Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[mpstar]

Hi all.  Long time since I've posted.  I see buddy is as winsome as ever!  I continue to enjoy retirement, still doing commercials, a bit of modeling and the occasional commercial.  I'm pining for a new season of TAR, along with the rest of you.

I'm going on my next bucket list trip in mid April; Machu Pichu and the Galapagos Islands, with a few days in Santiago Chile, visiting my friends there.  I can't wait.  MissStar is enjoying the high life. in every sense of the word, out in Chile.  

The gentleman below is my new/old sweetie.   It had been 50 years since we last dated, as he was my boyfriend back in 3rd grade.  He's just as nice now as he was then.  I saw him every decade or so at reunions, but since I last saw him he became single.  Much to the amusement of those who knew us back then, we have been quite the talk of our graduating class.  Only drawback is we don't live near each other, so we don't see each other as often as we'd like.  No idea if this will go anywhere, but for right now, we are pretty happy that we still get along....

[Browncoat]

I went to Galapagos three years ago, @mpstar -- you're going to love it!  The wildlife is amazing.

[Lantern7]

I'm still doing stuff, though not nearly as much as I should. I got a jury duty notice several weeks ago, and I called in today. I don't have to go anywhere yet. It's not the prospect that irritates me, but the face that I'd have to get up way earlier than I do now.

[Netfoot]

So nice to hear from you, @mpstar.  I don't know what happened to the lively group of "Meet Market" posters, but it'a always a pleasure to see a post from one of the old gang.  

You're looking happy and healthy, and it seems you are having some fun!  I hope your trip goes well.  I'm thinking of taking a trip myself, in the summer.  My first visit to England in 33 years!  But whether that happens depends upon various factors.  The Stirling exchange rate being only one of them!  Must say, I never gave any thoughts to the Galapagos islands!  You must return and post an account of your trip.

Yes, Budweiser is on the Naughty-But-Cute-Enough-To-Get-Away-With-It list.  He's still my sweet, baby/puppy, but he will be four this year, if you can believe it.

Will not say more, other than to wish you a belated Happy Birthday.

[Netfoot]

Driving home this afternoon, and there, in the road, gamboling around in true, carefree manner, was a troop of monkeys!  I slowed right down... approached with great care... engine idling quietly... got out my cell-phone because it was the only camera I had on me...  One was perched on a low wall right next to the front of the car, one was swinging over the bonnet on a skinny branch, a couple were walking across the road in front of me, and there were a couple on a higher wall on the right!

And then Budweiser spotted them, and all hell broke loose in the car.  With a ear-rending yodeling and howling, interspersed with deafening barking and ricocheting around the inside of the car, Bud managed to make them instantly disappear just as I was raising the phone/camera to take some shots.  Alas, this was the only one I got:

I love that dog, but sometimes I could just throttle him!  And he was in bad odor to begin with, because he escaped from home twice yesterday, and scarpered off for a wander around the neighborhood...

[Netfoot]

Nice day at the club yesterday.  Good group, plenty of fun.

Salt-fish cakes and grog, pretty girls and dog, fruit and flying, sunsets and smiles...  Album here.

[Netfoot]

Little monkey!  We're going to a party, and he's waiting in the car an hour before hand!

[Netfoot]

Apropos of nothing...

We all know what a PB&J is.  But my question is:  What flavour is the J?

[auntlada]

I don't really care for the PB part of the equation, but my son, who loves the whole thing, is definitely in favor of plum. If there is no plum, he'll eat grape, but he'll let you know that he'd rather have plum. (I'm partial to blackberry fruit spread, but as I said, I don't care for the PB part, so it's rarely on that kind of sandwich.)

[cooksdelight]

I think I'd gag on PB&J at this stage of my life. But I preferred strawberry jam when I ate them. One summer, my Dad brought me a ton of grapes to make jelly. Everyone I knew got a jar for Christmas. Even some people I didn't know got some, there was so much.

