Blog Upgrades
Hello Dream Home fans! It looks like some of you keen eyed readers have already discovered this, but I wanted to formally announce some of the upgrades we made around here recently. This morning we added the Intense Debate application to all of our HGTV blogs. There are a bunch of new features to the comments area that Intense Debate brings to the table. You’ll notice that comments are now paginated as well as being threaded. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the confusion we have where the page scrolls on for days and days. You can also subscribe to posts by email, as well as comment by email. It also adds the ability to report individual posts to us.
You’ll notice a few login options at the bottom of the page. You can login with an Intense Debate account, created at http://intensedebate.com/signup, your Facebook account, a Twitter account, or OpenID. We’ve also gone ahead and left the old method of posting, you just have to supply the same fields as always – Name, Email and an optional website.
Our hope is that all of these features will let all of your take your already passionate comments to the next level.
Please leave any questions, concerns or feedback below.
~ Chad P
HGTV Community Guy
I LOVE THIS DREAM HOUSE. When we win I plan to help other breast cancer fighters. I also need some of the money to pay my cancer medical bills. I am a 3 year survivor. I am praying that I win so I can help find a cure for breast cancer! I am excited!
Pam
Pfafftown, NC
Hi, all!
I am totally in love with the 2010 Dream House as I'm sure everyone else is!
But then, each year is my favorite!
I have a question that may seem stupid, but I can't find the viewing schedule anywhere. I missed the show last night and can't seem to find a schedule of viewings as I have in years past.
Can anyone help?
Will the HGTV Dream Home be available for tours this year? How can we get the information about tours.
Wow, I 'tour' the house every day, it is so fantastic! I can visualize my family living there. A room for everybody. The morning room would be mine, I'd set up my sewing table in there & have plenty of light to see how to sew. My 2 little girls would totally love the play house. My Grandson would love the theater room. My husband would tinker away in the garage. My 18 year old girl would love the privacy of her on place in the casita. That house had my Family in mind !!
God help the people in Haiti and I know that we all do what we can to give aide to Haiti! I don't blog often but I do want to add I'm totaloly ready to move. I don't have any small children so the childrens room is a bit over done; don't get me wrong I'd move i regardless. the rest of you people out there might as well give up because Iknow that i'll be the one chosen!!!!!!!
Anyone know why I'm not getting my e-mail reminders?? Where it says to sign up for reminders, I do every day, but I'm not getting them. I have to go back to old e-mails to enter.??????
This is the first time that I have been even close to disappointed in the "Dream Home". This one is a dud as far as I and my wife are concerned. What a disappointment.
I just saw the 2010 Dream home for the first time tonight. I love it!! I want to retire there and that's that. My husband is a computer programmer who lost his legs when he was a young adult. He likes lots of room to zoom around and he loves to cook. The kitchen is awesome and the home office and theatre (or man room as my husband would call it) ….well it's perfect. I wish I could win the house for him. A couple of years ago I made a comment on the dream home blog… I think it was at the location guessing stage. I described some things that would be great in a dream home and this house is something to dream about. Good job.
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Is THIS the intese Debate Page?
Hi everyone! Life has been hectic but I still have 5 days to win. i love this house.
MargieB
can anyone tell me exactly when the winner will be announced & what if you arent home?
The Dates of Notification are in the Sweepstakes rules…
HGTV has oudone themselves with this 2010 home giveaway. I've never entered for any other home. I entered this year many times, I think I only missed one day…. I so want to win…
When will the winner be notified? On the same day that it's announced (March 15th)?
I am so addicted to HGTV my husband says he is going to cancel like HBO etc. The 2010 Dream House is just that, a Dream. Every room is absolutely beautiful and you can't beat the location/views. I know I entered every day, I am just hoping and praying.
