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Sorry, not many notes or pictures from today!

We started off at Downtown Disney for some more shopping and picked up a Dooney wrist bag for Sarah! We had lunch at the yummy Earl

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In which we give thanks for such traditional American foods as onion loaf and Big Mac special sauce. We also talk of:

donkey-bagging
England at Epcot
TGI Friday’s
onion pole
Chico time vs. Hammer time
giraffes vs. Tyrannosaurus Reges
PSY and Jay Rayner
the miraclehorror of childbirth
and
drinks with chunks.

Plus: Olly’s lack of confidence (and grade D in GCSE French) held him back from pursuing his dream career at Disney; Helen’s grammatical tips encourage solipsism; and Martin the Sound Man won’t give you any of his blood because he’s a wuss when it comes to needles. But not when it comes to albums – his lovely new longplayer The City of Gold and Lead is out tomorrow, so click HERE to obtain your copy, in digital format or fancy hand-made papercut CD package.

There’s more food in this week’s Bit of Crap on the App (available for iDevices and Android), as questioneer Ollie asks whether he can gorge himself on raw biscuit batter. And survive.

We would like to gorge ourselves (and survive) on your QUESTIONS, so please email them to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com or leave voicemails on the Question Line by calling 0208 123 5877 or Skype ID answermethis.

See you next Thursday,

Helen & Olly

ALBUMS • iTUNES • CLASSIC EPISODES • BOOK • QUESTION ARCHIVE • FAQ
iPHONE APP • ANDROID APP • FACEBOOK • TWITTER • YOUTUBE • MERCH

When you get to the middle you can actually spot a playground and a fountain that has sphere like stuff like this. They look like truffles to me, so I took a picture.

You can now start roaming around from there, don’t be afraid of getting lost in the mall or that you can’t find the store you like because there are electronic directory posts, I don’t have a clue on what you really call them. You can type in the name of the store and it will show you how to get there definitely ,shopper friendly!.The mall has an eclectic mix of high-street fashion shops, bargain type areas, local stores,various restos with different cuisines, and even high-end makeup brands.

I always make sure that I have enough energy to walk around. You actually don’t need to bulk up on lunch. Being full actually makes you a bit lazy to walk around and its makes you feel heavy. So for me, I just head to my fave store which is MOCHIKO. They have “THE” most delicious mochis in town. I had caramel, I try to taste different ones everytime I visit the store.

It is so delicious,the glutinous rice covering balances out the sweetness,and you can walk around while eating it, not worrying about ice-cream melting on your hand like a kid, yum!

The mall has different areas, I like the area where MOCHIKO is found, it is a strip of different restaurants, chinese, korean, singaporean and various cuisines can be found here. But if you like to go food-tripping, there is an aisle of different food stuff.From cupcakes, to filipino delicacies, to even balut,and I just had to try this red velvet cream cheese cupcake.Sorry it didn’t look perfect, I nicked it with my nail, being so excited to try it.

There are various stuff that caught my eye while roaming around.

Yes, it is a bit tiring, so I bought my favourite drink. Watermelon Smoothie. You are practically “drinking” your fruit, something to fill you up and quench your thirst. Me and my drink

If you do feel exhausted and want to relax, you sure can find areas to sit around,like the area around the fountain, or a coffee shop per se.But why not take a rest and be entertained. Like most malls, ATC also has a cinema.I love the popcorn scent when you walk around this area,although I don’t like eating popcorn while watching a movie,which is weird but I don’t know why, instead i love having burgers or fries..hahah. Want to watch a movie? just walk out and look for this sign.

Alabang Town Center is a must-visit for anyone, the ambience of the mall is just so relaxing compared to ones I have been. If you live near the South or you live there, drop by one day. This sure will be one great mall to visit!.

Till next blog!
XOXO
dappletheworld.

