Favorite team:LSU 
Location:Vagabond
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Number of Posts:132
Registered on:2/20/2010
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I recommend using [link=(https://wendy-lyn.com/)]Wendy Lyn, Paris is my Kitchen[/link]. Her rec's are pretty spot on. She's a native New Orleanian now living in Paris for some number of years. I think I found her through an old TD post. I went to Paris NYE 2021. I reached out to her on Insta and...

re: Espresso machine

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 1/7/24 at 2:54 pm
Such a loaded topic, so I’ll just talk on what I have… Gaggia Classic Pro with a Niche Zero grinder. To sum up, investing in a solid grinder like the Niche Zero made the rest of my process so much more fluid and easy. Gaggia Classic Pro is a solid machine for the price, but took quite a learn...
Mercaptans are used more by your LDC's for distributions to homes, etc to detect smell. For gas storage facilities - monitors, lots of monitors to detect the presence among other things. Here's a simple but interesting Youtube video on the creation of natural gas salt caverns my old boss showed ...

re: Must have kitchen tools

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 1/2/24 at 9:52 am
Serious Eats and Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen provide excellent reviews, recommendations, and testing of kitchen equipment. SE is free/Cooks is subscription. I recommend utilizing those resources to help figure out what you might need. Here's what I find handy... Infrared thermomete...

re: Planning a France trip...

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 6/14/23 at 5:16 pm
[quote]How many nights total was your trip and did you have any other stays other than Provence[/quote] 6 nights in Provence. We did two nights at a hotel in Avignon, 4 nights at a villa in Bonnieux, then drove to Lyon for one night where we caught a flight to Greece for a week. Ida threw a giant wr...

re: Questions about Cades Cove

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 6/12/23 at 3:04 pm
[quote]mid to late October?[/quote] Per a conversation with a ranger the other week, busiest time of the year for them......

re: Planning a France trip...

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 6/12/23 at 11:22 am
Provence, specifically the region around the Luberon. This is probably one of my most memorable vacations in France as life slowed down here. Beautiful hilltop villages dotted throughout the region, which date back to the Roman times. Weather is spectacular. Landscape is beautiful surrounded by vine...

re: Questions about Cades Cove

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 6/6/23 at 4:41 pm
I just visited over Memorial Day Weekend and have a few notes. Beautiful park, but the crowds are insane which we were admittedly unprepared for. Arrive and start the main attractions earlier than you think - ideally before 7-7:30. Early bird definitely gets the worm here. For hikes, use your discre...
Can you subtract a day from the London stint spending two fullish days in Paris? Maybe look at switching your return flight home to Paris as well to save time. I wouldn’t say a hard no to someone wanting to do something. If you wanna go for a day trip, do it. If it creates a desire to come back f...
That sounds miserable in so many ways, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. You only have 6 days. Commit your time to England, let life slow down, and enjoy your time there. Paris is beautiful, yes, but running around like a chicken with your head cut off to see a couple sights in ...

re: Portland OR ideas

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 3/17/23 at 7:10 pm
While I understand a lot of hate and issues plaguing Portland, most is largely unwarranted, as I thought it's a pretty cool city to visit. Fantastic food scene, great breweries, and world class wine from Willamette Valley in its backyard. It's also full of tons of historic walkable neighborhoods...
Memorial Park just went/is going through a massive expansion. If weather is nice, walk the loop and do the land bridge. Also visit the eastern glades in Memorial Park. Rent some E-bikes from Pedego and stroll the Heights and bayou. The new 11th street bike lanes could certainly see some actual u...

re: Albuquerque for the First Time

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 1/10/23 at 1:21 pm
Frontier Restaurant, across from UNM. Go for breakfast and get the breakfast burrito smothered in green chile. The tortillas are also excellent. I've been here twice, once was in the wee hours of the morning of a non-stop drive from Houston > Durango, CO. So good....
My wife and I are staying at this place (Airbnb link) outside Bandera this weekend for the NY. I will report back on the stay, but reviews are stellar. [link=(https://abnb.me/tA5hosWncwb)]Mucho Gusto Inn[/link] Other than Lost Maples or Hill Country Natural Area, any suggestions on cool outdoors ...

re: Crested Butte Lodging Question

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 12/21/22 at 10:53 pm
Definitely stay in town if you can swing it; CB is one of the best mountain towns I’ve visited. Free shuttle is super easy to the mountain. At a very minimum, make sure you head to the Secret Stash for some pie after a long day....

re: Best place to live

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 12/8/22 at 4:49 pm
A couple places that come to mind...Provence, more specifically one of the small villages in the Luberon. Also Basque Country guzzling down Txakolina wine, barnacles and wonderful cuisine sounds nice. Those places seem to have life pretty well figured out. I didn't want to leave either place. Portug...
I double checked the label and it just said whole chicken. Looking back, there were sharp appendages/spurs near the bottom of its leg, so an old rooster might be the culprit. Wish I recognized ahead of time to coq au vin it. Thanks for the feedback!...
This evening I spatchcocked and roasted a whole chicken I picked up from a market in Hempstead this past weekend while on a yearly pumpkin pilgrimage. We decided to stop at a market to grab fruits, veggies, etc. They had what I thought were some nice looking chickens, definitely from a local farmer....

re: Help with Greece Trip

Posted by fatcatswag22 on 5/17/22 at 4:30 pm
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/nzMVhd9p/5-CE4-D99-A-7-B7-C-4-F54-93-F4-4-A0-BF309-DA35.jpg[/img] Meteora monasteries in northern Greece. It is an absolutely spectacular and visually unique experience. We rented a car from Sixt in Athens and drove about 4-5 hours, but a train is available as well. Words ...