Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[UKCruiseJeff]

Sophia - amazed you have been non-personed. I know it has happened to others (!) who have been a bit too contentious, but cannot recall you ever being insulting to anyone! Even though some of us deserve it now and again.

 

Do come up with a snazzy new name if you have to have one.

 

Lola

 

 

Soapy has some family troops arriving today hopefully to get her PC sorted out. I suspect it is a cookie caching issue that is causing her problems and hopefully she will be back on line today .... if not she will tell me and I will tell you and we'll try and work out some other plan. I have offered her an interim solution of her sending me her replies and me posting them ... but obviously that isn't a permanent fix.

 

She particuarly wanted you to know that she wasn't being rude to you by ignoring your post to her. She will be able to read any response you make.

 

Come back Soapy gal! Yours seat is still warm. I don't mean your seat. I mean your CC seat. :eek:

 

:)

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

Garden variety lasagne here tonight ..... Added a little basil to the pasta mix

 

Rolling the sheets always takes time

 

Going to serve with a green bean and snow pea salad

 

Serving it with a Nepenthe Winemakers selection Shiraz

 

You put me to shame Mrs W,

 

I do not make pasta any more or even lasagne.

 

What I do is make my meat sauce in bulk when the good quality meat is on offer and with soffritto and other doings make it and freeze them in those little plastic Chinese take awy tubs which I force wifey to wash and keep for me. Then freeze. I defrost the sauce and par boil some suitable pasta and mix it all up and put it in lasagne shaped dish. I cover that with a rich cheese bechemel sauce (leaving little bits poking through) and then bake. These is a meatier approach, you can dollop it onto a plate with little elegance but lots of panache.

 

It isn't lasagne but it is to me much nicer, and it is so much easier.

 

I hope this doesn't make me a bad person in your eyes.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Edited September 30, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

You live in a beautiful place Jeff! I am envious. There are few places near enough to me to be able to walk and take lovely pictures. Suburbia does not inspire me. It's great for raising kids but really not much else.

 

The meals all sound scrumptious! More envy!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks!

 

Todays meal is going to take a touch of imagination!

 

I bought an 800gm box of langoustine, ie dublin bay prawns/scampi and 200 gms was water and now after taking the heads of and deveining I have a couple of hundred grams of tail with shell and meat. What seemed like two meals for two seems like one meal for one.:eek:

 

So I am currently drinking wine and trying to work out what will be!

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

Thanks! Todays meal is going to take a touch of imagination! I bought an 800gm box of langoustine, ie dublin bay prawns/scampi and 200 gms was water and now after taking the heads of and deveining I have a couple of hundred grams of tail with shell and meat. What seemed like two meals for two seems like one meal for one.:eek: So I am currently drinking wine and trying to work out what will be! Jeff

 

Good food and wine are the elixir of life. Not sad at all discussing that!

 

MrsWaldo: Garden variety lasagne here tonight ..... Added a little basil to the pasta mix. Rolling the sheets always takes time. Going to serve with a green bean and snow pea salad. Serving it with a Nepenthe Winemakers selection Shiraz

 

Looking forward' date=' Jeff, to seeing the fun and exciting pictures for this dining treat. [b']Yes, Yes! to JP's comments[/b] for very good food and wine being part of the excitement for living. My difference?? I like to eat and enjoy those treats. I just do not have the patience and interest for focusing the time with all of the work and prep efforts needed to make those dining treats happen.

 

Like good lasagne!!

 

THANKS for all of the food inspirations! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 54,393 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[UKCruiseJeff]

TWO bottles of Bredon Champers today plus ...

 

 

[mysty]

Still warm enough to dine Al fresco! That's great and the meal looks delish! Too cold to dine outside here now. Fall is in the air.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Yes .... lovely day today!

 

Soapy gal has asked me to post for her .....

 

She thinks it is a serious problem with her Apple and it's going to be a while before she can post again

 

Hi Jeff, Still no luck I'm afraid. Thinking back this has all happened since l had a power cut last week so don't know! We've decided it's going to be a trip to the Apple Store when l get back from the cruise....it would have to happen now!! In the meantime.....

 

To MrsCrab....my sincere and heartfelt condolences. It's very early days, l know this having been through it three years ago. There will eventually be a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm so sorry about the response from Silversea and l do hope all will be well with the insurances.