Applebee’s – Last year, Applebee’s served over one million free meals to military veterans and active service members. Well Applebee’s is again offering a free meal to military veterans and active-duty service members this Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. There will be 7 entrées to choose from, beverage and gratuity not included. Military ID or proof of service required. Here is a link to the menu: http://bit.ly/Rf4KPa

California Pizza Kitchen – California Pizza Kitchen is honoring our local Veterans and Military personnel by inviting them in to dine for free on November 11 (Veterans Day) and November 12. Enjoy a pizza on their menu and a non-alcoholic beverage for free. Dine-in only. Please come in uniform or bring your military ID or other proof of service. http://www.cpk.com/

Champps Americana - All Veterans and Active Military will receive a free Champps Cheeseburger and fries on Monday November 12th. Proof of service required. Offer not valid for the Pepperjack Bacon Stack Burger or Kobe Burger. Dine in only, valid at participating locations. http://bit.ly/UibxKA

Chili’s – Chili’s is offering all military veterans past and present their choice of one of 7 meals. This offer is available from 11am – 5pm on November 11, 2012 at participating Chili’s in the U.S. only. Dine-in from limited menu only; beverages and gratuity not included. Veterans and active duty military simply show proof of military service.

Denny’s – Free all you can eat pancakes from 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12 for all active, retirees, and veterans with a valid military ID or proof of military service. Offer available in every Denny’s nationwide.

Famous Dave’s – Free or discounted meals on Veterans Day, Sunday Nov 11. Offer varies by location, for more information check http://bit.ly/9PIDRc

 
Friendly’s – Active military and veterans with ID can enjoy a complimentary Big-Two-Do Breakfast and coffee on Monday, November 12.

Golden Corral – If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you are invited to participate in Golden Corral’s 12th annual Military Appreciation Monday dinner. For information visit: http://bit.ly/z3ojL

Hooter’s – Hooter’s is serving up a free meal to military veterans all day on Veterans Day, Sunday November 11. Offer good for all veterans and active duty military personnel. Get 10 Free Wings – Boneless or Regular, drink purchase required. Offer valid at participating Hooters only; open to all active duty and military veterans with valid military ID or proof of military service. For more information, visit, http://bit.ly/cXMs2A

Krispy Kreme –. Participating Krispy Kreme stores are offering all active-duty, retirees & veterans to enjoy a free doughnut on November 11th. . Be sure to call ahead to verify your local Krispy Kreme is participating.

Little Caesars Pizza, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. Little Caesars is honoring the men and women of the United States armed forces this Veterans Day by providing veterans and active military members with a free Crazy Bread® with proof of military status or proof of service at participating stores nationwide. Call ahead to verify participation.

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants – McCormick & Schmick’s is celebrating their 14th annual Veteran’s Appreciation Event on Sunday, November 11th. Veterans will be able to choose a complimentary lunch or dinner entrée. Veterans must provide proof of military service. Be sure to contact your local McCormick & Schmick’s as this is valid at participating restaurants only. Also, space is limited and reservations are highly recommended. For more information visit: http://bit.ly/TQD9o2

Outback Steakhouse – Outback Steakhouse is honoring America’s military veterans by offering active duty military and veterans a free Bloomin’ Onion and a Coca-Cola Nov. 11-12. This offer is available to Military Personnel with ID. Also receive 10% off your purchase from Nov. 13-Dec 31, 2012.

Red Lobster – Free Appetizer on Veterans Day, November 11th with military ID or proof of service.

 
Red Robin – Get free Red’s Tavern Double and Bottomless Steak Fries for all Red Robin guests on Monday, November 12th with a military ID or proof of service. http://bit.ly/Q2GjpE

T.G.I. Friday’s – Receive a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, November 12th. Valid for all US Military personnel and veterans. Must wear uniform (if permitted by your service) or present military ID or other proof of service.

Olive Garden – Veterans and active duty military can receive a free entrée on Sunday, November 11th during regular business hours. Choose from a special menu. All entrées include freshly baked garlic sticks and choice of soup or salad. Proof of service required.

7-Eleven – Get a free small Slurpee on Sunday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Offer good to all current and former military members. ID or proof of service required

To download a flyer for this event click here.

