Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[jpalbny]

5 hours ago, lincslady said:

P.S.  I really do not like cuisses de grenouille,but do love escargots!

 

Et je les aime beaucoup tous les deux!

 

Lola!! So happy to see you here again. Have missed you. This lockdown and lack of travel is driving us nuts. It's a sad existence for us too, but at least we are both still working. So I can't imagine how it must be to just be trapped at home all day, every day. Sending virtual hugs and hope for better days ahead.

 

Frog legs and snails are definitely both funky things to eat. Both are made better by copious quantities of oil and/or butter with garlic and fresh herbs. I can't really tell, to be honest, whether it's the garlic and butter that I like, or the escargot proper. I don't find frog legs on the menu very much outside of France. They remind me of funky little chicken wings except they have a slightly fishy taste, and the flesh is softer than chicken. Again, lots of garlic, olive oil, and herbs make the dish.

 

Work was nonstop busy today. So,

 

7 hours ago, Lvshack said:

Wrong box ???? 

 

Lvshack, your posts worked just fine and you were not straying outside of the correct box. 😉 I did not have time to look at CC today during work hours.

 

5 hours ago, clo said:

I make and dine on escargots and the best I've ever had were on Oceania's Marina restaurant Jacques.

 

Those look super yummy! They are swimming in butter, just like I like them! Now you just need a crusty baguette slice to soak up the rest.

 

We used to cruise on Oceania but not since 2008. So we have never been on the newer bigger ships with that restaurant. Some day maybe!

 

On 7/20/2020 at 10:26 AM, spinnaker2 said:

So beautiful, poisonous and yet medicinal.

 

Spins, we are not so far away from the days when we actually used the leaf to treat heart disease. When I was an intern, some of the "older" doctors told us about using it on patients. First hand experience, a generation away.

 

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

JP, I am making a Spaghetti Squash Casserole tonight. No pictures...

 

2 hours ago, clo said:

I WANT PIX!!!!!

 

+1 Pix please!

 

Last week I made a pasta dish with prosciutto and fresh sage.

 

 

Over the weekend I heard about the nationwide coin shortage. So I dug out a jar of coins we'd been saving for at least 15 years (maybe 20). Every time I had pocket change I'd toss the coins there. So there were a TON of coins in the jar. I dumped them on the guest bedroom floor and picked out the random bolts and screws, then refilled the jar and lugged it to the grocery store to dump it in their Coinstar machine.

 

I figured we'd maybe make $50 or $100 on the deal. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised!

 

 

And the best part is that you don't pay any commission if you choose a gift certificate - you get 100% of the value of the coins you deposit! So now we have $271.48 of credit to use on Amazon.com. Looks like we'll be shopping soon...

 

Couldn't resist this Portuguese wine in our local shop last weekend. Believe it or not, we've had their wines before! 

 

 

We saw a bottle of their red wine in Portugal last year, for about €2. For the bottle! It was so-so. This rosé was expensive, maybe $8. That's why it tastes better?

 

We saw the comet last night. Great view through binoculars. Will try for pictures maybe later this week.

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by jpalbny

[clo]

5 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

We used to cruise on Oceania but not since 2008. So we have never been on the newer bigger ships with that restaurant. Some day maybe!

 

We were able to score a second res at Jacques and had them again. So good. I've said for years that if you like butter and garlic you'll like snails. We haven't been big cruisers and that was our first O. Just booked our first SS for late next year.

 

My birthday dinner.

[Stumblefoot]

43 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

...picked out the random bolts and screws...

Ummm... how do bolts and screws get into the coin jar?  

Do you regularly carry said bolts and in screws in your pockets on the off-chance you’ll need one on your drive home from the hospital?  Or, is it because you drink too much $2 wine and one never knows when they may need a bolt or a screw?

[jpalbny]

All of the above, Stumbles!

 

I am always doing stuff around the house and sheetrock screws are a handy fixall.

 

After weeks in my pocket they sometimes find a new home. Which reminds me. I have a huge bucket of screws and bolts in the basement...I guess I should have checked that bucket, for spare coins!

 

And it's €2 wine, BTW. $2 wine would be très gauche...

[Lois R]

Hi folks, I don't post photos on here as I have no clue how to do it.  I have never been good at the techy stuff and

actually just learned how to  send a photo on my phone via text😮   So no pictures......sorry.

[Lois R]

But the casserole came out delicious, I can say that!😀

[clo]

41 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi folks, I don't post photos on here as I have no clue how to do it.  I have never been good at the techy stuff and

actually just learned how to  send a photo on my phone via text😮   So no pictures......sorry.

