Quartzsite Cruiser

We have been to Dubrovnik nine times, and all but one time on a BHB. These pictures are from our two cruises on the old Noordam in 2002 and 2004. We were also there in 2003 on the old Regal Princess. Then, Croatia and all the Balkan area was still recovering from the Balkan War and a lot of damage was still visible. At that time, the area was just opening to tourists and Dubrovnik was not crowded like it is now, especially since the Game of Thrones was filmed there. In 2019, when we were there three times on Veendam (b2b2bs), one of the shop clerks told us she did not like all the extra tourists as all the wanted to know about was the movie, not the history of the area. We were glad we were there early when it was not really crowded and it was easy to walk around the town and see everything. In 2002, we walked around Dubrovnik before walking the wall. This is one of the pictures from our wall walk. It is an overhead view of the big fountain just inside the gate. That day, we took a small boat out to Otok Lokeum, the small island off shore from the small boat harbor. The Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary The island and a local resident Returning to the old city. The 2004 pictures from our Noordam cruise. We decided to take a tour to the Neretva River area and a boat ride on the river. After the Balkan War and the realignment of the countries in that area, Bosnia-Herzegovina was given a 10 kilometer strip of land, so it could have a coast line, and the strip, cut Croatia into two parts, Our bus stopped in Neum in that strip so we could get off and say we had been to Bosnia-Herzegovina/ Neum Croatian countryside The river cruise and the surrounding area. The restaurant where we had lunch Signs of the war damaged Lenda

Good morning from a very sunny and chilly Quartzsite. It was 37F when I got up, and now, it is 40F with basically no wind. This afternoon we should see a high of 65F. I'm enjoying the sun, but can't help wishing we'd had sunny days while DD and DSIL were here. They made it safely to Texas and landed about 11 pm CST. They should be on the road to Louisiana to his parents now. There's not much on the agenda today except catching up paperwork and financial stuff this morning, This afternoon, I'll put the sheets back on the bed in the motorhome. DD stripped the bed and brought the sheets and used towels in before they left, so I got them washed yesterday. Three good days today, but I'm not sure there is anything that I need to download. The Holy Innocents should be honored, and I would call a friend if I knew she was home and not with her children. I like today's quote very much, and while it is a little sad, it is also uplifting and encouraging. I like minestrone soup, but have never made it. When HAL first added the Canaletto, they had a very good minestrone soup. We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds interesting. We have been to Dubrovnik several times beginning in 2002 on Noordam III and the last time in 2019 on Veendam. Westminster is an amazing church, and I'm glad we had time to wander through the church in 2009. It is good that Spain finally recognized Mexico's independence in 1836. @Nickelpenny Pennie, I hope you enjoy your tour in Cartagena. I also hope the passenger recovers quickly. Thank you for all your pictures. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope Brenda's house does sell if that is what they really want to happen. For us, we always used a realtor to sell our houses because we felt it saved us a lot of hassle and headaches. I really enjoyed the pictures of Antarctica and the penguins. It is an amazing place, and while we haven't cruised there, we have flown over Antarctica. @RedneckBob RNB, sadly, I can top your buffet story. Once on Prinsendam as I was waiting to get a few fresh strawberries, the man (I can't call him a gentleman) was choosing his strawberries without the aid of the tongs. He'd pick up a strawberry with his fingers, examine it and if it wasn't acceptable, he'd put it back and choose another one. I lost count of how many he put back. As soon as he left, I called a supervisor over and told him what happened and that they needed to remove the strawberries. Obviously, I didn't get my strawberries that day. @0106 Tina, thank you for the recipes and for the background on today's quote. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you can get the ice preventative and get it down before the freezing rain arrives. As always, please be careful. @cruising sister Lorraine, I'm sorry this year has been so tough on your. IMHO, I think the long cruise is just what you need. I also like @RMLincoln Maureen's suggestion about taking a picture of your DGS and sending him updates from your cruise. Congratulations to your DGS on the award, and thank you for sharing the great photo. @kazu Jacqui, thanks for the meme about just getting through the year. I think that basically covers the last two years for us -- we survived. @grapau27 Graham, thank you as always for the explanation of Holly Innocents Day. @ottahand7 Nancy, I'm sending positive thoughts to you and John for safe travels beginning tomorrow, with not a lot of traffic, few if any idiot drivers on the road, and good weather for the trip. @dish Debbie, I'm sending you very positive thoughts for a early, but not too early time tomorrow, and successful surgery with a quick and easy recovery. @marshhawk Annie, I hope there were not surprises or bad results from your DH's PET scan. @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad you got some better sleep last night. I'm glad the stiffness is starting to ease, and I hope you hear from the doctor today. @aliaschief Bruce, I'm sorry you weren't feeling good yesterday, and hope you are all right now. I would also like to see updates from your cruise. It will be interesting what such a long cruise is like. @cunnorl Charlene, that is very nice of you to fix lunch and get a few groceries for your returning neighbors. Enjoy your visit with your cruising friends. @tupper10 Enjoy your break between family visits. I can understand why you do not want to return to Dubrovnik, and thank you for sharing some of your family history. @durangoscots Susan, I'm sorry you felt bad the last couple of days, but I'm glad the allergy meds helped and you feel getter today. I'm sure you'll get everything completed before you have to leave so early tomorrow. Safe flights to San Diego without any delays or bad weather. Lenda

