CGTNORMANDIE

1 hour ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Don't know if I am allowed to post the site for my bakery but Mouth Watering isn't the word.

 

Tasty Pastry in Brooklyn always has about 10 people outside the door on Sundays waiting to enjoy their wares..... Mini and Regular size Italian Pastries are outstanding.

 

Also their breads are great including fresh out of the oven Warm Prosciutto Bread. I like it with a good Red Wine..

 

Prosciutto bread…you’re killing me BB!  Only in New York.  

1 hour ago, BklynBoy8 said:

I have been doing this for the last 7 years and feel bad that I had to rid the supply after the start of the new harvest season. No freeze burn but just use the newest and fresh.

 

We love opening the container and smelling the fresh fragrance. 

Amen to that BB.  Nothing like the smell of fresh basil coming from a freezer bag no less…lol.  

16 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

We are lucky living on the Bensonhurst-Bath Beach area of Brooklyn to have this delicious dish anytime. Oh, that is right, I had one last week we ordered and had delivered with our bakery order.

 

We have several versions like Rhum, French Cream or Cannoli Cream they make. Depends what I feel like that day. I truly like and can eat a whole one....Lobster Tail w French Cream.

My mouth is watering!  We have an Italian bakery nearby that makes a really good Baba with an Italian pastry cream.  They also make several different cakes that are cream filled and rum soaked…absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately my diet precludes partaking of such more than once a year…sighhhhh.

All our herbs are flash frozen…especially the basil.  Not only does this insure freshness but it also makes it easier to chop up.  

15 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Is it too difficult for a dessert Chef to produce an exceptional flan on the ships of the size that they are today?  I wonder if such a dessert could be produced on the ships of Seabourn or Silverseas.  

The mass market lines tend to skimp on quality ingredients.  How many times have we heard about the bland desserts onboard?  
 

I'm sure Lois can attest to the exceptional quality found on Silversea where they don’t skimp on anything.  You get what you pay for.  

On 2/10/2022 at 5:11 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

I am a "custard" type of dessert diner.  Such desserts are something that I don't often have and I do enjoy them when I can order them.  

Love love love custards, flans, etc.  Try and find a good one.  Most I have had onboard were fairly bland.  I would love a good Baba Au Rhum.  The best one I ever had was onboard the SS France.  It was called a Sicilian Creme.  This was a thin layer of chocolate brownie like cake with a layer of intense pistachio flan all covered with an English Cream that tasted of intense vanilla…absolutely out of this world!  

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

I thought my car had low miles LOL.......I have a 2017 Buick Regal and it has 19,000 miles..

You really have low miles😃

You have to drive everywhere in Florida.  I am close to everything where I live.  The longest local ride is to the supermarket…3 miles away.  Even the airport and hospitals are less than 17 minutes away.  We also enjoy a low mileage discount on our auto insurance.  Even the Port of Boston is an easy 15 minute drive!  We love sailing from Boston. 

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

How does one "upgrade" the glove box?  😀

 

Prior to the arrival of Covid, I did enjoy driving the car to Florida for two HAL cruises and one MSC cruise, a return trip on the Auto Train in order to visit family in Maryland, and then home.  Since mid-March, 2020, I awaken the car from its slumber maybe twice a week.  I find it hard to believe that the odometer has yet to reach 6000 miles.  I still enjoy driving the car when I visit the grocery store, the wine store, the post office, doctors and business appointments, and the occasional patronizing of a restaurant for take-out.  Not quite the vision I had when I bought my "Envision".  

 

 

We don’t drive much any more…just around town.  My car 2017 has 8,000 miles and DW 2018 has 3,000 miles…lol.  

On 1/31/2022 at 7:59 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Once upon a time when I was a child, my family did so.  Filled the tummy; but, not much satisfaction for anything else.  

 

 

If you think I am going to "dine'" in a car that cost me more than the mortgage that I paid for my condo, you are very mistaken.   

I have been known to snack in the car on the way home from a takeout restaurant…if I’m really hungry.  I have a mini vac…just in case…lol.  