To view a list of our most needed items click here.

Don’t have our Mobile App? For Android go to http://bit.ly/PG8Uul and for iOS go to http://bit.ly/NGTGoz

Visit the Official Blog at http://blog.mygiftwand.com/ everyday for more Deals!
Or go directly to MyGiftWand to see what other deals your friends may qualify for!

I love this photo of everyone in front of Love Park! What a great night! We definitely need to have more outings to the city. Hmm, any suggestions?

And of course, this night wouldn’t have been possible without the E-Board members! I’m so lucky to be working with a group of such passionate and hardworking people.  This is by far the best year for ISA, and it’s not even the end of the semester yet!

Don’t have our Mobile App? For Android go to http://bit.ly/PG8Uul and for iOS go to http://bit.ly/NGTGoz

Visit the Official Blog at http://blog.mygiftwand.com/ everyday for more Deals!
Or go directly to MyGiftWand to see what other deals your friends may qualify for!

Typical TGI Fridays fare

…. followed a 10 foot tall Sundae!

Luckily I had a Marks and Spencer Crayfish and Mango Salad in my bag and a low fat yoghurt … catastrophe avoided due to planning ahead, phew.

To get to Leeds today I had long train journey so I decided to catch up on some Podcasts I downloaded a while ago. I listened to The Jillian Michaels Show (Biggest Loser USA Trainer) and amongst other things the topic was ‘Stop Snacking Tricks’.

Some of the tips I was aware of already, others were new to me but regardless it’s always good to have a reminder to make you focus a little clearer.

So here’s what Jillian recommends:-

Choose foods to snack on that are time consuming I.e need shelling or peeling as eating slower will give the bloodstream time to register a sugar hit.

Put higher calorie snacks on a proper plate. This way you are more likely to enjoy and acknowledge what you are eating. This trick avoids mindlessly eating foods without even registering the taste.

If you find you are heading for a binge engage yourself in dialogue OUT LOUD! Ask, “what am I gong to do to compensate for this?”, “do I really want this?” Etc …. This will help you to pause, effectively putting the breaks on and to let the reasoning part of the brain kick in.

Avoid eating food in front of the TV. It’s been shown that people eating whilst watching TV consume more calories, eat their food quicker and less mindfully.

Portion out your snacks, have an allocated amount, not a whole box or bag.

Agree with yourself to have a 15-20 minute break. In between, brush your teeth. It’s more likely that you will not start snacking again as the sugar will have hit your bloodstream and the toothpaste will probably put you off eating until later.

Practice ‘environmental control’ … only have small portions of trigger foods in the house. Better still buy a portion and consume on the same day. Put simply, you cannot eat what isn’t there.

Find a form of exercise that puts you more in touch with your body. Jillian recommends Yoga as it is ‘medicinal’ exercise that makes you more conscious of how you are treating your body and mind.

So, a few things to mull over. I might try the interruption technique at Christmas when I am away with family for a week. I will have much less control over the food shopping and will be surrounded by temptation. It’s worth a go!

What tricks do you employ to stop yourself mindlessly snacking?
What healthy snacks do you indulge in?

This last month has been hectic. I moved away from Oxford at the end of September (pic 1), moving into student accommodation in Nottingham. I then began the madness of Freshers kicking off with a beach themed party (pics 2/3/4) and the rule of four shots only, no single shot allowed! (pic 5). This was followed by an army (pic 6/7) and UV theme (pic 8). After all the madness I managed to catch up and have dinner with James at what is quickly becoming our favourite, namingly T.G.I Friday’s (pic 9). I also visited him at his university accommodation in Leicester (pic 10) and what a beautiful view he has of the river!

Back to Nottingham we continued our nights out (pics 11/13/14) and had a trip to the very local cinema, The Savoy to see Taken 2 (pic 12). All this continued until I returned home to see my family (and especially my beautiful cat Jachobi) in the third week (pic 15). On returning home James presented me with a beautiful River Island Russian doll necklace with semi-precious stones (pic 16) and I had much comical amusement courtesy of Foursquare users opinions of Nottingham (pic 17).

