February 27, 2021 Breakfast – Oatmeal Lunch – BLT Sandwiches Dinner – Casarecce Pasta with Chicken, Red Bell Pepper, Onion, and Asparagus in a white wine, cheese, and cream sauce

February 27, 2021 Breakfast – Oatmeal  Lunch – BLT Sandwiches  Dinner – Casarecce Pasta with Chicken, Red Bell Pepper, Onion, and Asparagus in a white wine, cheese, and cream sauce

Today was a great food day with three freshly cooked meals.  For breakfast I made oatmeal with brown sugar, raisins, and a diced fresh apple.  Very delicious and satisfying in a not stuffy way.

Suzette went to shop at Costco and Smiths and bought snacks for our trip to Las Vegas, Italian charcuterie, Pita chips, lemons, parsley, and chocolate covered almonds. I will add hummus and chocolate chip cookies this week.

When she returned she made us BLT Sandwiches by frying four strips of thick bacon, slicing a large hot house tomato, and fetching a head of romaine lettuce and the mayonnaise.  She then toasted four slices of 9 Grain bread and we each made our sandwiches.  Suzette made a closed faced sandwich and I made two open faced sandwiches.  We drank the last of the Pinot Grigio TR and Linda brought us yesterday.  I loved the fresh ingredients.  There were two extra slices of tomato, so I double decked my tomato for more garden fresh tomato flavor.

I went worked on the 50 cocktails across the U.S. puzzle before lunch and napped after lunch, while Suzette worked on the puzzle.  It is beginning to come together, which means we find pieces that fit more quickly, which is gratifying.

Billy called to say they were going to watch “House on Wannsee Street” being shown as part of the Winter ABQ (Virtual) Jewish Film Fest.

We decided to fix dinner and watch a movie, since none of the shows we like were showing on PBS tonight. The film chronicles a 100 year history of a house build in East Berlin by a Dr. Lippmann and the emigration story of his family.  It is fascinating.  They went to four other countries and changed religion twice.

We decided to combine chopped red bell pepper, onion, asparagus, Pecorino Romano cheese with Casarecce pasta and a white wine, cream sauce.  The dish was delicious.  The use of lots of fresh ingredients made the dish come alive.

 

I poured Riscal Verdejo from Rueda.  Riscal was the first vineyard to produce wine using Verdejo grapes from Rueda.  It is a strong white wine with lots of character.  It almost overpowered the light pasta dish but the colorful, fresh ingredients carried the day.

Before the movie we watched this week’s episode of Return to the Chateau, which follows the activities of an English couple who buy and renovate a 150 year old moated Chateau in France.

After the movie we watched an episode of Love it or List it and Suzette went to bed and I blogged and read.

This was a great day of simple but delicious fresh food.  It hope it is a return to normalcy. Fresh ingredients are beginning to come in, as the growing season returns.

Bon Appetit

 

 

  

 

 

  

February 26, 2021 Lunch – Roast Chicken, Tomato Couscous, and fresh salad Dinner – PPI Chili Relleno and beans and tortilla and Clementine Cake

February 26, 2021 Lunch – Roast Chicken, Tomato Couscous, and fresh salad   Dinner – PPI Chili Relleno and beans and tortilla and Clementine Cake

Today was a fun day because Linda and T.R. drove down from Santa Fe and we drove together to Los Lunas and ate lunch with Suzette and then she gave us a tour of her exhibit of women artists of NM.

I ate granola, yogurt, milk, and blueberries and slice banana for breakfast and worked a little while until they arrived around 11:15.  TR and Linda wanted to see the new art I had bought so we toured the art in the house for a few minutes before leaving for Los Lunas.

When we arrived, Suzette met us and we all went to the Spa where a table was set for lunch by a fireplace with a fire on the patio in the pool area.  Soon the chef and a helper brought a platter on which was a sliced roasted chicken on a bed of couscous and fresh tomato and a large bowl of fresh salad picked in the morning in the Center’s garden accompanied by a simple balsamic and olive oil dressing.

T.R. and Linda brought an Italian pinot grigio del Venezie and a six pack of Italian Peroni beer.  We ate and talked and enjoyed the warm sunlight for quite a while.  It became clear almost immediately that they were just as starved for human interaction as we were.  They had driven to Amarillo, Texas for their first shot of vaccine and it was apparent that they were feeling the urge to break their 1 year period of isolation.

