June 28, 2016. Lunch – Taj Mahal. Dinner – Cesar Salad with chicken breast ice cream, chocolate covered almonds and chocolate chip cookies

June 28, 2016. Lunch – Taj Mahal. Dinner – Cesar Salad with chicken breast ice cream, chocolate covered almonds and chocolate chip cookies

I ate granola, fresh blueberries, tropical fruit salad, and yogurt with a splash of milk for breakfast.  

Luke is in town and suggested we go to Taj Mahal for lunch.  The buffet is so good I often over eat.  I tried to restrain myself today, taking one thigh of tandoori chicken and onions, a little curried chicken, a few meat balls, some mung Dahl, saag, culcha, and finally some stewed squash.

We drank water and finished our meal with a bowl of rice pudding.

We both loved Taj Majal.  The food is always delicious and the ingredients are the best.

We had invited Megan to come tell us about San Miguel de Allende and we invited our traveling partners, Cynthia and Ricardo, to join us for dinner and a chat about Mexico.

I menu was Cesar Salad.  I started cooking around 4:00.  I burned the first tray of croutons, so Suzette had to go get a loaf of French bread at Lowe’s and she made croutons while I cut up four heads of romaine lettuce and made a classic Cesar Salad dressing following the Bon Appetit recipe.

Here is the recipe:

Classic Caesar Salad

A great Caesar salad gets its swagger from a great dressing. Squeamish about raw egg yolks and anchovies? Sorry. Yolks are what give richness to the emulsion, while anchovies provide a briny blast (and that whole umami thing). This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 6

The Dressing

6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 small garlic clove

Kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more

¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

The Croutons

3 cups torn 1" pieces country bread, with crusts

3 tablespoons olive oil

The Lettuce

3 romaine hearts, leaves separated

The Cheese

Parmesan, for serving

Recipe Tips

I chilled a bottle of good white 2012 Cotes du Rhone and a 2003 Murphy Goode Fume Blanc. 

Cynthia and Ricardo brought 2013 Forest Pouilly Fuisse and dessert.  Suzette brought a roasted chicken home.  

Megan arrived at 6:00 and Cynthia and Ricardo a bit later.  They had drinks and started a lengthy discussion about San Miguel de Allende, while I puttered with the dressing, slicing cheese and chicken and dressing the salad.

When the salad was ready we served it in large pasta bowls and carried them and our glasses outside.  The Murphy Goode 2003 Fume Blanc was not bad but was decidedly oxidized with a slight bitter after taste, so we did not pour it.  

We ate at the table in the garden under the gazebo.  After we finished the Cotes du Rhone White we drank the Forest Pouilly Fuisse white.

After dinner Cynthia and Suzette made us parfaits with a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of piña colada, and a Pepperidge Farm Saulsalido chocolate chip cookie.

Megan had a trip planned to Ghost Ranch the next day, so we said goodnight around 10:00.

Bon Appetit 

June 26, Lax and goat cheese on Pita bread, a Polish dog at Costco, and Grilled Chicken thighs and Sautéed Onion and string beans

June 26, Lax and goat cheese on Pita bread, a Polish dog at Costco, and Grilled Chicken thighs and Sautéed Onion and string beans 

I rode 8 miles, then watched the news programs while switching to the EUFA Soccer match.  While the shows were on I cut two pita breads in half and toasted them.  When they were toasted, I smeared them with California goat cheese from Costco and then slices of Gravad lax and onion and a few capers.  I took Suzette’s to her in the garden where she was reading the Sunday Journal.  

At 10:00 Suzette and Willy went shopping for stuff for his apartment and they returned a little after noon.  We were hungry,  so we drove to Costco to eat.  Willy and Suzette ate pizza and I had a polish dog with all the condiments, relish, mustard, and ketchup and chopped onions with lemonade.

Then we bought Willy a toaster, a Britta filtered water pitcher, a message board, a tea kettle, and a few small items for his kitchen, such as dish soap and sponges.  Earlier in the morning Suzette and Willy had selected a 6 foot high rack, a bar stool, a kitchen rack, and a small book shelf.

After we shopped at Costco we went to Willy’s apartment at 205 Silver and unloaded all the stuff and spent several hours assembling everything.  Also Suzette strained the bed frame that Robin gave Willy for his bed.

Finally, we went home around 4:30.  Suzette was tired from her day of shopping so I volunteered to fix dinner, which means that I plan the menu and start the prep and then Suzette helps cook dinner.  I defrosted eight chicken thighs in the microwave and we decided to put a paprika rub on them and grill them and then finish them in the oven. We are running down on vegetables and are carbohydrate adverse so I decided to sauté onion rings and string beans with garlic.  I de-stemmed the green beans and blanched them in some water with a sprig of fresh mint.  I then sliced a yellow onion and two cloves of garlic and put them into a large skillet.  Then after a few minutes I added the string beans.  

The propane ran out but the chicken was almost cooked so Suzette cooked the chicken in the microwave for 5 minutes more.

I opened a bottle of Nessa Albariño and chilled the glasses of wine with ice, put out the mint sauce,  and we had a wonderful dinner.

Bon Appetit

June 25, 2016 Brunch – BLT Sandwich Dinner – Tapas at Cynthia and Ricardo’s a ham, asparagus, pimiento, artichoke heart and saffron Tapa

June 25, 2016 Brunch – BLT Sandwich  Dinner – Tapas at Cynthia and Ricardo’s   a ham, asparagus, pimiento, artichoke heart and saffron Tapa

We planted radishes and lettuce in the garden.  Suzette worked for several hours getting the garden ready for the big party next Sunday while I edited a brief due next Wednesday in the Court of Appeals.

When we both finished around noon Willy and Suzette made BLT sandwiches for which I went to the garden to pick lettuce.

Then I prepped the ham, asparagus, pimiento, artichoke heart and saffron Tapa we were taking.  Instead of Serrano ham, I diced two smoked pork cutlets.  Instead of frozen peas I used fresh asparagus diced finely.  Suzette chopped a canned pimiento and a can of artichoke hearts and we Sautéed the ham and then added the other ingredients in a large sauce pan.  It was a little dry so I added 2 or 3 T. of Amontillado Sherry and a bit more olive oil.  Finally I added about 1/2 T. of ground saffron pedals and flowers.  

We grabbed a bottle of La Granja a 50% Tempranillo and 50% Grenache blend from Rioja and the tapa and drove to Cynthia and Ricardo’s.  The band “the Lost Souls of Mardi Gras” were practicing so we took our tapa and wine into the kitchen and got a drink and went back outside to listen to the band.