Hi, my name is Sandra and I live in TX., I am new to the Blog. But not to HGTV, I watch it every day and get a lot of my ideas for gardening and redesigning my home. My husband and I are retired but I stay busy ,working with an animal rescue group,Living Love Animal Rescue . WE rescue animals from the city animal control facilitys ,from three citys {small citys} and are working to make this part of the hill country a NO KILL. One of the things that we are doing is showing the facilitys how to adopt out their animals instead of killing them// By the way congratulations to our winer, God Bless
Chad, I have a problem. I have a pre-paid cell. (Straighttalk) My computer does not work. So when I can't get to the library in town to sign in my cell won't let me sign in to WordPress. It says something like Security server something. But I can't log on. Is this normal?? If I can't sign in on my cell, will my pages still count?? Beverly
And by the way… I love this new Intense Debate and WordPress operation, it is a good deal!!! Beverly
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The 2010 Green Home in Plymouth, Massachusetts winner will be announced this Monday!! They have not yet started the entering process for the 2011 HGTV Dream Home yet. But they will let us know in plenty of time when it is time to enter to win the Stowe, Vermont 2011 Dream Home. Yes!!! The Stowe, Vermont home should be beautiful, we are waiting to see the floor plans right now….. Beverly
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Recipe from Solstice
Strawberry Shortcake with Lavender Ice Cream
Martha Machia – Lead Pastry
Ingredients:
Strawberries
2 pounds Local Strawberries
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Snow Farm Late Harvest Sauterne
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
2 Tablespoon Honey
Shortcake
1 pound King Arthur All Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 Tablespoon Unsalted Cabot Butter
1 Local Egg
1 Cup of Buttermilk Delicious!!! continued Beverly
Lavender Ice Cream
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
6 Oz Sugar
1 Tablespoon Dried Lavender
½ Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
5 Egg Yolks
Best Practice
Add salt, wine, Orange Zest, & Honey to a sauce pan and warm over low heat. Remove from heat and cool. Slice strawberries and place in mixing bowl with chilled marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl and mix evenly. Add wet ingredients one at a time gently incorporating each one. Spoon out a large dollop (size of a ¼ Cup) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Heat all Ingredients except the egg yolks. Once simmering, not boiling, temper the cream mixture into the eggs and back into the sauce pan. Heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon, then strain and cool. Once completely chilled to 40 degrees place the cream mixture into an ice cream machine and turn it on. To serve: Slice biscuit, add strawberries and ice cream, top with biscuit top, add more strawberries and top with homemade whipped cream. Enjoy! YUM!!! Beverly
STOWE – THE ALPS IN VERMONT: Excellent skiing, dining, and beautiful scenery. Additional highlights are the local factory tours – Ben and Jerry's, sugar houses, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Quick Tips: We went just slightly before ski season officially started – the weather was great, there was snow enough for quite a few ski lifts to be open, and the town was almost empty. No waits on lift lines or at restaurants. Best Way To Get Around: Driving – Stowe is a small town but fairly spread out (even though almost everything is on one of two roads, the roads are long). Maybe in the summer, walking would be okay for the central area, but in winter a car is a must. Four-wheel drive is even better if it snows – the area is hilly and snow accumulates fast. This is nice!! Beverly
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory: A great tour of where and how they make their famous bears, very amusing with silly anecdotes and a staff that truly loves showing off what they do. Plus a great gift shop for the famous bears and their accessories and a build-your-own-bear area for bears that are "conceived in Vermont, born abroad" – these "imports" are made of the same materials as the factory bears, with their designs, but the "skins" are sewn abroad and then stuffed on-site, finished with a matching bow. This is sweet, Coop did you see this???? Beverly
"The Mad Batter Restaurant" — Great bed-and-breakfast restaurant that's open to the public. We had a delicious and filling breakfast here, full of Vermont specialties – Vermont cheddar and local sausage omelet, cinnamon apple pancakes with real maple syrup, Canadian bacon, and fresh fruit, which included kiwi and starfruit. Very calming atmosphere, though there's a TV in the adjoining room, so our kids could wander a bit and watch TV while we waited for breakfast – a nice plus. A nice place where you could feel comfortable bringing the children….. Beverly