All this time I have continued doing my reviews to the best of my ability and thought this GLAMGLOW mud mask picture from a previous review was rather funny (pic 18). The pictures that follow are from me and James four year anniversary and included another trip to T.G.I Friday’s (this time with a lot of cocktails as seen in pics 19/20/21), lots of giggles (pics 22 and 23) and some delicious chocolates from Thorntons (pics 24).

To finish, pic 25 is of my view from my student accomodation of a beautiful pink sunset.

Ah September and October have been just perfect! A very confusing and mad month indeed. Hope you have enjoyed a sneak peek into my adventures!

Stephanie xox

Yesterday was a day full of errands, but I did stop to make this Italian-inspired vegetable pasta bowl! Recipe to come your way tomorrow

After I ran some more errands this morning, Andy & I went to TGI Friday’s for a late lunch. We got a gift card for our wedding and haven’t used it yet, so I was pretty excited! I was even more excited when we got there and found that they had a “Pick 2 for $10″ special. I got a (full-sized!) Spinach Florentine Flatbread & Chicken Bruschetta Pasta…

Half of my spinach florentine flatbread — so good!

My chicken bruschetta pasta — so much flavor!

They were both incredibly good, and I still have half for tomorrow. Andy also got a 2 for $10 deal, so we got out of there with a $20 bill and leftovers for a second meal! I’m still full and am planning on having a nice big salad for dinner to balance out the heaviness of lunch…

And now, what I was really excited to share with ya’ll! One of the ladies in my Life Group had surgery last week, so I’m planning to drop off dinner for her and her family tomorrow. I wanted to take a fun little dessert as well, so I spent some time experimenting this afternoon and came up with these…how cute are they?!

S’Mores Brownie Cupcakes
Serves 18-24

• 1 low-fat brownie mix (I use Duncan Hines)
• 8 sheets of low-fat graham crackers
• 1 package of marshmallows
• 2 Tb. butter
• Chocolate syrup to top

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in a cupcake tin and spray with cooking spray.
2. Prepare brownies according to package
3. Next, take four or five sheets of graham crackers, place in a ziploc bag, and crush into small pieces.
4. Melt butter in microwave and combine melted butter with graham cracker pieces until well combined.
5. Place thin layer of graham cracker mix onto bottom of each cupcake liner. Next, pour brownie mix on top of graham crackers and fill until about halfway full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows. Return to oven for about three minutes or until marshmallows are melted.
8. While marshmallows are melting, take remaining graham crackers and break into small squares (about eight squares per graham cracker sheet). Set aside.
9. Remove from oven and place small graham cracker piece in middle of cupcake. Cool on wire rack for about ten minutes and then drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.

How to “level up” this recipe

• Make your own low-fat brownies instead of using a mix! Here’s a great low-fat brownie mix recipe that I’ve used before.
• You can leave out the chocolate syrup on top. Consider chopping up some dark chocolate and sprinkling the top with that instead.

How to “level down” this recipe

• Use a regular brownie mix or add in a handful of chocolate chips to pump up the fudge-y flavor.

One more thing…remember when I told you I was attempting a crockpot recipe yesterday? Well, it was so successful that I’m making it again tomorrow! Not only was it a hit, but it was also super simple — four ingredients! So, as promised, I’ll share the recipe a little later this week…

Have an awesome Monday!

Enjoy the happy hours on TGI Friday’s. TGI Friday’s is offering 99/- menu from monday to friday 5:00PM to 8:00PM (READ MORE…)

Enjoy the happy hours on TGI Friday’s. TGI Friday’s is offering 99/- menu from monday to friday 5:00PM to 8:00PM (READ MORE…)

The Show Dome at Mitchell Park. Phil Roberts photo.

Phil and Sherry in the “rainforest.” Bill Cook photo.

Jan and Bill in the “rainforest.” Phil Roberts photo.