After lunch we toured Suzette’s art exhibit.  Suzette studied art curation in college, so she had expertly hung and framed the art and made labels for each work, so it was a very professional exhibit.  We toured a few of the outdoor areas of the Center after the art tour and then said goodbye to TR and Linda and drove back to Albuquerque with the leftover food and beverages.

We were not very hungry for dinner after our big lunch, so Suzette ate leftover chicken and a piece of Clementine cake and I ate the leftover Chili Relleno and beans with a corn tortilla from yesterday’s lunch and a piece of Clementine Cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it.

My portfolio was up over 1.4% when I left for lunch but when I returned after the close I found that it had gained only .75% for the day because there was a sell off at the end of the day and that cut my potential profit in half.  What a tough market we are going through these days.

 

My Dad, who was a serious horse racing bettor, would characterize this as a market not running true to form.  He could always make money when the horses were running true to form because he would pick the best horse and put most of his bet on the horse to run third because the best horse will almost always run 1^st or 2^nd when the horses are running true to form, but it became a far less predictable result when they were not running true to form. 

Dad also had a special betting technique he employed. He would bet $5.00 or $10 on the horse to win, $2-.00 to $50 to run second, and $250 to $350 to run third depending upon how certain he was that the horse was a potential winner.   Since most any horse will pay $2.20 to $2.40 or $.10 to $.20 per dollar for 3^rd, If he either lost a little or won a little if it ran 3^rd and made more if it ran 1^st or 2^nd.

In pari-mutual betting the track aggregates all bets for each position and takes a 10% commission off the top and then the pool of money left that bet on horses who finished that position or better is divided into equal parts for that position among those who hold winning tickets for each of 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd. The winning horse’s ticket holders receive all of the money bet on first.  For second place the pool of money is divided equally and each group holding a 2^nd place horse’s ticket will share pro rata ½ of the total bet on 2^nd. The same technique is applied to 3^rd, except the pool of money bet on the 3^rd place is divided among the total dollars bet on horses that placed 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd. divided into three equal parts.

The reason why some horses pay more for the same finish position is because there are fewer dollars bet on longshot horses to share their amount of the pool, so each dollar bet will be allocated a greater portion of the pool allocated to that horse.

After our big day, we were tired and went to bed shortly after 8:00.

Bon Appetit

 

 

       

   

February 24, 2021 Lunch – Halibut and Guacamole Quesadilla Dinner- Sautéed Fillet Mignon with sautéed Mushrooms, Baked Potato, and Asparagus

 

February 24, 2021 Lunch – Halibut and Guacamole Quesadilla   Dinner- Sautéed Fillet Mignon with sautéed Mushrooms, Baked Potato, and Asparagus

I woke up after 7:30 and immediately went to my computer and bought 300 shares of Square at $238.67.  Luckily it ended the day at bit above $240.00, so I made a small profit. My portfolio ended up .2% as Apple continues to fall.

 

I ate two toasted slices of bagel with cream cheese, slices of lax and red onion, and capers for breakfast.

I thawed a small fillet mignon for dinner at noon.

Suzette worked at home today.  At noon she decided to make a quesadilla with PPI grilled halibut steak and guacamole she found in the fridge inside a folded flour tortilla.  It was delicious.  We split a Modelo Special beer and ate at the table in the garden under the gazebo for a lovely al fresco lunch,

At 3:00 I napped until 5:00 and then we walked ½ mile in the neighborhood.

When we returned from our walk I poked holes in four Yukon gold potatoes and Suzette baked them in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour.

I sliced four Portobello mushrooms and minced a shallot and a clove of garlic and Suzette snapped the ends off eight thick asparagus and put them in the steamer with water.

She then cut the steak in half horizontally to make two 1 inch thin steaks and salted and peppered the steaks and sautéed them in a cast iron skillet.

I put two T. of butter and 1 T. of olive oil in a skillet and sautéed the mushrooms, garlic and shallot and sautéed them while the other two dishes were cooking.

After about ten minutes I added about 1 ½ T. of Amontillado sherry to the mushrooms.

I then opened a bottle of 2015 La Gitana Spanish Rioja bought recently at Costco.

