Lydia's Reviews

Have You Seen Food Matters or Food, Inc.?

2011-11-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

Food Matters and Food, Inc. are two of the most powerful movies about food that I have seen. Food Matters is a documentary about using food as medicine rather than pharmaceuticals. As Hippocrites, the father of medicine, said, "Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food." This documentary will change your view of pharmaceuticals and popping pills. As they said, "A pill for every ill." I found the statistics of pharmaceuticals versus vitamins very interesting.

Food, Inc., another documentary, is a film about how our food is grown and how the small, country-side farms have been replaced with Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). I had heard about these but had never actually seen one. The one question I had after watching was, "And people think how we get veal is cruel?" If you don't want to change any of your eating habits, you might not want to watch this one. After watching this, I plan to completely change my eating habits and start supporting local farmers.

I only wish I had seen these many, many years ago. How different and healthier would I be now? If you have the chance, these films just might change your life and the life of your family.

Ameradoor- Quality Cabinet Doors and Cabinets

2011-08-07T13:11:00.002-04:00

I was very saddened to see this in my "comments" and sorry to hear Ameradoor has closed. From the comments left here, it is obvious that running this business has been a struggle as are many in this terrible economy. Thank you to Ameradoor for posting this for us.

AMERADOOR UPDATE (This is a comment left by user "Ameradoor Corporation":
Ameradoor Corporation- After 6 years we have CLOSED We tried to keep our doors open long enough to finish customers product. However our power was shut off. Our phones and website was discontinued for not payment. We just did not have the resources to survive. In this nations economy you would think that people would understand. However some people would like to make wild accusations that are just not true. For the customers that supported us for the past six years "thank you". For the customers that did not get there order "I am truly sorry" I hope the through the Bankruptcy court that this matter will be resolved.

By Ameradoor Corporation on Ameradoor- Quality Cabinet Doors and Cabinets on 8/6/11

AMERADOOR UPDATE: August 3, 2011:
Thanks to Helen and Darlene for the heads-up on Ameradoor. It appears they may have closed. Calling the number today that is listed on the www.whois.net website, I received a recording that said, "We're sorry. You've reached a number that is no longer in service." Typing www.ameradoor.com in the address bar gives this message, "Sorry, we can't find "www.ameradoor.com". We suggest that you check the spelling of the web address or search above." Personally, I am very sorry to know this company is closed.

MY ORIGINAL POST January 27, 2009:
We recently built a maple entertainment center for our living room. Unfortunately, when it came to the doors, we did not have the expertise or the right tools. Since we only needed three doors and one drawer front, we decided to have them built. Searching the Internet we were able to find Ameradoor. The price with shipping was less than we would have paid for a router and the rail and stile bits.

When the doors arrived, we were very happy with their workmanship.

Mangia - Hooksett NH's Best-Kept Secret!

2011-07-14T10:38:00.007-04:00

My husband came home from work last night and told me that a co-worker raved about Mangia in Hooksett. In the five years this restaurant has been open, I did not know anyone who had actually eaten there.

Off we went to Mangia, but not before Google-ing (yes, <~~~ that is a word) the restaurant to make sure they were open. I went into my bedroom to get dressed and my husband jumped on the computer. He didn't manage to find the restaurant's website www.gomangia.com but he did manage to find two websites with reviews. The first one I read was a, "Don't do it" which was a little disturbing. There were ten reviews and only one was bad; the others were all good reviews. Since we now personally knew someone who had eaten there and given a good verbal review, we decided to give it a try.

OH MY GOSH; I could not believe how delicious the food was! I was trying desperately to leave some of my five-cheese tortellini for my husband to try and having a most difficult time. When I saw this on the specials menu, it said, "Five-Cheese Large Tortellini, roasted garlic, onions, sweet corn, peas, mushrooms in an Alfredo sauce." I was wondering about peas and corn in the Alfredo sauce; sounded a little odd to me, but I don't usually frequent Italian restaurants. That is now going to change. This morning I'm wishing I could go there for breakfast. It was THAT GOOD!!!

My husband had linguine and clams in a white sauce; he loved it. I thought it delicious, but a bit too hot for my sensitive tongue. He also had the Caprese salad which was fresh and delicious. Our waitress, Susan, was waiting on the entire restaurant and doing a great job. There are probably only about 10 or 12 tables and all were occupied last night. The chef cooks each meal to order; no wonder it is so good. I've never had a meal come out of the kitchen as steaming hot as this one. It came right from the kitchen to our table.

If you are looking for a quiet dinner, sorry, this is probably not the place to go. It's a cafe-style that I found to be a bit noisy. Honestly, as much as I usually hate noisy restaurants, my food was good enough that this would not have been a problem if the place was more noisy.

If you are in a hurry, again sorry, not the place to go. There is one chef preparing meals individually to order. We were there almost two hours, but trust me, it was well worth the wait! And yes, it is true that you can bring your own wine, beer or champagne. That's a plus, too. Our bill was about $52 less a $10 restaurant.com certificate. Not too bad for two EXCELLENT meals. We cannot wait to go back!! By using a certificate from Restaruant.com, you can save not just at this restaurant, but many in your area:

hCG Diet - Hype or Helpful? Does hCG work?

2011-06-13T13:09:00.018-04:00

My Synopsis - But PLEASE Read Dr. Simeons' Entire Book

Before starting this controversial diet, I decided to read Dr. Simeons' complete book. If you are considering using HCG I would recommend reading his book, as I believe it is important to understand the 500-Calorie diet and how hCG works in the body. As I understand hCG from reading Dr. Simeons' book, hCG:

1. Will reset the hypothalamus.

2. Will train the body to lose bad fat.

3. Is an appetite suppressant.

4. "Tells" the body to burn the bad fat for fuel and nutrients.

We have good fat according to Dr. Simeons, like the fat on the bottom of our feet. Maybe that is why, once I became overweight and started dieting, I'm having foot issues and my fat buttocks gets sore after sitting. Have I lost the good fat in the wrong places? I never had those problems when I was a size 2!

The Controversy

In researching this diet on the Internet, I quickly realized the controversy was in the 500-calorie diet, NOT the hCG itself; I could tell it was only because people didn't understand the concept. hCG it seems, is approved and used as a fertility drug but not for weight loss. I was only eating around 500 to 800 calories a day because of Myxedema. I believe that if most Americans removed the non-nutritional foods or the foods that have limited nutritional value from their diets, (like bagels, English muffins, pasta, sugar, etc.) they too would find they are only consuming about 800 calories a day of nutritional foods.

According to Wikipedia, "hCG is also produced in the pituitary gland of males and females of all ages." Could a deficit in the amount of hCG we are supposed to have actually be causing people to not be able to lose weight? Just a thought. Since hCG is a substance that naturally occurs in our bodies, it seems it would probably come under "bio-identical hormones." I'm guessing there won't soon be any studies.

There doesn't seem to be any controversy about eating foods that are full of high-fructose corn syrup, trans fat (partially hydrogenated oil), sugar and flour - all of which we know pack on the pounds. What else would the body do with "food" that it doesn't recognize except to shoot the cholesterol up and store it as fat? Surprisingly though, we seem to know what contributes to storing the fat but aside from strenuous exercise for 8 hours a day or starving ourselves, we don't seem to know how to "tell" our bodies to get rid of the stored fat. I don't know, but maybe hCG is the answer.

Wikipedia also states, "The controversy proceeds from warnings by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that hCG is neither safe, nor effective as a weight-loss aid" Not effective as a weight-loss aid? I think I'm living proof that it is not only a good weight-loss aid, but it is also an appetite suppressant.

Personally, I think it important to acquire this or anything else we put in our bodies from a reliable source. I am getting mine, with a doctor's prescription, from Northern New England Compounding Pharmacy in Littleton, New Hampshire. I also just ordered Green Web's from Amazon and am waiting for it to arrive. If you have purchased hCG and find you are constantly hungry or are not losing weight, perhaps there is no hCG in your bottle.

Is hCG a Miracle?

I did not have Myxedema because I did not have enough thyroid hormone in my blood, I had (have) Myxedema because the thyroid hormone was not getting into the cells at the "receptor site" as my doctor said. Lyme Disease might be the culprit. One of the worst (of the many) symptoms was edema. If you've ever had a really bad case of edema you know what it feels like. If not, it makes one feel like their weight is doubled and seriously impedes mobility.

When I decided to start hCG, I was still apprehensive. I understood everything Dr. Simeons was saying in his book, but wondered if it would work for me because of my current medical issues.

Days one and two are necessary overeating days while hCG is getting into the system. According to Dr. Simeon, those who overeat on these days get the best results. Day three I started the 500-calorie diet as instructed and since I am always the optimist, I thought the edema was subsiding. By day four I was astounded at the reduction in the edema - I finally felt like I could move. I now actually felt like eating - my appetite had turned around. Previously, I was eating only because I knew it was necessary.

Today is day 20. I am doing the drops and should have lost 20 pounds by now. Unfortunately, I've hit two roadblocks. The second weekend I was on hCG, I did major yard work and the weather was humid. I stuck to the diet and actually gained one pound; that was a huge disappointment. It worked out that in four days I had no change. The next weekend I needed to do more yard work and was told to just go off it and eat extra food to compensate for the calories I was burning - WRONG! I gained five pounds! I should have known, because Dr. Simeons warns to stay on the 500-calorie diet for three days AFTER taking the last hCG dose because it will cause a weight gain (because the body is still being flooded with nutrients from the hCG). I've ended up wasting four days on each of two weekends (eight total days - uggghhh). In short, exercise is NOT allowed on this diet. Overall, I am down today by only 11 pounds, but I'll take it! Where else can one find a diet that says, "Don't exercise"!

Nothing Can Stop Me Now!

Nothing can stop me now. I will not falter in my eating nor exert myself any more than absolutely necessary for the remaining 22 days that I will be doing the hCG and 500-calorie diet. I'm having guests for Father's Day and had originally planned to cheat - not anymore.