In about an hour the band finished and food and wine was served.  Cynthia had made a kale salad and canapés of slices of smoked salmon on Bosque Bakery walnut bread garnished with dollops of Crema and black Danish lumpfish caviar.  Cynthia also made a lovely cool cucumber and yogurt soup garnished with julienned fresh green onion.  Others brought chicken and chow Mein noodle wraps in green flour tortillas that we cut into ¾ inch thick rounds and dressed with the sweet vinaigrette, there was an olive medley and a lovely store made salami and tortellini pasta salad.  We enjoyed the tapas and salads accompanied by chilled La Granja.  

Cynthia had sliced a watermelon into slices, but we did not eat any of it.

We left around 5:00 and went home.  We were so full we could not even think about dinner. 

Bon Appetit

June 24, 2016 Lunch PPI Vietnamese Noodles. Dinner Joseph’s Table

June 24, 2016 Lunch  PPI Vietnamese Noodles.  Dinner  Joseph’s Table

Always looking to balance the perfect food for my body with the new and the interesting.

I started with my favorite breakfast; granola with Fage Greek Yogurt, fresh blueberries, and a splash of milk.

I fully intended to make a Miso Noodle soup for lunch, but I opted for the PPI Vietnamese rice noodles, lettuce, and mung bean sprouts from yesterday’s lunch at Vietnam 2000.  The noodles tend to get soggy tasting after sitting for a day in the sweetened fish sauce they are served with,but today they still tasted surprisingly fresh.  The grilled pork was fine also, but the fried egg rolls were inedible, soggy and falling apart.  I actually enjoyed the noodle with the still fresh and crisp bean sprouts.

Suzette arrived around 2:30 and we left for Santa Fe at 3:00.

We first went to Stephen’s Consignment and found a nice Mid-century wrought iron floor lamp for Willy’s apartment and two inter-locking drop leaf tables.

At a bit after 5:00 we drove to Nedra Matteucci’s, which was having an opening, to pick up Jessie’s Fremont Ellis.  I had never been to an opening at Matteucci’s before and was amazed by two things.  First, the size and beauty of the gardens behind the gallery.  The garden must be the most beautiful in Santa Fe and even more so because it sits at the corner of two busy streets: Paseo de Peralta and Acequia Madre.  We said hello to Ann Brown, who invited us to go outside and get a beer.  When we went out to the garden we found lots of folks and two open bars.  This was a peek into old Santa Fe of the 70’s and 80’s, to the extent it still exists.  The trust fund children enjoying the good life in Santa Fe.  Suzette ordered a hand shaken margarita and I ordered a gin and tonic with a slice of lime and we soon began to feel as though we fit in a bit.  After we drank our drinks and looked at the Art we put Jessie’s Fremont Ellis into the car with the assistance of Victoria and drove to Andrew Smith’s Gallery parking lot beside the Georgia O’Keefe Museum at the corner of Grant and Johnson and walked the long block to 128 Palace where Jane Phillip’s 20 photographer group show was being held.  It was upstairs give a gallery in an un air conditioned room filled with two photos by each photographer.  We quickly looked at the photos and left to meet Max at the Palace Restaurant bar, which has been renovated back to its original décor after the prior ranch house theme. 

It was 6:51 and still happy hour, so Suzette and I each ordered a Sauzo Silver margarita for $8.00 and a wedge of iceburg lettuce salad with a three bean salad garnish (garbanzo, string, and red kidney beans) with a tangy Italian vinaigrette for $5.00.  We enjoyed both and met Lydia and Karen, who were with Max.  Lydia is a business partner of Max and thus Oneida my clients and Karen lives in next to Max and Jane in the same condo development.  

We talked and drank until 8:00 when Jane’s opening ended and she joined us.  We discussed dinner and I suggested Joseph’s Table, which met with approval by all.

So Suzette called and made a reservation for 8:15 and we re-grouped at Joseph’s Table at a table next the front door.  The wine prices were outrageous, so we all decided to drink beer or pear cider.  Suzette and Lydia ordered Cassoulet served with a tomatillo sauce,  I ordered duck served with a sweet glaze, a ramekin of a fresh red grape in Crème fraiche cold salad.  The 1/2 duck confit was laid on a bed of Sautéed red cabbage that was seasoned with red chile powder that gave it a really zippy flavor (joseph’s indulgence to Southwestern cuisine that I really liked after I got used to the concept of spicy cabbage.  I was able to make well balanced flavorful bites by combining duck meat with cabbage and dipping them into the glaze sauce.  If that still left as icy taste in my mouth I would take a small bite of the fresh grape crème fraiche salad.  Before I ordered I noticed that the three people at the next table were all eating the duck entrée, so I asked them if they liked it.  The man of the group named Dan told me to order the duck with the glaze on the side, so I did and was happy I did because the duck had been sauteed under a weight that crisped the skin and the glaze would have interfered with the skin’s crispness.  Dan also recommended the duck at Ma Mamou on Palace across the street.  It turned out that An and his wife were just as enamored with roasted duck as I am.  They mentioned the duck at Torino’s @ home as their favorite duck stop in Albuquerque.  If they read this, I wish to let them know that East Ocean at 3601 Carlisle also serves a killer roasted duck.

Karen and Jane ordered the Grilled Swordfish special with a tomato cream sauce and a crème fraiche sauce.  I liked the thickened tomato cream sauce, another thing I have not ever eaten.Max ordered Free range chicken.  I also tasted Suzette’s Cassoulet and loved its rich meat and herb flavors.

Everyone was ordering the Italian Cloud Cake, so I requested our waiter to save one for us.

Hot rolls fresh from the oven were brought that were so delicious that I ordered another basket of them.

After we had finished our entrees, the waiter brought the Cloud a Cake and it elicited its usual impressive reaction, a six or seven inch high wedge of baked sweetened egg whites that was as light as a feather surrounded by puddles of caramel sauce, crème Anglais, and grapefruit and orange slices.  The ultimate dessert.

If you want to eat at the front of the wave, I suggest Joseph’s Table.  I have been enjoying his cooking since he and his ex moved back from the south of France to open their little restaurant in the old house in Ranchos de Taos years ago and can only remember memorable meals.

We said goodnight at 10:00 after a lovely two hour two course dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Fe.  

Bon Appetit

June 23, 2016 Lunch. Vietnam 2000. Dinner Grilled Rib Steak with Eggplant Provençal

June 23, 2016 Lunch. Vietnam 2000.  Dinner  Grilled Rib Steak with Eggplant Provençal

Willy, Suzette, and I met Luke at Vietnam 2000 for lunch.  We ordered three No. 21’s.  Suzette and I split one.  Luke and Willy did not finish their bowls of noodles, so we boxed their for later consumption.