Rich, I'm glad the spill did not result in anything more serious than wounded pride. Lenda

Maybe you could get the chef to share his recipes. Terri, I'm sorry you are still in pain and have not heard from the doctor. Surely there is someone covering for him of he's off duty. I hope you hear something tomorrow. Or use his recipes from the cooking shows. @0106 About the only time the motion of the ocean bothers me, is the first rough day when I'm trying to read. I take two meclizine and I'm fine. Lenda

Paul, it helps to be a natural born klutz to be a messy baker or painter. Lenda

Good afternoon. It is really quiet in the house even though It really wasn't noisy over the holidays. DD and DSIL left about 25 minutes ago. As I've said before, we had a wonderful visit, and we are so very, very lucky to have them and our other DD and her SO in our lives. DD and DSIL pitched in this year and did a lot of the things that DH and I couldn't do or ran out of time to do. They also helped with meal prep and DSIL did the dishes while he was here. DSIL also had time to take the RZRs out and run around the desert several times. I've told DD before, if something happened and they split up, I'm keeping DSIL. 😁 But that is one thing I really don't have to worry about. And I'll be totally honest, and admit there are more than a few tears being shed now. Terry, thank you. It was a little harder this year after such an emotional year. When I finish here, I'm going to write DSIL's parents to let them know how much we appreciate their son. Vanessa, I'm glad your Christmas with BFF is going well even if it is different this year. I've learned over the past few years, it's not what you do or what you cook, but who you are with during the holidays. Thanks for the well wishes for DD and DSIL as they travel today and tomorrow. Thanks also for the nice comments on the pictures. Carolyn, enjoy your outdoor visit and hugs tomorrow. It's good you are doing all you can to stay well. Maureen, I hope the doctor can help your DH tomorrow. RNB, unfortunately we would not have met on the Noordam III in the 80s. Our first HAL cruise was in 1998, and our first Noordam III cruise was in 1999. Bruce, I saw the news on one of my news feeds. RIP Tommy Smothers. Sandi, I'm glad you made it home safely, but sorry about the delay due to tree trimming. They are working on I-10 here, mostly at night, but took this week off. It was no problem supplying the links and posting your pictures, especially with the help you provided yesterday. Debbie, good wishes for a successful surgery Friday, and a speedy recovery. Just one question, if your and Tina @0106 coordinate and do a cruise together, who will look after us and provide the recipes. You two wouldn't let us starve would you? 😉 Lenda

It's Noordam III, and we spent a lot of time on her. Lenda

Rich, after a busy few days, I've caught up on your blog. I've enjoyed it very much, and after you adjusted the spacing, easy to read. It sounds like you are having a wonderful cruise. Thank you for taking us along.