I must remember my goal and that, "NOTHING tastes better than a size 8"! Although I won't be down to a size 8 this time, after taking a six-week vacation from hCG (so that my body does not get immune to the drops) I will do another round of hCG. THEN I will be a size 8!

Summary

For me, hCG has been a miracle. I am a whole new person; a whole new person who today is 11 pounds lighter. My biggest fear is that I'll go off the hCG and the edema/myxedema will return. Only time will tell......

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT a doctor and am not giving advise, medical or otherwise. The above statements are a summary of what happened to me. My statements have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA or anyone else.

2011-06-12T22:24:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Prince William and Princess Kate!

2011-04-29T09:03:00.012-04:00

Congratulations Prince William and Princess Kate! I remember watching the royal wedding of Prince William's parents and am saddened that Princess Diana was not there today to see the marriage ceremony of her eldest son. Kate looked as elegant as Princess Diana looked on her wedding day almost 30 years ago.

I've just learned of a 22-page etiquette book that was sent to guests of the Royal wedding. Surely there should have been a page 23 that included specific hat etiquette and a hat-limiting height for women's hats. And unless your name is Lady Gaga, you shouldn't be wearing any hats like these:

Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Their Hideous Hats!

Hats like these not only took away from the beauty of these gorgeous girls, they make me think of "The Emperor's New Clothes." Who told those girls it was okay to go out in public wearing those??? Just because a designer has a famous reputation, doesn't necessarily mean what they design looks good. These hats also make me think about what wonderful table centerpieces these hats would make, as would this Philip Treacy, worn by Sarah Jessica . I could decorate an entire room around Sarah's "hat."

I do like the idea of an etiquette book to be sent with wedding invitations - one that would not only include etiquette but also directions. I once went to grab my invitation as I was walking out the door to attend a wedding, only to find the couple had not included directions or the address of the church! It was a wedding two states away. I can't remember how we even found the church! When we arrived, we were very overdressed. My husband was in a suit and I in a dressy wedding-suitable dress. The other guests were dressed in Dockers and casual, office-type dresses. I have to admit, it would have been nice to have a "play-book" that included directions and suggested attire.

Exciting New Product - The Flex Belt

2011-04-22T09:08:00.001-04:00

Advertisement – Too tired for a traditional workout? Have you seen the advertisements for The Flex Belt? It is a class II medical device and the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). This EMS (Electric Muscle Stimulation) product has been approved to be sold directly to consumers. An 8-week clinical study proved to reduce the waist by an average of 1.4 inches along with firmer and flatter abdomens reported by 100% of the subjects. Get a discount when buying a second one; upon checkout you will receive a 25% discount on the second one. If you have friends who might be interested, start checking with them to lower your cost. Gotta go...just talked myself into buying one!

How to Find Your Old eHow Account Articles

2011-04-04T08:30:00.005-04:00

Log in to Your Old eHow Account Articles

It's hard to not only keep up with all the changes at eHow, but with changes at all Internet writing sites. If you found this article, you probably already know that Demand Media has taken over eHow. If you would like to write for eHow, you must now apply through Demand Media. I have several articles on eHow, but have not yet started writing through Demand Studios. Maybe I'll start today.

I recently tried to log on to my eHow account and found a Facebook login. It seems this has added some confusion to the site, at least for writers. If you are looking for your old eHow articles, go to this address Old eHow Account and log in. After entering your "username" and "password" on this page, you will be brought to your old eHow articles.

Can You Survive an MRI?

2011-04-03T13:32:00.007-04:00

I've just published an article on Hubpages about my experience of surviving an MRI. The full story can be read here:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-I-Survived-an-MRI-Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging

My apologies for such a lengthy article. If you are facing an MRI in the near future, I hope my article will give you some good tips!

Super Bowl XLV Half Time Show

2011-02-06T20:36:00.001-05:00

What happened to the Black Eyed Peas? I always loved Black Eyed Peas, but what the heck happened to them during the Super Bowl 2011 Half-Time Show? I personally thought they sounded terrible! Was it the acoustics in the stadium? Maybe it's my ears - I didn't think Christina Auguilera sounded good either. Lea Michele from Glee - great job!!!!

UPDATE: I posted this during the half-time show. Now an update: 2/16/11 I have only ever seen a couple half-time shows in my life, as I'm not a football fan. If all half-time shows are this bad, I surely won't be watching again!!!

Seth Glier - Another Amazing Performance

2011-01-08T12:09:00.004-05:00

Seth Glier never ceases to amaze me. Listening to him sing at last night's CD Release Party at the Tupelo in Londonderry, New Hampshire was as usual, absolutely amazing! This was my fifth time hearing Seth (and his ever-so-talented sidekick, Ryan Hommel) in person and it never gets old. He opened for Liz Longley, who has a beautiful voice and some wonderful, touching songs. Nothing against Liz, as I would love to see her again, but two of the people with me last night both said (as I always say) Seth should have been the headliner, not the opener. It is hard to believe this young man is only 22 years old. He has a voice that is a rare gift. You are in for a real treat if you can see him in person! If you can't see him in person, consider purchasing a CD. His newest CD, The Next Right Thing, is my personal favorite.

Have you ever heard a singers voice that was so amazing it made you emotional?

Breadmaker

2010-12-09T17:34:00.002-05:00

I have a West Bend breadmaker that I've had for many years and love! During the holidays, it always gets lots of use. It bakes a traditional rectangular-shaped 1 1/2 or 2 pound loaf. It's very easy to use and came with an instruction book with great recipes (I've improved many of them and will be posting them on my recipe page). It will make traditional yeast breads and quick breads. The bad news is, it looks like West Bend doesn't make one like it anymore.

Most people I know who had a breadmaker that the loaf pan goes in vertically rather than horizontally, have since sent theirs to breadmaker heaven or disposed of in a yard sale. If you are looking for a breadmaker this holiday season, try to get a rectangular loaf that sits in the breadmaker horizontally, like the one below. They are more expensive, but worth it!

Try Accuchef - I Think You Will Like It!

2010-11-20T14:37:00.002-05:00

AccuChef is a full-featured recipe organizer that starts you out with a collection of recipes and lets you add as many as you want (thousands available for free from our web site, millions available on the Internet). AccuChef can perform a nutritional analysis (including exchanges) of your recipes using the included USDA SR16-1 database and resize your recipes for up to 999 servings. Features include a spell checker (with support for over 20 languages); an e-mail utility that supports MAPI, SMTP exchanges and built-in PKZIP/WINZIP compatible compression. Search for recipes based on any element, even type in some ingredients you have on hand and let it suggest recipes you can make. A menu planner lets you add recipes for a day's meals and snacks then creates a shopping list of required ingredients in store aisle order (supports the Pocket PC shopping list program VOShoppingList too)! Before you head to the store, let it check the built in coupon database to see if you have any applicable coupons. AccuChef will import Meal-Master, MasterCook, regular text, or you can paste in recipes from any web site. Export Meal-Master, MasterCook, comma separated value or text. Export to individual text files using the recipe name as the file name, copy them to your PALM or POCKET PC and take them with you! You can sort recipes alphabetically by name, category, or main ingredient or jump to the area of interest using alphabetical tabs. Personalize your printouts by adding pictures of the recipe (BMP or JPG). You can print in formatted layout on plain paper, 3x5 and 4x6 index cards or any other sized paper your printer will support, print nutritional labels or completely design your own output! You can generate a web cookbook and upload it to the Internet to share your creations with the world! You can even print out double sided cookbooks of your recipes complete with a table of contents for sharing with the family, creating heirlooms or as a fund raiser for your Church or school!

An amazing buy at only $19.95

Accuchef.com

2010-11-08T14:16:00.004-05:00

In 2004 I needed a surgery that would require a long recovery and restrict movement (not being able to lift heavy objects, etc.) I decided this would be a good time to gather up all the recipes that were floating around and enter them into a computer program. After doing a little research, I found Accuchef. It is an easy program to use and today I have over 100 recipes I've added to it. Okay, so it took me six years to do it, but it's worth it.

The reasonably priced Accuchef allows sorting of records by category, by recipe name or even by the main ingredient. Emailing a recipe to someone is a cinch and you can print one recipe or the entire cookbook on 8 1/2 x 11 paper or on recipe cards. I could go on and on as to what this program could do. When I purchased the software I also purchased the 145-page user manual. I'm not sure it was really necessary, as the program is pretty self-explanatory.

At only $19.95, it is a good investment. Order here:

Kohl's 600-Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets - Recommend

2010-11-05T09:47:00.004-04:00

I've been using Kohl's Luxury 600-Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets sheets for three years and absolutely love them!! I always purchase them on sale with a discount coupon. My first set was purchased on Black Friday at an excellent price. I've purchased one set a year for three years. I rotate between two sets for my king size bed and will be purchasing these for all the beds in my home. I would never have tried them at the full price as I'm very particular about my sheets and would not have wanted to take a chance. I think it's hard to judge a sheet until they are washed. I'm glad I was able to try them at a bargain price. They are incredibly soft, wash nicely and are now the only sheets I will purchase!

BEWARE - There are some brands selling for a low price whose label makes it appear that the sheets inside the package are Egyptian cotton. One label I've seen is JS Sanders Collection. It says, in very small letters, "with the soft touch as ..." and in very large letters, "...820 Thread Count 100% Egyptian Cotton Sheet Set". I washed a set and it is obvious they are not even cotton; they are polyester. They feel more like satin (which I know most people love, but I hate the feel of). I think the label is very misleading. Although the fact that the label also says, "Do not bleach, dry clean, or iron" should be a dead giveaway that these are not cotton. What do you think?

Go with the Kohl's Egyptian Cotton!

I LOVE GOOGLE!!!

2010-10-08T19:23:00.001-04:00

"Imagine" I went through the entire day before hitting "play" on the Google home page. When I did, as I'm sure everyone else did, "Imagine" by John Lennon played. When I was brought to the Google search that showed it was in memory as tomorrow would have been his 70th birthday, I actually got goose bumps! I love Google!