I went through the fridge and found a steak I had bought at Sprouts a week ago,so we decided to grill it with slices of eggplant.  We sliced the eggplant and tossed the slices in a freezer bag with a bit of olive oil and the Suzette dusted them with large crystals of sea salt and pepper.  I sliced a tomato and Suzette laid a slice of tomato and slices of fresh mozzarella on each piece of eggplant. 

This the first time we have grilled an eggplant topped with a slice of tomato and cheese and it turned out to be delicious.

I sliced baby portobello, white and white beech mushrooms in butter and olive oil and three small cloves of garlic from the garden.  After the mushrooms were coated with butter and softened for about four minutes, I added 2 to 3 t. of Amontillado Sherry and a small 2 T. of fresh chopped oregano and cooked the mushrooms on low heat until Suzette finished grilling the steak.

The steak was delicious a hand trimmed 1 inch thick steak from Sprouts for $6.99/lb; well worth the money.  

We drank glasses of La Granja 50%Tempranillo and 50% Grenache from Rioja. ($4.99 at Trader Joe’s), which is still my favorite bottle of wine priced for less than $5.00.

Bon Appetit

June 22, 2016 A perfect Day of Food. Breakfast yogurt, mango, and granola Lunch Grand Buffet in Las Cruces, Dinner Curried Chicken Sandwich

June 22, 2016 A perfect Day of Food. Breakfast   yogurt, mango, and granola   Lunch  Grand Buffet in Las Cruces,  Dinner  Curried Chicken Sandwich

 Had to drive to Las Cruces for a hearing today and back.  I made a breakfast of yogurt, mango, and granola with a splash of milk.  I then packed a few things for the road, such as a bag of seedless red grapes, an apple, a sandwich on two pieces of German sourdough rye  Landsbrod with mayo curried chicken Willy had made, a bag of corn chips, a plastic container of pumpkin sprouts, and a bottle of water.  I never make a trip without packing some food.  

I left at 7:45 and arrived in Las Cruces a little after 11:00.  I met Sammy and Scott at the Chinese Grand Buffet for lunch at 11:30 after getting lost for a few minutes.  I decided to try to eat intelligently.  I started with a small salad of iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges, croutons dressed with thousand island dressing and filled the rest of that plate with five pieces of salmon sushi and three tofu bags, two stuffed with seaweed salad and rice and the other with imitation crab and a cone of nori filled with seaweed salad and rice.

I also filed small bowls with wasabi and soy to dip the sushi into.  After the salad and sushi I got three gyoza  and a bowl of dipping sauce.

I then finished lunch by eating two bowls of miso soup.  Since I dipped the soup, I made sure to get lots of tofu and Wakame.  I added some mushrooms from the hot and sour soup that did not taste very good because they were covered with red pepper. I also added some interesting rice balls filled with meat floating on a clear broth.

The next and last bowl of soup I  again loaded with tofu and seaweed to and added a rice ball.  

Then I stopped.  The hearing started at 1:30 and went until 4:30.  As the hearing went on I felt better and better.  I deposited a check as I drove out of town a few minutes before 5:00 feeling better than I had all day long so drove back to Albuquerque, arriving by 8:00.  On the way home I ate some grapes, few sprouts, and the bag of corn chips.  When I arrived home I ate the curried chicken sandwich with the last of the sprouts and a beer.

I ate good quality food and did not over eat.

I felt like it was a good day of food.

Later in the evening I ate a few spoonfuls of chocolate ice cream.

Bon Appetit

June 20, 2016 Lunch – Vinaigrette Dinner – Shrimp with chard and Mushrooms over Spaghetti

June 20, 2016 Lunch – Vinaigrette  Dinner – Shrimp with chard and Mushrooms over Spaghetti

Willy and I went to Vinaigrette for a late lunch.  I ordered my usual, Frisée salad with crisp lardons garnished with a poached egg and dressed with a balsamic vinegar vinaigrette dressing.  Willy ordered a Cuban sandwich with a side of a Cobb salad, which I like at Vinaigrette because is a chopped salad. 

Wily ordered a carrot and turmeric drink.  We enjoyed talking to Joseph Tapia and his wife, who were sitting at the adjoining table.

Neither of us could finish our meal so we took home boxes filled with leftovers.

Suzette brought home some PPI shrimp from Saturday’s feast.  She decided to make a simple meal of sautéed shrimp, chard, and mushrooms in a cream sauce over spaghetti.  I went to the garden and picked a basket of chard and de-stemmed it and cut it into bite sized pieces. Suzette boiled spaghetti and I sliced an onion and three cloves of garlic and Suzette sautéed them in olive oil and butter.  Then she added the shrimp and chard and then heavy cream to make a sauce.  I sliced slices of Pecorino Romano from a fresh wedge we bought at Costco last week and lay the slices on a pile of hot pasta,in a pasta bowl.  The we scooped the shrimp, chard and mushroom mixture onto the pasta and cheese and drank PPI Gruet Brut champagne with it.

 Another wonderful instant meal.

Bon Appetit 

June 11, 2016 Lunch – Polish Dog at Costco, Dinner – Green Chili Enchiladas

June 11, 2016 Lunch – Polish Dog at Costco, Dinner – Green Chili Enchiladas 

Suzette and I drove to Costco and ate Polish dogs and then bought lamb chops, chicken thighs, asparagus, yogurt, and a few other things.

When we got home I made enchiladas.  Suzette went to the basement and fetched two packages of roasted green chili and mixed it with oregano, garlic, chicken broth to make a chili sauce.

I boiled eIght chicken thighs.  Then I chopped up three baby Bok Choy, 1 ½ onions, a cup of oregano, and a head of garlic.  I sautéed the onion and garlic and when they were softened, added the oregano and the Bok Choy.  When they were all mixed and softened I put them aside.

We then grated Queso fresco started cooking red chile tortillas in the chicken stock in a sauce pan to stew them.  We then lay six tortillas in the bottom of a pyrex baking dish. 

We then added a layer of cheese and some of the chicken, then six more stewed blue corn tortillas,  then the onions and vegetables, then another layer of red chili tortillas and covered that with cheese. Then Suzette filled the pan with the green chili sauce.  

We then baked the enchiladas for about ½ hour.  They were spicy with the green chili sauce, but we suppressed the heat with Crema and beers.  

Bon Appetit 

June 13, 2016 Salud de Mesilla.

June 13, 2016 Salud de Mesilla. 

Willy drove me to Las Cruces for a hearing today.  We arrived at 1:30 and drove to Valley and turned toward Mesilla.  In a minute we found Salad de Mesilla at 1600 Mesilla.  