[spiderpig]

Have to put PB&J on my bucket list.  I've always eaten PB sandwiches sans jelly, and I was born in the Truman administration!  Thanks for the suggestions.  

(Do they make truffle jelly?)

[Lantern7]

I eat sugar-free preserves on pancakes and waggles. Peanut butter would put me in an E/R, and that's best case scenario.

I'm going back into the city for more testing. I need work. I went nuts at a comic show last weekend, and I got the $115 parking ticket.

[Netfoot]

See, where I'm from, the J is always guava.  

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Have to put PB&J on my bucket list.  I've always eaten PB sandwiches sans jelly, and I was born in the Truman administration!  Thanks for the suggestions.  

(Do they make truffle jelly?)

You need a more exciting bucket list!

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

You need a more exciting bucket list!

Well, it does include Harrison Ford, my Dream Lover...

(Not Dream Pilot though) :-)

[cooksdelight]

I make a delicious pepper jelly, wonder how that would go with peanut butter? Maybe on a croissant....

[spiderpig]

Just now, cooksdelight said:

I make a delicious pepper jelly, wonder how that would go with peanut butter? Maybe on a croissant....

Isn't food fun?  You can put together anything out of curiosity, and if it's a fail, nobody else needs to know.

What kind of pepper do you put in your jelly?  I love spice/hot/sweet.

[cooksdelight]

I use whatever I have from the garden. Godfather peppers (not real hot) a jalapeno, sometimes bell. I use apple cider vinegar, and the sweet/hot combo is delicious. I already have a waiting list of people wanting more. One lady in Canada said she'd buy as much as I can make.

[spiderpig]

I am salivating, cooks.  Recipe please.  I have canning equipment and desire to please.  Feel free to PM in order to avoid patent infringement. :-)

[Wings]

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

I make a delicious pepper jelly, wonder how that would go with peanut butter? Maybe on a croissant....

It is excellent, I do that from time to time.  I finally found a brand that actually tastes like peppers and not just sweet; it has a nice bite, too.  It is excellent with brie on crackers and so many things.  

If I have jam on my PBJ it is strawberry but a favorite of mine is banana, lettuce (iceberg for the crunch) and mayo with PB.  

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

 

I eat sugar-free preserves on pancakes and waggles.

 

What is a waggle?  Google says it is dog food.  I ruled that out only because preserves would not go with horse meat.  Typo? 

Edited March 18, 2017 by wings707

[spiderpig]

I'll take waggles over waffles any day of the week.

[biakbiak]

20 minutes ago, wings707 said:

but a favorite of mine is banana, lettuce (iceberg for the crunch) and mayo with PB.  

I can only hope I am able to successfully block this from my brain.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I make a delicious pepper jelly...

I've never made it, but varieties of pepper-jelly are available off the shelf here.  

I used to make a concoction of bird-peppers

and crushed garlic in oil.  Pull the stalks off, perforate the peppers with a small skewer or pin, drop them in a jar with the crushed garlic, and cover them in hot olive oil.  In 6-8 weeks the oil is a rosy pink (or a misleading green, if you use the green variety of peppers) and is delicious!  Only, Saw-Bones says no more spicy food.  So I only sneak a roti

 every week or so!  :)

My mother was famous for her pepper-nuts.  Raw, peeled peanuts, boiling brine and bonney peppers (scotch-bonnets) poured over, and left steeping for 4-6 hour.  The nuts are then shallow fried.  Peanuts with a kick!   Only, they continue to cook, and darken after they come out of the oil, so take them out when they are still very pale.

She also made hot mayo.  Salads, coleslaw, etc taste great when they have some zip to them!

[Lantern7]

Waffles. WAFFLES. I bet you knew that, but I hate when I mistype something and not realize it until long afterward.

[legaleagle53]

On 3/18/2017 at 8:11 AM, spiderpig said:

Well, it does include Harrison Ford, my Dream Lover...

