CGTNORMANDIE
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Posts posted by CGTNORMANDIE
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7 hours ago, West Coast Gal said:
I saw a lot about a crossing during November. What about coming from the Canary Islands to Fort Lauderdale towards the end of April, how is the seas and weather then?
By the way, very interesting reading, Thank You!
Southern Atlantic crossings should be smooth at that time of year. I would not hesitate to book it. The temps should be comfortable and headed into the 70’s and even 80’s as you get closer to Florida. IMO…the sun is getting brighter and it’s a great time of year for a southern Atlantic crossing.
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Today I took a small steak I had cooked earlier this week and made our favorite sandwich. When I cook steak I always cook an extra one so I can make this incredible sandwich…the steakbomb. I take a large fry pan and add 2 tablespoons of oil, your choice, then I sauté a large sliced onion, then mushrooms and julienned peppers or vinegar peppers. I used red vinegar peppers. You can also add some thin sliced jalapeños for some extra fire. Then I thin slice the cold steak and trim any fat and gristle and I cut 6 thin slices of Genoa salami into strips. I sauté the whole mess and add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Then I lay over thin slices of sharp cheddar cheese turn off the heat and cover the pan. Once the cheese is melted I lay it all on a fresh sub roll. I toasted our roll in another pan using some Olivio and two pats of butter per roll. Once everything is lukewarm I spread some mayo on the roll. This is better than any Philly cheese steak I have ever had! I have never had anything like this onboard a ship.
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2 hours ago, Lois R said:
I didn't go back over all the replies but I love Escargot and never eat them here at home........but I love them on a cruise😃
Why do escargots taste better on a cruise?? I think because they get them frozen and not canned!
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On 3/10/2022 at 4:07 PM, rkacruiser said:
I never sailed on their ships, but I remember that their brochures were very attractive and enticing. Stella Solaris was on my list of "to sail", but, didn't happen.
Sun Line was very popular in it’s day. Sun Line was known for it’s Greek crew and high quality. It was created by a gentleman who was associated with Boris Vasilov and Sitmar Line…as I recall.-
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Every cruise is different. That’s what keeps calling us back…no two were ever alike. We would prefer Cunard, RCI, Celebrity, Oceania, Azamara, Seadream, Windstar, Viking and HAL. OK…Seabourn, Regent and Silversea…if I could afford them…lol.
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Even in the days of five day crossings the time change never bothered us. 23 hour days were a lot better than a 6 hour flight!
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The sea can rear its ugly head anytime but October-November can be dicey. We have experienced 110 mile an hour winds on QE2 mid Atlantic with a huge trench wave that must have been 75’ or more. The ship dropped more than 50’ in just seconds. We had 135 mile an hour winds off Bermuda on RCI Jewel Of The Seas. The seas were so severe that two of the aft cabins snapped off their steel girder supports! We hit the tail end of a hurricane onboard the Bremen headed out of New York for the Bahamas. The waves were so strong they bent the fore rails on the bow…50’ above the waterline. We hit all these storms in October. Generally speaking the safest route is the southern route from the Azores or the Med and South to Florida. The North Atlantic routes can be the worst but you never know. We once made a crossing in the North Atlantic in October from New York on the SS France that was so smooth we forgot we were on a ship. We were leaving the theater and I caught myself reaching for my car keys before I realized we were mid Atlantic!
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15 hours ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:
No hats inside but why not substitute a formal pair of pants, black with the silk strips down the sides. Then you can wear your boots and all the rest…including a bolo tie with a gaudy clip! I keep a set of outrageous vests, think riverboat gambler, to jazz up an otherwise mundane tux.
My apologies,
Somehow my post did not come out the way I wanted. I meant to say why not substitute your formal jeans with formal tuxedo pants? Then your custom made silk blazer with the sparkles should qualify as formal. I am a staunch believer in maintaining Cunard Formal. I own 3 custom made tuxedos and several dinner jackets. I do believe that BT is trying to achieve a formal look but is not sure how to do it.-
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30 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:
And it is!
So where do you get a Kentucky Hot Brown onboard ship these days?? I think the last time I saw that was in an RMS Caronia menu from the 1950’s!-
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32 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:
As one who enjoys a prolonged HH daily, my liver remains in excellent shape as compared to some of my other organs.
You never know for sure RK. Until they take a close look with a biopsy…lol. I told them in the OR that I had so much fun we should do it again next week!
