Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[UKCruiseJeff]

Lunch.

 

We love meat pie.  We are fed up with them getting nastier and nastier.  What use to be called a meat pie was then called a beef pie and then it was called a steak pie which when eaten simply became lots of goo with a spoonful of unchewable gristle. And if you loved each other you’d have a bit of gristle each. Why aren’t they honest and call it Essence of Gristle Pie.  

 

Urgh …… ☹️

 

So  I devised a cunning plan.  An extremely cunning plan of which Baldrick would be proud.  So cunning I am pleased with myself.  It’s too much bother to scratch make a good meat pie so it is a cunning cheats plan for a hungry lazy cheat.

 

I bought a slow cooked beef bourguignon and put it into pre-made shortcrust bakery painted it with egg and sprinkled sugar (I always add sugar to shortcrust even when it is not a dessert) and baked it whilst drinking Rhone. A fair bit of Rhone actually since you ask.  It had slow cooked quality beef with little mushrooms and little onions and a little bacon with a lovely wine sauce with some light herbage. It was an ugly pie but a tasty pie with beef instead of gristle. It didn’t make a soft landing on the plate but who cares!?!

 

I HAVE BEATEN THE SYSTEM!  

 

I added Mash a la Spins.  And it was good and I feel smug. Very smug.  Very, very smug.  

 

I like to share nice things. 😋

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited July 11 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

13 minutes ago, lincslady said:

 

The second one is sadly very true.  Voice of bitter experience.

 

So sorry to hear that Lola!  It seems that miserable people do not want to suffer alone!  I hope that you are safely away from the intrusion now! 🥰

[jpalbny]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You've actually come up in the world from the real Goats do Roam:

 

Fairview actually makes some tasty high-end stuff. I've done a tasting there and it was quite nice.

 

They just export the cheap stuff with funny names to the US.

 

8 hours ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

There is something lovely about sitting down in the kitchen whilst stuff is cooking and smelling nice and having an amuse-boucche.

 

Today’s pre-lunch glug is Goats do Roam.

 

Ceci n'est pas une amuse-bouche! Cela qu'on boit avant le repas, c'est un apéritif! 

 

Which reminds me, it's after 5PM amd I'm thirsty. 

Edited July 11 by jpalbny

[UKCruiseJeff]

Just now, jpalbny said:

 

Fairview actually makes some tasty high-end stuff. I've done a tasting there and it was quite nice.

 

They just export the cheap stuff with funny names to the US.

 

 

Ceci n'est pas une amuse-bouche! Cela qu'on boit avant le repas, c'est un aperitif!

 

I only speak fluid French when I have had three bottles but she took the last one away from me.   I am effluent in French under perfect circumstances.

 

Jeff

[Host Jazzbeau]

Ceci n'est pas une pipe

[lincslady]

Apologies for sounding so sad, Mysty.  Just something which has happened me on two particular occasions well in the past, which surprised me at the time as an innocent then in the world of people with problems. Now I am older and bit wiser I understand people  better, and in any case there are not too many folk I meet who envy me.

 

As not much of a chef myself Jeff, I think your pie idea is excellent, good lateral thinking.  The only really good meat pie I have had recently is in my favourite little pub, where they are definitely  made from scratch by the landlady.

 

 

 

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

The garden is cranking out good ingredients - look at those onions!  And who knew you can grow Parmagiano Reggiano!?  I pulled out some of last year's Proto Pesto from the freezer, and made my version of Eggplant Parm, with fresh local mozzarella & ricotta.  Had home made bread and a bottle of Montepulciano lying around, and starvation was narrowly averted. 

 

Meanwhile, despite my declaration that we were done with cats, after our two older rescue kitties finally died last year, we had a plea from a vet who is a good friend, who also makes house calls, regarding a 7 year old male kitty belonging to an older lady who needs to move into a care facility.  My DW batted her eyelashes a few times, produced a tear in one eye, so now of course we have a new kitty.  We're calling him Mr Higgins, after the name of our imaginary butler, who never seems to be around when I need my G&T freshened up!  Rumor is he is a good mouser/ratter, which we need, as we keep chickens and have feed around, plus compost piles and other rodent habitat.  Mr Higgins weighs 14#, so we figure he can handle a rat or two, to say nothing of our Old English Sheepdog!!  

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon all …

 

Some great pictures recently in The Times.  

 

This one is nice.