"Swisspot Restaurant" – A fabulous meal – we had a fondue feast in this quaint, small village restaurant! Starting with salad and then cheese fondue, then meat and shrimp/oil-based fondue, and chocolate fondue for dessert. We had fondue for four, and asked them to split the cheese portion into two servings regular cheese fondue and two servings tomato-based cheese fondue (truly yummy). The meat fondue came with several dipping sauces. My husband tried cooking the bread from the earlier course in the hot oil – he said it was great, but I didn't go for it. Dessert chocolate fondue came with fresh fruit and pound cake and I think marshmallows. The portion for dessert was really too small, but overall it was a great meal. They even had a Swiss Fendant wine (very hard to find) by the glass. Children's menu and very child-friendly staff (but hot oil and skewers keep you on your toes with your kids). We went just before the season officially started and during a snowstorm, and the restaurant was almost empty. In season, they said waits can be very long, and I don't think they take reservations. Uuuummmm! Beverly
"AUSTRIAN TEA ROOM" – A must for any Sound of Music or Von Trapp family fan. We came here for lunch and pastry on a blustery day just before peak season. The view was spectacular. There was no wait, but unfortunately, not many Austrian specialties on the entree menu (they said the Austrian specialties came "in season"). Still, they had excellent wurts with potato salad and sauerkraut and a variety of sandwiches, plus cheddar ale soup and delicious pastries (I loved the Black Forest Cake – a chocolate and cherry masterpiece). The Viennese coffee was especially good as well. An added bonus was the gift shop selling all sorts of Austrian souvenirs, plus family recordings, songbooks, "Sound of Music" specialty gifts, and Vermont delicacies. I didn't take the kids here, but probably could have in retrospect. It wasn't as fancy as the dinner restaurant at the lodge. This is making me hungry!!! Beverly
"Dutch Pancake Cafe" – A great breakfast or brunch spot with large Dutch-style pancakes and, of course, eggs, regular pancakes, and other regular breakfast foods. The fun pancakes can be filled with so many different fillings – sweet ones like berries or peaches or even ice cream and toppings, or "savory" toppings like leek and potato with sour cream. We went twice – one morning I had a Vermont cheddar and bacon pancake, the other morning, it was potato and onion. Great kids' menu. Again, this would be a lovely place to bring the children along!!! Beverly
"GRACIES RESTAURANT" — This is a fun family restaurant with a "dog" theme – great burgers and all -American casual food. The pecan pie for dessert was fresh, homemade, and excellent. Reasonable prices – our meatloaf specials with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes were "all you can eat" for about $11. Gift shop upstairs for all things "doggie"-related and a kitty corner too. I think there was a bar there, but we liked it as a family restaurant. i would love to go upstairs and find me some gifts in the Gift shop!!!!! Can you believe "All you can eat for $11.00??) Beverly
So, with the bears in Stowe, Vermont. It is said you can protect yourself with Pepper spray or RUN? WELL, I am going to scream first and run like wild fire!! I am only thinking that Pepper spray would only make that bear even madder. I really hate snakes, but now bears, they are BIG!! Like they say… don't leave any bird feed out, or any trash out, and they won't have any reason to come to find something to eat. I can do that. hehe Beverly
Does anyone know how far along they have come on the 2011 HGTV DREAM HOME yet?? Don't you know it is going to be beautiful???!!! Jack, if you get a chance drop by on the blog and let us know how things are coming along. hehe Beverly
HGTV Dream Home 2011: Building a Foundation 1-16 http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/photo_template/articl…
HGTV Dream Home 2011: Architect's Inspiration – http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/photo_template/articl…
Vermont Apples…. & Cider, Too! There are many good reasons to visit a Vermont apple orchard or farm stand in the fall. The #1 reason: the orchard is the best place to get a crisp, fresh McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Red Delicious or any of the dozens of other varieties grown in Vermont. Almost 70 percent of the apples grown in Vermont are “Macs”, and for good reason: the flavor of the McIntosh is outstanding— for eating out of hand, for pressing into fresh (or hard) cider, for apple sauce, and—yes— for pies. A just-picked McIntosh is tart, juicy and full of flavor that you might not have experienced in the “hardware” apples found in many supermarkets 365 days of the year. continued Beverly
Whether it’s a warm and sunny “tee-shirt and shorts kind of day”, or one of those familiar brisk New England days when a jacket or sweater feels just right, a day spent in the orchard is great fun for the whole family. If you’re like most folks, you might not get a lot chances to visit an apple orchard, so make a day of it! It’s usually best to arrive at the orchard early in the day, although any time of day will work. Fill your own box or basket, or have everyone pitch in the same container. (One rule: treat apples like they’re eggs. Apples bruise easily, so be gentle with them). While you’re picking, think about all the things you can do with your bounty: apples for snacking, apples for apple sauce, apples for pies and cobblers, apples for smoothies…the list goes on! Beverly
I could taste a Vermont apple right now!!!!!