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16 minutes ago, BTwurddle said:
Hats come off at tables inside and after dark. It’s actually in the cowboy Bible though not as popular of a translation as King James.
It appears in the book of Jon-Roy 11:22 - And a Voice spoke from the hay loft saying “andst thou shalt remove thine hat from thine head and thine spurs from thine feet before sitting to supper.”
For reference purposes it’s also repeated in the book of Barns, Ranches I & II and the gospel of Emma-Mae.
🤠
No hats inside but why not substitute a formal pair of pants, black with the silk strips down the sides. Then you can wear your boots and all the rest…including a bolo tie with a gaudy clip! I keep a set of outrageous vests, think riverboat gambler, to jazz up an otherwise mundane tux.-
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On 3/5/2022 at 1:07 PM, Lois R said:
I tried a new wine last night and it is now my new favorite Pinot Noir.........it is from California, called J from J Vineyards. You ever try something and found it simply fantastic?.........it is soooooooo good😃
It is actually from 3 different locations, Sonoma, Monterey AND Santa Barbara. If there is anyone out there who loves a Pinot Noir, I highly recommend it!
CGT, how are you feeling? Hope things are going well. I am going to need surgery later this month😲......should find out the date this coming week. Dr's appt is Monday so will know more after that time.
Thanks Lois,
Totally off topic but I’ll fit in a wine burb somehow…lol. I had a very strange experience that started in November. When I got the green light for a kidney transplant they sent me for a blood test. The test came back as level 4 cirrhosis! Now you know I love my alcohol but this was just beyond all expectations. My kidney doctor, who sees me weekly in dialysis, told me this was very unlikely since my Albumin counts had been very good for the past 4 years at dialysis. So into the OR on Wednesday for the twelfth time since 2017. They gave me a local “twilight” so I could watch the action. They stuck a wire into my neck, main artery, and down to my liver they went…awesome! Two hours later I was returned to Recovery for 4 more hours. Long story short…they called on Friday afternoon to tell me that my liver is 100%. They did it that way because I have elected to take a kidney that is infected with hepatitis. These kidneys are much more available and they have a 100% success rate of cleaning up the hepatitis. I’m now 100% ready for transplant and on the fast track. Sorry this is so long but I know several of you have followed my journey these past 4 years. They’ll probably remove this so read it fast!
Now about the wine…Frei Brothers California Cabernet…about $20.00 a bottle. Tastes like a $120 bottle from France! I’ve yet to find this variety onboard a ship!
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55 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:
As the theme song for All in the Family said: Those were the days!
Missing night time chocolates are now being reported by current HAL cruisers.
Is our society engaged in a limbo dance of "How Low Can We go"?
The “Cost Cutting Experts” are always brought in to trim the budgets. They are usually from Accounting or transplants from airline management. They know nothing about cruise ships and what makes the pax happy. They have no clue as to the glorious history of Crossing and Cruising. They are there to satisfy the stockholders. They do not realize that every time they cut costs future profits will go down as with the dissatisfaction of the loyal pax. When will they ever learn that they are in the hospitality business? The bottom line is not the costs vs the profit. The bottom line is the satisfaction of the loyal repeat pax. It is really sad that these executives are unaware of the fact that they already possess the necessary ingredients for continued success. The have beautiful ships, willing and capable personnel who would be more than happy to go the extra mile. Instead they cut costs which puts more pressure on the crew and makes the loyal repeat pax increasingly dissatisfied. Great ships have happy crews and happy pax!-
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On 2/25/2022 at 6:07 PM, BklynBoy8 said:
I'm actively drinking their Sherry at this time. The Cream is the Best!
Also Tawny Port and Ruby Port are very good.
Many years ago on luxury cruises and First Class transatlantic crossings it was the custom for the gentlemen to linger after dinner over a good bottle of Ruby Port with a cheese plate or a savory. To this day I still enjoy a good bottle of Port or a Spanish sherry. We used to be able to buy these at AH Rhiise in St. Thomas. You could buy great bottles for short $$. You could buy a case and take it off the ship in New York with the help of a porter and then put all your luggage in a cab and head for Penn Station. This was in the days before luggage had wheels! Then you took a train to Boston and have a Red Cap place everything in a cab to go home…no problem. The Customs people at the pier were supposed to charge a tariff on more than 2 bottles but they couldn’t be bothered and would just wave you through…lol. How I miss those old days sailing from the Manhattan piers and taking the train home. Things were so easy.