(Not Dream Pilot though) :-)

Over Calista's dead body, of course!  ;-)

[spiderpig]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

Over Calista's dead body, of course!  ;-)

If he keeps flying the way he's been doing, it's a distinct possibility.

I really do adore him.  Mr. pig says it's OK since we're both eligible for Medicare.

[legaleagle53]

17 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

If he keeps flying the way he's been doing, it's a distinct possibility.

I really do adore him.  Mr. pig says it's OK since we're both eligible for Medicare.

Yeah, I read about his latest flying mishap.  It's no wonder Calista didn't want to move to Vancouver to continue doing Supergirl.   She's needed at home to keep an eye on Harrison!

[Lamb18]

On ‎3‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 8:00 PM, Netfoot said:

Apropos of nothing...

We all know what a PB&J is.  But my question is:  What flavour is the J?

Grape!

[Netfoot]

50 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Grape!

Guava, I tell you!  It has to be guava!  :)

[Lamb18]

There wasn't guava jam in Minnesota in the 1960s (my PBJ days)! And if there was, it would have been too exotic for my Norwegian mother and German father (ha).

[Netfoot]

34 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

There wasn't guava jam in Minnesota...

Where I came from, guava was the only jelly available.  (Guava jelly, guava cheese, guava stew...)  These days, that's almost still true!

[cooksdelight]

Welch's Grape jelly or whatever my grandmother made. She made the absolute best apple jelly from these small, tart apples, called June apples. I don't know what magic she wove... my Dad took a graft from the tree when it was hit in a storm and now he makes the jelly. Doesn't taste quite the same, but it's still delicious. My specialty is strawberry jam, but I have to get the berries fresh from the farmer's market.

[Netfoot]

I bought some local chutney today.  Tamarind.  The jar is here by my chair.  I periodically find myself dipping in the handle of a spoon and licking it clean. Tasty!  But it makes my eyes water....

[Lamb18]

On ‎3‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 9:51 PM, Netfoot said:

I bought some local chutney today.  Tamarind.  The jar is here by my chair.  I periodically find myself dipping in the handle of a spoon and licking it clean. Tasty!  But it makes my eyes water....

But can you eat it with peanut butter??

[Netfoot]

It goes well with cheese, but I have to admit, I haven't tried it with PB...  As it happens, I'm almost out of PB.  

Now, that's strange.  I put a bit of PB on my finger, and a dollop of the chutney on top, and gave it a taste.  The two seemed to cancel each other out!  There was hardly any taste of chutney, and hardly any taste of the PB.  And that chutney is quite tart.

Anyway, you can eat them together, but I wouldn't recommend it.  It isn't that the combination tastes badly.  More like the combo doesn't have a lot of taste at all, so why bother?

[Lamb18]

Well, now I know what not to try.  I don't know if I've ever had chutney. What do you eat with it?

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

What do you eat with it?

It is a sauce for use with savory foods.  I like it in sandwiches with savoury fillings.  Goes well with cheese.    Also goes great spicy foods, especially with curries.

[cooksdelight]

I make a peach chutney every summer when my trees have fruit. I eat it on toast. Or a biscuit. You know, those good Southern cathead biscuits. :)

[Wings]

39 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I make a peach chutney every summer when my trees have fruit. I eat it on toast. Or a biscuit. You know, those good Southern cathead biscuits. :)

I do not know about these!  I looked up the recipe.  I love biscuits and I have honey butter in the fridge right now. 

Edited March 25, 2017 by wings707

[cooksdelight]

I have my late grandmother's old biscuit pan. And her cast iron skillet. They are magic, everything I make in either of them tastes wonderful. You should make some catheads, they are the best.

[Netfoot]

Never had peach.  Mango of course.  Tamarind.  Once tried pommecythere chutney, (but I prefer them in chow).  I've seen tomato chutney for sale, but not tried it.