Baked beans…being from metro Boston I know that they will never make baked beans onboard ship as good as I make at home.  

Sounds horrible Seamus.  I’m glad I never had anything close to what you experienced.  The worst experience I ever had was, surprisingly enough, onboard the QE2.  

Once upon a time I was on Celebrity and they served a luncheon dish call Eggs Fritz Dugan.  They were petite fillets sautéed with wine and onions served on grilled English muffins with poached eggs and a beef based cream sauce with mushrooms.  I liked it so much that I duplicated it for a high end brunch that I catered for 50 people.  It was a huge hit.

4 hours ago, seamus69 said:

 

I had already bought the leeks for my soup.  now I need to use them in the next few days.

I have a few pots of herbs in my sun room but the chives are nearly dead.  only the rosemary and parsley are thriving, the rest look so pitiful...

 

Sounds pretty good.  I usually have to have meat in my soup, but perhaps with the ravioli, I wouldn't miss it as much.

 

Sausage and cheese raviolis…just right!

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Nope.....on my recent sailings you could get as few or as many pieces as you prefer.......I would try 2 or 3 and maybe some fruit........not too much at all🙂

Smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar, aged Roquefort and a ripe plum or grapes washed down with a Pinot Grigio.  The perfect ending to a perfect meal.

57 minutes ago, seamus69 said:

I miss having nice breakfasts.  I haven't been on a cruise yet where I saw anything impressive, unusual, or inspiring for breakfast even when they have great dinners

 

I make a nice cheese souffle at home

hopple popple

boxty

I make my eggs Benedict with a vinegar (as the acid instead of lemon) hollandaise and dress it up with green onions...usually toast the muffin too

 

give me something different...maybe shakshuka  or just a decent breakfast skillet!

 

eggs cooked  by them themselves with a side of meat cooked by itself and a stack of pancakes is not a cruise-worthy meal!

 

Huevos rancheros is about the only attempt I ever see and it's usually mediocre at best...sigh

 

 

 

How about Eggs Benedict made with fillet mignon?  

10 hours ago, seamus69 said:

 

I never knew how alcohol I had in the house until we decided to hide it all when we thought someone getting out of rehab was going to stay with us!

 

Besides three refrigerators, we also had stuff squirreled away in about 8 different places!

 

now that we moved it back in the house, I'm trying to use up all the old stuff by making up my own cocktails.  This has only been moderately successful.

 

 

It’s a nasty job but someone has to do it…😉

23 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

My favorite soon will be Potato Leek Soup w Fresh Chives Fresh Freezed from this past Summer Garden.

Funny you should mention that.  I recently made gembotti…a vegetable medley…onions, peppers, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, fire roasted tomatoes, herbs, garlic, grated cheese and sautéed potatoes.  This is served with fresh Italian bread.  Then we take the leftovers and make up a beef stock…viola…gembotti soup!  Fantastico!  This is also great with raviolis in the soup.  Raviolis in broth (brodo) is a northern Italian tradition…served with grated Parmesan or Romano…mmm mmm good.

21 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi CGT🙂..........4 refrigerators?😲......WOW!

I know…sounds crazy but it just happened that way…long story…one on the second floor, one on the first floor and two in the basement.  I like keeping a lot of wine on hand even though I won’t be able to drink it until I get a new kidney…lol…hope springs eternal.  Buying good wine is like buying up and coming stocks…only gets better with age.  Then I have a surplus of fruit nectars…mango, passion fruit, guava, apricot, peach, pineapple, etc…on the first floor with my pantry-bar room…lol. These are for my tiki drinks…in case someone should drop in for some liquid refreshment.  Don’t get the wrong idea…we live in an old (105 years old) two family house.  We turned the first floor apartment into an art studio with a full kitchen…perfect for painting and entertaining.   

