Epinions Recent Reviews for conradd

Into the Crucible - how U.S. Marines are made

Mon, 11 Nov 2002 05:22:21 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - In the field of metallurgy, a crucible is a container in which raw materials are heated to a high temperature and transformed into something more than the original contents. The necessary properties of a crucible are that it maintain its strength and...

Les Miserablés: Bring this bit of Broadway to your living room

Sun, 1 Apr 2001 15:49:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Personal Prologue:

Victor Hugo's epic work Les Miserablés has been a defining influence in my life. After reading the book countless times, seeing every movie version available, and viewing the stage show 3 times, I've wondered why I...

The Daily Grind - and why I have three grinders

Mon, 19 Feb 2001 03:16:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - One of the great pleasures of morning is the aroma of fresh ground coffee as hot water drips through it, creating a rich dark ambrosia that promises a kickstart to the waiting day. And Folger's commercials notwithstanding, the best coffee is made with...

Bicycle Playing Cards: Poker Face Optional

Sun, 7 Jan 2001 22:39:56 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - My son has unwrapped a new Bicycle each Christmas since he was 5 years old. This year, he was happy to receive two, one red and one blue. Small enough to tuck into a Christmas stocking, these Bicycles are inexpensive and can be played with in an...

Shake, Rattle, and Roll with Pokémon Yahtzee Jr.

Wed, 27 Dec 2000 14:50:24 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - ‘twas the night after Christmas and all through the house,

The family was gathered, too tired to carouse.

The children had gone, under protest, to bed.

While thoughts of their Christmas gifts danced in their heads.

My brother...

The French Laundry Cookbook: for committed cooks only

Sat, 23 Dec 2000 02:05:26 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - If Thomas Keller, French Laundry restaurant owner, had been interested in art instead of cooking, the world might have been blessed with another Renoir or Rembrandt. His passionate dedication to excellent food requires uncompromising dedication to only...

Heat up your kitchen with Big Jakes and Chocolate Orgasms

Mon, 27 Nov 2000 01:53:17 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - If author Judy Rosenberg is right, there is a physiological if not a downright sensual connection between what we see and how we feel about eating it. In her first cookbook, she certainly provides ample evidence in support of this hypothesis. After a...

Scuffling off to hoe my row (Helping Hands Write-off)

Sat, 4 Nov 2000 20:33:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - I come from a long line of gardeners. All four of my grandparents were avid gardeners, planting enough vegetables annually to feed a small African country. My grandmothers canned hundreds of quarts of beans, corn, tomatoes, peaches, pears, and other...

It's good to be queen, even if only in the kitchen

Fri, 3 Nov 2000 00:04:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Okay , she's not a cook. When Mary Engelbreit was asked by a reporter if she was a culinary artist as well as an everything-else artist, she replied, "If my family had to depend on me for food, they would starve to death in a really cute...

60 years with Betsy is not enough time

Fri, 29 Sep 2000 23:24:49 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - When Carolyn Haywood published "B" is for Betsy in 1939, she may not have considered that 60 years later, several generations of children would have enjoyed her charming tales of a very normal little girl. Betsy was my hero as a...

Women who drill and the men who love them

Sat, 16 Sep 2000 22:07:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Prologue:

As a single mom, I’m responsible not only for the care and feeding of my teenage son, but for the care and maintenance of the home we live in. This means that when the faucet drips, the roof leaks, the door comes unhinged, or the...

Barbecued steak and a side of nails

Wed, 13 Sep 2000 18:16:31 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - When my son was an infant, the baby care task I dreaded most was clipping his tiny fingernails. After one traumatic afternoon when I accidentally nicked his skin, I left this chore to the pediatric nurse during well baby checks or my mom during visits...

Pasta Perfect

Mon, 4 Sep 2000 23:22:33 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - There are very few people who disdain pasta. Boiled or baked, sauced or plain, fresh or dried, pasta is an extremely versatile food source that can be found in hundreds of shapes, sizes, and flavors. The dispute over the origin of pasta is not resolved...

Salty's Restaurant on the Columbia: Brunch with the Fishes

Sun, 27 Aug 2000 22:17:44 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - What do you call a fish with no eyes? This question (and several others) were part of a Halibut Brain Food Quiz that several hundred Salty's Restaurant patrons recently played. Although only two guests were lucky winners, the others had...

Creating a Need to Knead

Sat, 26 Aug 2000 18:39:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Bread is a staple of every cuisine. Throughout times past and into present day kitchens, a fragrant fresh-baked loaf of bread – leavened or unleavened, whole grain or white, sweet or savory – brings families and friends together at a very basic level...

First thing in the morning, last thing at night

Sun, 20 Aug 2000 13:16:40 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - My morning routine is fairly simple. I hit the snooze button once too often, then lie in bed thinking "I really need to get up" interspersed with wondering "Did I start that load of laundry last night? Did I remember to turn on...

Eukanuba: Premium provisions for pampered pups

Mon, 7 Aug 2000 22:33:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - As the mother of a 16 year old son and quasi-mother of an 4 year old miniature pinscher named Harley, I can honestly say that my dog is far more of a picky eater than my son has ever been. After sampling a number of premium dog foods, Eukanuba Lamb...

Hugo, Victor: Victor Hugo - Les Misérables: A mirror to the soul

Thu, 13 Jul 2000 19:59:16 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - A classic is something everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. – Mark Twain, The Disappearance of Literature.

Prologue:

I’ve always been an avid reader. I learned to read at age 4 and by the...

Grill Crazy? You need this cookbook!

Sat, 10 Jun 2000 13:27:46 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Cooking outdoors has always appealed to my deeply buried cavewoman instincts. I love campfire cookery, but the city I live in frowns on open fires on non-burn days. So, I am forced to make do with my charcoal and gas grills. The aroma of meat,...

Ruth's Chris Steak House: Carnivorous Habits Die Hard

Sun, 4 Jun 2000 23:02:10 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - “Shane, can you keep Saturday night open? I’m doing another Epinions Dine-off at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Portland.”

“If you want a steak, why don’t we just go to Sizzler?”

Realization dawns . . . “Is this...

Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy tales for the inner child

Wed, 31 May 2000 22:02:13 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - My maternal grandmother was born in Odense Denmark in 1890. As a young child, her older brothers and sisters captivated her with tales of an ugly duckling who grew to be a swan, a mermaid princess who longed for a life on land, and a tin soldier with...

McCormick & Schmick - Chewy clams and dreamy desserts

Sun, 16 Apr 2000 23:02:26 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - For longer than I care to admit, the majority of my out-of-the-house dining experiences have been at establishments which routinely ask me if I want to super-size my food. This is hardly by choice. I am passionate about good food and fine dining...

Life behind Harem Walls

Thu, 30 Mar 2000 14:07:46 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a middle eastern harem?

Elizabeth Fernea spent several years in Iraq with her husband who was collecting field research for his Ph.D. While there, she kept detailed notes...

Cosmetics: Will Work For Lancome

Mon, 27 Mar 2000 05:47:15 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - I am a woman of few vices. I don't smoke, gamble, or dabble in illicit drugs. My romantic life is non-existent. Drinking is confined to an occasional glass of Merlot. So, what brings me secret pleasure?

I live for bonus time at my...

Sorry George, there's a new grill in town

Tue, 7 Mar 2000 23:23:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author conradd - I’ve always been loyal. I’ve had the same core group of friends since high school. I prefer my grandmother’s straight-stitch sewing machine to my ultra-modern Singer. So, when I got my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Machine last year, I thought...