Black Forest Cafe - Amherst, New Hampshire

2010-10-02T10:33:00.009-04:00

I've been to the Black Forest Cafe in Amherst, NH many times over the past few years -- sometimes for lunch, sometimes for dinner. It has never disappointed me. Last night I had two different soups - Curried Butternut Squash and Clam Chowder. I ordered the Squash soup and my husband ordered the Clam Chowder. I thought the Squash Soup was "okay" and my husband thought it was excellent so we traded soups. The Clam Chowder was different but a delicious sort of different.

The Caesar Salad was also a little different. It tasted good, but the dressing didn't even come close to a real Caesar dressing. The lettuce was fresh and plentiful, but the dressing made it an overall disappointment. The small loaf of homemade bread, served on a small wooden cutting board, always nicely compliments whatever is ordered.

My husband and I both had the Seafood Crepes. This is the entree that lures us to Amherst over and over! Topped with an orange sauce, it was as delectable as usual.

We decided to pass on dessert and instead bring something home from their bakery. My husband chose the miniature Black Forest cake and I the coconut cake. The Black Forest cake was yummy aside from the fact the cake was a little on the dry side. The coconut was much more moist and the cream cheese frosting topped it perfectly!

MBT sneakers / shoes

2010-09-22T11:26:00.049-04:00

Guest entry from my friend Lynn:

If you're not familiar with MBT, it stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. These shoes are built to replicate the way we would walk when barefooted. This technology is supposed to cause us to burn more calories and build muscle. I did not purchase mine for the exercise aspect of these shoes -- I purchased mine because I have a severe case of plantar faciitis.

I've just purchased my second pair of MBT's. Well, you could almost say third, but I don't count the second pair. The first pair was the Chapa model which I purchased on eBay almost 2 years ago. Because of the plantar faciitis issue, these sneakers have been a life saver. Any time I deviated from wearing these, I paid for it that evening by being in excruciating pain. Since my Chapas were getting old, I decided it was time to find a new pair. By now, unfortunately, China has infiltrated eBay with fake MBT's.

My second pair was this past summer and another eBay purchase. It was not a smart purchase. I purchased from eBay user tuse1590 in China. I think I must keep those details for a post all it's own. (I would not recommend purchasing MBT's from China unless you want poor quality shoes that will more than likely make your feet stink.) Although my daughter tells me the funny email correspondence I received from this eBayer is worth the $130 I lost. Not sure I agree with that.

My third pair - I just purchased these from an online store that I found through the official MBT site. I wasn't taking any chances this time. I was able to get a $260 MSRP pair that was on clearance for $119 with free shipping. They are an adorable Mary Jane style in denim. They are not as comfortable as the Chapas. I sometimes wonder if my Chapas are so comfortable because they are broken in.

In closing - I highly recommend MBT's I just wouldn't recommend purchasing them from China or especially from ebay user tuse1590!

MS Office 2003 - Trouble Installing

2010-03-23T11:06:00.006-04:00

It was frustrating enough to need to format my laptop, but when MS Office 2003 didn't want to install, I was ready to pull out my hair!!!

When I couldn't get MS Office 2003 to install after a couple different error messages, I was fearful my DVD hardware was failing. The CD sounded like it was hung up and kept saying it couldn't find files. I decided to do what I always do -- I googled the problems. One website mentioned that if my computer had come with a trial version of MS Office 2007, that could be a problem. I would need to delete that first. Since I had already uninstalled it, I knew I had to dig deeper. The Activation Assistant 2007 was still on my computer. I found another site that said the Assistant needed to be deleted before deleting the trial version of MS Office 2007. I downloaded the trial version of 2007 from Microsoft and attempted to delete the Assistant first. I got an error telling me something was missing, so I again uninstalled the trial version.

As I was becoming more annoyed by the minute, I decided to try installing Office choosing the "typical" button which showed as "recommended" rather than "complete" which I had previously been trying. It worked -- it was THAT simple! If you are getting error messages when trying to install, try choosing "typical" (rather than "complete") -- it just might work!

Farmer Boy Restaurant House Recipe Greek Dressing

2010-03-22T11:26:00.017-04:00

Something seems a little sketchy with the "new" Farmer Boy Restaurant House Recipe Greek Dressing. This dressing has become a favorite in my house. It was recommended by my dietician as a great, low-calorie dressing. BUT BUYER BEWARE!

Every time I used this dressing, I said to my husband, "this dressing tastes too good to be true at only 25 calories in a 2 TBSP serving". Little did I know, I should have listened to that inner voice that said, "if it appears too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true."

It appears I may have been right. I told a friend how delicious this dressing is, so she tried it too. Somewhere months later in conversation, she said, "doesn't it bother you it has MSG (monosodium glutamate)?" I said to myself, hmmmm I'm so neurotic about checking ingredient labels these days I can't believe I missed that, as I grabbed a bottle. The first one I looked at was in the refrigerator and sure enough, it had MSG. I went to my pantry and luckily, I had an older bottle and here is the ingredient list:
Spices, Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Olive Oil, Soy Oil

NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 25
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 10mg
Total Carbohydrate 3g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 3g
Protein 0g

Back to the newer bottle that says "new recipe".
INGREDIENTS: Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Olive Oil, Spices, Sugar, Salt, Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Dried Corn Syrup, Dried Red Bell Pepper, Monosodium Glutamate, Guar Gum, Xantham Gum, Natural Flavor (Milk)
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 120
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 200mg
Total Carbohydrate 15g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 5g
Protein 0g

It seems odd to me that they have come up with a "new recipe" (which, by the way, looks and tastes exactly like the old recipe) that would be higher calorie, higher sodium, higher sugar, etc. If you had a really good recipe, why would you change it for an unhealthier recipe? Does seem odd that this company's recipe change co-incides with the big FDA crackdown on mislabeled food products!

As much as we love this dressing, there won't be any new bottles coming into the house. I've decided to start making my own salad dressings, this way I'll know exactly what is in them...or will I?

Band From TV, Fallsview Casino, Niagra Falls, Canada

2010-03-10T17:19:00.034-05:00

Our trip to Fallsview / Niagra Falls evolved when my daughter told me about this band - "Band From TV" that would be playing in Canada. I had never heard of them, but they sounded like an interesting meld. Of course I had seen several episodes of Fox's House, so I knew who she was talking about, when she mentioned Hugh Laurie (the curmudgeonly Dr. House) and Jesse Spencer (Dr. Chase). At the time, I was not familiar with anyone else in the band with the exception of James(Jamie) Denton (but only because of seeing him on the ads for Desperate Housewives -- I had never seen the show). I had also never seen Heroes and wasn't familiar with Greg Grunberg (Grunny) or Adrian Pasdar. ER - nope, had only seen snippets while my daughter watched so I didn't know who Scott Grimes was either. Bob Guiney - nope never seen The Bachelor. Boy, talk about being out of the loop!

My husband and I agreed to the family trip to attend the show and borrowed a copy of the first season of Heroes, so we would become familiar with two more members of the band. My husband was not impressed with the first couple shows, but he begrudgingly agreed to watch with me. I think he was glad he did, once he was in the same room with Grunny and Adrian. I'll admit, the show is a little different, but it has definitely grown on me and I'm anxious to finish Season One. I think my husband is hooked, too (just don't tell him I told you).

Bob Guiney and Adrian Pasdar, by the way, are not very photogenic. Especially Bob Guiney. I Googled members of the band before the concert. I couldn't figure out how Bob could have become "The Bachelor". I didn't see one picture of him looking cute or handsome. Wow was I wrong! He is adorable in person with lots of charisma and a killer smile. Same with Adrian, too! Both are much more attractive in person, although Adrian was very quiet on stage.

My husband isn't really much of a concert-goer, so I was expecting him to not enjoy the concert especially since this was only a cover band. To my surprise, every time I looked at him, he was smiling. Our only regret was traveling so far and not having gone to the Saturday night show in addition to Sunday's show and not being able to purchase a DVD of the show. We couldn't even stop talking about how much we enjoyed the show almost the whole way home.

Before going any further, I have to say the Avalon is a great place to see a concert. I don't know how many people it seats, but it definitely has the atmosphere of a very small "hometown" venue. Just don't plan on taking pictures or using your cell phone for anything. My daughter sent me a text, commenting on how Hugh Laurie's stage entrance was very Kevin Griffin like and a security guard told her to put it away. If you don't know who Kevin is, he's the writer/singer for Better Than Ezra and could pass for Hugh Laurie's brother! But back to the venue, security was there to pounce if they saw you taking a picture.

Back to the concert - we had heard "Hoggin' All the Covers", which I have to say, is nothing in comparison to seeing them live. The CD pales to their live performance. Bob Guiney asked the audience for a show of hands on how many thought they would "suck". I didn't expect them to "suck", but I did expect ordinary. I knew there would be a bunch of talented guys on stage. It was far from ordinary! Grunny (Greg Grunberg) came into the audience inviting women to dance up front with him and even got two women up on stage. Those two had traveled 10 minutes and 20 minutes to get to the concert. Grunny was looking for people who had traveled more than 20 minutes to get to the concert, wanting them to come up on stage. I'm glad no one knew we had traveled about 8 hours because I'm just not into being in the limelight.

The voices blew me away - especially Scott Grimes, who also came into the audience singing and pulling women up front. Jesse Spencer's electric violin performance was a super addition to the band, especially during "Devil Went to Georgia" and The Who's "Baba O'Reilly".

What a bunch of amazing performers! This is the best concert I've ever been to! The audience interaction helped make it more fun. It was obvious these were a bunch of great guys just out having a fun time, doing what they love. Raising money for good causes is just an added bonus.