We sat at the bar, so we could watch the UEFA game between Italy and Belgium.  Willy ordered a Chicken Crasin sandwich ($9.00) and I ordered a Prosciutto and Marinated Honeydew Melon in Frisée salad ($10.00).  Salud also serves a platter of complimentary multicolored bagel slices served with two compounded butters, one with them and the other with jalapeño chile.

Willy’s sandwich contained chicken salad with craisins and roasted pecans on a delicious croissant.  My salad was delicious also, hand sliced Prociutto and marinated melon balls with a light vinaigrette on a bed of frisée.  We both loved the fresh flavorful ingredients.

We drove home at 5:30 and ate sandwiches I made in the morning.  I made a sliced roasted pork sandwich and I made a Sopresso salami sandwich for Willy. 

We stopped going in both directions at a funky old truck stop near the Camino Real Historic Center south of Socorro. 

Bon Appetit

June 10, 2016 Lunch – PPI Sweetbreads with corn and mushroom hash. Dinner – New Recipe Sautéed and Baked Bacon Wrapped Rockfish with a Sweet Mint Sauce, served with rice and sautéed Chard

June 10, 2016 Lunch – PPI Sweetbreads with corn and mushroom hash. Dinner – New Recipe Sautéed and Baked Bacon Wrapped Rockfish with a Sweet Mint Sauce, served with rice and sautéed Chard

Thursday when I went to Sprouts, I bought 1.2 lb. of fresh Rockfish.  We are tired of aluminum foil baked fish, so I looked for a new recipe.  I found several in the Kitchen of Light Cookbook,which features New Scandinavian cooking.  Here is the recipe:

I went to the Garden and picked 1 cup of mint and a large handful of chard leaves.  Suzette plucked the leaves from the mint stems and added the sugar and made the mint sauce while I de-stemmed the chard and cut it into bite sized pieces and sliced four baby portobello mushrooms and an equal amount to white beech mushrooms to make about 1 ½ cups of mushrooms.

Suzette wrapped the fish filets with strips of thick cut applewood smoked bacon from Costco and secured the bacon with toothpicks.

She then Sautéed the fish in a large skillet until the bacon was crisp.  Then she put the fish in the oven and baked it.  This sequence of sautéing and then baking meat is similar to the Bobbie Flay method we use for chicken.  I wonder if the Scandinavians invented this method of cooking meat?

When the fish went into the oven, Suzette then Sauteed the mushrooms and chard in the large skillet utilizing the leftover bacon fat to cook them.  She then heated the PPI rice in the microwave.  

I went to the fridge in the garage and fetched a chilled bottle of Monte Clavijo rose’ from Rioja (60% Grenache and 40% Tempranillo, Total Wine $8.99 less 20%).

Xx

We love a cool rose with many types of foods on warm summer evenings.  The key food in this menu was the bacon.

When all the ingredients were cooked Suzette assembled the plates by piling a small mound of rice on a plate, then laying some Sautéed mushrooms and chard on the rice and finally laying a fish filet on the pile.  We put spoonfuls of mint sauce on top of the fish filet to complete the attractive combination of ingredients and colors.

Bon Appetit

June 9, 2016 Lunch – East Ocean. Dinner – Picnic at the Bio Park music concert

June 9, 2016  Lunch – East Ocean. Dinner – Picnic at the Bio Park music concert

I ate granola with yogurt, milk and fresh blueberries for breakfast.

I met Rosemary for lunch at East Ocean at 1:00.  She had not been to East Ocean before.  I suggested that if she liked vegetables, she could try the Moo Goo Gai Pan, which she ordered.  I ordered my usual Scallops in Lobster Sauce with sweet and sour chicken.

I never get over how the lobster sauce combines with the fried rice to make the delicious dish.  Rosemary enjoyed her chicken and vegetables. 

After lunch I went home and worked on my new case until 4:30 when I started making a tropical fruit salad for the picnic we were going to in the evening.  I gathered the papaya, 6 mangoes, pineapple, and several oranges I had bought at Ranch Market last Wednesday.  Suzette came home at 5:15 and began helping me cut fruit and rinsed off the 18 oz. container of blueberries I bought at Sprouts yesterday for $1.98.

By 6:15 we had cut all the fruit and Suzette had squeezed the juice of several limes onto the fruit.  We put the 7 or 8 lb. of fruit salad into a plastic container and filled a Mexican basket with it, a blanket, and a plastic jug of water and drove to the Bio Park.  As we approached the ticket line a young woman approached us and offered us two free tickets, which we thanked her for the tickets and entered the Botanic Gardens.  We called Cynthia and soon joined her and Gwynn and Cynthia’s neighbor near the stage.

They had brought a vast array of food, including containers of lovely Italian salami and pasta salad, shredded chicken salad with raisins, a green salad with sunflower sprouts, green olives, bread, guacamole, beet hummus, and a couple of other items, like hard boiled eggs. We added our fruit salad to the array of items.  I tried a bit of everything even though I was not very hungry, because I had eaten a snack of chicken curry with rice before leaving the house.

The trio of women musicians named Jeez La Weez were three music professors at UNM who sang lovely close harmony and played a guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and electric bass very competently.  We enjoyed their music, but soon the mosquitoes became oppressive.  We walked to the new rose garden and Japanese garden at intermission and then left.

When we got home we watched the President’s and Elizabeth Warren’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for President and lots of other political stuff and went to bed.

Bon Appetit 

June 8, 2016 Lunch – Sushi Hana, Dinner – Cashew Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

June 8, 2016 Lunch – Sushi Hana, Dinner – Cashew Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

I toasted a bagel for breakfast and put cream cheese, slices of the newly prepared Gravad lax, capers and slices of onion on it.  The gravad lax is fabulous.  It must be the wonderful fresh salmon I bought at Ta Lin for $7.95/lb. on Saturday with all of its fat that made the difference.  We sometimes forget how good the fish department at Ta Lin really is.

At around 11:30 Cliff called and I met Cliff for lunch at Sushi Hana.  We both ordered the mackerel  Bento box for $7.95, which has become one of my favorite downtown lunches.  You initially are served a salad with a great ginger dressing and a bowl of good miso soup.  The the bento box is brought with all its sections filled with an inverted bowl of rice, a sautéed salted mackerel filet on a small pile of stir fried vegetables, four nigiri sushi, four pieces of vegetable tempura and a tempura shrimp, a slice of orange, and an Eggroll, plus small bowls of teriyaki dipping sauce for the tempura and some plum sauce for the Eggroll.  What a wonderful meal,

We enjoyed talking about stuff and eating all the different interesting items in the box until about 1:30.