Good morning again. It is 39F according to the thermometer even though the weather app on my phone says it's 41F. All I know is when I went outside to take a picture, it was cold. It will warm up to 62F, but it will be cloudy. DD and DSIL will leave about 2pm since their flight back to Texas is at 8pm. At least, they will be going against traffic until they reach downtown Phoenix. Tomorrow, they will drive to Louisiana to spend time with DSIL's parents. Last night's attempt to see the moon rise didn't go very well because the clouds moved in during the afternoon. We did a couple of pictures after it had been up a while and we could see it over the neighbor's houses. I also got a couple of pictures of the setting full moon this morning through a break in the clouds. A little later the end of the sunrise. DH likes fruitcake as did his father and my father. He asked for a fruit cake this year, but not in time to make it and let is season for about four weeks. He had to resort to ordering his fruit cake this year. The last time we visited a zoo was in 2006 in Manaus as part of a city tour. It was a old fashioned zoo with the animals in cages. Very sad. We won't be making cut-out snowflakes. I don't agree with the quote, because who would chose someone to hurt them. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The wine is another on the to try list. I'm not sure the Laws of Burgos did much good to help the indigenous people of the New World. I'm sure many of the wonderful crew on BHBs are celebrating Indonesian Independence Day. @seagarsmoker Welcome home to you and Suzy. @grapau27 Graham, I hope you, Pauline and Sarah remain safe during Storm Gerrit. Please be careful. @Nickelpenny Pennie, I'm glad you enjoyed the day in port yesterday, and I hope you didn't overdo the walking. @cat shepard Ann, I'm glad you made it home safely yesterday, and without to many slowdowns on I-95. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad you are getting rain instead of snow. Please be careful when running your errands. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm sorry your DD and DSIL had a tough time while you were gone, and that Tana had problems. I hope the aide is well soon, and back on the job. It must be somewhat serious if the teenager brings his girlfriend home to meet the family. @tupper10 Oh no, on the water heater. Appliances always seem to breakdown when needed the most. @kochleffel Paul, I'm glad you have the biopsy results, but sorry they mean MOHS surgery in the future for basal cell carcinoma. Lenda

@SusieKIslandGirl I hope you both have a wonderful anniversary today. Lenda

Here are Sandi's @StLouisCruisers pictures of Grenada that she posted on May 24, 2022. We took our DD on a cruise in 2006 which stopped in Grenada. That day we took a tour and it ended up at the beach. She enjoys that but we rarely have a beach day unless it's Patrick's tour in Bora Bora. The second time was on a South American cruise (the one in 2015 that Lenda was on with us). I took another tour that day, DH stayed on the ship, and I took a lot more photos. In 2006 at the beach with DD. Me lying in the shade! St. Georges, Grenada on Feb. 6, 2015 as seen from the Ruby Princess. Many parts of the town still showed the damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which devastated it. It wasn't time for my tour yet so we walked around the town early that morning. The island was celebrating Independence Day so we saw the red, yellow and green colors displayed all over. We also noticed a different way to sell your produce rather than a farmer's market; out of your truck. Later we started our tour by visiting Fort Frederick. The children were there to perform for us. View from the Fort. On our way to our next stop our bus passed by a local cemetery. We arrived at Dougaldston Spice Estate to learn how spices such as nutmeg, mace and cocoa are grown and processed the old-fashioned way, dried by the sun. The cocoa beans are laid out on these trays to dry in the sun, but can rolled right under the buildings when it rains. And a papaya tree. Next up was the Grand Etang Park and Annandale Farms. We walked down a trail to the falls. There were people there who would jump from the top into the water for a tip. Can you see the man in the yellow shorts waiting to jump? Splash! It happens fast! Eventually we headed back to St. Georges, but the traffic was so bad we just inched along when we got back to the town. If my memory is correct, the tour arrived back at the ship 25 minutes late. As soon as we all rushed back on board the Ruby Princess moved on to Port of Spain, Trinidad. Thank goodness it was a ship's tour!