Visit a cider mill: Fresh apple cider is a fall tradition in New England. Vermont has dozens of small cider mills, pressing cider from just-picked apples. Apple cider straight from the mill has a distinctive sweet-tart flavor, just like the apples on the tree. Hot or cold, apple cider has a decided taste advantage over those juice drinks and juice cocktails lining the supermarket aisles. Storing apples: When you get home, store your just-picked apples in the refrigerator. For larger quantities, store in as cold a room as possible (usually a cellar or unheated garage will do). Keep several in a convenient location for quick, healthy snacks during the day. Beverly
New England Fresh-cut Apple Slices
A New Opportunity for New England's Apple Growers: New England's state departments of agriculture will soon be concluding a market research activity directed at tapping into the fast-growing "fresh-cut" fruit market. The primary goal of the activity has been to increase consumption of New England apples. Fresh-cut apple slices are not seen as a replacement for whole apples, but as an opportunity to gain greater access to the growing convenience or snack-food market (including candy, chips, sugar-laden pastries and other items). continued Beverly
During the past 20 years, obesity among adults has risen significantly in the United States. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older-over 60 million people-are obese. This increase is not limited to adults. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged 6-19 years, 16 percent (over 9 million young people) are considered overweight. New England's produce industry can help to reverse this trend by making its products more accessible to "on the go" consumers! Here are some related facts & figures: continued Beverly
For over a decade, U.S. fresh apple consumption has been on the decline. In 1990, per capita consumption was 19.58 pounds; in 2002, consumption had dropped to 15.6 pounds. Convenience has become a critical factor in food sales. Nearly 50 percent of the U.S. food dollar is now spent on foodservice sales (restaurants, schools, etc.). Within the next ten years, convenience foods are expected to account for 50 percent of supermarket sales. Fresh-cut produce is the fastest growing segment of the produce industry. Nationwide, fresh-cut fruit sales are $300 million, and they're expected to grow to over $1 billion in the next three to four years. Last year, MacDonald's introduced its Apple Dippers product, which used 1 percent of the entire U.S. apple crop. To ensure New England state apple growers access to this important market sector, the New England state departments of agriculture obtained a USDA grant to conduct a business analysis and explore marketing opportunities for fresh-cut apple slices in our region. continued Beverly
School foodservice managers are excited about the fresh-cut apple slices. There's no waste to deal with. Kids enjoy eating the slices. Kids in the 5- to 8-year old range (those losing their "baby teeth") can comfortably eat the slices. Apples are less likely to promote tooth decay than many other snacks (candy, chips, etc.). The Harvest New England Association would like to thank the New England Apple Association and J.P. Sullivan & Company for their support of the fresh-cut apple slices project.
Opportunities may be available for other New England produce, including:
Carrots, Blueberries, Cranberries and Cherry tomatoes. For more information on the Harvest New England program go to: http://www.harvestnewengland.org This is some very informative information I found. Beverly
Anyway for us to pick "Last Activity" for our default choice to be that way each time?
Maybe everyone would like that. Not sure. Could we vote on it?
Thanks!
Hi Karyn – Just the 1 blog. Intense Debate is an add-on to the existing blogs.