At 4:00 I had to go to a closing at Stewart Title on Academy, so after the closing I stopped at the Sprouts store at Academy and San Mateo and bought Fresh Rockfish, blueberries, an eggplant, a small boneless ribeye steak, granola, olive oil.

I got caught in the rush hour traffic at 5:45 on I-25 going south from Osuna.  What a mess.

I finally got home and called Suzette , who said she was going to Belen to the Jaramillo Winery to taste and buy wine for the big meal on the 18th.

I decided to fix dinner.  I sliced the two Ichiban eggplants I bought at Ta Lin on Saturday into 2 inch long strips and put them aside for Suzette to cook her favorite Garlic Eggplant dish grip on the Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking Cookbook by Fei.  I then sliced four stalks of Shanghai Baby Bok Choy from their stalks and separating the heavy white part from the green tops.   I then diced 1 chicken breast and put it with the white tops.  I then chopped up 2/3 of an onion and 1 zucchini and put that in a separate bowl. In the minced 2 cloves of garlic and 1 T. of ginger.  I got out the sesame oil, Chinese Cooking Wine and soy sauce and the small can of sliced bamboo shoots I had bought at Ta Lin.  

The secret to producing a harmonious combination of ingredients in a stir fried Chinese dish is to understand the relative cooking times for each ingredient and to add them and the sauce up ingredients at the right time.  For example, with tonight’s meal the longest cooking time is required for the onion and zucchini so they are added first just after the peanut oil and a dash of sesame oil was heated and the ginger and garlic added to flavor the oil.  Then after five to ten minutes of stir frying the onion and zucchini,I added the chicken and white sections of Bok choy and stir fried that for several more minutes and then added the bamboo shoots, 1/3 cup chicken stock, a dash of rice wine and a dash of soy. 

I stopped the process there to wait for Suzette, but when Willy told me he was invited to Robin’s apartment to view the NBA finals at around 7:30, I fired up the heat under the wok and added the green tops of the Bok Choy and a handful of cashews and stir fried the mixture to combine the green tops and cook them.  I made a thickening sauce with ¼ cup of chicken stock, 1 ½ T. of cornstarch, 2 T. water, 1 ½ T. of rice wine and 1 T. of soy. 

In a couple of minutes everything was hot again an well blended, so I added the thicken upping sauce and waited a minute to see how thick the sauce became.  When I saw that the sauce dried up, I added another ¼ cup of water to loosen up the sauce and heated some PPI rice from last night.

Willy and I served ourselves piles of rice covered with the chicken and cashew dish.  No sooner had we sat down than Suzette arrived and plated herself a plate of the chicken dish and joined us.

I had not added and salt or sugar so the flavor of the dish was a little bland, so I added soy to the fish to give it a salty flavor and so did Suzette.

We all liked the lightness of the dish.  I particularly liked the tenderness yet firmness of the bamboo shoots.

Bon Appetit

June 7, 2016 Lunch – Azuma Dinner – Pork Taco and PPI Chirashi Donburi

June 7, 2016 Lunch – Azuma   Dinner – Pork Taco and PPI Chirashi Donburi

The big event of the day was getting the rent paid for the candy store.

So at lunch I asked Willy where he wanted to go for lunch and he said Azuma because that was close to Fano Bakery on McLeod and we needed to replenish our bread.

We drove to the bank and made the deposit and then to Azuma.  I had my usual Chirashi Donburi and Willy ordered Fried Rice with beef.

It was identical to the fried rice they make on the Teppan grill except it is made in a wok in the kitchen.  He liked it but did not eat all the beef.

At 2:00 Suzette picked me up and we drove to Savoy on Montgomery for a wine tasting sponsored by Southern Wine and Spirits, thanks to Jim.  There were many good wines including a femme du Champgne 2000 and Chimney Rock Sauvignon Blanc.  I liked the new Kim Crawford also.

We did not create a menu for dinner, perhaps because we had eaten and drunk at the wine tasting.    Instead I ate the rest of my Chirashi. 

Suzette ate several fish tacos Willy had bought.

Then Suzette decided to make a pork taco with the PPI Pork steak, a red chili tortilla, some chopped lettuce from the garden and the PPI guacamole and some Crema for garnish.  Suzette sliced small slices of pork and we sautéed them in a bit of oil and had a warm delicious dinner.

Bon Appetit

June 4, 2016 Lunch – No. 21 at Vietnam 2000, champagne and oysters at Gruet, and Red Grouper baked in Foil

June 4, 2016 Lunch – No. 21 at Vietnam 2000,  champagne and oysters at Gruet, and Red Grouper baked in Foil

Willy and I ate lunch at Vietnam 2000.  We both ordered no. 21, which is fried pork egg rolls and grilled pork laid on top of vermicelli rice noodles laid on top of fresh chopped lettuce, mung bean sprouts, cucumbers, basil and cilantro, served with a sweet fish sauce.  I usually request extra mung bean sprouts, basil, and cilantro, for which I am usually charged $2.00, in addition to the normal price of $8.25.  If you prefer additional quantity you will prefer Vietnam 2000’s No. 21 mtHuong or Café Trang’s comparable dish.  I was satisfied with ½ of my lunch and took the other ½ home and Suzette and I ate it for lunch on Sunday.

After lunch we went to TaLin and I went a little crazy.  I bought a $38.00 piece of fresh salmon for Gravad lax at $7.95/lb., a 1.25 lb. piece of fresh Pink Grouper at $6.98/lb. for dinner, red and white Miso, Chinese eggplants, Shanghai Baby Bok Choy, German deli mustard, sweet soy sauce, three kinds of dried noodles (bean thread, soba, and wheat), 1 shallot, Shitake, beach, and enoki mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, tofu, and a few other items.

We then drove home.

Suzette was waiting to go to Laurent’s Birthday Party at Gruet.  I took him a bottle of 1997 Gilbert Reserve Vintage Champagne, which was Gruet’s first vintage champagne.  The event was catered by the new owners of Nantucket Shoals, who had brought in boxes of six different oysters, two from the Atlantic, 1 from Mexico, and three from the Pacific all the way up to Vancouver Island, Canada.  I did not remember all their names but we both liked a Canadian oyster named something like Fanny Blue that had consistency and flavor a little like butter.  

Gruet was featuring its zero residual sugar Sauvage champagnes.  The rose’ was released today and Laurent was pouring glasses of the yet to be released Sauvage Rose’ Reserve, which is richer and a more full bodied champagne than the regular Sauvage Rose’, more like the 2011 Vintage Sauvage.  We sat with one of the staff, who told us that Gruet is increasing its annual output and that Gruet has now achieved the distinction of being the largest winery in the U.S. under one roof, which I find hard to believe.