A very early good morning from a still dark, except for the light from the full moon, Quartzsite. I thought I'd post the links to today's port, St. Georges, Grenada, and then read the Daily and add my thoughts. St. Georges has been the port of the day twice before on October 2, 2021, and May 24, 2022. These are the links to Rich's @richwmn posts for those days. We have been to Grenada twice, but once was in the pre-digital age. On our first visit to Grenada in the 1990s, we walked into town and around the harbor. Once we got passed all the people outside the gate trying to sell tours, we enjoyed our walk. On the way back to the ship, we talked to one person who offered to take us to a snorkeling beach in his boat and pick us up a couple of hours later. After we went to the ship and changed and got our snorkeling gear, we took him up on his offer. It was pleasant time snorkeling until it started pouring rain, and it was a cold boat ride back to the ship. In 2015, with the new cruise terminal and a better arrangement of vendors outside the gate, the situation was a lot better. As it was their Independence Day, everyone was in a good mood and celebrating. Both times we've been to Grenada, I bought spices, which are so much better than you can get in the grocery stores. In 2015, when I told the Customs official I was bringing spices back, he asked if the were whole or ground. Fortunately, I had the ground spices, as he would have confiscated the whole spices. I only have pictures from our call on February 6, 2015, on the Ruby Princess. That day, we took the tourist train around town, then checked out a local grocery store and bought some cokes for the ship. The view as we approached the port. Our transportation for the day. DH and I along with one other person were in the last row and were facing backwards. It was easy to get pictures of where we had been. Town which was getting ready for Independence Day celebrations. We went up the big hill behind downtown, but came back through this tunnel. Lenda

Good afternoon. It was a quiet morning. We watched a movie and just relaxed. This afternoon was a quick trip into the PO to pick up mail, but I had to wait in line for one package. When we got home, I found a letter from the Texas Dept. of Motor Vehicles saying the paperwork to transfer the title of the old motorhome was not complete. The person at the dealership had left the date of the transfer blank, and none of us caught it. It was easy to put the date in, but then it requited another trip to the PO to get it in the mail. Terri, I'm glad your throat is feeling better, but I'm sorry about the PMR flare. I hope you can get an earlier appointment with the Rheumatologist. Vanessa, I'm glad your Christmas with your BFF is going well, and that you are sleeping a bit more. Maureen, I happy all the paperwork for the sale of the condo on your end is finished. I hope you DH can be more comfortable with the new cream. Thank you for the information. Sandi, thanks for the wonderful pictures of your family, including the fur babies. And thanks for the help in finding the links. Sunday was the first time I'd run into a problem finding prior posts. Between you and Roy, I think I'll be able to find them. Safe travels tomorrow, and I'll look for your pictures too. I just did a test trial, and found the 5/24/22 Daily without any trouble. I doubt I'll have any trouble in the morning. Roy, thanks for the update. I hope the radiation treatments will slow the cancer and reduce the tumors in the hot spots. Terry, I'm glad you are home safely. Thanks for persisting and sharing the photo of your good looking family. Debbie, there is a big difference in southern chicken and dumplings and northern chicken and dumplings. The dumplings I make are rolled out like a pie crust, cut into strips and then smaller pieces and cooked in the broth. The color is more or less monochrome, but not gray looking. And, yes, it's a messy process. I even managed to make a mess last night making the white sauce for the scalloped potatoes. Lenda

We have been to Cartagena many times, but I only have pictures from our last three visits, in 2009 and 2015 on Statendam, and 2014 on Veendam. The pictures are from all three visits. We normally got a taxi to the clock tower in the old town. We'd walk around and then get a taxi to Boca Grande. I don't have any digital pictures of Boca Grande though. The gate at the clock tower. Street scenes from 2009 and 2015 One of the many churches The shopping area out side the walled town that were cells in a previous time. In 2014, we decided to just stay in the port area. We walked through their aviary. The port building This interesting Navy ship was docked opposite from the Veendam in 2014. There were no markings on her at all. Lenda