Wisconsin’s majestic Holy Hill. Phil Roberts photo.

The Fox and Hounds. Phil Roberts photo.

Phil stands in front of Miller Park. Bill Cook photo.

Phil and Bill study the Henry Aaron statue. Sherry Roberts photo.

One could spend hours looking at these autographs. Phil Roberts photo.

The view from our table at Friday’s was phenominal. Phil Roberts photo.

Jan, Bill and Sherry await lunch. Phil Roberts photo.

This is a tribute to the construction workers killed building Miller Park. Phil Roberts photo.

It was the highlight of Sherry’s and my September — a visit with my cousin Jan and her husband Bill Cook in their comfortable suburban Milwaukee home. We’ve seen Jan and Bill annually the last four years at a cousins’ reunion that we alternate hosting at our Walcott, Iowa, residence with my cousin Bud Devine and his wife Mary at their Rock Island, Ill., home.

But until last month we’d never taken Jan and Bill up on their longtime invitation to visit them in Milwaukee. Our recent retirements made it easy now to schedule a trip.

So we drove up on a Tuesday morning and headed back home the following Thursday afternoon. Now that doesn’t sound like much time, but it was perfect. Besides, my wife often reminds me of Ben Franklin’s quote: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.”

In-between our arrival and departure, we spent a lot of time relaxing and conversing at the Cook’s house, often over a great meal or a glass of fine wine.

But Jan and Bill also made sure we got out of the house to see and enjoy some of their city.
On Wednesday afternoon, with Bill at the wheel, we had a narrated tour of Milwaukee’s bustling downtown and the beautiful lakefront, followed by a stop at Mitchell Park Conservatory (milwaukeedomes.org), also known as The Domes.

According to the website, “Land for Mitchell Park was first purchased by the Milwaukee Park Commission in 1889. As our first permanently named park, Mitchell is the oldest park in the Milwaukee Parks system.”

There are three diverse domes there, all filled with appropriate vegetation for their climate. One is tropical, a microcosm of the rainforest. Another is desert in nature, divided geographically into Old World and New World growing areas. The third one is a show dome, which has rotating themes. It was being worked on during our visit, but we peeked inside.

After getting up close and personal with the humid rainforest and hot, dry desert at The Domes, we freshened up at the Cook house and soon were back on the road. This time we went to Hubertus, Wis., to gaze at something called Holy Hill (holyhill.com).

Travelwisconsin.com aptly describes it as “a religious shrine with a beautiful church built high atop a glacial hill.”

From Holy Hill it was a short jaunt to the Fox and Hounds Restaurant & Tavern (foxandhoundsrestaurant.com), a restored former fox-hunting lodge that’s now a rustic restaurant, also in Hubertus.

I ordered the full rack of ribs, and they nearly covered my plate. A salad and potato that came with the dinner guaranteed that I’d be taking ribs home in a to-go box.

At midday Thursday, the Cooks and Roberts were off on another road trip, this time to Miller Park, a first-class baseball stadium completed in 2001 to replace Milwaukee County Stadium. Sponsored by Miller Brewing Co., the ballpark boasts North America’s only fan-shaped convertible roof, which can open and close in less than 10 minutes.

Among the statues of baseball players, like Bob Uecker, around the stadium’s exterior are those of three workers who died during Miller Park construction.

On July 14, 1999, a large crane collapsed on a windy day while lifting a 400-ton roof section, killing the three construction workers.

Once inside, we overlooked the lush green playing surface at an “outdoors” table while having lunch at TGI Friday’s, a restaurant in the stadium. It was an enjoyable way to end our trip north.

Copyright 2012 by Phil Roberts, Creative Enterprises.

A lovely day consisting of:
- marking some books (not that lovely)
- making cards (reasonably lovely)
- getting nails done (fairly lovely)
- shopping with Helen (very lovely)
- meal and cocktails with Helen and Ceriann (super lovely!)