Anyway we ate two dozen oysters and drank about ten glasses of the four different Sauvages.

Then we went home and fixed dinner, red grouper wrapped in Hoja Santa leaves, baked in aluminum foil with chopped poblano chili, mushrooms, tomato, and onion doused with white wine and garnished with pats of butter.  

 

  An Hoja Santa leave

  The packets on the grill

  A photo of the garden from the grill

 

  An opened cooked packet after rice was added

Suzette baked the packets on the propane grill.  We heated PPI rice and served the fish with beers, a la Mexico.

The fresh red grouper in the Hoja Santa leaves was wonderful. Mother Hoja Santa goes into solution a bit which adds flavor to the sauce and the added rice.

Bon Appetit

June 6, 2016 Lunch – Chicken Salad. Dinner – Madras Chicken a Curry with Raita and rice

June 6, 2016 Lunch – Chicken Salad. Dinner – Madras Chicken a Curry with Raita and rice

I am back on the vida pura track.

Breakfast was granola, yogurt, blueberries and a little milk.

Lunch was a salad with greens picked fresh from our garden plus cucumber, tomato, green onion, and a chopped chicken supreme dressed with a tarragon vinaigrette.  I also made a Swiss cheese melted cheese sandwich

I discussed dinner with Willy and between chicken enchiladas and chicken curry, he chose Chicken curry.

I have made the same chicken curry for many years, so am good at timing and measuring the ingredients.  The main rule of the recipe is to use the same amount of each of the main ingredients; chicken, sweet potato, apple, and onion.  

 I started by boiling until cooked three bones in chicken breasts. I diced two onions, three apples, and two medium sweet potatoes. I reserved the chicken stock when the chicken breasts were cooked and chopped the chicken breasts.  

I then Sauteed the diced onions and sweet potatoes in 2 T. butter and 2 T. canola oil.  When the onions and potatoes were soft, I added the apples.  I added Five cloves of chopped garlic and 2 or 3 T of curry powder and 1 T. salt.  Then I added enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients by 1 inch of liquid and added the chicken and ¾ cup of raisins and simmered the ingredients for about 1 hour while we made the rice and Raita.

For the Riata, I had only ¼ of a cucumber and only Kirtland Greek a Style yogurt, so I  added 1 clove of chopped garlic, ½ cup of fresh mint and 1 T. each of coriander and cumin seeds sauteed to brown in a wok with a tsp. of sesame oil.

Suzette helped make the 2 cups of rice.  We used 4 cups of the reserved chicken stock instead of water and added a stick of cinnamon and several cloves.

When dinner was ready I chopped and sauteed ½ cup of cashews.

Suzette went to the garage to fetch beers and I opened a major grey’s mango chutney, the Madras Onion pickle and a lime sweet pickle.

We drank and ate and celebrated Hillary’s clinching the Democratic nomination.

We later watched game four of the Stanley Cup and the Argentina v. Chile Copa America match.

I went to bed at 10:00.

Bon Appetit 

June 5, 2016 Breakfast – prosciutto, mushroom, and Iberico cheese Omelet, Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Noodles, Dinner – New Recipe Sauteed Sweetbreads on Corn and Mushroom hash with a Cream and Chicken stock Cream Sauce

June 5, 2016 Breakfast – prosciutto, mushroom, and Iberico cheese Omelet,  Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Noodles, Dinner – New Recipe   Sauteed Sweetbreads on Corn and Mushroom hash with a Cream and Chicken stock Cream Sauce

We spent the day restoring our living and dining room after the floors were refinished and the walls and ceilings repainted.  At 10:00 I peeped an omelet by chopping 2 oz. of Prociutto, three green onions, 4 oz. of garlic chives, three mushrooms sliced, and about 2 oz. of Iberico cheese slices.  The idea was to make an omelet with all soft, quick cooking Ingredients.   It worked out well and I toasted 2 slices of French baguette and buttered them and spread them with lime and orange Marmalade.  

We ate by the pond, which was particularly lovely today.

After breakfast we made Gravad lax.  I filleted the salmon while Suzette mixed 1 cup of salt, 3/4 cup, and 1 tsp. of pepper.   I put fresh dill weed on the bottom of a pyrex baking dish that the fish fit into snuggly.   We then dusted the outside skin side of one filet with the sugar/salt mix and put the skin side down in the baking dish .  Suzette then poured the mixture on to the inside of the filet.  I went to the garden and picked about 1 cup of fresh dill and put 1/2 of them on the inside of the first filet.  Suzette then poured more mix onto the inside of the other filet and I put it on the first filet.  Suzette put the rest of the mixture on the exposed skin side of the second filet and the rest of the dill.

I then covered the baking dish with saran and weighted the fish with a brick.

   The first filet coated with the sugar/salt mixture and dill weed

At 2:30 I became hungry again, so I heated the PPI noodle dish from our meal at Vietnam 2000 yesterday.

Finally at 6:30 we began cooking dinner.  I wanted to make a new dish inspired by some of the recipes I read about cooking sweetbreads, which I bought on Thursday at Ranch Market.

I first soaked the sweetbreads in a milk, cornstarch, and egg white marinade. I chopped ½ shallot, 2 sprigs tarragon and four sprigs of thyme, plus six baby garlic scapes, four baby portobello mushrooms and 1 oz of enoki mushrooms and cut the kernels off two ears of cooked corn?

  The shallots, mushrooms and herbs

  The corn and scapes

Then I  took the sweetbreads out of the marinade and tossed them in a bag with about ¼ cup of flour and 1/3 cup Progresso breadcrumbs. I then melted 2 T. of butter and 1 T. of Spouts olive oil in a large sauté pan and Suzette sautéed the sweetbreads to golden brown another d then we put them in a metal pan into a 150 degree oven to keep warm.

  A sweetbread coated in the coating 

We then made the cream sauce in an enameled Le Crueset sauce pan.  I melted 3 oz. of butter with the PPI butter and added 3 T. of flour and Suzette stirred that into a roux, which took three minutes?   I then added 15 oz. of chicken stock flavored with tandoori spices saved and degreased from Thursday night’s meal. Suzette then added ¼ cup of heavy cream to the sauce and ½ tsp. of truffle salt to finish the sauce.

  The sauce

  Sautéing the sweetbreads

I then melted 2 T. of butter and sautéed the shallots and then the herbs and mushrooms and then added the corn and enoki mushrooms until they softened.  

  The vegetables sautéing

I went to the garage fridge and fetched a bottle of Marques de Cacerus white Verdejo from Rueda (total Wine $11.99 less 20%) which Suzette opened and poured us glasses of.  It was fruity and delicious with the cream sauce. 

