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Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

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bobmacliberty "Live from...." Rare

bobmacliberty

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I'm such an idiot ! In all my haste to attend to my guests and make sure the food was ready and making cocktails, I did not take any photos. Darn it ! I will recap. 

 

6 of us in total. two were coworkers I worked with longtime reporters. We started with cocktails. The ladies had Passion Aperol Spritz's while the guys had Old Fashioned's. I made the Sea Dog Old fashioned which they loved. Then we had Vieux Carre's.

 

Dinner turned out better than I expected with Filet Mignon, Twice Baked Potatoes, Bacon wrapped Asparagus, with a Greek Orzo Salad and Caprese Salad. 

 

We then decided to wait a little for desert so we did a bourbon tasting with local bourbon from Ben Holladay from Weston, MO and from Iowa where by two coworkers are from Slipknot's Anniversary Edition Bourbon from Cedar Ridge. Then we tasted the pride of Kentucky with E.H Taylor Small Batch and finally Rip Van Winkle 10 Yr.

 

Then it was time for desert with a chocolate bomb cake that has layers of chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache with a chocolate martini.

 

It was a great time with great friends and the food turned out great. I'm so sorry I did not take pictures. I focused on my guests to make sure they were having a good time. Today I'm wiped out. I'm exhausted from cooking all day yesterday and cleaning. Good news is that I still have some extra twice baked potatoes and the bomb cake to eat as leftovers.

 

Sounds like it was a fantastic event.  It's good to be one of your friends. 😁  I would have enjoyed tasting the Rip 10 year (and the Filet...and the Old Fashioneds...and the cake...you get the idea).

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Sea Dog "Live from...." Rare

Sea Dog

Posted
Posted
Just now, bobmacliberty said:

 

Sounds like it was a fantastic event.  It's good to be one of your friends. 😁  I would have enjoyed tasting the Rip 10 year (and the Filet...and the Old Fashioneds...and the cake...you get the idea).

 

If your ever in KC let me know I will make you the same dinner.

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Arzeena

Arzeena

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, MJSailors said:

@Arzeena I am still thinking.....

Maybe we were on the same cruise sometime?

Are you a Fairfield Univ. alum?

My husband is and he had many friends from NJ.

MJ🙋🏻

No. My two almamaters were in MA. And one in NJ but not Fairfield.  

I think we will just have to book the same cruise and yell Hey I have seen you somewhere!!! 

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MJSailors

MJSailors

Posted
Posted

Sea Dog- Your dinner sounded delicious!

While we enjoy entertaining and did do a lot of it pre Covid, it can be a lot of work. I find that I start days before with cleaning. My hubby always says that I should leave the cleaning for after the guests leave!

Then there is grocery shopping and then cooking and preparing the food.

We have always had a routine. My hubby is in charge of drinks and making the guests comfortable while I put finishing touches on the meal. After our guests leave, he is on KP, putting leftovers away and filing the dishwasher.

We enjoy having company and making it a team effort to entertain, makes it easier for both of us.

MJ🙋🏻

PS Thank you for the good wishes and the compliment.

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BonTexasNY

BonTexasNY

Posted
Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

Sea Dog- Your dinner sounded delicious!

While we enjoy entertaining and did do a lot of it pre Covid, it can be a lot of work. I find that I start days before with cleaning. My hubby always says that I should leave the cleaning for after the guests leave!

Then there is grocery shopping and then cooking and preparing the food.

We have always had a routine. My hubby is in charge of drinks and making the guests comfortable while I put finishing touches on the meal. After our guests leave, he is on KP, putting leftovers away and filing the dishwasher.

We enjoy having company and making it a team effort to entertain, makes it easier for both of us.

MJ🙋🏻

PS Thank you for the good wishes and the compliment.

Oh I remember those dinners when there were so many dishes to wash I had to run the dishwasher twice.  Since we sold our house in 2017, the mega family/friends dinners have now been taken over by the younger generation. My nephew and niece live close by so the torch has been passed to them. 

 

My sister is fine with her kids doing dinners now but I kinda miss doing it in my house.

 

 

 

 

Edited by BonTexasNY
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OnTheJourney

OnTheJourney

Posted
Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

I remember those dinners when there were so many dishes to wash I had to run the dishwasher twice. 

