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The Ten Most Recent Comments By poke87

From Talk

A Party for The Graduate

I recently went to a graduation that had a shish kebab bar - there were a number of meats and veggies cut and laid out on a table inside, and you went through (with a pair of tongs) and created your own shish kebab to bring out to the host, who was outside waiting at the grill to prepare them. There were also a number of salads (pasta, veggie, and fruit) and a sandwich bar with different types of breads, deli meats, and roasted vegetables. Everything was a hit!

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

I've had my share of long bus rides, and I find that granola bars, trail mix, cold noodle salads, and muffins are always a great bet. I'd rather bring a lot of little things rather than big, prepackaged meals ... if you're on a bus ride for that long, it's better to keep snacking rather than eating a good amount all at once.

I also always like to bring along either a whole jar of peanut butter or Nutella, or a container filled with a few heaping spoonfuls, depending on the length of the trip. This gives you the option of bringing along a number of crackers, veggie sticks, cookies, breads, etc. and using them as you wish without having it pre-spread on anything.

From Talk

Grape Jelly OR Orange Marmalade OR Strawberry Jam?

I typically prefer blueberry preserves, although I had orange marmalade made with Jameson whiskey recently, and it was to die for!

From Talk

Favorite thing to eat with mayo

Either used in tartar sauce, or a great pesto mayo slathered on a mozzarella, basil, and tomato panini ... delicious!

From Required Eating

Every Last Bit of Yogurt, Now Accessible

This is either the most ridiculous or the most brilliant thing I've seen this week ... after thinking of all the yogurt that's been wasted over the years, I'm leaning toward brilliant.

From Talk

SE users: please introduce yourselves.

Hello! I am a 20-year-old college student from Rhode Island with no real idea of what I want to do after graduation, but I love baking and trying out new recipes and ideas.

From Required Eating

Cook the Book: The Oprah Magazine Cookbook

I would most like to share Saturday brunch in a Mom and Pop diner with Stephen Colbert. Brunch is the best time to mix serious topics with silly conversation, and everything's better with a stack of blueberry pancakes.

From Talk

What food smells can make you hungry?

Bacon
Sauteed garlic and onions
Cookies and cakes in the oven
Anything with cinnamon and sugar
Blueberry muffins
Popcorn

From Talk

Starbucks V Dunkin' Donuts

We have many more Dunkin' Donuts shops than Starbucks around here (I'm a New England girl), and that's fine by me. I like Starbucks for their lattes, but when it comes to just regular coffee, Dunkin's always tastes better.

From Recipes

Baking With Dorie: Creamy Cream Cheese Cheesecake For Passover—Or Not

Looks gorgeous and delicious! Can't wait to try it!

Responses to Comments by poke87

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

Freeze your water bottles. They double as cold packs that way.

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

Thanks for the great suggestions, everyone, including general advice about what to expect on a Greyhound bus adventure. I've done >24-hour bus marathons through the Midwest; this next one is through the Deep South—to New Orleans, as a matter of fact, where I've never been and where I will definitely spend on food the money I saved on airfare. Anyway, I expect I'll pick up plenty of fodder for my never-to-be-written novel as I observe my fellow passengers and snack on salad-filled wraps. I also love the idea of Nutella, which I can eat with a spoon but won't. The trickiest, most important thing will probably be to stay hydrated while avoiding the bus bathroom. Oy.

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

Great, grainy salad I found in the Everyday Food magazine.
(WARNING: It's dangerously addictive...pace yourself...you'll eat more than you realize, and then it feels like it keeps expanding in your tummy! haha...)

Bulgur Salad with Grapes and Feta Cheese
Serves 2
½ cup fine-grained bulgur wheat
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¾ cup boiling water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons minced scallion
¾ cup halved seedless grapes
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup fine-grain bulgur wheat, ½ teaspoon coarse salt, and ¾ cup boiling water. Cover; let stand until bulgur is tender, 30 minutes (Make sure all water is absorbed, otherwise, your salad is too "wet" instead of nice and fluffy.)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Add 2 tablespoons minced scallion, ¾ cup halved seedless grapes, ½ cup each toasted chopped walnuts and crumbled feta. Add bulgur; toss.

From Talk

SE users: please introduce yourselves.