 Not he warm sweetbreads

Suzette plated dinner by makings a pile of the corn and mushroom hash and then divided the sauteed sweetbreads on eachWe carried the  and then sauced the sweetbreads and vegetables with the cream sauce.

  My plate; lots of sauce, lots of sweetbreads

I toasted two pieces of French baguette for each of us and Suzette then ladled cream sauce on top of the sweetbreads and toast.

We ate under the gazebo by the pond but we're under attack by mosquitoes, so we did not dawdle over our dinner and wine.

Cleaning the sweetbreads is the big issue.  I soaked them in water for a day.  My mother used to soak them in milk. There is also a big issue removing the tendons that surround the glands.

I was not satisfied with either form of cleaning for these sweetbreads.  Suzette did not like the dish, so I guess I will only br eating sweetbreads in restaurants from now on.

Bon Appetit 

  

June 2, 2016 Lunch – PPI Pho Noodle Soup. Dinner – Roasted Chicken with Blanched Asparagus

June 2, 2016 Lunch – PPI Pho Noodle Soup. Dinner – Roasted Chicken with Blanched Asparagus

Loida came today to shampoo the rugs.  I ate two pieces of German Kommisbrot rye bread spread with peanut butter and honey, which sat heavily in my stomach for much of the rest of the day.  

I was a bit busy today helping Loida with the rug cleaning and my work, so I simply heated the PPI Pho noodle soup and ate it.

In the afternoon I went to Ranch Market and went a little wild, shopping for groceries.  Wednesday and Thursday are the produce special days and today was no exception.  Small avocados were five for $.99, oranges were 3 lb. for $.99, there were fresh Hoja Santa leaves for $1.19 per bunch, pineapples for $.99/lb., papaya for $.89/lb., mangoes at 4 for $.99, and Anahiem chiles were 3 lb. for $.99.

I then went to the deli section and bought three smoked Pork chops for $3.69/lb.  Mexican cheeses were on sale so I tried one I had not had before a panels made by FUD, the great Danish agricultural firm, that has extensive production in Mexico. The panels had a salty tangy flavor, so I bought ½ lob. of it plus a pint container of grated white cheese for enchiladas.  I then bought forty red fresh red chili tortillas for $1.99 and a 12 oz. bag of corn chips for $1.50.

I then walked by the dairy section where I bought a Dozen large eggs on sale for $.77.  Then on to the fish section, where I found large heads on shrimp on sale for $4.99/lb. and bought 1 ½ lb.  I then proceeded to the butcher area, which is extensive and bought a whole 3 ¼ lb. chicken for $.89/lb. on sale.  As I was waiting for one of the butcher to bring out a fresh carton of chickens, I saw fresh sweetbreads for $3.19/lb. I had enjoyed sweetbreads three times on our recent trip to Canada.  They are one my favorite meats, so, although I never had prepared any, I bought a package containing .86/lb. of them. 

This was one of my largest shopping days ever at Ranch Market totaling $42.78, but we will generate four or five meals plus fruit salad and guacamole from this load of food.

I went home and road to Montano.

When I returned Willy had returned from visiting his mom in Santa Fe and he made a snack of guacamole from two of the avocados.

Willy had made dinner plans with friends.

At around 5:30 I dusted the whole chicken with Tandoori seasoning and put it on a steel vertical cooking frame and put it in a pyrex baking dish filled to depth of ½ inch with water and baked it in a 425 degree oven to set the juices for about 20 minutes and then turned the heat down to 350 degrees and roasted the chicken for another hour.

I like lemon and tarragon with chicken, but rather than stuffing it's cavity, I decided to make a sauce for the chicken and asparagus I intended to serve with it and chose a Hollandaise sauce flavored with tarragon.  I followed Julia Child’s recipe in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. I went to the garden an picked three sprigs of tarragon.

After completing the Hollandaise, I snapped the hard ends off 14 stalks of asparagus and blanched them in water to remove a bit of their woodiness.

At around 7:00 everything was ready.  I had opened a bottle of 2013 Le Ponte Rose’ (Total Wine $19.99 less 15%), which is my favorite rose’, for Aaron to taste in the afternoon, so we decided to drink that with dinner.  We enjoyed the juicy chicken and fresh asparagus with the elegant Hollandaise Sauce and French rose’.

Bon Appetit

June 1, 2016 Lunch – Pho Noodle Soup Dinner – Grilled Pork Steaks, Asparagus, and Corn

June 1, 2016 Lunch – Pho Noodle Soup  Dinner – Grilled Pork Steaks, Asparagus, and Corn

It was a bit cooler today, which is just is just enough of a change in the weather to get my taste buds savor ing a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup,  We had PPI ribeye steak from Sunday’s dinner, so I decided to make Pho.  

I filled a three quart pot ¾ full of water and threw in a beef bullion cube, then a cut up and added about ¼ lb. of rib eye, ½ onion, a stalk of celery, an oyster mushroom, some red and white miso, Vietnamese rice noodles, and the PPI tops of the Mexican green onions.  I went to the garden and picked four or five garlic scapes, four or five basil leaves and a handful of chard. I de-stemmed the chard and cut it into bite sized pieces and threw that plus the chopped up scapes into the soup.  In another fifteen minutes the noodles were soft and even a little fluffy and the soup was ready to eat.  I added lime juice, some fresh cilantro, the basil leaves, torn up, and a generous squirt of Hoisen sauce and enjoyed a large bowl of pho noodle soup.

I thawed out two large pork sirloin steaks we had bought at Costco after lunch.

Suzette arrived hungry at 6:00 and although I had to leave at 6:50 to meditate, we decided to cook dinner before I left.  I fetched the four ears of corn from the garage fridge and shucked them.  Suzette started a pot of water boiling.  I then snapped the hard ends off a dozen stalks of asparagus and Suzette made a glaze for the pork of Achiote, smoked paprika, salt and pepper up in olive oil and coated the pork chops with it.

When the water in the pot started boiling, I put in the corn and asparagus and Suzette started grilling the pork steaks. I went to the garage fridge and fetched a chilled bottle of Monte Clavijo Rose’ from Rioja (Total Wine $8.99 less 20% during the last Spanish and Portuguese wine sale).  I poured glasses of wine and when the pork steaks were cooked to medium rare by 6:35 we were ready to eat.

