I saw it and was so dissappointed with the outdoor decorations because I couldn't use any of them down here where the weather is either rainy or the wind is blowing 30mph this time of year. We need indestructible materials to decorate down here. LOL The decorations were very nice though for those who can have them. I loved all the interiors and watching the kids with all that candy, was the best.

I have been thinking of doing a block party too. We have lived here for 10 years and don't know many neighbors - I would love to learn something interesting about each neighbor but wondered what would be the best way to do this. I toyed with the idea of doing a progressive block party (refreshment at first house, chips at next house, soup in disposable cups at third house, BBQ in the middle of the street for hamburgers and hot dogs, potatoe salad at next house, olives and pickles at next, desert at my house, etc. i don't know if the neighbors would be interested but this way we could visit their home, see pictures of their family, actualy place the family with their children WITH their home. We might learn a little more about them by seeing their pets, a hobbie, etc. Just like our neighbors - we are so busy, I haven't got to the planning stage yet. I was going to hire a good friend to do the BBQ part and check with the police department to see if we are legally allowed to block off our block from traffic for an eveing any more. I am at a loss what else to use the middle of the street for though. I can't imagine dancing and music unless the neighbors would be interested and can't afford to rent one of those blown up jumping houses for the kids, but have a friend/neighbor that might be willing to let kids take turns on riding his horse. We could rig up a dunking tank but who would be dunk? Anyway, I would love to hear more ideas.

Maggie, I don't use a recipe so looked around on the Internet and this one was the closest to how I make it. I deveined the raw shrimp and cut them in half lengthwise so they wouldn't stick up too high. I sauteed them in the butter after the veal was done but didn't add the green onions or Worcestershire sauce. The only other change I made was using fresh asparagus, which I steamed in the microwave and then plunged into ice water the day before, then refrigerated in a covered container overnight. I only cook the veal about 2 or 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat, then remove the pan for it to cool down a bit before adding the seafood. VEAL OSCAR 1 1/2 lbs. veal cutlets, cut into serving-size pieces 1/3 c. all-purpose flour 1/8 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/8 tsp. garlic powder 1/3 c. butter, melted 1 c. fresh lump crab meat 1/2 c. chopped green onions 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen asparagus spears, cooked (optional) Bearnaise Sauce Chopped fresh parsley Flatten cutlets to 1/4 inch thickness, if necessary. Combine flour and seasonings; dredge cutlets in flour mixture. Cook veal in melted butter in a large skillet until browned on both sides. Remove meat, and keep warm, reserving drippings in skillet. Add crab meat, green onions, and Worcestershire sauce to drippings in skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thoroughly heated. Arrange asparagus over each piece of veal, if desired. Spoon crab meat mixture evenly over asparagus; top with Bearnaise Sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Actually the idea came to me some time ago: 1. A hot dog is a hot dog, itâÂÂs a âÂÂlow-rentâ âÂÂball-parkâ food item even if you wrap bacon around it. How do you make a gourmet appetizer dog? 2. Hot dogs can taste good, but too much fat, and sodium. Of course you can cut a hot dog in half lengthwise, but you will lose a few friends that way. I needed a way of making a hot dog with less meat without making people feel that they are being cheated. 3. How do you make kids eat asparagus? So I came up with this idea, and developed a gadget to make the hot dog tubes precisely and quickly. Interestingly even with a lot of the meat removed, you still get the good feeling that you are eating a hot dog. When you serve it on homemade bun/bread, ------- that elevates the lowly weenie from an underdog to royal connoisseur appetizer status. I agree with Jo, there are other ways of using this concept. This opens up a lot possibilities of hot dog appetizer ideas. I can see all kinds of fillings you can inject inside the tube. The meat removed is not wasted. I found that it gives better texture and taste in making meat balls and meat loaf. dcarch