Heck with that....our family went to paper plates for Holiday dinners quite a few years ago. Food tastes just as good. My sister-in-law used to be big on getting out her Mother's good china - first had to wash it all, then after the meal wash it all again. Nope...not no more. Even she eventually relented and agreed to go paper. I've never been a big fan of all the prep and work that goes into those Holiday gatherings. It's certainly very nice, but if it were me I'd consider making reservations at a restaurant. Eat the meal, come back with nothing to clean up and THEN truly have the time to talk and relax. I know it's not the same experience and especially hard with very young children involved to consider going out.

 

Here's another thing I'd be willing to see my family do - dispense with the Christmas presents for each other (the adults...like between siblings, cousins, etc... with the exception of just giving to the kids and grandkids. Simplify! I recall those days when our daughter was real young and we'd come home with our Jeep STUFFED full of presents not just for her but for us as well. My aunt LOVED to shop and so presents would show up in duplicate and triplicate - my brother and I would both get alot of the same items. It was fun opening all that but...geez....then there are the presents that show up that, while acknowledging thanks for them and appearing all excited, you KNOW right away you really don't want or need it and so it winds up going to goodwill or the church flea market. Total waste of the buyer's money when you think about it. I think at some point all our houses get so over- full of "stuff"...time to divest rather than continue to accumulate. 

 

OK...enough. I sound like a Scrooge...sorry to digress from the "so many dishes" but one thing led to another LOL  Holidays are simply not my favorite time of year. Probably partly cause, except for Thanksgiving, as a church organist and director, they are the busiest times (apart for the rest of the Holiday madness). When the stores start playing those canned Christmas arrangements weeks before Halloween already, I'm ready to take a bat and whack the head off the first plastic Santa that shows up 😆

 

 

Edited by AnyWayIsGood
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Momof3gurlz "Live from...." Rare

Momof3gurlz

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, MJSailors said:

I would like to thank all those who sent us good wishes for our anniversary. 

We are looking forward to celebrating our 40th next year- maybe with a cruise !

MJ🙋🏻

 

 

Belated Happy Anniversary wishes to you both.  Loved the wedding picture you posted!

 

Also want to wish @lenquixote66 a Happy 79th Birthday.  Here’s hoping you have many more. 

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Momof3gurlz "Live from...." Rare

Momof3gurlz

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

 

 

 

I'm such an idiot ! In all my haste to attend to my guests and make sure the food was ready and making cocktails, I did not take any photos. Darn it ! I will recap. 

 

6 of us in total. two were coworkers I worked with longtime reporters. We started with cocktails. The ladies had Passion Aperol Spritz's while the guys had Old Fashioned's. I made the Sea Dog Old fashioned which they loved. Then we had Vieux Carre's.

 

Dinner turned out better than I expected with Filet Mignon, Twice Baked Potatoes, Bacon wrapped Asparagus, with a Greek Orzo Salad and Caprese Salad. 

 

We then decided to wait a little for desert so we did a bourbon tasting with local bourbon from Ben Holladay from Weston, MO and from Iowa where by two coworkers are from Slipknot's Anniversary Edition Bourbon from Cedar Ridge. Then we tasted the pride of Kentucky with E.H Taylor Small Batch and finally Rip Van Winkle 10 Yr.

 

Then it was time for desert with a chocolate bomb cake that has layers of chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache with a chocolate martini.

 

It was a great time with great friends and the food turned out great. I'm so sorry I did not take pictures. I focused on my guests to make sure they were having a good time. Today I'm wiped out. I'm exhausted from cooking all day yesterday and cleaning. Good news is that I still have some extra twice baked potatoes and the bomb cake to eat as leftovers.

 

 

No worries Greg. Seeing to your guests should’ve been your focus, not snapping pics for us!  It sounds like a great evening all around.  I can certainly understand why you’re exhausted today.  Hope those puppies are letting you rest a bit.

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted
33 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Heck with that....our family went to paper plates for Holiday dinners quite a few years ago. Food tastes just as good. My sister-in-law used to be big on getting out her Mother's good china - first had to wash it all, then after the meal wash it all again. Nope...not no more. Even she eventually relented and agreed to go paper. I've never been a big fan of all the prep and work that goes into those Holiday gatherings. It's certainly very nice, but if it were me I'd consider making reservations at a restaurant. Eat the meal, come back with nothing to clean up and THEN truly have the time to talk and relax. I know it's not the same experience and especially hard with very young children involved to consider going out.