I'm Rosezilla (named for my three year old daughter and the giant lizard thing that stomped Tokyo...it's what I call her when she's being...how you say...willful). My real handle is Mandy. I live in Santa Barbara County again after growing up here, but lived for 11 years in western Sonoma County...home of fabulous food and wines. It spoiled me rotten, to become an adult surrounded by all of that luscious produce and foodie opportunity. I managed a microbrewery's kitchen for 6 years, and have SERIOUS opinions about ales, should anyone care for them. Now I'm a home cook primarily, although I do a little catering here and there. My daughter's favorite foods are salmon and broccoli, so I feel as though I've triumphed a bit over the three-year-old beige-food diet. We do, however, eat at McDonald's every Friday after school...it's our little Happy Meal indulgence...and those tiny cheeseburgers are SOOO good. I live with and cook for my mother, as well. I am dating a high school band director, who has actually LOST weight being with me, as he's eating more asparagus and less fast food. I think that size 14 should be the new size 6. I am curvy, healthy, happy and active...and think that excellent foods should be part of everyone's diet. I am active in the "S'Cool Food" movement here, which tries to bring local and sustainable healthy food into school cafeterias. And I love, love, love this website.

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

"When I'm planning on being excessively bored, I always prefer snacks to meals. Sometimes eating is the best entertainment you'll have for a while, so why not drag it out?>>

Lol - I concur!"

Is what I *meant* to post.

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

>

Lol - I concur!

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

@tacroy80--that's some pretty awesome advice. I am well acquainted with the fake-sleep method of avoiding giving up the seat next to me.

On public transportation and walking around downtown, one of my friends wears huge headphones (the noise-cancelling kind that completely cover her ears) for the purpose of appearing unavailable for conversation. Brilliant.

When I'm planning on being excessively bored, I always prefer snacks to meals. Sometimes eating is the best entertainment you'll have for a while, so why not drag it out?

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

In response to Hilary: As a veteran of many Greyhound marathons, I can definitely say - expect the worst. The food facilities will be worse than you think, the people on board will be worse than you think (once you leave the Northeast the passengers get sketchier by several orders of magnitude), and the service will be worse - made sure you know exactly where you're going, have your luggage with you at all times, and don't be afraid to ask the drivers and staff at the bus stations many questions, even the same ones over and over, even if they yell at you - it's not being shrill and high-maintenance; I've saved myself from being shipped off to parts unknown several times this way. Keep checking the schedule, and don't relax until your driver actually says "this bus is headed to so-and-so." If they try to route you someplace else, ask why, and don't stop till you have a straight answer - again, even if they yell at you. (Oh, I could tell you stories ... many, many, many stories ...)

Other tips: try to look as dirty, unattractive, and unlikely to have money as you can - trust me, it'll cut way down on harassment. Keep your cell charged. And if you're a woman traveling alone, it's definitely preferable to have two seats to yourself if possible - so when you get on the bus, or when it stops to pick up more passengers, lay yourself across both seats and pretend to be asleep till everyone's seated. Won't help if the bus fills up, but it'll keep you comfortable as long as possible. Oh, and the buses can smell pretty bad, so if you're sensitive to smells you should definitely think about bringing some kind of essential oil you can dab on yourself. It also really helps to carry a blanket or two, since we're out of coat weather - you need something between your head and the window and/or the seat bar when you're resting (you could even kill two birds with one stone and douse the blanket with your favorite scent). And dress in layers, like you would on a plane, since temp can be unpredictable.

Stay safe! Hopefully I haven't scared you too much ... it's often unpleasant, yes, but if you use common sense it's not so dangerous - there are, after all, lots of people around all the time. And it'll be an adventure to remember!

One last thing - bring your own toilet paper; the bathrooms are usually out. And disinfectant gel. I'm normally against disinfectant gel because it contributes to the development of superbugs, etc., but once you see the bathrooms on the buses and in the stations you'll understand.

Good luck!

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

Chances are since it's a longer bus ride, the food facilities might be a tad better than you're expecting. Definitely still bring some foods but I wouldn't count it out before seeing it.

Hillary
Chew on That

From Talk

food for a looooooong bus trip

Perhaps some sort of rolled-up lavosh-like sandwich with lovely vegetable and cream cheese? Seems like, rolled tightly in plastic wrap, it would keep neat and relatively fresh...I've made these for lots of veg friends. Also, I make a salad with corn kernals, cooked rice, red onion, cilantro and lime juice, with a little chile powder for kick...keeps real well at picnics, so it stands to reason that it would on a bus, too (and not too smelly)!