If I tap on a pic on my phone at the bottom one of the options is "share". I click on that and can email to myself and then download. Not a good description but maybe give it a try.

 

Last night's dinner.

[TLCOhio]

10 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi folks, I don't post photos on here as I have no clue how to do it.  I have never been good at the techy stuff and actually just learned how to  send a photo on my phone via text😮   So no pictures......sorry.

 

For Lois, it is easy to post visuals on these Cruise Critic boards.  Just have the picture on your laptop and then drag it over and drop it inside the posting space.  Real easy!!!  Much easier than in the earlier, "olden days"!!

 

Up early this am preparing for the visit later today by our son and two grandsons from Virginia.  Have a few projects to complete, a 10 am board meeting via teleconference, a haircut, finishing putting together a basketball hoop set-up, etc., etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe day all!

[Lois R]

Good morning, Mysty, I love that one😀.....I LOVE bacon too!

And here are some ways to eat it.....a breakfast pie, topped with some!

The one below is shrimp wrapped in bacon..........

and of course the wonderful BLT

[zqtchas]

The fox and the hawk looking around.

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

The one below is shrimp wrapped in bacon..........

 

Nice, tasty-looking picture of those shrimp.  Look good enough to eat.  Makes me hungry   Glad you have tried and mastered doing the picture posting here on the CC Boards. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[Lois R]

51 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Nice, tasty-looking picture of those shrimp.  Look good enough to eat.  Makes me hungry   Glad you have tried and mastered doing the picture posting here on the CC Boards. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

Terry, I did not master it at all............I copied and pasted those pictures from "recipe photos" I found on line.

[zqtchas]

[SteveH2508]

Talking of bacon (mmm drool), attached is a foolproof way of cooking scallops. Just to add to the recipe - a sprinkling of chopped chives is lovely.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops.pdf

[clo]

3 hours ago, SteveH2508 said:

Talking of bacon (mmm drool), attached is a foolproof way of cooking scallops. Just to add to the recipe - a sprinkling of chopped chives is lovely.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops.pdf 119.73 kB · 6 downloads

Do you use the dry scallops that they recommend? I never seem to see them.

[Daveywavey70]

I Love bacon wrapped scallops Steve. My preference though is to pre cook the bacon with (depending on how I’m finishing them) either a drizzle of Maple syrup or a smear of wasabi. I Pre cook the bacon but so it is still soft before wrapping the scallops which results in a lovely crispy piece of bacon without overcooking the scallops. Evidence below 🙂 

[clo]

Just now, Daveywavey70 said:

Maple syrup or a smear of wasabi.

Be still my heart 🙂 

[Emtbsam]

DaveyWavey and UKcruiseJeff -  i tried To duplicate your potato recipe this evening and although the taste was great, the texture was not.  How long and at what temperature do you recommend?  What kind of potatoes work best?

[Daveywavey70]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Be still my heart 🙂 

🙂  that particular one was Made with the maple syrup that we brought back from Prince Rupert last year. The bottle is practically under lock and key! 

[clo]

1 minute ago, Daveywavey70 said:

🙂  that particular one was Made with the maple syrup that we brought back from Prince Rupert last year. The bottle is practically under lock and key! 

I absolutely know what you mean 🙂 And things like special olive oils are a fave to bring back. And in Norway I got some local flake salt. Better than a fridge magnet.

[Daveywavey70]

Emtbsam, the best that I’ve ever used have been Welsh Red potatoes. Second best are Maris Piper. You need a floury potato rather than a waxy one. I’m not sure about which varieties you have over the pond.  Floury ones give you the nice fluffy edges. The trick is also in the pre boiling and the shake. I’m going to try and make a video this weekend. I’m a bit strapped for time but will try my best! The ones below were Welsh reds cooked as above with goose fat, rosemary and thyme. 
 

[Daveywavey70]

8 minutes ago, clo said:

I absolutely know what you mean 🙂 And things like special olive oils are a fave to bring back. And in Norway I got some local flake salt. Better than a fridge magnet.

Yeah clo, but to me, food never travels well. How many times have you tried to recreate something that never quite captures that magic? A Kleftiko on a hillside looking out to sea whilst watching a Cypriot sunset? A Cassoulet in a village restaurant in Toulouse? Tapas with the med lapping at you feet? 
 

[clo]

7 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

The ones below were Welsh reds cooked as above with goose fat, rosemary and thyme. 

It seems I've not taken a pic of what I've been doing and liking recently but here it is.

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-rosemary-roasted-potatoes-side-dish-recipes-from-the-kitchn-46732

[clo]

1 minute ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Yeah clo, but to me, food never travels well.

Totally correct. I had ordered some Greek honey for our breakfast toast. It was good but not AS good.