StuartRebDonald's Reviews

Folks, I've been through more hurricanes than I care to remember. The storm itself is frightening but mostly because of the unknown. The after-math is where survival becomes an issue. When was the last time you went a week without electricity or a hot shower? No matter how hard it sounds; it's actually harder. . . for about two days. After that you will settle into a groove. Be on the look out for MRE's (Meals Ready To Eat). You can find them at Army surplus stores and sporting goods stores carry them for hunters/campers. They range from meh to pretty darned good and keep for years so if you don't need them save them for winter. Once the power goes you'll have about six hours of refrigeration left if you don't open the door so if it doesn't look like the lights are coming back anytime soon find someone with a grill and cook everything you can. Better to eat like a pig on lamb, steaks and chicken than to let it go bad and lose it altogether. I swear sometimes we eat better after a hurricane than before. This is the most important advice I can give you - help your neighbors. How do you think we rebuild on the Gulf Coast? We help each other. We don't wait for FEMA or any other part of the Government to rebuild - it is NOT their job. If your house gets damaged fixing it is your job. If you want your neighbors to help you, help them.

Are there plans for different sized banners or can the sizes of these ads be changed in the code? None of the banners will fit on my site. There needs to be a 486X60 (the most common size on the net) and/or one that is only 250 pixels wide. I would love to run these but not if I have to redesign my site so they fit.

My chef skills are more traditional. At the same time, I am fascinated with molecular gastronomy but I think I'll leave it to the pros. However, I have come up with a concept for a side salad - the Dirty Martini Salad. I see Romaine lettuce tossed with a vodka vinaigrette - I know, not too fancy. Then I want a skewer with three olives - one stuffed with bleu cheese, one with roasted garlic and one with anchovy. Garnish the entire thing with olive brine caviar and serve it in a giant martini glass. Make that for me.

I have written two more installments since and just forgot to post them here. Will get right on that. Feel free to check by wannabetvchef.com for more of my writing.

This is my new favorite food network show!

Man, you gotta love Sarah East.

Ice skating, huh? What a remarkable country we live in, Monica. Ya'll are still ice skating and in my neck of the woods we are getting primed for our second outdoor food festival of the year. Last week was the chili cook-off next weekend is the Hogg Wild BBQ contest. You enjoy the ice and I will eat an extra spare rib for you.

Very true! Most Americans spend the bulk of their lives suffering from dehydration because they do not drink enough water. For every cup of coffee or carbonated beverage you drink you need to drink two glasses of water to cancel the negative effects of them. Drinking more water will make you feel better and many ways including controlling or eliminating headaches (even migraines).

Thanks, Doreen, Is that you in front of LeCordon Bleu? Killer! I have started a collection of T-shirts from culinary schools I never attended. That one is on the list. Ha ha. I'll check out your blog!

As much as I love reading about the restaurant scene in the Big Apple, I would love to hear about Machu Picchu even more. Visiting it has been a life long dream of mine. I love your work!

Amen to that. I love this place!

Thank you.

If you are making greens you must serve cornbread as well. It may actually be a law. Real Southern cornbread has no sugar in it. Here is a time honored recipe for Cracklin' Cornbread: 1/4 cup butter 2 cups self-rising cornmeal 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups buttermilk 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup cracklings (fried pieces of pork fat also called chicaronnes in Mexican cooking) Place butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet, and heat in a 425 degree oven 4 minutes. Combine cornmeal and flour in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together eggs, buttermilk and cracklings; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Pour over melted butter in hot skillet. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Yield 8 to 10 servings.

All better now. Enjoy!

Both of these restaurants feature Northern Italian cuisine which is very fatty and all sauces start with lots of butter. OG has a few healthy dishes, the Mix Grill, Tuscan steak, salmon, and Capellini Pomodoro are all pretty healthy. Mac Grill on the other hand has one thing on their entire menu that is healthy, their bread is whole wheat and topped with canola oil and sea salt. But if you want to be healthy, then all you get is bread. Both places offer the alternative of whole wheat pasta but that hardly helps if you top it with Alfredo sauce. Carrabba's Italian Grill features Southern Italian food which is far healthier. Gone are the French inspired sauces built on butter and heavy cream and in their place are sauces built on olive oil. They also use less pork and more seafood.