 

Jeff

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

6 hours ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

The garden is cranking out good ingredients - look at those onions!  And who knew you can grow Parmagiano Reggiano!?  I pulled out some of last year's Proto Pesto from the freezer, and made my version of Eggplant Parm, with fresh local mozzarella & ricotta.  Had home made bread and a bottle of Montepulciano lying around, and starvation was narrowly averted. 

 

Meanwhile, despite my declaration that we were done with cats, after our two older rescue kitties finally died last year, we had a plea from a vet who is a good friend, who also makes house calls, regarding a 7 year old male kitty belonging to an older lady who needs to move into a care facility.  My DW batted her eyelashes a few times, produced a tear in one eye, so now of course we have a new kitty.  We're calling him Mr Higgins, after the name of our imaginary butler, who never seems to be around when I need my G&T freshened up!  Rumor is he is a good mouser/ratter, which we need, as we keep chickens and have feed around, plus compost piles and other rodent habitat.  Mr Higgins weighs 14#, so we figure he can handle a rat or two, to say nothing of our Old English Sheepdog!!  

He's an extremely handsome boy. Wishing you many years of happiness together WWFT.

[mysty]

I will be away for the weekend.  Back on Monday.  In the meantime.....

 

Food for Thought.....

 

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

Have a wonderful weekend M xxx.

[lincslady]

Plus one,  Lola

[zqtchas]

[UKCruiseJeff]

10 hours ago, lincslady said:

Apologies for sounding so sad, Mysty.  Just something which has happened me on two particular occasions well in the past, which surprised me at the time as an innocent then in the world of people with problems. Now I am older and bit wiser I understand people  better, and in any case there are not too many folk I meet who envy me.

 

As not much of a chef myself Jeff, I think your pie idea is excellent, good lateral thinking.  The only really good meat pie I have had recently is in my favourite little pub, where they are definitely  made from scratch by the landlady.

 

 

 

 

Lola, being a soppy bloke I was empathetic but we don’t have direct chats and so only have the Cooler thread to talk about it. 

 

Understanding the envy of others is nothing you and I or others are potentially ever capable of ever fully understanding however older and wiser you/we get.  

 

You will never fully figure it out.  It is impossible for you to do so because to do so, you would need to understand what in their lives that is missing and deficient  and that they therefore  do not have that they see that you have and that they therefore/envy/begrudge of you.  And when they have that envy -  you would need to figure out why they wish to mitigate their hurt of their own losses in life by projecting it and hurting on you for having what they wished they have and envy.  The way that such people apparently deal with this is in the simple pleasure of seeing you hurt.  They cannot take away from you what you have that they have wanted and so they hurt instead.  If you get my drift. 

 

That is in my view the simple cause and consequent hurtfulness of other peoples’ envy that they have to do to mitigate their own feeling of loss.  They will enjoy seeing you hurt simply to reduce their pain they feel and must hurt you. The only way you can ensure they do not benefit is by not allowing them to see you hurt. 

 

If we were as clever as we all hope we are, then what we should be able to do is to understand this, and perhaps let it go not respond and move on.  But that would need a degree of cleverness that perhaps few of us have and many of us share that lapse with others.  

 

I only share my observations and consequences of other peoples’ envy and on why it is such a difficult conundrum because I think it hurts all of us.

 

It does make me happy that you like my pie.

 

😋

 

Jeff x

 

Edited July 12 by UKCruiseJeff

[Fletcher]

I just fancied showing you last night's dinner.  It's a sort of Italian classic called Trenette.  The traditional version is simply potatoes, fettuccine pasta and pesto.  The British chef Mark Hix published a fancier version which I have fancified further.  I take some new potatoes and cook until tender.  Then some green beans and cook them.  I then cook some trofie pasta (odd little squiggly things) and combine the lot in a pan with some sliced baby tomatoes and homemade pesto which we have frozen from last year's basil crop.  It's very tasty.  The Silver Wind served it up at lunchtime one day last May and their version wasn't bad either.

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Just now, Fletcher said:

I just fancied showing you last night's dinner.  It's a sort of Italian classic called Trenette.  The traditional version is simply potatoes, fettuccine pasta and pesto.  The British chef Mark Hix published a fancier version which I have fancified further.  I take some new potatoes and cook until tender.  Then some green beans and cook them.  I then cook some trofie pasta (odd little squiggly things) and combine the lot in a pan with some sliced baby tomatoes and homemade pesto which we have frozen from last year's basil crop.  It's very tasty.  The Silver Wind served it up at lunchtime one day last May and their version wasn't bad either.

 

 

 

Fletch,

 

This not only an exquitisely lovely dish that I can actually taste, you are actually an artiste in the way you have presented it.  