SET LIST - vocals from Sunday, March 7, 2010:
Hard to Handle - Bob Guiney
Mary Ann - Hugh Laurie
Mama Told Me Not to Come - Bob Guiney
Wild Night - Bob Guiney
Viva Las Vegas - Jamie Denton
Try a Little Tenderness - Bob Guiney
Walking in Memphis - Scott Grimes
Devil Went to Georgia - Jamie Denton with awesome violin by Jesse Spencer
Oh Darling - Scott Grimes
Don't Stop Me Now - Scott Grimes
Mary's Place - Jamie Denton
Circles - Hugh Laurie
Don't Try to Explain - Bob Guiney
The Letter - Bob Guiney
Baba - Bob Guiney/
Tail Feather - Greg Grunberg

If you have the chance to see this band, don't miss it! Purchase Band From TV CDs bandfromtv

Taylor Swift - Better Than Ezra's Breathless

2010-02-08T10:53:00.005-05:00

I'll preface this by saying, Taylor Swift is absolutely adorable and... Congratulations Taylor on all the awards you've recently won.

I must say it is great that Taylor exposed Better Than Ezra's Breathless nationally and maybe even inter-nationally. I have heard she's a big BTE fan. I don't mean this to be a nasty comment, but there's no getting around it -- it was a bit of a massacre. BUT, if you liked the way you heard it on the Haiti show, listen to Better Than Ezra's version and you'll be blown away! Maybe I'm all wrong, maybe I'm just used to hearing it in a man's (Kevin Griffin's) voice, but I thought she sounded like an amateur who was singing it on American Idol. If I were an American Idol judge hearing it, two thumbs down. Sorry Taylor.

I hope I'm not sounding anything like Stephen Colbert when he said "Justin Timberlake may have brought the sexy back, but Susan Boyle sent it away again" at the Grammy awards, because I really do not intend to be mean or nasty, I just think Taylor butchered the song. I think Stephen Colbert's comment was a really mean and unnecessary (joke) comment.

You be the judge:

Purchase Better Than Ezra CDs BetterThanEzra

Purchase Better Than Ezra CDs BetterThanEzra
Purchase Taylor Swift CDs TaylorSwift

Seth Glier - an amazing performancer!

2010-01-18T11:20:00.016-05:00

Click here to purchase Seth Glier's music SethGlier

I traveled 2 hours to see Seth Glier perform in Greenfield, Massachusetts and it was worth every mile! I have one word to describe his performance - WOW - he is absolutely amazing! I don't quite understand why Seth was not the headliner at this show. 45 minutes of Seth was definitely NOT enough. Two hours of Garnet Rogers...well...did someone say torture? I suggested we leave during Garnet's intermission and terribly regretted that we didn't. I would have loved to have listened to Seth for 2 hours!

If you have a chance to go see Seth I would highly recommend it. Do it now before he becomes more famous and the tickets are a gazillion dollars! At the young age of 21, it is amazing to hear how he controls his voice.

This is not from the Greenfield performance, but I thought it was cute, fun video to share:

Ok, so this is the REAL SETH!

Cuisinart Food Processor

2010-01-05T13:16:00.006-05:00

Just before Christmas I decided to retire my 17-year-old Braun food processor. I decided it was time to be on the look-out for a new one, since some of the plastic parts were breaking. This food processor has been really good to me. If I hadn't heard that Braun was no longer making them for the US (which I'm not sure is true) I would have bought one in a flash!

I was not looking forward to spending lots of time researching which food processor might be the best, so I decided to cheat. A friend of mine had recently purchased a Cuisinart and I knew she had put a lot of time into researching them. I happened to see an ad on television that Macy's had the Pro Custom 11 for only $99. Aside from Macy's, the lowest price I could find on this 11-cup processor was about $150. Given the savings, I decided to purchase it.

With all the cooking and baking I did during the Christmas season, I was able to give it a pretty good workout. The motor is nice and quiet. I was disappointed that it did not come with very many accessories. It came with 3 discs: a shredding disc and the 2mm and 4mm slicing discs. It also came with a spatula, knife blade, dough blade and flat cover. I keep the knife blade inside because it does not have a holder for it like the Braun. The food pusher cover does not come completely apart for cleaning.

I do believe that Cuisinart has become the leader in food processors and I'm not so sure I understand why. I wish I had looked around before I purchased this one and I believe I would NOT have purchased a Cuisinart.

UPDATE: Every time I use my Cuisinart food processor I find another reason I dislike it. Since I was using it and my stand mixer today, much of my counter space was taken up. The Cuisinart food processor's chute is in the back. It fits nicely under my cabinets, but not while using it. It must be pulled out fully from under the cabinets to put anything in the chute. This is a big disadvantage when you need extra counter space. Also, there is also only one speed.

Ogunquit - 23rd Annual Christmas by the Sea 2009

2009-12-26T13:29:00.008-05:00

Saturday, December 12, 2009 - I was really looking forward to attending the chowder fest in Ogunquit, Maine with my husband and one of my best friends and her husband. We arrived in Ogunquit on a cold and windy day to stand in line outside the community center waiting to get into the chowder fest. Someone came out and told us we could also enter around the back of the building through the craft fair downstairs. My friend and I decided to do just that so we could look around at the crafts a bit. The husbands stayed in the line outside.

When we finally made it upstairs, we were disappointed to see so many people. Equipped with our long underwear, the place heated up quickly. We were instructed to NOT stay in line, but to just go to any table we chose to get chowder. We tried that. It didn't work. One of the husbands noticed it appeared there was a line that had formed on the right side as you came in. We decided to join that and it made a huge difference.

I think we were there for two hours for something that should have taken about 45 minutes. They let way too many people in at once considering the unorganized way it was run. I don't think I've ever seen anything more unorganized. You would think they would have figured it out after 23 years! It would have been much more pleasurable if they had directed everyone to go to their right and just keep going around the room. People would have been in and out in about 30 to 45 minutes.

I have to wonder if they knew we were from out of town and intentially mis-directed us. Apparently we were cutting in front of people and didn't even realize it. If you make it to the 24th Annual Christmas by the Sea 2010 chowder fest, go immediately to the right once you've purchased your ticket. We, for sure, won't be attending the chowder fest again!

Cranberries / Griffin House

2009-11-16T13:42:00.007-05:00

Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom - November 14, 2009.
Griffin House opened for the Cranberries. I have to say I was very impressed and I don't say that all too often about an opening band. Well he's not really a band, but a solo act. He has some great music. The acoustics could have been a little better (although it might have been the position of one of the speakers in relation to my left ear). He talked about pulling into Hampton Beach on the tour bus and what a ghost town it was. Picture a strip along the beach with businesses all boarded up. It really made me think about it -- what November is like at the beach to anyone not from the area. I can just imagine what it must have felt like to them. A scene from a Dean Koontz book where the tour bus of a famous band is hi-jacked and brought to this deserted area. Held for ransom. They must have wondered how the place would possibly fill up that night without a soul in sight. Of course it was a sold-out show.

Dolores puts on a great show. It had been 15 years since I had seen the Cranberries. She hadn't changed a bit nor had her voice. The energy was still there. I think it had also been 15 years since my husband had attended any concert. Luckily every time I looked at him he looked like he was really enjoying the show. It was amazing how the crowd was older. Thinking about it, if someone was 25 on their last tour, they would now be forty. Yikes! Dolores would have been only 23 the last time they toured and now is 38? Yikes, again! I hope we see another reunion tour in 15 years. (Wow - 2024?)

PURCHASE MUSIC BY THE CRANBERRIES cranberries

Natural Healthy Concepts

2009-11-09T15:49:00.004-05:00

I placed an order for vitamins last week with this company for the first time and it arrived today. I'm very impressed!!! I will definitely do business with them again.

KitchenAid Grinder

2009-11-09T07:53:00.007-05:00

I purchased a KitchenAid food grinder attachment a couple months ago for my stand mixer. I was having a hard time finding ground sirloin, so I decided I would occasionally grind my own. With the recent outbreak of e.coli and at least one death in New Hampshire, I've decided I'm not buying any more commercially ground beef.

Back to the subject...I love the grinder. It attaches to the mixer and works like a charm. It is necessary to put the bowl onto something to raise it up, but that is not a big deal. A pair of food-service gloves, a package of on-sale sirloin and I'm in business!

Oh ya, and BTW, after washing the parts, I dip them in a sink full of water and a small amount of bleach, then I wash again (since bleach is corrosive) ... just in case.

Shark Tank

2009-10-20T21:09:00.000-04:00

If you haven't seen the Shark Tank on ABC, you are missing something big! I think it is almost as funny as Two and a Half Men. There are two Kevins...a nice Kevin and a "not-so-nice" Kevin -- we'll call him NSN Kevin. He's someone you love to hate...someone who is eager to insult everyone! I like Barbara, Nice Kevin and Daymond, but I must say NSN Kevin and Classy Robert make the show. Robert loves to annoy NSN Kevin and is good at it! Just watch it...you'll love it!

LG enV TOUCH - Verizon Wireless

2009-10-12T08:45:00.013-04:00

I've had my LG enV TOUCH a little more than a month. Since my last phone was an everyday LG flip phone, this was a bit of an adjustment. I went with the Touch rather than the enV 3, not so much for the Touch aspect, but for the bigger size of the keyboard and especially the bigger screen. The bigger screen allows me to see the Caller ID w/o glasses. I've also set the ring to tell me who is calling rather than using a traditional ring or music.

It seems every day I'm coming across new features. There is a small bar on the touch screen that shows if you have a missed call, voicemail, something in your calendar, etc. You just touch it to go to it (instead of going through a menu). You can also drag and drop things like calendar, alarm, web addresses, etc. to the front screen (desktop).

This phone did not come with a stylus, but you can use the "pen" option (a fingernail works) to add contacts or calendar appointments. It also came with a USB cable that allows you to transfer information and charge the phone with your computer. The qwerty keyboard inside is large. If you turn the front sideways, you get a qwerty on the touchscreen too.

The salesperson at the store told me there were no speed dials. I was glad to find he was wrong! The speed dials are set after the number is entered. Flip the phone open, highlight the number (in yellow) and hit "options" on the right soft key. #1 is "Set Speed Dial".

I didn't really think I'd have much use for the mobile email. I must admit it was nice to be able to respond to a business email the other day when I was not at home.