Good morning from Quartzsite where it is 43F and warming to 61F. The sun is shinning and there is just a slight breeze. It will be another nice day in the desert. Happy Boxing day to all the Dailyites in the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Also, happy Kwanzaa to any Dailyites celebrating. We are homeowners, and have been since 1970 when we bought our first house. Tina @0106 thanks for adding the first line to the quote, but I still am not fond of it. While we've eaten at Cracker Barrel, we have never had their chicken and dumplings. After seeing the recipes Debbie @dfish found for us, I'll stick to my recipe. To add flavor to the dish, the chicken is stewed with the addition of celery stalks and onions. The finished dish is not colorful, but with the addition of salt and pepper at the table, it is wonderful comfort food. The drink sounds like a Fuzzy Navel with Midori melon liqueur. I think I'll stick with the Fuzzy Navel version. The wine sounds interesting enough to want to give it a try. We have been to Cartagena several times on Panama Canal transits. We usually get a taxi at the port to take us to the clock tower in the old city, and then walk around. We've had taxis give us a tour, and have visited the monastery and the old fort. The last time, we just spent time in the port are and looking at the aviary. Many of our visits were in the predigital age, but I'll repost the pictures I've posted previously. @grapau27 Graham, thanks for the explanations of Boxing Day and Kwanzaa. It's always nice to get a reminder about the days. Your full English looks great. @rafinmd Roy, I'm sorry the cancer has flared up, and I hope the short round of radiation keeps it under control. I hope there are not serious side effects from the radiation. @cat shepard Safe travels home today, Ann. @Nickelpenny Pennie, I hope you enjoy Willemstad, and the town is easily walkable. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad Ivan had a good Christmas with his new squeaky toy. I hope the damaged shed is easily fixed. I'm glad you had a lovely dinner with friends. I like the quote you posted. @cruising sister Lorraine, I'm sorry yesterday was a tough one for you. The report on Murphy sounds encouraging. I hope 2024 is a much better year for that family. @marshhawk Annie, I hope Chuck's @catmando MRI goes well tomorrow. @57redbird That is good news that you are walking without the walker around the house and decreasing the pain meds. @kochleffel Paul, I hope you hear about the biopsy results soon. @cunnorl Charlene, how nice of cruising friends wanting to stop for a visit on their way to south Florida. @superoma Eva, I think the weather everywhere is strange this year. Lenda

Thank you, Graham. We had a wonder Christmas day just relaxing and enjoying being with DD and DSIL. Lenda

Melisa, even though you have not posted in quite a while, you and your DH have been in my thoughts. Sending positive thoughts your way for stregth and peace in the coming months. Your Daily family is here for you whenever you need us. ((((((HUGS)))))) Lenda

I know I cannot compete with @grapau27 Pauline's beautiful Christmas table, but table is ready for our dinner. Lenda

Lorraine, I'm happy your had a good time with your DS, DDIL and DGCs last night and this morning. Enjoy dinner with your friend. Debbie, it is, and it's been a Christmas favorite for many years. Karen, I hope you and your family have a wonderful day. Safe travels tomorrow for the Boxing Day visit. Annie, frozen pearl onions work as well as the fresh ones. They are a bit easier to use. The main thing is to make sure the broccoli and onions are cooked before assembling the casserole. Lenda

This is the recipe I mentioned in my earlier post. I believe the cookbook I found the recipe in was Better Homes and Gardens Make Ahead cookbook. I found this recipe 30 to 40 years ago, if not longer. BROCCOLI-ONION DELUXE 1 lb. fresh broccoli or 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen cut broccoli 2 c frozen whole small onions or 3 med onions, quartered 4 T butter 2 T flour 1 c milk 3 oz. cream cheese 1 oz. sharp cheese, shredded 1 c bread crumbs Advance preparation: Slit fresh broccoli spears lengthwise; cut into 1 inch pieces. Cook in boiling, salted water till tender. Or cook frozen broccoli according to package directions. Drain. Cook onions in boiling, salted water till tender; drain. If frozen, follow package directions. In saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter; blend in flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and dash pepper. Add milk; cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Reduce heat; blend in cream cheese till smooth. Place vegetables in 1½ quart casserole. Pour sauce over; mix lightly. Top with cheese; cover and chill. Melt remaining butter; toss with crumbs. Cover; chill. Before serving: Bake casserole, covered, at 350oF for 30 minutes. Sprinkle crumbs around edge or over the entire top if desired; bake uncovered, till heated through, about 30 minutes more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS We hope all who celebrate Christmas have a wonderful day. For those who do not celebrate Christmas, we hope your day is equally wonderful no matter how you spend the day. Again today, we'll enjoy the company of our DD and DSIL. Having them here is the best present we could have. It is currently sunny and 40F with a 2mph breeze. The predicted high will be 60F, but if the wind stays calm, it should be nice in the sun. There will not be pumpkin pie for dinner, but more of our traditional chocolate pie and pecan pie. We had our Christmas ham dinner Saturday so there was enough time to eat most of the big ham. Tonight, we'll grill steaks and have scalloped potatoes, more green bean casserole, salad and wine. This is one J. K. Rowling quote I'm not sure I like. I did enjoy reading the Harry Potter series. One of the dishes we usually have at Christmas is Broccoli-Onion casserole. I found the recipe many, many years ago in a cookbook of make ahead recipes. We'll pass on the drink, but I would like to try the wine. We were in St. Kitts in 1999 on Noordam III. That means all my pictures are in an album in Texas. We had planned to take a shore excursion to ride the sugar train, but the train was not running that day. Instead, we rented a car and drove around the island. Most of the world will celebrate the introduction of the Centigrade temperature scale in 1741 by Anders Celsius. People have enjoyed "Stars and Stripes Forever" since 1896 when John Philip Souza wrote the piece. I always enjoy it as the finale to the Boston Pops July 4 concert. @seagarsmoker I'm glad you are enjoying the cruise, and still doing well in the casino. @cat shepard Ann, it sounds like you are having a wonderful visit with your family. Safe travels home tomorrow. @JazzyV Vanessa, I hope you and your BFF have a nice relaxing day. I'm glad he is cooking dinner for you both tonight. @marshhawk Annie, I hope you have a nice dinner with your neighbor at the Chinese restaurant. You are a bright part of our day. ((((HUGS)))) @Cruzin Terri Terri, I'm glad your tummy issues are over, and you feel a little better. I hope the sore throat and other symptoms disappear soon. @RMLincoln Maureen, I'm glad you seem to be acclimating to your new community. I'm sorry your DH is having so many problems with his eyes. I hope the surgery will alleviate the problems and the need for the drops. This is the last batch of Christmas means, except on or two about the day after. The rest I found, I'll save for next year. Thank you to all the Dailyites whether you post daily, occasionally or just the Daily for making this such a special place everyday. Lenda

