RE: San Antonio Riverwalk
Sorry, just reread your post and realized that you said that you wouldn't have a car, so the Quarry is out, but I think all the rest I told you about are doable. Also saw where someone said that Durty Nellie's was below the Hyatt. It is on the river below the Hilton Palacio Del Rio. If you like Dixieland jazz, there is a great club on the river beneath the Hyatt. Jim Cullum's Happy Jazz band performs there and the music is great. Hope this helps!
Susan
RE: San Antonio Riverwalk
Having lived in San Antonio for a very long time, I can recommend some really good restaurants. For Mexican, I second Mi Tierra and La Margarita. There are better ones in other parts of town, but these are good. They are in the market area, not on the river, but close enough by trolley. Casa Rio is OK but somewhat of a tourist trap. I think the best mid range restaurant on the Riverwalk is Boudro's. The tableside guacamole is wonderful and all of their smoked meats are delicious. Good fish and beef. For high end, Le Reve is the best, but call now for reservations. It has been written up in the New York times and Texas Monthly rates it as being the best French restaurant in Texas. Biga on the Banks is also good. There is another good Mexican restaurant called Acenar. It isn't Tex-Mex, a little more upscale, but quite good and reasonable. Bohannon's is good for steak, there is also Ruth's Chris and Morton's if you like. For Italian, try Paesano's on the river. If you go there have the Shrimp Paesano, once voted the favorite restaurant recipe in San Antonio. It is quite rich,but delicious. I sometimes get it for an appetizer and get something else for the main course. If you have a car, there is a location in the Quarry that I think is better, but it is around 10 minutes north of downtown. Just thought of another really good Mexican restaurant, just south of downtown is El Mirador. I think the trolley goes very near there. I think it is better than La Margarita, and they do have good margaritas. If you happen to be there on a Saturday, El Mirador has wonderful soups that they only make on the weekends, maybe just Saturday. For breakfast visit the Guenther House. This is the home of Pioneer Flour Mills, and the restaurant is in the old home of the German family who owned the mill. It is fun to go through the restored home and the breakfast is good. They also have a nice gift store upstairs with some really great mixes from the mill. Las Canarias in the La Mansion hotel is also a good upscale restaurant. It might be a good choice for lunch.
If I think of anything else, I will post again. Hope you enjoy your stay in SA!
Susan
RE: A month in Yellowstone
There's a great FS campground a few miles from Big Sky, MT. It is 48 miles south of Bozeman on Hwy. 191. It has elec. and water, although you need a "T" and a long water hose, water is not listed in our Coleman Directory, am pretty sure we had it. Red Cliff Campground is right on the Gallatin River and seems like it is only 10-15 miles from West Yellowstone.
RE: Glacier National Park, Montana
We loved Two Medicine on the east side. It is dry camping, but just a beautiful place, we also love Fish Creek, but the sites are fairly small so you might not be able to get in there. Apgar was nice, just larger and not quite as private. Glacier remains our favorite NP among those we have visited. Have a great time!
RE: zuchinni
This is a favorite, actually from the Grey Moss Inn here in San Antonio, I think they serve this with all their steaks.
Squash Au Gratin
4-5 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 med. onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste ( we like a little more so I add another 1 or 2 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
dash tobasco
1/2 c. yellow cheese grated
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
Steam zucchini until tender. Saute the onion and green pepper in a little olive oil until tender, add the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and tobasco. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Set aside. Drain and mash the zucchini, add the onion mixture and put in a shallow casserole. Spread the cheese over the top, then top with crumbs. Dot with butter and bake 325 degrees for 20 minutes, serve in squares. We like this almost as well without the cheese and breadcrumbs although they certainly add a nice dimension to the recipe. Enjoy!
Susan
RE: Toffee Crunch Bars
I have a similar recipe, actually 2 of them, one uses Club Crackers and the other graham crackers. Both use 1 cup butter and 1/2 C sugar. Both say to melt butter, add sugar, bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. The Club Cracker recipe uses sliced almonds and I use pecans for the graham cracker one. They are also baked at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, I recall having to take them out a bit sooner sometimes. I have added chocolate chips to the graham cracker recipe and they are very good. Maybe increasing the butter to 1 cup would give you the proper coverage. However, they might not be as sweet as you'd like, don't think it would be a problem to increase the sugar, either, maybe to 3/4 C. Also, lowering the oven temp. and increasing the baking time, may give you more color. Even though I only cook mine 2 min. and I do stir it, this may not be a good idea, they seem to turn out well. Hope this helps.