Oh ya...and I have VZ Navigator. It was free for a month so I decided to try it. Smart move on Verizon's part...now I don't want to cancel it! It is really an amazing feature, but priced a little high -- no, a LOT high at $9.99/month. I guess it is worth it for the security of knowing you have it if lost.

The only downsides I'm finding so far...
1. Screen is not oleophobic -- you'll want to purchase screen protectors.
2. It has re-booted itself a couple times (or at least I think that is what happened - suddenly saw the Verizon logo).
3. It is a little large and heavy (but I knew that).
4. A call to 911 would take much longer than on a flip phone - wake up the phone, slide to unlock, hit the "phone" button, THEN dial 911 and hit send. The 911 downside is big BUT I've found it makes sense to just put it to sleep in the phone position.
5. Battery does not last long if you're using the browser.

Google Barcode - Something to Think About

2009-10-07T08:49:00.006-04:00

I love today's Google doodle, the barcode. In fact, I love all the Google doodles. I even like saying "Google doodle". The bar code doodle on Google's home page contains a link that will take you to the same place "bar code" takes you if entered into the Google search field.

According to the Telegraph.co.uk, Google is celebrating the bar code's 57th anniversary (although it was originally slightly different than the straight lines we see today). It was not used in a supermarket until June of 1974 on a pack of Wrigley's gum.

I'm definitely showing my age here, but I remember standing in line while the cashier had to punch in the prices of everything. The cash register receipt did not give any specifics of anything purchased either -- just the prices and totals.

I wonder, what would it be like today, without the barcode? Thanks Google for giving us something to think about.

Sagamore Inn - Sagamore, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

2009-09-17T08:32:00.010-04:00

Another trip to the Cape found us at Sagamore Inn for a dinner before heading home. My first experience of clams on the Cape, was a couple years ago, on the way to P-Town. It was not a good experience. The first one was full of sand -- not a good thing. I tried another, just in case - just as bad. My friend finished them, and I quivered at every crunch.

This year a restaurant we stopped at said on their menu, they could not guarantee "no sand in the clams". I had never seen that on a menu and feared it must mean a good possibility of, you guessed it, sand in the clams!

Back to the Sagamore Inn... My dinner consisted of fried clams and shrimp. Although there were many more clams than shrimp, they were all delicious.

My friend ordered the lobster ravioli special that included the ravioli, chunks of lobster, and scallops covered in a light Alfredo sauce. Very delicious! Both meals were much too much for us to eat in one sitting and we both took home doggy bags. Our next trip to the Cape will include dinner at the Sagamore Inn.

Popcorn, Indiana

2009-08-31T08:36:00.005-04:00

BJ's had a sample of Popcorn - Indiana's Gormet Kettle Corn Popcorn and OH MY GOSH!!! I was delightfully surprised at the taste. It is described on the bag as "crispy, crunchy, sweet and salty". It's all that and more! It literally is a melt-in-your-mouth popcorn. Just the right sweetness and salt. It's a must try!

Hannaford's Cape Cod Chicken Salad

2009-08-25T10:57:00.003-04:00

Just tried Hannaford's Cape Cod Chicken Salad w/Pecans -- yum!!! One of the best chicken salad's I've had. Would love to get the recipe if anyone has it!

Keurig Coffee Maker

2009-08-19T16:04:00.030-04:00

I gave up drinking coffee several months ago. Before that, I was drinking decaf for quite some time and figured - what's the point? Considering I've heard that coffee contributes to an acid body and an acid body contributes to cancer so I was trying to stick to green or Melaleuca tea. Since my husband was now the only coffee drinker in the family, I said "sure let's get one," even though I was afraid I would start drinking coffee again. After searching around for the best price, we purchased the Keurig about three weeks ago at Sam's Club.

My biggest complaints were:

1. I knew I would go back to drinking coffee (which, of course I did) because of the convenience of making just one cup.
2. the cost of the K-cups (of course now I was certain there would be two of us drinking coffee, not just one).
3. and once we got it home - the noise.

I was very impressed with the taste and convenience. Who wouldn't be? BUT I was not impressed with the noise (stay with me on this). I could not believe that in the 21st century, a company was not able to make a pump in a coffee pot that would be much quieter. Of course the way it works is to pump the next cup into the holding area to be heated after brewing a cup of coffee. Several mornings it woke me up, when my husband used it while I was sleeping. My bedroom is at least 50 feet away from the Keurig, so I was disappointed at the loudness.

Recently, (luckily within 30 days of purchase) I made a cup of coffee for a friend and the Keurig got caught in the "brewing" mode so that I couldn't make a second cup. Boy are we glad that happened! We returned it for another and this morning my husband got it all set up and primed it. He made his first cup and said, "great, another broken one!" since he could not hear it pumping the water into the heating reservoir. He hit the brew button again and surprisingly watched the water level go down without hearing a thing. Apparently the last one was defective from the start. This one is quiet as a mouse! The point I'm trying to make -- if yours is noisy, take it back!

The Island (Movie)

2009-07-22T13:18:00.001-04:00

I just finished watching the movie, The Island. It is classified as a thriller, though I would call it more of an "action" movie. I am not usually into action type movies, but I found myself actually liking this one. CAUTION: If you are going to watch this one, DO NOT read the back of the DVD jacket; it pretty much gives away the entire storyline. Reminds me of Double Jeopardy. Unfortunately I knew how that one was going to end.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

2009-06-15T09:58:00.005-04:00

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright is a must read. A book that is partly predictable and partly unpredictable, about a couple who were married for almost 40 years. When they die, their children come home for the funeral and learn their father wrote their mother a letter every Wednesday starting with their wedding night. (Do the math on that!) With a couple surprises along the way, I found it delightful. Once about a quarter into it, I could not put it down. Caution - if you read it, you just might start writing your own "Wednesday Letters".

Bob's Clam Hut, Kittery, Maine

2009-06-12T09:32:00.000-04:00

I have to say these were the best clams and onion rings I have had in a very long time (probably since Petey's in Rye)! The fish chowder was also very good, but unfortunately, the clam chowder was only ordinary. This is an order-at-the-counter type place with an adequate dining room.

If you are in the area of the Kittery Outlet Malls in Maine, and love fried clams and onion rings, I would recommend trying Bob's.

DeLonghi Toaster Oven

2009-05-26T13:35:00.003-04:00

I recently purchased a DeLonghi toaster oven (actually called an DeLonghi Electric Oven) after finding several good reviews on the Internet. I had been to Macy's at Christmas and decided if my current one died, that was the one I would get based on the sleek appearance. Of course about a month later, it died. The DeLonghi is only a little smaller than my last one, but it looks much smaller on my countertop.

I'm not as thrilled with this oven as I thought I would be. The racks do not slide in and out as well as I would like and when they are in the out position, they tilt downward. The first time I removed something, I almost had hot grease all over me -- I caught it just in time. Am I doing something wrong? Am I missing something? I just checked the book again. I can't figure out why a rack for any oven would not have a stop of some sort and why it would not stay level.

Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer Partial Review

2009-04-27T06:53:00.005-04:00

I have made it to approximately page 200 of Breaking Dawn (fourth in the Twilight series) and surprised I've made it this far. I am really having a hard time getting into this one. This series is written in the first person. It seemed okay that the first person was changed at the end of the third book, but I'm not liking it so much in this book.

So far I would have to give it a D, although I'm hoping that will change very soon or I might never make it to the end.

I would definitely say this is not a book for young children.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2009-04-18T16:41:00.000-04:00

Eclipse is third in the Twilight series. I just finished reading it this morning. I loved the first three quarters of the book; it really kept my interest. The last quarter, I wasn't as excited about. Again, I didn't find anything too suggestive for young children in this one. Will be starting the fourth, Breaking Dawn, in the series tonight.
I guess I'll give it a B+

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer

2009-04-12T13:46:00.001-04:00

I just finished New Moon (second in the Twilight series) by Stephenie Meyer. Although the book kept my interest, I did not think it was as good as the first one, Twilight. I found several times throughout the book saying, "please, just get on with it". I do not normally read quite this much or this fast, but since the 1st, I've been sick :-( and in bed for most of the past 6 days. This book does not have the racy parts that book #1 has.

New Moon gets a B+

Not being as thrilled with #2 has not kept me from starting Eclipse, third in the series, though I've only read Chapter 1.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2009-04-04T14:32:00.001-04:00

Twilight is the first in a series of four books written by Stephenie Meyer. I'm hearing it's the new craze for teens and tweens. I must admit, I did not think I would like any book that involved vampires, but I was delightfully surprised.

The whole time I was reading Twilight, I was considering my 10-year-old neighbor (well 11-year-old neighbor -- she just had a birthday) and if it was appropriate for her to read. She, I think, is on book #3, Eclipse, and has really enjoyed them. She told me she was not allowed to read book #4 because of the content. Can't wait to see what is in that one!

Well, moms out there, I guess I have to say I think you are the best judge. There is no sex in the book, but it is quite racy. There's lots of "breath on my skin" type stuff and Bella does have a nighttime visitor in her room. The main character, Bella Swan, is 17. It seems to me like it was probably written for that age group.

Stephenie Meyer, you get an A+ for twilight.

KitchenAid stand mixer - 5 quart Sam's Club

2009-03-30T10:45:00.009-04:00

I finally had a REAL chance to put my new KitchenAid stand mixer to the test this past Christmas, I made 8 loaves of banana bread. I made four loaves of banana bread at once and realized very quickly that maybe I should have made only three at one time; it barely made it. But the loaves of banana bread were not the real test; it was the one batch of potato rolls.

The potato roll recipe that I've made for many years in my old stand mixer was always a problem when I added the last cup or two of flour. At that point, the bowl would be overflowing and I would have to quickly shut it off. I knew this recipe would be the real test. I wish I had remembered how large the bowl was on my last stand mixer before I purchased the Kitchenaid stand mixer.