 

I award you a Colombe d’or.  

 

Thanks

 

Jeff

[lincslady]

Jeff - wow, you have explanations way beyond my pay grade.  But quite right about not understanding others' envy, it is just not in my nature to feel it (one of my few redeeming features). On the couple of occasions, years ago, I eventually worked out why these particular people (women, I have to admit) took pleasure in putting me down, and felt less upset.

Enough of this stuff, totally uninspiring for the Cooler residents; and back to the pleasures of life like Mr. Higgins and the lovely meals everyone is making - mostly men, I notice!  Can't get too much of them, and the fantastic travel pictures Coolers send.

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Jeff - wow, you have explanations way beyond my pay grade.  But quite right about not understanding others' envy, it is just not in my nature to feel it (one of my few redeeming features). On the couple of occasions, years ago, I eventually worked out why these particular people (women, I have to admit) took pleasure in putting me down, and felt less upset.

Enough of this stuff, totally uninspiring for the Cooler residents; and back to the pleasures of life like Mr. Higgins and the lovely meals everyone is making - mostly men, I notice!  Can't get too much of them, and the fantastic travel pictures Coolers send.

 

Thanks,

 

My explanations are what they are and having written it I wished I’d used far fewer words. I ran out of time to edit. And I persistently regret my use of far too many words.    

 

I feel the same about the cooler and pleasures and perhaps in that light we might have some positive “food for thoughts” if we must have them.  I like uplifting as against dispiriting.  Isn’t positive thoughts better than negative?  But does what I think matter?!

 

On the subject of male cookery of which you say you cannot get enough of.  This is today’s stirfry.  Pull up some chopsticks.

 

😋

 

Jeff

 

 

[mysty]

It's interesting that people are reading the posts and walking away with completely different thoughts.  I think it depends on the mindset of the reader.  Food for Thought may well be useful for some readers.  If they don't work for others, you're more than welcome to ignore them and slide on by.  The Cooler has always been an accepting community enjoying the freedom of posting nonsense alongside more serious issues (subject to posting rules here on CC).  I would hate for that to change now.

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 hour ago, mysty said:

It's interesting that people are reading the posts and walking away with completely different thoughts.  I think it depends on the mindset of the reader.  Food for Thought may well be useful for some readers.  If they don't work for others, you're more than welcome to ignore them and slide on by.  The Cooler has always been an accepting community enjoying the freedom of posting nonsense alongside more serious issues (subject to posting rules here on CC).  I would hate for that to change now.

 

I know I started The Cooler five threads and many years ago.  I think I might understand the intended ethos of The Cooler and even sometimes understand posts.

 

I simply expressed that in my irrelevant view that what I find personally uplifting and positive in The Cooler is better than what I find dispiritingly negative.  

 

If you can post your opinion on this topic then surely I can be permitted to post my opinion can’t I?

 

Food for thought

 

Jeff

 

Edited July 12 by UKCruiseJeff

[DavyWavey70]

Friday night is Steak night. 
 

[UKCruiseJeff]

2 minutes ago, DavyWavey70 said:

Friday night is Steak night. 
 

 

There must be a lot at stake.  But where is the chips.

 

🙂

 

Ieff

[DavyWavey70]

6 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

There must be a lot at stake.  But where is the chips.

 

🙂

 

Ieff

I’ve gone on the Keto diet Jeff. I Don’t know any other diet that you could get away with a meal like that. Side was cherry tomatoes and feta drizzled with a little olive oil, garlic and herbs. 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Dave,

 

I think a lot about diets.  I’m fat and ugly and getting older. But you need to think more deeply about stuff.  

 

All this health stuff ignores one dispiriting conundrum.  No one knows what will eventually get us, but all of us should be completely confident of the certainty that most likely something unintended or unforeseen or unplanned for will.  For example what might be your sad and unpredicted end might happen when a disgruntled customer receives his bill and beats you over the head with a fatal blow from an oversized pepper mill. Or it might be a slate off of that roof that looks overdue for attention.  Or slipping up on an oily cat.

 

etc etc

 

So the consideration for you isn’t should it be Keto  or chips, but is it better to enjoy the chips today at the moment with the steak and rely on it giving you an extra day of life versus the risk of the pepper mill or slate or cat etc - if you get my underlying philosophy. 

 

I know what a sensible person would do and it isn’t tomatoes instead of chips. It’s chips. 

 

Tonights supper shell of prawns, salmon and crab was with cremant!

 

Jeff

 

Edited July 12 by UKCruiseJeff