Everything was ready at about the same time.  Suzette plated the steak and covered it with the sautéed mushrooms and put a baked potato on the plate and four asparagus each and split the potato with a knife and added pats of butter to the potato.  I sliced two green onions thinly and place the ringlets in a bowl and fetched the sour cream and put it on the table and poured glasses of wine.

We had an amazingly delicious steak dinner.  The fillet was melt in your mouth delicious, especially with the sautéed mushrooms and shallot and the asparagus were perfectly cooked, tender but still slightly firm to the tooth.

The wine got better as we let it air out for about 45 minutes. We will buy more and open it at least 39 minutes before the meal.

After dinner I had a Calvados with a piece of Chantilly Bakery Fruit cake and a cup of tea.

Big Bon Appetit

 

February 25, 2021 Lunch – Padilla’s Chili Relleno Plate Dinner- Stir Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

 

February 25, 2021 Lunch – Padilla’s Chili Relleno Plate   Dinner- Stir Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

I had a busy day today.  I slept until 7:45 and then watched the Market fall dramatically again to the worst day of my career in investing, about a 2.6% loss of value.  The only good news is that I was so busy I did not have much time to watch it.

I drafted a letter to the Public Administrator of Clark County and made a small breakfast of granola, milk, yogurt and blueberries, but only ate two bites of it.

I showered and dressed and drove to 524 Romero NW to meet the Plumber at 10:00.  When I arrived I was thrilled to see Chris and Robert paneling the bar with sheets of rustic wood and that soon their plumber arrived to connect their drain lines and water lines for the bar.  After a bit of a wait Phil and his crew of On Call Heating and Cooling arrived to check the HVAC system.  I waited another hour until around 11:30 until they finished going through the system and trying to add Freon.  Phil said he would need to return on a warmer day because it was too cold to add Freon and test the cooling system.

I then called Padilla’s and ordered a take-out order of Chili Rellenos and beans and drove to the Post Office to mail my letter to the Clark County Public Administrator and then to Padilla’s to pick up my order.

When I returned home around 12:20 I heated my lunch and ate about ¾ of it.  It was delicious.  It was great having a plate of chili rellenos and cooked pinto beans. Suzette had left a pyrex measuring cup of milk and coffee in the microwave, so I poured that into a glass and added a T. of condensed milk and ice to make a Vietnamese iced coffee that was tasty and kept me going through the afternoon.

I think there were four deeds to review today.  I have a relationship with a law firm that prepares documents for loan companies to prepare deeds for New Mexico loans.  I usually average 20 to 30 every month, but this month I have done 38 so far.

Then at 2:00 I zoomed with the Book Club to discuss Jack by Marilynne Robinson.  

The book club lasted until 4:00 after which I reviewed another couple of deeds and talked to the Public Administrator and then at 5:00, when Suzette came home, I zoomed with the meditation group until 5:30.

After mediation I offered to cook dinner and Suzette agreed.

 

Stir-Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

I had thawed out a pork chop after lunch. At 5:30 I gathered a medley of vegetables, including Baby Bok choy, an onion, garlic, snow peas, a can of sliced bamboo shoots, a piece of daikon, a red Bell Pepper, and white mushrooms.

I sliced about the same amount of each of the vegetables and divided them into hard and soft colanders.  I then sliced and diced the pork and fetched a T. of pickled ginger from the fridge.

I heated about 2 T. of peanut oil in my wok on the stove and added the pork and stirred it until it turned white.  I then added the hard vegetables with the garlic and ginger and sautéed for a few minutes.

While they vegetables were cooking at high heat I soaked two bundles of egg noodles in hot water.  I should have soaked them for 2 minutes but I soaked them for 10 minutes and they turned into gooey mounds of floury paste in the most case.

I also made a seasoning sauce with cornstarch, salt, sugar, Shanghai Vinegar, Chinese Cooking Wine, soy, water and Hoisin.

I then added the soft vegetables, being the green leaves of the baby bok choy, the snow peas, and the mushrooms.

Finally I added the seasoning sauce and the egg noodles and stir everything together.

The result was a lovely mixture of textures and colors and a delicious dinner.

Unfortunately, Suzette had had another covid case at her facility and had been extremely busy all day and had gone to sleep in the chair in front of the TV.