The potato rolls recipe calls for 9 to 10 cups of flour. The box on the Kitchenaid stand mixer said "11 Cups Flour Power", so it seemed it should be the right size. It worked like a charm. I probably could have gone with the next model down, but I'm really glad I went with the 475 watts and 5 quart bowl. I never went past 4 power with the banana bread or the potato rolls. I can't even imagine how fast this thing would go on #10! At the time I purchased this, it appeared that Sam's Club had the best buy on this, with Amazon.com right behind.

Downside?: I'm not sure if it is a downside or not...This one is a bowl-lift design -- I do find it a little annoying when trying to scape the bowl. I'm not sure if the tilt head design might have been better. Before I purchased, I searched the internet for reviews and found reviews that said the bowl-lift design was better. Some say the tilt model has more moving parts to break or get food stuck in. I'm not sure I understand why there are two designs. It seems they should only sell the one that is better. If you're looking for the tilt style, you'll have to go somewhere other than Sam's Club. Try this: Standmixers on Amazon.com

Would love to hear your comments!

Hot Tools curling iron

2009-03-29T13:34:00.008-04:00

I have FINALLY found a curling iron that works on my hair! I've probably purchased 15 curling irons in my lifetime and 14 of them have ended up in the "curling iron cemetery". Since the only complaint I have with my Hot Tools flat iron is that it gets my hair too straight, I figured it might make sense to look for a HotTools brand curling iron.

I was able to find a 1 1/4" one on eBay for, if I remember correctly, approximately $25 including shipping/handling. The specs on this note that it gets up to a temperature of 430 degrees. I believe it is 85 watts and has an 8-foot swivel cord. No wonder my other ones wouldn't work -- they ranged between 22 and 25 watts!

Cuisinart Food Processor Pro Custom 11 Review

2009-03-22T17:43:00.002-04:00

Kitchen Aid stand mixer - 5 quart Sam's Club

2009-03-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

This is a 475 watt professional mixer. Before purchasing, I searched online for reviews and found that this "bowl lift" style was better than the "tilt head" style. I'm not sure yet if I would agree. I will be making potato rolls for Christmas which will give it a really good work out. I'll let you know more after the potato rolls.

I'm very impressed with the noise level and the motor power. I have used it quite a bit and have not yet gone over "3". This seemed to be the best value at Sam's Club.

TGI Friday's Jack Daniel's Sauce

2009-03-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

Just sold some Tupperware on eBay and while checking it over to make sure it was clean, I noticed one of the lids was not. Washing it, I could actually smell the TGI Friday's Jack Daniel's Sauce. Yum, Yum, Yum!!! If you have never tried it, I would highly recommend it. I usually purchase a quart bag of it in the bar and marinate steak tips from Sam's Club or BJ's. I leave them in for a couple days, put them in vacuum seal bags, let them freeze overnight, then vacuum seal the bags. They are always a hit with the family and company!

Ninety Nine, Hooksett, New Hampshire

2009-03-01T17:41:00.000-05:00

February 19, 2008 Ninety Nine, Hooksett, NH

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. The portions were too small for the price. We were however, very impressed with the mashed cauliflower. We could not quite identify what spices were in it, though. Garlic? Parmesan maybe? Dessert looked good, but was a big disappointment.

Petey's Summertime Seafood, Rye, New Hampshire

2009-02-26T17:31:00.000-05:00

Petey’s, Rye Beach, NH
April 3, 2008

Friends told us they enjoyed eating at Petey’s when they were in Rye. Yesterday we were feeling rather cooped up from the record snowfall this winter, and decided to take a ride to the beach. We decided supper at Petey’s would be in order.

We first did a drive-by, since we love to ride up Route 1A for sightseeing and since we had arrived a little too early for supper. The parking lot was packed. We decided to continue up the coast and take a walk around Odiorne Point State Park in Rye , which is about 3 miles from Portsmouth. There were only 4 other people there – it was great. The temperature was 54 degrees and the shining sun felt wonderful. Only a zip-up sweatshirt was necessary. It was not exactly sun bathing weather, but nice enough for a short walk near the beach.

Back to Petey’s…From the outside, you can tell it’s a “paper plate” type of place. My baked stuff shrimp even arrived in what appeared to be a paper casserole. I did not allow the presentation to disappoint me before tasting and yes, it was delicious! I’ve always rated a restaurant by its baked stuffed shrimp. There was actually a restaurant in Manchester I tried once. They did not have baked stuffed shrimp on their menu and I never went back. The way I see it is, if a restaurant serves good baked stuffed shrimp, they probably excel at everything else on their menu . That theory has worked for me so far.

The rolls were hot and yummy, and I enjoyed a baked potato and coleslaw with my baked stuffed shrimp. I think it is extremely rare to find good coleslaw, when dining out. I would usually rather just make it myself. It was not the case at Petey’s – it was the best I’ve had in a long, long time (well aside from KFC’s of course).

My husband’s meal was fried clams, scallops, French fries and coleslaw. I keep telling my husband the correct New Hampshire way to pronounce "scallops" is that the “scall” portion of the word is pronounced like the word “wall” not like the word “pal”.) The clams and scallops were also delicious! I did not try the French fries until they were reheated this morning so I won’t comment since they were not fresh.

Petey’s also has a full bar. I ordered a rum and coke and I think there may have been more rum than coke. I ordered a second one and after a few sips I realized I needed to add more coke or I would not be walking out when we were finished eating.

My only complaint - “no substitutions” on the menu. Your meal comes with coleslaw and your choice of French fries, baked potato or rice. Those were the only choices. I asked, just in case, if onion rings could be substituted and the waitress said, “onion rings are only available as a side order”. I knew that ordering a side of them would be way too much food. We both took home portions of our meals. They were very large portions -- it is highly unusual for my husband to EVER have leftovers.

54 degrees and the sun was shining...that was yesterday. This morning it is 36 degrees and snowing.

I rate this place an "A-". It would have received an A+ if they allowed onion ring substitutions for the French fries (I'm not a big fan of French fries).

Paul Blart Mall Cop

2009-02-25T10:47:00.007-05:00

I am a big fan of Kevin James; loved his show, "King of Queens". I probably enjoyed this movie more than other movies I've seen at the theatre because my friend and I had the only seats. Yes really the only ones! We were able to talk during the movie, which I've never done before. I have to say it felt a little weird to be able to just say something out loud and not worry about disturbing anyone else. Anyway...I really liked it. We laughed a lot and didn't have to worry about how loud we laughed. It was a little on the dumb side, but very, very funny. It wasn't Night at the Roxbury dumb/funny...this is hard to explain. I would definitely recommend it and would watch it again.
I'd give this an A-

Shogun, Hooksett, New Hampshire

2009-02-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

SHOGUN Hooksett, NH

February 16, 2008 was the 47th birthday of a friend of mine. We decided to be different and try the Shogun in Hooksett, NH. They had never been there…my husband and I had both been there a very, very long time ago.

It starts out with the birthday girl….since we hadn’t been there in so long, my friend’s husband decided to make reservations. We really couldn't remember if reservations were required. He made reservations for 5:15 PM. We agreed they would pick us up. When they had not arrived at our house by 5:15 PM, we called their cell phone. They were still about 10 minutes from our house. They had called and changed the reservations to a later time. Even that time still wouldn’t work -- they would still be making us late, but we didn't mind.

We arrived at Shogun a little before 6:00 PM. After telling the hostess we had reservations, she checked their list and promptly seated us (there was no waiting line). Ok, so if you’ve ever been there before, you already know you don’t need reservations, they probably don’t even take reservations and reservations wouldn't even make any difference. They just seat you at the next available table. It was quite obvious once we were seated and the whole time we were there, there were available seats.

Ok…so we arrive just in time (bear in mind our friend is having a birthday) to hear the staff helping with a birthday celebration. The head birthday singer, sounded like, well, ok…a cat that had it’s tail stepped on…..no, maybe a chicken …no…I’m not sure…it was a sound I’ve never heard before. Hmmmm…how would we describe it? …. a be-headed chicken??? A screech owl? I’ve never heard a be-headed chicken, so I’m not quite sure., but that would be the closest, I think. It would have been fun to embarrass my friend, but I didn’t even want to put MYSELF through that noise again. So we kept the birthday thing quiet. I looked over and there was a child who looked to be about 4 years old . He actually had his hands over his ears! I wanted to do the same, but at my age, it would have been VERY inappropriate!

Our salads were served; bagged iceberg. You know the one, yes that one, with shredded carrots. It was very interesting….it was served with some sort of teriyaki salad dressing. I have to say I liked the dressing but would not want to eat it every day.

It was very confusing to know what to order. There seemed to be a communication problem between the languages when we asked questions. We felt very lost and didn’t know what to ask or what to order. I ordered the Sukiyaki steak and my birthday friend ordered the Terriyaki steak so we split a $19.95 dinner for two (yes to make it more confusing, we had a coupon). Service was very poor. I had a Love Potion – brandy, amaretto, and passion fruits -- it was GREAT!! Our waitress didn’t come back to the table to ask if we wanted another drink, but we finally waved her down for another one.

Of course our cook was very talented. The shrimp tails went in his shirt pocket, the lobster tails in his hat. It was a lot of fun to watch everything cooked in front of us. But! BEWARE!
If you are allergic to seafood, be careful. The steak was cooked in the same area on the grill as the seafood. I’m so glad my daughter was not with us. We just found out that she is allergic to scallops.

The Japanese sauces they used were great…but again, if you have any allergies, beware. We didn’t really know what sauces were being added. Also, if you are a little germophobic, you might just have a couple of issues.

Dessert – I remembered having a “fried ice cream” many, many years ago. Since I saw it on the menu, I thought, “maybe it was here”. I remember loving it. I quickly searched my memory bank. It was this big scoop of ice cream with a slight coating around it. How did they do that, I remember asking myself? How do you fry ice cream without it melting? It always looked like it had not melted at all. Ok, when they brought our desert, I knew something was wrong. This dessert had a very thick cooey coating, and the ice-cream measured about a tablespoon. Disappointed, this was NOT the “fried ice cream” that I remembered.