 

For Lola.....many thanks for thinking about me...it's so frustrating....I'll try and think of a new saucy name once I'm sorted!

 

My best wishes to one and all.....and a huge thanks to our Jeffers for helping me out...he's a damn good egg! ---------------------------------------

 

Edited September 30, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[spinnaker2]

I do hope soapy has a lovely cruise.

In the meantime wonderful that Jeff can be the pipeline!

 

I envy all of you who are enjoying fall and the crispness of the air.

It's humid as heck here and hot too!

It's the tropics personified.

[MrsWaldo]

 

It isn't lasagne but it is to me much nicer, and it is so much easier.

 

I hope this doesn't make me a bad person in your eyes.

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

No,

 

I don't always MYO pasta, I had several hours to kill this afternoon so ....

 

mrs crab..

 

I'm putting my condolences here (I was reluctant to do so on the other thread as IME depending on the mods, the thread gets removed.)

IME it takes a while before you start to travel again, but things like cruising and "communal" environments do make it a bit easier. Start small with a few days..

Good luck with all the paperwork, IME the insurance companies were the hardest to deal with and had the most disrespectful questions of a highly personal nature... stick to your guns and don't let them push you around, it seemed to me they "played" on grief in some instances.

[UKCruiseJeff]

No,

 

I don't always MYO pasta, I had several hours to kill this afternoon so ....

 

mrs crab..

 

I'm putting my condolences here (I was reluctant to do so on the other thread as IME depending on the mods, the thread gets removed.)

IME it takes a while before you start to travel again, but things like cruising and "communal" environments do make it a bit easier. Start small with a few days..

Good luck with all the paperwork, IME the insurance companies were the hardest to deal with and had the most disrespectful questions of a highly personal nature... stick to your guns and don't let them push you around, it seemed to me they "played" on grief in some instances.

 

Thanks Mrs W,

 

I hope yours and others comments encourage her and help. It is lovely she has received some messages of empathy and sympathy, and I know a few ladies posting here in the cooler have particular understanding of what she is going through and I do so hope she joins us here and takes advantage of the freer format we have been allowed. We might then help her plan some travel in her new situation .....and just chat.

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

Yes .... lovely day today! Soapy gal has asked me to post for her .....She thinks it is a serious problem with her Apple and it's going to be a while before she can post again

 

TWO bottles of Bredon Champers today plus ...

 

Jeff's food pictures were great today. Do you do overnight deliveries to Ohio?? Appreciate Jeff's help on the postings, kind encouragement to the lady who lost her husband, etc.

 

Wonderful weather, also, in Ohio. Glad we are NOT suffering too much as those down in Florida are battling too much heat and humidity.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 204,499 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Terry

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

I do hope soapy has a lovely cruise.

In the meantime wonderful that Jeff can be the pipeline!

 

I envy all of you who are enjoying fall and the crispness of the air.

It's humid as heck here and hot too!

It's the tropics personified.

 

:)

 

I know she is missed .... so keep posting messages to her and I am happy to post her replies when she sends them! I'd hate her to be missed out whilst she is in enforced purdah. it's no problem me posting it for her. Women are always bossing me around! :D

 

We have a lovely few days of autumnal weather hopefully ..... a last few days in our Cucina.

 

Jeff

[jpalbny]

Raining like crazy last night and this morning - thought I'd need to put pontoons on the car to get to work. Tonight is more of the same. No grilling dinner for the foreseeable future!

 

Have made homemade pasta a few times and it's delicious - but lots of work, even for just the two of us. I actually use my pasta roller (I have a hand-operated one) much more often to roll out dough for pierogies. It works great for that!

 

Poor Sophia! If she has a smart phone, there is a free Cruise Critic app that might work. I use both the app and my computer. But then again, I am a little bit addicted...

 

I am saddened to read the story posted by MrsCrab, and also wish her well.

 

Not inspired to cook tonight. Will have to think of something soon though before we get too hungry!

Edited September 30, 2015 by jpalbny

[mysty]

Sophia, you are such a lovely woman! To have your voice silenced is a loss for the cooler! Have a wonderful cruise! I am looking forward to "hearing" your voice here again soon!

[jpalbny]

Realized that I forgot to comment on Jeff's meal yesterday which made me very hungry yesterday afternoon. That looks delicious!