 

Here's another thing I'd be willing to see my family do - dispense with the Christmas presents for each other (the adults...like between siblings, cousins, etc... with the exception of just giving to the kids and grandkids. Simplify! I recall those days when our daughter was real young and we'd come home with our Jeep STUFFED full of presents not just for her but for us as well. My aunt LOVED to shop and so presents would show up in duplicate and triplicate - my brother and I would both get alot of the same items. It was fun opening all that but...geez....then there are the presents that show up that, while acknowledging thanks for them and appearing all excited, you KNOW right away you really don't want or need it and so it winds up going to goodwill or the church flea market. Total waste of the buyer's money when you think about it. I think at some point all our houses get so over- full of "stuff"...time to divest rather than continue to accumulate. 

 

OK...enough. I sound like a Scrooge...sorry to digress from the "so many dishes" but one thing led to another LOL  Holidays are simply not my favorite time of year. Probably partly cause, except for Thanksgiving, as a church organist and director, they are the busiest times (apart for the rest of the Holiday madness). When the stores start playing those canned Christmas arrangements weeks before Halloween already, I'm ready to take a bat and whack the head off the first plastic Santa that shows up 😆

 

 

Welcome to Dani's thread.

Graham from England.

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h20skibum "Live from...." Rare

h20skibum

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

What a fun day!  I would love to see a Waterfire Festival.  What time did they light the baskets?  Do they wait until it gets dark outside?

Can't go wrong with a Beatles Tribute band!

(I wish I had half the energy you and Susan have)


Yes, they light them at dark.  They have another one coming up in September 

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Sea Dog "Live from...." Rare

Sea Dog

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MJSailors said:

Sea Dog- Your dinner sounded delicious!

While we enjoy entertaining and did do a lot of it pre Covid, it can be a lot of work. I find that I start days before with cleaning. My hubby always says that I should leave the cleaning for after the guests leave!

Then there is grocery shopping and then cooking and preparing the food.

We have always had a routine. My hubby is in charge of drinks and making the guests comfortable while I put finishing touches on the meal. After our guests leave, he is on KP, putting leftovers away and filing the dishwasher.

We enjoy having company and making it a team effort to entertain, makes it easier for both of us.

MJ🙋🏻

PS Thank you for the good wishes and the compliment.

 

The one thing I have learned from doing dinner parties is to make things that can be made the day before. It's too hard to cook everything the same day except for steaks. The other thing that I tried and it worked out incredible is pre-batching some of the cocktails. I made 6 servings of the the chocolate martini and put it in a pitcher and into the fridge. I also batched some espresso martini's. It made it so easy to just pour into a glass and hand them to guests.

 

 

35 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

No worries Greg. Seeing to your guests should’ve been your focus, not snapping pics for us!  It sounds like a great evening all around.  I can certainly understand why you’re exhausted today.  Hope those puppies are letting you rest a bit.

 

Actually tonight Since Jonathan's home I am going to grill some more filet's and we have left over twice baked and the salads plus dessert. I'll make sure to take a picture tonight. The only thing it will be minus of is the bacon wrapped asparagus. 

Here are some of the recipes I used.

https://www.simplyscratch.com/greek-orzo-salad/

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe-1925596

 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/228126/caprese-salad-with-balsamic-reduction/

 

 

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OnTheJourney

OnTheJourney

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Welcome to Dani's thread.

Graham from England.

Hi Graham...I've been here before, on and off. I guess I really didn't deserve ANY likes for that Holiday / meals rant!!  Weird mood today...probably from the heat wave this past week 🥵  Sizzled part of my brain from working outside.  I had read about high temps in London a few days ago. Tough for folks wthout a/c. 

Edited by AnyWayIsGood
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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted (edited)
25 minutes ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Hi Graham...I've been here before, on and off. I guess I really didn't deserve ANY likes for that Holiday / meals rant!!  Weird mood today...probably from the heat wave this past week 🥵   I had read about high temps in London a few days ago. Tough for folks wthout a/c. 

I liked it.

I think most of us have aired our frustrations on here and why Dani's thread is special and lasted so long.

We eat out often.

When we were kids most of my late mam's family used paper plates which are very convenient and we liked them.

When our Sarah organises parties in her office they use paper plates.

We live near Durham England and it was 104°F in the sun 

IMG-20220525-WA0000.jpg

Edited by grapau27
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OnTheJourney

OnTheJourney

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

I liked it.

Well, thanks. I stand by my thoughts on paper plates being so much easier!  

 

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

104°F in the sun 

Oh my...hopefully some relief coming soon. We desperately need rain here in the farm country of PA. Corn fields look more like pineapple plants. 

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