My friend pretty much begged us not to mention it was her birthday. I think if she knew she would get a whole year of free dinners, she STILL would NOT have wanted us to mention it was her birthday….was it the dying chicken voice?

We went back to our house and discussed the reservations. Ok, we all admitted they were a joke. They did seat us in the next available spot (they did not hold any table for us), but that was ok. We had a really good laugh over it. It was pretty funny that he made reservations, then actually called to change them when we were going to be late. They probably were laughing at us, too.

Silo's Steakhouse, Merrimack, New Hampshire

2009-02-14T17:57:00.001-05:00

SILO’S STEAKHOUSE, Merrimack, New Hampshire
January 26, 2008

I had driven past Silo’s Steakhouse a million times (well it seemed like a million anyway) but never stopped for lunch or dinner. A friend asked if we wanted to go there for dinner with her and her husband. They had really enjoyed dinner there about a month before. It sounded good to me. I was really looking forward to going out to dinner, since we had not been out for dinner in quite some time.

We called ahead at 5:15 PM to be put on the waiting list and were quite surprised to hear that it would be at least an hour to be seated on this Saturday night. We thought for sure we would be the only people looking to go out to dinner so early.

When we arrived, we decided to wait at the bar and enjoy a cocktail. Ever notice how a cocktail seems to make time fly by so much faster? My husband spotted oysters on the half shell. I, of course, was thinking, “YUCK!”. I try to stay away from anything uncooked unless it’s in the vegetable or fruit department. Of course, my husband enjoyed the oysters. My friend and I decided to split a cocktail shrimp, since we were both starving. That too, was delicious.

I decided to have the special - a strip steak smothered with scallops, shrimp (and I think it was) a mornay sauce. It was unbelievable! I ordered the Silo’s own stuffing to go with it -- the stuffing was good. Although the salad was fresh, I’m not a big fan of vinegar-type dressings. Next time I’ll have to remember to ask if I can get it without the dressing. The steak was very good other than my second bite included gristle, which was stuck in my back molars until I made it to the ladies room to discreetly remove it. Speaking of gristle….

About halfway into our enjoyable dinner, my friend stood up and moved toward her husband. I could tell, looking at her, that something was seriously wrong. I realized she was choking. The two husbands were engrossed in conversation. I said to her husband, “She’s choking!” He reached up and gave her the Heimlich and she began to breath. I quickly looked around at our neighboring diners and it looked like absolutely no one noticed what had just transpired. I was very relieved, as I know my friend would have been very embarrassed to think people had watched. Choking in a restaurant, I’m sure, would be a little embarrassing for anyone. It made me think about how lucky I was. I could have lost one of my best friends in an instant. We spoke on the phone the day after and agreed on a few of things:

1. No one should ever worry about spitting food out in a restaurant or anywhere in front of other people.

2. Restaurants should always have paper napkins on the table to go with their cloth napkins (personally I prefer paper anytime to cloth). It seems it would be more polite to spit food into a paper napkin if necessary, rather than a cloth napkin.

3. Every restaurant should have a Heimlich dummy in the lobby. All customers should have to pass the test of dislodging the food stuck in its throat before they are allowed to order any food. Okay, maybe this one is a little far-fetched, but you get the picture.

I think the intensity of the moment caused us all to want to cry, but we continued our evening as if nothing had happened. Even though we had this terrible event, I would highly recommend this restaurant.

This was a real first for me …well I must say my first in a restaurant/public place. I have had two episodes at home with my husband. Maybe I’ll save that for a later blog. But I will just say, never let your husband fall asleep with a throat lozenge in his mouth and never let him watch Two and a Half Men while eating hard candy or anything else.

Speaking of Two and a Half Men….it has to be, by far, the best sitcom on TV right now. For me, it replaced Everybody Loves Raymond, when it went off the air.

This place get an "A-". I would have given it a higher grade if not for the vinegar dressing on the salad.

House of Blues and Better Than Ezra, New Orleans, Louisiana

2009-02-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

HOUSE OF BLUES, December 20 and 21, 2007

We ate dinner here 2 nights of our trip and had no complaints. Of course the main reason for our New Orleans trip was two Better Than Ezra concerts at the House of Blues.

BETTER THAN EZRA
House of Blues, New Orleans, December 20 and 21, 2007

I have attended numerous Better Than Ezra concerts (at least 15 maybe even 20 – I’ve lost count). I have not yet attended a bad one. These 2 concerts were not any different -- they were both great. It was my first time hearing Merry Christmas Eve (which btw is one of my all-time favorite songs) live. I have to say, though, I was a little disappointed that I only heard it the first night, not the second. I especially felt badly for those who had not been there the night before and missed it.

I’ve met Kevin, Tom, Travis and Jim several times. They are a great group of men who seem to truly appreciate their fans. When they’ve been promoting their CDs, they have held several “Meet and Greets” for their fans and have always seemed happy to sign any memorabilia presented to them.

I’ve heard the BTE Christmas shows are always sold out so if you want to attend, make sure you get your tickets early. Check them out at BETTER THAN EZRA.
By the way, who is this “English Dave” who Kevin always says “hi” to?

Johny Po-Boys, New Orleans, Louisiana

2009-02-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

Johnny Po-Boys, 511 St. Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 12-20-2007

This one I don’t really want to tell anyone about, because there was never a line. If too many people find out about it, there very well might be lines on my next trip back. I probably would not eat breakfast anywhere except here on a return trip.

They have tables, but no waiters. You need to order at the counter then go up and get your food. We didn’t have any problem with getting up to get our food – it kind of helped wake us up. I admit it would have been annoying for dinner after a lot of walking, but for breakfast, it was just fine.

The prices were great and the food was great. So please….keep this one a secret just between you and me!

This place rates an A+!

Port O Call, New Orleans, Louisiana

2009-02-09T16:50:00.001-05:00

Port O Call, New Orleans, LA December 20, 2007

I admit when my daughter told me her two friends wanted to go to Port O Call when they arrived from the airport, (I think it was at about 9:00 pm) I was not all that thrilled, especially since I knew we would be walking there. I think since we had arrived, the only thing we did was WALK!!!

I think I don’t want to say too much about this place. I’ve actually heard they are famous for their hamburgers. They are supposed to be the best in New Orleans. I have a motto, if I can’t say anything nice, I try not to say anything at all. Well, let’s just say, if I return to New Orleans, I won’t ever be eating at Port O Call.

Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans, Louisiana

2009-02-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

Café Du Monde, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 18, 2007

My daughter has been to New Orleans several times. Of course she would not let me be there more than 12 hours without bringing me for a beignet at Café Du Monde and a Hurricane at Lafitte’s. Both were quite yummy as well as the coffee. As you might be able to tell by looking at the picture, the Hurricanes came first, then the beignets.

What can one say about Café Du Monde except don’t miss it when you are there.

Historic French Market Inn, New Orleans Louisiana

2009-02-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

Historic French Market Inn, December 18, 2007
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
December 18, 2007

We arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday. I hadn’t flown in approximately 14 years! I still can’t believe anyone even coaxed me onto a plane. I did, of course have anxiety medication with me.

When we arrived at our hotel, I was a little disappointed at the size of the room at the Historic French Market Inn. There were 3 of us sharing one room – myself, my daughter and my daughter’s friend. The cleanliness (you might think this ironic as you read on) of the room, however, made up for the small size. The staff who met us at our arrival also made up for the small size of the room. After a day of traveling, it is always nice to be greeted by friendly staff.
The next morning, as we proceeded to the elevator, there was this tiny little mouse in the hallway. Since he (I think it was a “he”, but I didn’t check) was dead, it didn’t bother me all that much. I am sorry to say that I was happy he was dead.

Two of my daughter’s friends would be arriving to join us on Thursday night. Both rooms had been booked in my daughter’s name through www.hotels.com, so we needed to be available to check them in when they arrived. We got the call that they were on their way from the airport around 8:30 PM. We proceeded to check them in and get their room keys. We knew we had about a half hour to wait for them, so my daughter said, “let’s go check out their room”.

We decided that was a good idea. Remember I said, “I was a little disappointed at the size of the room”? After opening the door, we all just looked at each other with a “wow” look and a “let’s switch rooms” look. There were 3 of us and only 2 of them. We quickly went back to our room, gathered all of our belongings, and cleaned the bathroom (the beds had already been made). These were REALLY close friends who had stayed at our house, so we didn’t worry too much about the room being spotless.

We thought we were pretty funny, switching rooms like that. Well, you will see pretty quickly how the joke was on us. I started to unpack my toiletries at the sink when a “bug” came out of nowhere…I looked at it and screamed….it looked at me and screamed (well, okay, maybe it didn’t really scream). I jumped backwards and it ran off. It was the first time I had seen a bug of that type. I guess it best not to put any name on it since I’m not an entomologist; let’s just say it was a “bug”.

I and my fellow travelers, being from the Northeast, were not used to seeing bugs, especially in December. I was quite disturbed and went down to the desk to complain. They quickly reassured me that bugs are quite common in the south and after such a downpour of rain the day before, they were not surprised. None-the-less, I slept with tissues in my ears for the rest of the trip.

This place gets a “B”, even in spite of the “bug” and the smaller room we started out in. I would recommend this hotel and I would stay here again.

Saunders at Rye Harbor, Rye, New Hampshire

2009-02-04T17:27:00.001-05:00

SAUNDERS at Rye Harbor, New Hampshire
October 22, 2007

Cynthia and I decided to take a little jaunt to the beach for a much needed break from work. Yes, that’s the beach, New Hampshire, and October all in the same sentence. This must be a first for me!

When Cynthia came to pick me up, we gabbed and gabbed and had so much to catch up on, we didn’t even get in the car until 11:00 AM. Unfortunately, we really don’t get to see each other all that often (we only live about 10 minutes from each other - go figure).

