| OUTDOORS REPORT
Penny Yemans of the Texas City Dike Light Pier reported steady fishing lately with the warmer temperatures. Bull redfish and over-sized black drum remain constants, and more sharks are beginning to show. Those fishing for panfish have taken lots of whiting, sand trout and croakers. A few speckled trout have been taken on live shrimp, including a five-pounder. Matagorda Guide Mark Talasek reported fair fishing on the south shoreline of West Matagorda Bay on live shrimp and dark-colored TTF Flats Minnows. Redfish are showing in Oyster Lake and Crab Lake on shrimp. Some redfish, trout, sheepshead and whiting are showing at the jetty pier on live bait. Sam Rayburn Black bass are fair on Senkos, lizards and jigs in 4-12 feet of water. Some spawning action has occurred and some bass remain on beds.
France on two feet a day
FIGEAC, FRANCE - After 25 years of marriage, my husband and I decided it was time for the best vacation ever. (Parents newly liberated from teenagers will understand why we felt so deserving.) Our wish list included elements that don't usually share a travel itinerary: hiking through beautiful foreign terrain, taking in historical sights, eating gourmet food and sleeping in comfortable beds. No sleeping on lumpy ground and dining on dehydrated entrees.We managed to find the cushy, civilized hiking trip of our dreams on a self-guided walking tour in the Dordogne region of France last October, just after sending our youngest child off to college.It was a soft-adventure vacation with just the right physical challenge for the semi-wimpy set -- those who like to sweat and rack up just over 81 miles over six days without risking broken bones or discomfort.We tramped along paths that have been used for centuries, moving at our own pace, our only goal for the day to transport ourselves from one exquisite medieval town to another in time for a shower and a lavish dinner.
What’s best? New products, taste test among show’s features
The fun part of planning a Food Focus show is shopping for new products. Advocate food columnist Corinne Cook has a knack for discovering interesting gadgets that cooks will enjoy finding out about. This year, one of our favorite new tools is a First Slice pie lifter accessory that assistant food editor Cheramie Sonnier found at the Williams-Sonoma store in the Mall of Louisiana. The nonstick wedge-shaped pie slice form is positioned in the bottom of a pie pan; the crust is then fitted into the pan on top of the First Slice maker, and the pie is filled and baked according to your recipe. When ready to serve, the First Slice lifter is located, the pie sliced along the edges of the form and then the rim of the form is used to neatly lift out that first slice. This is a handy tool for a pie baker and something you could give as a thank-you gift to someone who enjoys baking.
Spaghetti sauce suppers
A few months ago, our fun-and food-loving Register copy editor agreed to test recipes from David Joachim's cookbook ("A Man, A Can, and a Tailgate Plan"). So when I saw the author's latest book, I hoped to hit pay dirt again. Joachim's "The Spaghetti Sauce Gourmet" (Fair Winds Press, $19.95) has more than 160 easy recipes that use bottled pasta sauce, such as pesto, Alfredo and clam sauce, as well as good old marinara. And although Wright has a refined palate, he considers himself somewhat of a novice when it comes to cooking. He's just the kind of cook the author has in mind for his spaghetti-sauce-based cookery. But initially, it wasn't the recipes that reeled him in. It was the book's eye-catching cover. Set into the hard-back surface is a depiction of a large jar of marinara.
EU Socialists call for hedge fund regulation
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hedge funds and private equity pose risks to financial market stability and should be regulated more tightly, top Socialist MEPs said on Thursday. The European Union assembly's second-largest group unveiled a report which it said showed the case for mandatory regulation in a sector that has hit the headlines in recent months for its ever-bigger takeovers and sparked labour union concern. "We are dealing with hedge funds raising questions of systemic risk," Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the group and a former prime minister of Denmark, told reporters. Hedge fund TCI put Dutch bank ABN AMRO (AAH.AS: Quotazione, Profilo) into play last month by asking for it to be split up to create more value to shareholders. Private equity firm Texas Pacific Group came under fire when airline catering firm Gate Gourmet, which it has since sold, sacked hundreds of people.
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