@ger_77 Gerry, I hope you have a wonderful birthday today with your family while you also celebrate Christmas. Lenda

Good evening. We just finished watching White Christmas and Holiday Inn. Last night, we watched A Christmas Story, so we've seen all the big Christmas movies except Christmas Vacation. Maybe tomorrow night, but who knows. We also watched the annual neighborhood ATV parade. A group of people in the neighborhood decorate their ATVs and cars and drive down all the streets. Some of the ATVs were really decorated this year. Sandi, thanks for sharing your pictures of Darwin. Glad y9u made it safely to your DDs. Terri, I'm sorry you are sick, but glad it's not Covid. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Denise, great picture of Paisley. Joy, whatba sweet note from your waiter. Carolyn, I'm glad the Lumpia turned out good. Lenda

Annie, thank you for the beautiful and thoughtful Christmas card. I loved it. Terri, it looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures. Thank you so much for the information, Roy. Now I don't feel like such a dummy. I have Chrome on my laptop. I tried a Google search, but maybe I was either to specific or not specific enough. I plan to do a few test runs before Sandi @StLouisCruisers starts their drive home. All I'll say about the CC search is I hope it can be changed to include older threads and posts. Just to be safe, I'm going to print out your methods. Dixie, what a wonderful Christmas gift. Enjoy your time with your DD and DGS. Debbie, it could qualify for messy depending on your standards for messy. I did see a bit of flour on the countertop. But in truth, I don't think it comes up the standards of exploding butter, pie crust falling into the oven and needing to be vacuumed out, or spilling a glass of Dr. Pepper all over the work area. That last one I forgot to mention earlier. We'll need to not only discuss a bake off, but who will be the judges and more importantly, who will clean up the mess. I suspect we'd try to out do each other in the mess department. Paul, that is a good suggestion too. I thought about eggrolls, but went off in a tangent and forgot to mention them. Thanks for making the suggestion. Carolyn, I think it will depend on the filling and size, too. Lenda

Carolyn, I think Lumpia would do well in the air fryer, but I'm not sure what temperature and time to use. The Lumpia recipe my DSIL gave me has ground beef and cabbage in it, and I think I'd cook it at 400F for about 18 minutes, which is the French fry setting on my air fryer. I would also spritz a very light coating of oil on the Lumpia, and it doesn't take very much oil at all. If you are willing to sacrifice a Lumpia or two, and a little time, you could play around with the temperature and time by doing a test one or two. I've found with breaded fish fillets that they need longer than what the directions say. the recipe I have feeds so many, I haven't made Lumpia in about 30 years. Lenda