Just reach into the freezer.  I have bread, butter, meats, ice cream, veggies, raviolis and  even milk all set to go when I get home.  I always make a big batch of spaghetti sauce with meatballs and fennel sausage then make up individual containers that will make one good meal.  We usually keep at least three or four meals in the freezer…right now I have twelve meals.  We also do the same with soups.  I have 4 refrigerators…one for just wine.  We are ready for anything and do not need to go to the super market until we are ready.

DW and I started cruising on X (Chandris) 50 years ago.  We were young and most of the pax were older but we always enjoyed their company for their wit and wisdom.  Now, lo and behold, we are the older ones imparting our wit and wisdom upon the younger ones.  Cruising on Celebrity is still enjoyable no matter what age you are.

Best bet is a late summer crossing on QM2 then a Fall repositioning on another line.

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

It is has been many years since I have patronized Burger King.  Just didn't compare to McDonald's in my opinion.  The ads for the "new fries at Wendy's" are tempting.  But, before I place an order, (if I ever do so), I am going to check the Men's Room.  The last visit I had at my local Wendy's, the Men's Room was what one might experience in the port-a-pot toilets at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  100% disgusting!  If management can't keep the loo properly clean, what's the condition in their galley?  

You mean to tell me that you actually dine in those places??  I just drive through and dine in the car…lol.

 

In all of my fast food visits over the years, I have never ordered a chicken sandwich.  The current ad for KFC's crispy chicken sandwich is quite tempting.  But, it appears so large/thick.  How can eat that as a sandwich? 

I have tried the chicken sandwich at KFC…blahhhh…nothing special.
 

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

(As an aside:  I am sick and tired of ordering whatever sandwiches in whatever good restaurants and being served a sandwich that the Green Giant would have trouble getting into his mouth.  A bigger sandwich with more "stuff" is better?  Not in my opinion!  Such an offering discourages me from ordering it and even patronizing the establishment that offers such excess.)

 

I would agree unless it is an overstuffed deli sandwich like brisket, corned beef or pastrami.  

 

No one has commented on this favorite of mine.  Maybe, no Frisch's in your location, but, the company is part of the "Big Boy" chain that operates under a variety of names.  Not gourmet; but, satisfying.  At least for me once in awhile.

Not in my area…unfortunately.

3 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Our bread is not buttered but the country style multi grain in fingers. The pate is in a circular form with Pistachio nuts inside. Served on a bed of Frisee Lettuce. A side of Sweet Mustard Dressing. 

Sounds wonderful!  Years ago we would see galantines of Turkey or chicken or duck onboard ship.   The birds were deboned and stuffed with pate’ and sometimes pistachios, rolled and roasted then sliced for serving.  They were always offered on the cold buffet at lunch or dinner but they made a great starter.  

Thanks so much for posting those deck plans of my beloved Queen Elizabeth I.  I made my first transatlantic crossing on her in July 1965 and thus began my love affair with ocean liners.  I was 16 years old and I was a member of the Simplex Drum and Bugle Corps.  We were headed for England to perform for two weeks throughout the UK for product promotion.  We had Cabin Class accommodations but we were able to visit the Tourist Class section of the ship.  Some of my best memories were made in the Tourist Class Observation Lounge.  We would hit the lounge every night after 10:00 PM for cocktails and dancing with many student coeds who were on holiday.  Since I was traveling with older members of the Corps I was able to be served with no questions asked…lol.  We would party (jacket and tie required) until the early hours.   Draft beers were 10 cents a pint and a bourbon and ginger was 35 cents!  Drinks were served on a silver tray and you would place the money on the tray…cash only…lol.  The Queen Elizabeth I was a beautiful and spectacular ship.  I was able to roam through the First Class section as well. What great memories.

On 1/24/2022 at 5:45 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

We enjoy our pate at our favorite French Restaurant in the NYC Theater District we favor Pre Theater.

 

Called "Country Style".

 

Ahhhh pate’ de campagne (country style) onboard the SS France with a fabulous baguette torn apart and smeared with Normandie butter and then the pate’.  With a cold glass of their white Bergundy Vin Ordinaire.  What wonderful memories…