[cooksdelight]

I love tomato basil jam, I make it all the time. Easy to make and it's delicious on anything. I'm anxious to get my seeds started for this year's garden. 

[auntlada]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Never had peach.  Mango of course.  Tamarind.  Once tried pommecythere chutney, (but I prefer them in chow).  I've seen tomato chutney for sale, but not tried it.

What do you mean by "chow"? (I already looked up pommecythere, which I'd never heard of.)

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, auntlada said:

What do you mean by "chow"?

A Trini delicacy!  Usually made with Julie mangos but other fruit can be used as well, including pommecythere, pawpaw, even pineapple.  Your fruit must not be fully ripe.  It should be still greenish so you get that crisp texture and tart taste.

• Peel your mangos and cut into bite-sized chunks.  Do not discard the seeds -- toss them in with the chunks.  People fight for the seeds.
• Now chop and add garlic and hot peppers.  Red & green Scotch Bonnets are traditional.
• Chop some shado beni (AKA Culantro).
• Mix everything together with salt and the juice of freshly squeezed limes.
• Leave for an hour or two to marinate

Served in a communal bowl, and eaten with fingers.  Chow should be at least hot enough to make your eyes water, and your nose runny.  If your lips swell up then either you have put in a little too much pepper, or you have bogarted the chow-bowl.  

Edited March 25, 2017 by Netfoot

[Lamb18]

Will you have steam coming out of your ears?

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Will you have steam coming out of your ears?

Only if you're lucky enough to get the seed!

[Netfoot]

Now, that's a banana!

Edited April 24, 2017 by Netfoot

[Jobiska]

I was looking at the "my memories" function on Facebook and noticed that on this day in 2012, I was mourning several "lasts" with my college-bound only son.  Today in particular, five years ago, was apparently the finale of the spring 2012 TAR season.  I have watched every season; he started watching with me for TAR4.  So I was sad that it might be the last episode of TAR he ever watched with me!  

Well, he graduated and has been home for almost a year, and I have to say that even though we fans have complained about some of the gimmicks of recent years, it's still my favorite show and I'm glad it's still on and that I can watch with my son again!  In those 5 years, we did coincidentally add visits to some TAR spots...we tried to go to the Atomium in Brussels a year ago but learned that it was the location for a big outdoor-screen broadcast of a highly competitive football (soccer) match (I mean the teams were big rivals and hence so were the fans).  We promptly decided to go the other way to the Horta Museum, which was lovely.  Flew out the day before the airport was attacked.  

[Netfoot]

My sweet Dotty passed away four years ago, today.

How lucky I am to have Budweiser agree to come live with me and keep me company!

[Netfoot]

Ok, booked my trip to the UK yesterday.  Going with the same buddy I went to Trinidad with, in 2015.  While in TnT we did 1,300 km in five days.  This time it looks more like 6,100 km in 23 days.  Will probably need to take a nap when I get home.

Thinking about doing a blog of the trip.  I despise "social media" generally, and I've never tried to do a blog before, so it will probably go horribly wrong.  But I thought for the sake of family members and the one (possibly two) friends who are interested, it might be easier than sending them updates individually.  What do you think?  Should I give it a go?

During the trip I expect to attend two airshows -- one for large models, and one for full-sized, vintage aircraft (Sopwith Camel!).  I am considering creating a WhatsApp Group for these. I will be taking loads of fotos with a "real" camera, and subsequently putting them in a Google Photos album (and posting a few snaps to the blog, I suppose). But I thought I could take some pictures with my phone and WhatsApp them to the group. So interested fellow club-members can get in the spirit of the show(s) live, so to speak.  Anyone tried anything like this with a WhatsApp Group?  

The trip, BTW, is 30 days away and counting.  So, I suppose I should make a few pre-departure blog-posts to try and get the hang of it.

What you guys think?  Should I do it?  Or is it a PITA and a waste of time?

(I'm missing Budweiser already!)