Susan
RE: Need Tow Vehicle Advice
Thanks so much for your replies, hope to get more, particularly concerning the '08 models. Sorry I wasn't more clear that we will buy the traier first, that was what I meant when I said we would buy a dually if we had to. Right now we are just doing research on makes of vehicles, and looking at the changes in the '08 models. We may even buy an '09. We will go with a HH, not sure about length and model for the 5er. I want a smaller trailer, no longer than 32', DH wants larger, up to 36'. I am concerned that we won't be able to get in many of the forest service campgrounds and that is where we like to go the most, we also want to do some boondocking. Even though I have a Yukon XL for my personal vehicle, running errands in a dually while on trips is very intimidating to me, those things are behemoths! Thanks again for all your help, I have learned a great deal from all of you! Will let you know when we make this purchase!
Susan
Need Tow Vehicle Advice
DH and I are getting serious about purchasing our new 5er and truck. I know this topic has come up many times and we will read those previous posts. However, there have been some substantial changes in diesel trucks in the last year. We would love to hear about your experiences with the 2008 1 ton 4X2 diesels. We are hoping to be able to buy a 1 ton that isn't a dually, however if we end up with a trailer that needs one, we will buy one.
Susan
RE: Forest service campgrounds
I have a couple of suggestions. Coleman puts out a directory,"National Forest Campground and Recreation Directory". I found it at Barnes and Noble so if you can't find it on Amazon I would imagine that Barnes and Noble, Borders, or any other large bookstore could get it for you. The entries are listed by state, then the particular forest, then grouped by area. Each entry gives a general description of the campground, indicates if sites may be reserved, if there is a host and tells what kind of camping, i.e., tent, popup, or other RV is suitable. There is a good deal more information as well. Also I call the ranger station in the particular forests we plan to visit and if there is a concessionaire, I get their number and find out all I can about the sites and which ones they prefer. I have had great success with this. Everyone I have talked to has been very helpful. Good Luck, and I wish we were going this year!
Susan
RE: HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
Thanks Hitchup for the specs, I really do appreciate you posting those, and yes,TexatDurango, you are correct about the Select Suites being the entry level model and the CKRSB being in the Champagne line. I know different finishes are used, but I would hope when you compare two high end manufacturers that the quality workmanship would be there no matter what level you were considering. The two floorplans are the ones that best suit our needs, unfortunately, Mobile Suites doesn't make the 34 in anything but the Select Suites, nor does HH make the CKRSB in any other line, hence the comparison. We do intend to visit both factories, and compare standards and options, in fact I have already begun that process. I would love it if both these manufacturers made these floorplans in their mid range lines, but they do not. Thanks for the observation and your thoughts.
Susan
RE: HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
Thanks Randy, interesting comments and indeed, more items to consider. We knew this wasn't going to be easy and that is turning out to be true. What is it about the electrical panel that you feel is better? We need to take a good look at this.
Thanks,
Susan
RE: boondocking at glacier NP
As mentioned, it's not boondocking but Two Medicine on the east side is one of our favorites. Sites are large and relatively private. DH and son fished there at the lake and then hiked up to some great streams and had good luck there. We camped by a small stream that fed into the lake. It was beautiful.
RE: HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
Thanks leahnrandy, I'll look into that forum as well, sometimes all the info is overwhelming, but if you don't take the time to explore all the avenues you may pay the price later and that still can happen, maybe just less often if you do your homework. Good luck to you on your purchase!
RE: HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
Great comments, rob143, I will indeed look at this more closely. I have e-mailed Nuwa to see where I could see the unit of theirs in which our interest lies, local dealers don't have any '09's that I can find. I knew I would get some good feedback and am very grateful!
Thanks,
Susan
RE: Need Appetizer Ideas
Here is one that is a little different and I have never had anyone who didn't love this. The good thing about it is that it can be an appetizer or a main course, just cut larger pieces and serve with a salad. Here goes:
ANTIPASTO BREAD
2 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls ( I have had poor luck with store brands)
1/4 lb. sliced on the #1 setting at the deli of each of the following
Genoa salami
Provolone
Ham (as lean as you can find)
American cheese
pepperoni
Swiss cheese
1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
2 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, one hr. baking time needed.
Layer one tube of the rolls in a sprayed 9X13 baking pan. Pinch seams together. Layer meats and cheeses together in the order given, beginning with the salami and ending with the Swiss cheese. On top of this layer the peppers. Top with the remaining tube of rolls, pinch seams together. Pour beaten eggs over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, uncover and bake 30 minutes more or until golden brown. Cool, serve warm or at room temp. I think room temp is best for appetizers and warm is best for a meal. For appetizers cut in small squares or finger sized portions. *Tip: Before going to the grocery, I make a list of the meats and cheeses for the folks in the deli, then return to pick up the packages, saves time and frustration for them. Enjoy!
RE: HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
Thanks so much for the replies. SweetLou, we also like the privacy that the side bath gives, just didn't know if the square footage you give up is worth it, am glad to hear you say it is. I am also glad to hear about the customizing, my greatest concern is the w/d situation, but there may be little that can be done about that with this particular floorplan. Factory support is also important and that will be important in our decision. As it stands, DH prefers the Mobil Suites and I am the HH fan. As I said I would love a smaller unit as I don't want the size of this thing to keep us from going to some of the really beautiful campgrounds, i.e. National Forests and Parks, as they are our favorites. Thanks again for your kind replies and I will go to the HH forum, do you know if there is one for Doubletree?
