How reliable do you find Trip Advisor.com and other site reviews?
lsst
15 years ago
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aka_raeanne
15 years agoRelated Discussions
How often do you visit your home site?
Comments (30)We own our land and are doing a custom build. We go by every day but also ran that by our GC as a courtesy. He laughed and said "It's your house, of course". A lot of times I go by after everyone has left so I can walk through it myself and see what has been done or catch any issues. I definitely find this easier to do when no one is there. We also set up a once a week meeting where we know everyone necessary will be there with my husband and me. During that time we can discuss more of the down the line stuff, i.e., they can give us a heads up on what we need to pick out, etc. or tell us about any snafus. I will note that I probably talk to my GC on the phone every other day as well. I *do not* bring my kids when people are working and while they love seeing things in progress, I either have them wait in the car or bring someone with me as a second set of eyes. Lastly, I usually bring a box of Dunkin Donuts coffee when I go in the morning; sometimes muffins too. And I always make sure there is water on site. We have a greenhouse on our property so I leave them there and let our GC tell the other guys so I don't interrupt their work. Good Luck and Have Fun!...See MoreHow far away do you live from your new build site?
Comments (21)Happy 4th of July WWWonderwhiskers! It being the 4th of July and then seeing this old post revived reminds me of the 4th of July that passed while we were in the midst of building our house. (July 4, 2008). That summer was dry and hot and the 4th was a windy day. Since we were building out in the country, round mid-afternoon DH and I got to worrying about what might happen is someone started shooting off fireworks on or near our property. All that wood and sawdust in our less-than-half-completed new home and nobody to call the fire department if a fire got started! So we skipped out of the barbeque we HAD been planning to go to, dug up a couple of our battery operated camp lanterns, bought a bucket of chicken and headed out to the new house with our cell phones. We spent the entire evening perched on a 4x8 sheet of plywood up in the attic (roof wasn't on yet) of our new house watching distant fireworks and looking at the stars! Finally headed back home to bed around midnight when we finally stopped seeing or hearing any fireworks. One of my better memories of the house-building process... Happy 4th everybody!...See MoreSingle wall oven reliability vs Double Oven Reviews/Reliability
Comments (8)My double oven just died after 14 years. Cannot fix it because I have to replace the "Brain" plus the self-cleaning lock and convection fan. To replace the brain would cost about $400 for the part. I can probably fix it but after 14 years, I am better off getting that Gaggenau that you all talk about. However, there is no doubt that two ovens would have been more reliable in my case. In my case, the damaged was caused by the self-cleaning function. The upper oven was used twice-daily while the lower level was used once a month. But I cannot complain, I did get 14 years out of it!...See MoreWho do you find to be reliable?
Comments (47)I had cable for a while and now watch it when I am home. I had FN on almost constantly. I loved the cooking shows, but most of the ones I love aren't being produced anymore. I still get a lot of recipes off the FoodNetwork Web site. My all time favorite Food Network cook to watch is Michael Chiarello, for so many reasons! I have tried some of his recipes, they are mostly good, but not ones I will come back to, most are too elaborate for single me in my tiny kitchen to pull off. But I can dream . . . As for Ina, I love watching her show, she clearly loves to cook and entertain. But I have NEVER made a single recipe of hers. They all start with, "Take a 1/2 lb. of butter . . . " Nothing wrong with that as far as cooking and taste is concerned. Butter makes everything taste good and is one of the secrets of French cooking. But I simply cannot eat or cook like that. This is not a criticism of Ina or her recipes, she is what she is and makes no apologies. But if the question is what recipes do I use, it would not be hers. But she is a great cook, so if you need a "reliable" recipe that will taste great, yes, Ina can do that. Butter is a reliable friend in the kitchen, that's for sure! :) I greatly enjoy Giada and Rachel's shows too. My experience with their recipes has been mixed--some are fantastic and some are not good at all. Being vegetarian there are only certain recipes of theirs I can make. As for Rachel, as I once heard Mario Batalli say, "This is how America cooks." Since so many of us are trying to pull together a meal quickly when coming home from work exhausted, I find her approach fun and inspiring, particularly for newer cooks. Two men whose recipes I often like are Bobby Flay and Tyler Florence. Most of Bobby's stuff I do not make since it is meat, but I find that the man has a real way with other ingredients too--he's a mean vegetarian cook. Tyler just seems to cook the kinds of things I like to eat--emphasis on Mediterannean flavors. Now, that said, my favorite cooking shows are on PBS, and these are ones I use VERY often for inspiration. My ALL TIME favorite is Lidia Bastianich. Her show comes on Saturdays and I cannot tell you how many times I have been inspired to make something after watching her show. I also love Sarah Moulton's show, "Weeknight Meals." She has great guests, and lots of good vegetarian fare. And MS Everyday Foods show often has a recipe I'm inspired to try. Nothing fancy, just great versions of the classics. I love watching Jacques Pepin of course, but have not made many of his dishes, again, mostly due to the meat issue. I enjoy the "America's Test Kitchen" show, but again, mostly meat, and the recipes I have tried have been OK, but the blather about these being special secret definitive ways to do things just doesn't wash in my experience. I have one of their cookbooks and nothing in it so far has been fantastic. I did have a pumpkin cheesecake at a friend's house from their recipe and it was by far the best I have ever had, in fact the ONLY recipe for that concoction that I have liked. Alton Brown is Too Much Information for me, although this is not a criticism. Again, I just don't cook that elaborately. I've also enjoyed Steven Raichlin or some such spelling, he has a barbecue show, but I don't barbecue. I like a lot of shows I don't cook from, like Rick Bayless' show, etc. But I just don't use their recipes. I think Emeril is really a very good chef, but like most of you, I find his recipes are just too fussy. But that's the way great chef's cook--it's the little extra steps and attention to detail that make their food so great. NOT my style though. I have to stick with simple things that still taste good for recipes I will actually use....See Moredazyjune
15 years agolinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
15 years agomauimeck_hotmail_com
13 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years agogr8daygw
12 years agobiochem101
12 years agoemma
11 years ago
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