It had to be one of the most beautiful October days in New Hampshire that either of us recall. The beach chairs, towels and sunglasses were packed. The sun was shining and we were headed to the beach! The glow of the autumn leaves was such a happy sight, it seemed to shorten the drive. Columbus Day had come and gone, it was a school day and we expected Hampton Beach to be boarded up and deserted. Our Monday morning arrival surprised us with many cars lined up and people already there enjoying the sun and beach.

When we arrived at the beach, I was starving! Usually Cynthia is the hungry one. We decided to go to Saunders at Rye Harbor.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a very pleasant young man who informed us that the outdoor seating had already been taken. He told us we could take a seat right outside the bar, order anything we wanted from the bartender, but we would have to wait on ourselves. Since we are the do-it-yourself types, we didn’t have any problem with that. We perused the small luncheon menu and decided we liked the idea of the brushetta and lobster roll, although neither of us wanted to overdue the wheat intake today.

We asked the bartender if we could have the lobster salad on lettuce rather than a roll. She gave us a most amiable reply that yes, we could. Much to our pleasant surprise, the host brought us our dishes and flatware for our appetizer, and our bartender delivered our meals. A glass of Francis Coppola Chardonnay went quite well….wait a minute….a bottle would go even better, wouldn’t it? We asked out friendly bartender if our “glasses” could be changed into a “bottle”. Again there was no problem with that.

Both the lobster salad and bruschetta were fabulous! The only complaint we had for the entire visit, was that the quantity could have been a little larger. We wondered how many meals we would have had to order, if our husbands had been with us. The prices were reasonable and the accommodating staff really helped make our lunch a very pleasant one.

Saunders receives an "A+" even though the quantity was a little small. Visit their website at Saunders at Rye Harbor

Marconi Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, September 2007

2009-02-04T15:40:00.001-05:00

Marconi Beach (Cape Cod National Seashore) Cape Cod, Massachusetts
September 2007

Leaving Clem and Ursie's we headed back to our motel, we decided we would still make our 2nd annual Marconi Beach stop. The rain had started to pickup, but since Marconi Beach is Cynthia’s favorite beach (she hasn’t been to Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda yet), I didn’t mind a rainy walk on the beach. (Deja Vu, I remember it raining last year for our Marconi Beach walk. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Marconi Beach in the sun.) Thankfully, the rain had changed back to a drizzle by the time we arrived at the beach. It was deserted on this rainy September afternoon.

Enjoying a nice walk along the beach we were able to spot a couple of seals. I thought they were sea lions, but Cynthia said she thought they were seals. According to http://www.capecodstranding.net/, “Here in the North Atlantic, we only have what are called “true seals,” not sea lions or fur seals.” I knew we only had one or the other, but I had mistakenly thought they were sea lions. Since I had grown up in New England and Cynthia in the Midwest, you would have thought I would have been the one to get it right!

We were not there for long, when we heard thunder off in the distance. It was kind of nice hearing the rumbling off shore. The thunder and lightening grew increasingly stronger and was coming much closer. Finally I said, “let’s go” and we made a run for the car. Okay, so ya, maybe I screamed “LET”S GO!!” and tore up the stairs as fast as I could. I kept looking back, but Cynthia wasn’t moving too quickly. I do have a huge respect for Mother Nature.
Just as we closed the car doors, the skies opened up, and a crack of lightening streaked down right next to us. This was a dramatic ending to the wonderful day we still managed to have in spite of these very disappointing events.

We of course will always love the Cape and will continue to visit, but hopefully our next trip will provide much better weather and a much nicer meal in P-town.

We arrived back at the hotel rather late and ordered pizza (more on that at a later time).

Clem and Ursies - Cape Cod, Massachusetts

2009-02-03T07:55:00.008-05:00

Clem and Ursies, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cynthia and I were both looking forward to our 2nd annual Cape Cod trip for much needed rest and relaxation. A couple days before we were scheduled to leave, Cynthia was thumbing through a Travel and Leisure Magazine in a doctor’s waiting room. Just as she found a restaurant offering a “lobster for two for only $25,” in Provincetown, Cape Cod, her name was called. Don’t we all know that is guaranteed to happen; just as you are reading something interesting, here comes the nurse calling your name!

After her appointment, she called and gave me as many details as she could remember. I immediately Googled the information to see what I could find. We were in luck…there it was! It was Clem and Ursies in Provincetown, Cape Cod, offering “lunch for two $25 for fresh lobster with drawn butter.” Along with this special was a good review of the restaurant. Sounded too good to be true.

The day we decided to head out to Provincetown was not only a rainy, dreary one, but it was also quite windy. We decided it would be worth searching out this $25 lobster lunch. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were the only ones there -- we had our pick of the seats. A diner-type restaurant, we inquired at the counter about the lobster special. The clerk had no clue what we were talking about, so I dug deep into my purse and pulled out the information I had printed from the magazine’s website. He went to get the manager and she, too, knew nothing about the special. She would not honor the special from the Internet, which was quite disturbing. So much for that. We decided we were really looking forward to that lobster lunch; we were there, we didn’t really know where else to go, so we ordered it anyway. We paid approximately $80 for our meals with one glass of wine each and then went to find a table.

The table we chose overlooked the most beautiful parking lot in the back of the restaurant (yes, being facetious here). We pretended it was ocean and the neatly painted white lines on the asphalt were waves. Planter boxes flanked each side of the doorway leading to “the ocean”.

After quite a long time of waiting (probably close to an hour), and desperately needing another glass of wine, the nice waiter came and told us that one of our lobsters had fallen on the floor. We looked at each other and knew we were both thinking the same things. Hmmm…they came from the floor of the ocean and we were certainly not going to eat the shell as we were only interested in what was inside. Cynthia said, “they are crustaceans, how about just rinse it off and deliver it.” The waiter said in his cute island accent, “I know what my side of the floor looks like, but I don’t know what the cook’s side of the floor looks like.” That did make us chuckle, but we were becoming aggravated. We were tired of waiting. Lots of thoughts went through our minds…Was the floor really that dirty? Had they accidentally only cooked one lobster? Did they initially think we had only ordered one lobster? Did they have to run to a store to purchase another lobster? Did they need to go check their lobster traps? Whatever the reason, we both felt as if we had been waiting for an eternity!

Before arriving at Clem and Ursies, we had just come from a little shop where we met a local artist who invited us to her gallery. We had planned on paying her a visit after lunch, but the way this meal was going, it was looking like we would not have the time. We also wanted to make it to Marconi beach!

Our lobsters eventually arrived. What a terrible disappointment! Both lobsters were sadly overcooked. Though they looked great sitting there in their bright red shells, they were rubbery and tough. It was over 2 hours before we were back on the road. Our future Cape Cod trips won’t include Clem and Ursie's.

This restaurant was the start of our wanting to review restaurants (and anything else) hoping our reviews might help other travelers. We didn't understand how a magazine could give this restaurant such a high-caliber review.

I give this restaurant a "D". If it were not for the waiter being so pleasant, it would have received a lower grade.
907

Hot Tools flat iron

2009-01-29T07:50:00.007-05:00

As you can see from my picture, my hair is quite curly. It's actually a lot curlier and frizzier than what you can see in the picture. I think I had a lot of product in my hair to tame the curl and frizz on the day that picture was taken.

I've had my Hot Tools flat iron for quite a few years now. Personally, I don't think I look very good with stick-straight hair. When I use the flat iron, I pull it down the shaft and when I get to the end I "curl" it under. I need to go down the hair twice, (which is definitely NOT recommended and a little bit of a pain) to completely remove the curl/frizz. "Curling" it under gives it a little bend at the end and helps keep it from looking too straight. I try to be good about using products to protect my hair from the heat. Matrix Sleek Look are my favorites.

This iron is easy to use and gets really hot. Even though I need to use it twice or go down the shaft a lot slower, I would recommend it. I can't quite imagine using something that would get any hotter. My model is Hot Tools Professional Model 119 and is 170W and they seem to be going for approximately $20 on eBay.

Breaking Dawn update - Stephenie Meyer

2009-01-27T09:34:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update on Breaking Dawn. I've made it a little past page 400 and am still not loving it :-( It picked up a tiny bit, but not much.

Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner

2009-01-26T17:11:00.009-05:00

I've had a Rainbow for approximately 23 years and I even sold them for a short time. Owning a Rainbow means you never have to smell that "dreaded vacuum cleaner smell" again and also means you aren't spewing the germs from inside the bag, back into your house each time you turn your vacuum on. The filter is a basin that you fill with water and of course water is nature's best filter. If you can handle having to empty the basin and rinse it out each time, you will absolutely love a Rainbow!

If you are a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond, you may have seen the episode that featured the "Humm Vac" which was actually an e Series Rainbow vacuum. Patricia Heaton purchased a Rainbow, then gave referrals which led to Philip Rosenthal, Ray Romano, and Lew Schneider (writer) all purchasing Rainbows. Of course those referrals also led to the Humm Vac episode which originally aired on March 19, 2001.

Gary Unmarried

2009-01-26T08:30:00.004-05:00

When I looked for other Gary Unmarried fans, I have to say I was quite surprised I only found myself. Check it out on Wednesdays at 8:30 PM ET.

Holiday's Bar and Grill, Auburn, New Hampshire

2009-01-20T06:04:00.007-05:00

Holiday's Bar & Grill, January 19, 2009

Although we were there for lunch, we ordered from the dinner menu. I opted for the scallops that were described as "fresh sea scallops baked with white wine, lemon butter and a cracker crumb topping". My first bite told me that I didn't care for the orange spice that I could see on the top; it does not seem to be a good choice for scallops. The only spice I could think it might possibly be is paprika?

My friend ordered the sirloin tips. We ended up splitting the tips and scallops. The sirloin tips were good, but the marinade was certainly not the best I've had. Would not order either of these again. My friend had the French onion soup, which also included an odd tasting spice that was visible around the edges of the cup.

The salad was very good with fresh vegetables and fruit (yes tomatoes and cucumbers are fruit).

This was probably my 4th or 5th visit. I don't know why I keep going back. The service was adequate.

I would give this restaurant a C.