In 1973 we sailed home on the SS France with beautiful drop leg tea table, early Queen Anne, circa 1700. The antique dealer had carefully wrapped the table for us in London. We had it loaded on the boat train in London and taken off in Southampton and placed in our tiny cabin on the France. When we got to New York the Baggage Master on the France sent a man to hand carry the table and place it on the pier. The Porter on the pier took it and all our luggage through customs. And placed it on the sidewalk…then we headed home with the porters carrying all. Of course I tipped all along the way as that was the way you moved all your luggage in those days…before they put wheels on luggage.
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On 2/25/2022 at 5:04 PM, rkacruiser said:
Yes; another one that I have forgotten about. I thought that the bottle the wine was in was rather "cool".
It certainly was!On 2/25/2022 at 5:04 PM, rkacruiser said:Never drank the stuff.
Believe me…you wouldn’t want to!…Ripple was sickening sweet. The winos liked it…it was cheap and potent.
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2 hours ago, Lois R said:
Sounds fabulous. How was it?😀
Hi Lois,The next time you stop in Funchal head for a bakery and try one of these…Deeeelicious!
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2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:
My local upscale grocer (whose bakery is excellent) is advertising on their web site a Croissant Brulee: a croissant bowl filled with a Creme Brulee. Their Croissants are delicious. I expect to go shopping at their store on Monday and will see if I can find these. They sound good.
This is similar to the Portuguese pasties de nata…flaky pastry cups. Let us know how your creme brûlées stack up! -
Any Chianti reserve is good with Rufino Reserve being a favorite. Any Coppola wine is always good. Francis has become the Rothschild of America with his Napa Valley wines. He has made more money with his wine than he ver made with his movies!
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5 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:
We are just back from a 12-night cruise, and we definitely ate differently from our last two years at home.
The biggest difference was that I had Indian food at most breakfasts and lunches. Curries, Indian scrambled eggs, grain dishes, breads and other sides. All good. The only ones I didn't try were goat curry and fish curry.
DH ate a lot more bacon, and I had a greater variety of fruits than I could keep fresh at home just for myself.
We also had some good calamari, fish and chips, prime rib, risotto, and many other delicious dishes.
What ship were you on??
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35 minutes ago, Lois R said:
Hi.....thinking back....isn't ripple "sickly sweet"?😲
Absolutely sickening sweet…or just sickening. More of my friends got sick on that awful stuff in high school…lol. Then they switched to shots of ginger brandy or blackberry brandy and beer…lol. That’s when I learned to drink peppermint schnapps and beer…still good today.
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On 12/30/2021 at 11:40 AM, shipgeeks said:
What ship? What cruise line?
NCL…
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8 hours ago, rkacruiser said:
For a mundane dessert, it has been a long time since I have enjoyed a Custard Pie.
Easter is just around the corner. What could be more appropriate?
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14 hours ago, shipgeeks said:
Which brings up a question I've had in the back of my mind for a long time. In recent years I've enjoyed many pavlovas and macaroons, which use egg whites. When large quantities of egg whites are used for those, what do they make with all the yolks? Or do they buy gallons of pre-separated whites for this purpose?
Lots of creme brûlée of course!
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5 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:
Brooklyn Street version is Red Onion Sauce, Mustard and Kraut....
Don’t forget the Greek sauce found in the finer tube steak establishments in northern New York.
Are there foods you eat on a cruise, but never (or rarely) at home?
in Cruise Foodies
Posted
I remembered how everyone hated coriander and I wanted to say that I never add coriander to anything to be eaten. I do use it for one specific purpose though. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up so I thought I would impart this cooking tip for preparing corned beef. I always boil my corned beef for three hours. I make up a bouquet garni with cheese cloth and string or you can do a makeshift bouquet with a coffee filter and an elastic! Fill the cloth with 2-3 tablespoons of pickling spices, 3 bay leafs and 2 tablespoons of ground coriander…wrap it up and tie it so it does not leak. Place it in the water with a quarter cup of brown sugar and a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar. Let the pot bubble gently for 3 hours until the meat is done. You will absolutely love the aroma in your kitchen and you will love the flavor of your corned beef when cooled and sliced.