 

Halfway through the blog, and the last post includes lots of food pictures. We had a really fancy tasting menu at one of our hotels in Switzerland. The menu was imaginative, with interesting combinations of unusual ingredients. I couldn't eat like that every day, but it was nice to do that once on the trip.

 

There's a chill in the air today, and it's cloudy, but at least it's not pouring this morning. Time to get working, I guess.

[Mark_K]

jp,

 

It will be pouring again in a few days if Joaquin's leftovers get up that way.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon all,

 

JP thanks for the food comments ... it was one of those meals where the licking of fingers was an important part ....

 

The village was lovely today, remaining autumnal. Many roads have our BT people putting in cables and we are now connected to high speed broadband. I have waited all this time for it but have concluded I don't need it. Sort of annoyed with myself for looking forward to it so much.

 

The last of the chestnuts are dropping. The village is full enormous ancient trees carrying and dropping tons of these chestnuts. The chestnuts are the biggest wifey and I can ever recall. Just as I told her it was safe to walk under the largest of our chestnut trees, as all the chestnuts had fallen, two enormous ones bounced on my head one after the other, so I cannot tell whether I have been conkered or bonkered. They are a lovely sight.

 

For any Brits interested in such things Waitrose Wine is currently selling off Bredon Champagne cheaply. At full price I think it great value but we had a delivery today and with Topcashback and Waitrose discounts and I managed to get a restock at less that £15 a bottle. Many aren't really fussy about what champers they drink but if anyone is interested our other favourites is Laurent-Perrier "Grand Siècle" and Deutz but this is now our complete favourite at any price and at this price it is a wine that can be drunk often. To position this better it is really suitable for a sauvignon rather than chardonnay drinker ..... it is a fresh lovely lemony champers suitable for fish and seafood and is we think really wonderful. I only mention this because I felt guilty not mentioning it for any Brits interested. Caveat Emptor ..... our taste isn't everyones.

 

We ate inside today and it was a pretty plain chilli and honey pork sausage and charlotte fry with braised red onions, and with just a touch of a creamy tomato sauce. No alcohol. Just to feel pious for one day every so often. It was a nice dish but really cheap and simple! JP I'd love to see any piccies of that Swiss meal if you have any.

 

Jeff

 

Edited October 1, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Jeff - I posted a bunch of food pictures in the blog. I can post them here too if I get motivated.

 

Hope your alcohol-free day went well... :eek: I had a late meeting at work so no time to cook. Chinese take out with a nice New York State Gewürztraminer! Wish I'd had the time to cook something nice like your lunch.

[spinnaker2]

Sorry...where's the blog?

[jpalbny]

spinnaker2 - there's a link in my signature to an older blog that's on the same site. On the line for the canceled river cruise from June 2013... If you load that page, on the right there will be links to the other newer ones.

 

Otherwise this direct link should work.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good day all .... another lovely autumnal day here in Blighty.

 

Todays news from The Homeland, is that Daniel Thompson, the inventor of the first viable bagel making machine has died at the age of 94. Whether that respectable age was assisted by machine made bagels very few people - if any - will know.

 

I owe Daniel a lot. If it hadn't been for eating real bagels made baked in wood fired ovens in the East-end of London when I was a child, and then eating supermarket machine made bagels subsequently which made me desperate for real bagesl, I would never, ever have yearned as much as I have done throughout my life for a real bagel.

 

I once sadly drove from Wiltshire / Hampshire borders to East-London at 3am for a dozen bagels because I was so desperate.

 

So having gone through all those tortuous years it was only a matter of time that I took matters into my own hands and spent years learning how to perfect bagels at home. So if it wasn't for Daniel and his machine I wouldn't be eating decent bagels today.

 

 

I have shared his story. And gratuitously posted some of my previously posted bagel porn.

 

RIP Daniel.

 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4573642.ece?shareToken=3265afc8dd6faf6573dbdcfcedb0325c

 

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

[mysty]

Love those bagel shots! Sunny and chilly today. Furnace is on and I am wearing three layers of sweaters. BRRRRR Spinnaker2 do you want to trade locations? :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Love those bagel shots! Sunny and chilly today. Furnace is on and I am wearing three layers of sweaters. BRRRRR Spinnaker2 do you want to trade locations? :)

 

 

Oh ... OK .... I know you want it. Nude shots.