Unfortunately, that certainly was not the case for the First Annual Prague Burger Fest. Instead of a cacophony of meat… there was a seemingly infinite amount of people who persisted in standing in one spot and refusing to move. Considering that this event was called a “Burger Fest” there was a definitive lack of burgers. Only five restaurants were serving burgers and the tents were tucked away against a wall shoved behind some more tents selling very small, unimpressive cookies. As as every restaurant’s tent was set up right next to one another, there was also the small issue of there being a giant wall of people in front of every restaurant’s tent.

My husband eating some delicious curly chips.

If we were to negate the fact that this was indeed called a “Burger Fest” it would be a nice festival/event. There were plenty of carnival rides and dozens of booths/tents selling delicious foods and novelty items. Regardless of all that, the event took place at a monastery with beautiful grounds and lovely buildings.

BUT, we did not get to eat a single burger. TGI Fridays (one of the few chosen restaurants to have their own tent offering their burgers for sale) was sold out by 2pm today (they only opened at 10am…and how many people eat burgers at 10 in the morning?). It was also impossible to see the prices of the burgers, let alone if they were even worth having. Suggestion for next year? Don’t place all of the burger tents in one small, congested corner of the festival. Prime example of bottle-necking (see photo below).

When we got home, my husband made the most delicious brie and garlic stuffed burgers ever! And knowing that four burgers only cost 100KC to make while one at the Burger Fest cost 80KC, gave me an all-around feeling of satisfaction.

Not like this.

Like a lot of people, I enjoy going out to eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s fast food, or something incredibly formal and posh — it’s nice to not eat at home, and not have to slave over a hot stove and do dishes after.

Customer service is something we seem to take for granted, unless it’s terrible. Then we rant and bemoan the wait-staff, vow never to return, but don’t leave until we eat all the food we ordered.

When it’s good service, though, we finish our food and tip with no fanfare, then leave without another word. We make our way home (or elsewhere) with a full belly, and not another thought.

But when was the last time you had service that overshadowed delicious food? Can you remember the last time you went out for food, only to walk away praising your server until everyone got sick of you talking?

Tonight was such a night for me. I cannot think of a single time before tonight that I paid more attention to the quality of service than the quality of food (which admittedly was very good).

My fiancé, my roommate, and I visited the TGI Friday’s at the Tyler Galleria tonight. Our server, Trudy, was an older lady, who seemed pleasant enough as far as wait-staff goes. She started off on an excellent note, checking up on us indecisive patrons every few minutes, asking if we were ready and excusing herself before she left.  She addressed us as “my young man” and “my young lady”, which was absolutely delightful. Her friendliness seemed completely natural and effortless — rare, I feel, at “lively” places such as TGI Friday’s, where the wait-staff more often seem eager to be your BFF.

This has nothing to do with this paragraph, but omnomnom.

There was a slight problem with my steak being overdone. Trudy immediately apologised, whisked the offending steak away, and returned shortly with a new one, not leaving until I had cut into my steak and given a seal of approval. We saw her frequently, coming by to make sure we were satisfied with our meal and waiting until our mouths were empty and we’d all answered (seriously, when was the last time that’s happened to anyone?) before saying “Excuse me, please” and leaving again. We were never out of drinks, she convinced us to get dessert without overselling the selection, and our finished dishes were cleared in an expedient manner. She said “please” and “thank you”, and really let us know she was our server, without neglecting her other tables.

I watched her interact with the other patrons, and it was all such flawless execution and zero effort. We tipped her a little over 25% of our bill, though if we had extra spending cash we’d likely have tipped her 90%. We talked to her manager, and submitted a glowing review to TGI Friday’s website.

Thank you, Trudy at the Galleria TGI Friday’s, for an unforgettable experience at a place I’ve been to countless times before, but will now never forget this one night.

Don’t have our Mobile App? For Android go to http://bit.ly/PG8Uul and for iOS go to http://bit.ly/NGTGoz

Visit the Official Blog at http://blog.mygiftwand.com/ everyday for more Deals!
Or go directly to MyGiftWand to see what other deals your friends may qualify for!