Susan
HH CKRSB or Select Suites 34RLSB3
After reading countless posts and doing a good deal of research, we may (and may being the operative word here) have narrowed down our new fifth wheel choice to the Hitchhiker Champagne CKRSB or the Doubletree Select Suites 34RLSB3. It would help if I could get some weight, width, and actual length specs on the Select Suites. I have a current brochure and have perused the website at length, can't find what I need. If I am overlooking these specs, please let me know. We have come down to these two because they fit the bill closest to what we want. In truth, we'd really like a 30-32 ft. unit, but none of the manufacturers on our short list build one of these with at least 3 slides. I would love some feedback from any of you that own units similar to these. I know the HH floorplan is new for '09, don't know about the Select Suites. Also, what are your feelings on the side bath. We think we like the idea, but have not completely made up our minds. Also, how amenable are either of these manufacturers to doing a little customizing, anyone with experience in that arena? I would rather have a tub with shower than just the shower and a stackable washer/dryer rather than the combo. We would be most appreciative of any help you could give us.
Kindest Regards,
Susan
RE: margarita's
Here is our recipe for San Antonio Margaritas.
1 can Minute Maid Limeade ( can size doesn't matter, either 6 or 12 oz.)
3/4 to 1 can Tequila
1/4 to 1/3 can Triple Sec
2 cans water
Mix well. Run a wedge of lime around the edge of a glass and dip in Kosher salt or any other coarse salt. Fill glass with ice and pour Margarita over the ice. Having given you this recipe, I'll qualify it by saying that we prefer Margaritas made with fresh lime juice and shaken. However for a group, this recipe is pretty darn good, it is one we have been making for some 30 plus years. Some people prefer gold tequila and some silver. Our friend that owns a prominent bar in downtown San Antonio says that inexpensive silver tequila makes a really good Margarita and I must say that I agree with him, however that is just a matter of taste. I still think I like the Margaritas in Mexico the best, we have a difficult time duplicating that taste. The only other comment I would add is that Minute Maid limeade is a must. I have tried store brands, including Wal-Mart's, and they just don't measure up. Enjoy, which ever recipe you go with!
Susan
RE: Glenwood Springs, CO Boondocking Opportunities
We stayed at Chapman Dam Campground up above Aspen, it was beautiful, the sites were large and relatively private for a Forest Service campground. There is a replica of Hoover Dam there. Up above Chapman Dam are two small trout lakes. We saw one or two small motorhomes parked overnight there and I don't think there was any fee. I would guess these are up about 12,000 ft., not sure. I wish I could give you better directions, but don't know the name of the road we turned onto. It was gravel, but a good road. It was right before you got to Chapman Dam, so I think you could ask the host there and they would know what I am talking about, maybe someone on this forum could be of further help. My DH did lots of trout fishing and had great luck. We ate lots of trout! The campground in Redstone is really nice as well, not as secluded, but also not so far "off the beaten path". Beautiful country, wherever you land!
Have a great time!
RE: Anyone have a good Eggs Benedict Recipe?
I read a tip in a James Beard cookbook that has really helped in making the Hollandaise. Cut 1 stick of cold butter into tablespoon sizes marked on the wrapper, then cut those in half. Place on a saucer and put in freezer for 20 minutes or so. Over very low heat, whisk together the 3 egg yolks, a half teaspoon of salt, a dash of Tabasco or cayenne (opt.), then whisk in 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. When all is whisked together, begin adding the cold butter, one pat at a time, till all is incorporated. Serve immediately or hold over hot water for a short time. I have also done this over a pot of simmering not boiling water, in which case the butter need not be so cold. You can also mix the egg and lemon juice in a blender and then stream in the warm melted butter. The results won't quite be the same, but the sauce is less likely to separate, it takes a little practice but I have had good luck with the cold butter method, just keep your heat low. Also, if I am doing this for a large group, I grease muffin tins, put a slice of Canadian Bacon in the bottom of the tin, then crack an egg over it. Bake the entire pan at 350 degrees, toast the English Muffins, make the Hollandaise, then remove each baked egg and bacon from its tin and place on top of the muffin, top with Hollandaise.
I also prefry bacon until it is half done, can be done in the microwave, or cook sausage patties or any kind of breakfast meat, tomato slices and/or portobello mushrooms. Curl the bacon slices around the sides of the muffin cup and trim pieces to put in the bottom. Top with an egg. Bake until set the way you want them, then top with any kind of cheese you like for the last 3-4 minutes of baking time. We like jalapeno jack, Swiss, or sharp cheddar, and Havarti with dill is good too. If I have it I drizzle a Tablespoon of heavy cream over the egg. Easy and you can make as many as you need. The large muffin tins will hold two eggs.