Bon Appetit 

June 3, 2016 Lunch – Taj Mahal Salsa Night at Albuquerque Museum

June 3, 2016 Lunch – Taj Mahal   Salsa Night at Albuquerque Museum

Willy and I met Aaron At Taj Mahal for lunch at 12:45.  We all love Indian food and the owners, waiters and cooks at Taj Mahal, so lunch is like an Indian family gathering of sorts. I ate a lot of saag, which is spinach and other greens sautéed in cilantro, garlic and chili. As always, they tandoori dishes were great.  I enjoyed the onion kulcha, which is baked in a tandoori oven.  Here is an explanation of Kulcha and Naan.

Onion kulchas by DK on Nov 11, 2008

Onion Kulchas

It tastes and looks like Naan, but it is not nor does it take that much time and effort. Its like a breeze. So what am I talking about? Yup, you are right. Talking about Kulchas. Kulchas are North Indian flat breads - originated from Punjab. They are especially enjoyed with choley (Spicy Chickpeas).

So what exactly is the difference between Naan and Kulcha? The ones that I know of is the obvious ones that- Naan is made of yeast while Kulcha make use of only baking powder and baking soda for its preparation.- Naans are usually oblong in shape while Kulchas are round.Both are made in Tandoor (earthern clay oven which enhances the taste of the bread) but Kulchas can be made on the stove top too. When you dont have Tandoor at home, you can make both Naan and kulchas in the oven. I made my Kulchas in the broiler but I have also shown how to make them in the stove top too.

I also enjoyed the chicken tandoori.  I put Raita on everything.

After lunch Aaron and I went to Old Republic to close the transfer of Railway Land Company’s interest in the Purchase agreement for the land in Los Lunas on which the SODA charter school will be built.

Aaron drove me home and at 5:00 I ate a sliced steak and Mexican FUD panels open faced sandwich on a slice of German rye bread with a glass of El Prado red wine from Rioja and a gin and tonic.

Suzette arrived at 6:00 and we went to Cynthia’s house to pick up Cynthia and see her garden.  She served us drinks and we chatted for a bit.  I had a glass of carrot and Orange juice. 

We then drove her to the Harwood to see the new art exhibit and at 7:00 we drove to the Albuquerque Museum for the salsa concert by Son Como Son as the guests of PBS, which has a table upstairs on the patio that it probably gets in trade for advertising for NM Jazz Society.

Son Como son were wonderful tonight with its nine piece band and tight Latin rhythms.  We had agreed to eat at the Museum and since I was sore I sat, while Suzette and Cynthia fetched food and drink from the concessionaires.  So they returned with food and beverages.  Suzette bought us a veggie wrap, which was a hummus and guacamole salad with lettuce and sliced tomatoes wrapped in a flour tortilla that was a little messy but very delicious and a turkey wrap that was a bit dry because it lacked any sauce, plus a glass of apple cider for me and a beer for her.  Cynthia ate a double green chile cheese hamburger and had a gin and tonic.  A little after 8:00 Ricardo arrived and the serious dancing began. I began feeling better and my soreness subsided and I actually enjoyed dancing with Suzette on the upper terrace where PBS’ table was located.

The dance floor was packed with fabulous salsa dancers, which we enjoyed watching.  Cynthia told us there are several salsa societies in Albuquerque and many Cubans, who are wonderful salsa dancers, since salsa is one of Cuba’s favorite forms of music.  It was like everyone got dressed up and cane tonight to celebrate the beginning of a Sumer of salsa dancing under the stars.  Friday night is salsa night at the Museum and everyone seemed ready to dance all summer, after a cold winter and spring.

We stayed until 10:00, then said goodnight to Cynthia and Ricardo and went home, feeling great.

Bon Apetit

June 1, 2016 A Day of Simple Menus. Breakfast – Granola, Lunch – Pho Noodle Soup. Dinner – Grilled Pork Steaks, Boiled Corn in the Cob and Asparagus and Black Beans

June 1, 2016 A Day of Simple Menus. Breakfast – Granola,  Lunch – Pho Noodle Soup. Dinner – Grilled Pork Steaks, Boiled Corn in the Cob and Asparagus and Black Beans 

I started the day with a bowl of granola, Kirtland's Greek Yogurt, Blueberries, ½ diced fresh apricot, and milk.

It turned cool, so for lunch I decided to use the PPI grilled ribeye steak to make Pho noodle soup, I went to the garden and picked a handful of chard leaves, several snow peas, several basil leaves, and about six garlic scapes. I heated about 2 quarts of water with a beef boullion cube to create a stock to which I added, 1/3 minced onion, ½ cup of diced ribeye, the diced garlic scapes, three or four diced stalks of asparagus  a handful of dry rice stick noodles, and the cleaned snow peas.  I then added the last 1/2 T. of red miso and 1 T. of white miso, an oyster mushroom, and a diced stalk of celery and the green tops of three Mexican green onions. I added the chard and tasted the soup and it lacked flavor, so I added six heads on shrimp plus 1 T. each of Chinese Cooking Wine and medium soy and a dash of sesame oil.

I fetched the bag of cilantro, the Hoisen Sauce and Sriracha from the fridge and when then the noodles were soft, I sliced a lime in half and ate two bowls of soup.  There was enough left for another small meal.

I worked until 3:30 and then went to the bank.  After I returned home I rode to Rio Bravo into an approximately 10 MPH wind out of the South, which made the return ride a breeze.

I had thawed two pork steaks, so when Suzette arrived hungry at 6:00 I was ready to cook dinner.  I fetched the four ears of corn from the garage fridge and the asparagus Suzette had brought home yesterday.  I snapped 12 stalks of asparagus and husked the corn, while Suzette heated the PPI black beans Willy had left from making enchiladas and mixed a rub for the pork steaks made with achiote mixed with olive oil, smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper and rubbed it onto the steaks and grilled them.  Suzette also heated a pot with water and boiled the corn and asparagus.

When the pork steaks were cooked to medium rare by 6:30, Suzette plated the ingredients and we dabbed Mexican Crema on the black beans to make a delicious sauce former the pork and we ate dinner.  I opened a chilled bottle of 2015 Clavijo Spanish rose’ (Total Wine $8.99 less 20%) and we had a lovely dinner, while we watch the first period of the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks.

I went to meditate at 6:55 and returned around 8:20 in time to see the Sharks tie the score 1 to 1 and send the game to overtime.  2 ½ minutes into overtime the Penguins scored the winning goal to take a 2 to 0 lead in the Finals.  The Penguins seemed to be faster tonight.

I ate a chunk of Trader Joe’s Bittersweet chocolate with almonds and a glass of cognac with a dash of Cointreau for dessert during the game.

Suzette went to bed around 10:00 after we watched the Antiques Roadshow from Baton Rouge that she had missed on Monday and I went to bed around 10:30.

Bon Appetit