooked with milk, and then make a chocolate ganache that you stir into the cooked risotto. It's a LOT like a rice pudding, but better. ;)
Besides the obvious pies, what will you serve for Thanksgiving dessert?
This is the eclair pie: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eclair-Cake/Detail.aspx
But AllRecipes one calls for an extra cup of milk, which I have never done. My aunt made it years ago with just two cups of milk, and that's how I've always done it.
Besides the obvious pies, what will you serve for Thanksgiving dessert?
It's soooo easy!
1/2 canister Quaker quick oats
1 small box brown sugar
Flour - I don't really measure, but it should be about the same amount as the brown sugar
3 sticks unsalted real butter
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground clove
2 cans cranberry sauce (smooth or with whole berries)
Optional: 1-2 cups chocolate chips
Soften the butter (I use a LOW microwave power setting for 1 minute; you don't want it melted, just soft enough to cream it together with the flour and sugar). Cream the butter with flour and sugar, then add oats and spices and mix well. Press half the oat crust mixture into a baking dish. Spread cranberry sauce on top. Add chocolate chips if desired. Add second half of crust mixture (I use a "crumble drop" method with my hands for the top layer, because it's hard to spread over the cranberry layer). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. It is divine. The cranberry sauce loses some of its tartness as it cooks, and the spices make it taste like Thanksgiving. :)
ISO man-pleasing dinner recipes, please!
Chili!! My husband loves my recipe:
1 to 1 1/2 lb ground beef
(Optional: 1/2 lb bacon, chopped, in addition to the beef)
1 small can tomato sauce (large can if you like it more "tomato-y")
2 cans Chili Magic (or Bush's chili beans)
1 onion, chopped
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained
2 "toes" of a head of garlic, peeled and pressed through garlic press (or chop it, but please use fresh garlic, not the jarred stuff; there is no substitute for fresh garlic)
1 oz dark chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 72% cocoa bar; trust me on the chocolate, and don't use more than 1 oz)
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar, depending on your taste
Chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to your taste.
Sautee garlic and onions in olive oil, until soft. Put all ingredients in a slow cooker (break up the beef), and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add 1/2 cup water if it seems *too* thick, but it probably won't be too thick. Serve with cheddar cheese and Fritos. Super easy. Super good.
Other uses for a spaetzle maker other than spaetzle?
OMG I love my spaetzle maker! You must get the Cuisipro. It's pricy, but it is awesome. It has a huge barrel to hold a lot of dough at one time, and three different size inserts for different size spaetzle dumplings. It also has grooves that allow you to attach it to different size pots, so you're not having to hold the tool while you're filling it. You just hook it on the pot, then you have both hands free to deal with filling it, right over the boiling water.
It also makes the BEST mashed potatoes. Here's the trick: Buy Yukon gold potatoes (they taste sort of buttery, but without the calories of added butter), boil them WHOLE and UNPEELED. Then press the whole potatoes through the spaetzle maker -- the skin will amazingly slide off and stay in the spaetzle maker, and the fluffy potato insides slide into the bowl. Add some whole milk or cream, salt and pepper, and you will have the fluffiest mashed potatoes you have ever had.
Besides the obvious pies, what will you serve for Thanksgiving dessert?
I like non-traditional desserts too (however, I can devour an apple pie). Some of my favorites are:
* chocolate risotto
* pumpkin mousse pie on graham or gingersnap crust (fluffier and mellower than regular pumpkin pie, which I don't care for)
* eclair pie
* cranberry crunch bars (with or without chocolate)
* pumpkin cake-cookies with brown sugar icing
* eggnog cookies (maybe more Christmas-y, but who cares?)