I called to her and she did not awaken until I went to fetch the TV changer wedged between her and the chair.  The sauce in the dish became more coagulated as I waited for her to awaken, even though I added water to loosen the sauce.

I liked my dinner and ate 1 ½ portions, but Suzette did not because she was put off by the strong cornstarch flavor and texture. I cut the pork and red bell pepper diagonally in 1 inch long slices and the other vegetables in 2 inch flat long strips, so the appearance of the dish was very attractive,

Alas, it was not a perfect meal, but I loved having the opportunity to cook and eat a mixture of fresh vegetables.

I put the remaining spoonful of the dish in the container with the PPI Sushi rice for a lunch this weekend.

We then watched Midsomer Mystery and went to bed at 9:30.

I awakened at 2:00 to blog this blog and drink a glass of water.

We did not sleep well last night so I will return to bed and catch up on my sleep.

Bon Appetit

   

February 23, 2021 Lunch – Open faced Sandwiches Dinner – Grilled Halibut Steaks with Steamed Broccoli and Three Potato medley

 February 23, 2021 Lunch – Open faced Sandwiches  Dinner – Grilled Halibut Steaks with Steamed Broccoli and Three Potato medley

 I ate a bowl of granola with milk, yogurt, blueberries, and grapes for breakfast at 9:30.

I prepared a case for filing in Court, Complaint, Summons, and Answer.

I worked until 1:30 and then made a plate of three sandwiches; slices of liverwurst on German Fullkorns bread with mayo, mustard, and slices of red onion and Iberico cheese, a slice of French baguette spread with cream cheese and garnished with a slice of red onion and slices of lax, and a slice of Bosque Bakery Whole wheat bread spread with sour cream and garnished with pickled herring in wine sauce and onions.

The market was in disarray today it dropped dramatically on the open and then came back dramatically to close up for the day but I still lost .4%.

At 3:00 I then drove to the Magistrate Court in Los Lunas and filed the case and waited for the process server to arrive to take the papers for service.

When I returned home Suzette was already home.

 

We had made a plan with Willy to grill halibut and eat outside tonight before the sun set, so at 5:20 she put the Halibut on. Suzette likes to lay lemon wedges under and on top of the fillets and place dabs of butte on the fish, which makes a light lemon sauce while the fish cooks.  I love this simple method of preparing halibut because the fish is so delicious that there is no need to enhance its flavor.

I cut the flowerets off a stalk of broccoli and placed them in the steamer with water  on the stove. When the fish was half done Suzette turned on the heat under the steamer.

 

The last dish was a medley of three potato preps, Cottage Fries, the Potato, tomato, and onion tart Suzette made a couple of days ago and the Mashed potatoes she made for the Sautéed Chicken.  We sautéed the cottage fries to golden brown and then Suzette added the PPI tart and mashed potatoes to the skillet and mixed them.

This produced a delicious dinner and I had just the wine for it.  I opened the bottle of 2018 Kirtland Chablis Premier Cru we had bought at Costco last week.  It was not the best Chablis I have ever drumk, but it was really good.  Lots of fruit and acicity.

 

We carried our plates and glasses of wine and silverware out to the gazebo and ate our dinner surrounded by a beautiful pink cloud sunset.

As the sky darkened and it cooled, we went inside at around 6:30.

 

Willy left and we watched Finding your Roots and then I blogged and Suzette went to bed at 8:30.

 

Bon Appetit  

February 21, 2021 Brunch – Lax, Red Onion, and goat cheese omelet Dinner – Grilled Lamb Chops and Asparagus and Potato, Tomato, and Onion Tart.

 February 21, 2021 Brunch – Lax, Red Onion, and goat cheese omelet   Dinner – Grilled Lamb Chops and Asparagus and Potato, Tomato, and Onion Tart.

Sundays we usually eat only two meals and sometimes a snack.

Today I was thrilled again because Leicester City won its game and went into second place in the PL.

At 9:30 Suzette decided to make a Lax, Red Onion, and goat cheese omelet.  I sliced 3 oz. of red onion and about the same amount of lax cubed and a clove of garlic.  Suzette opened a fresh tube of goat cheese and made the most wonderful omelet I have eaten in a long while.  If was crisp on the edges and soft in the center due to the creamy fresh goat cheese.

 

When we returned home, we zoomed with the family until 3:00 and then started cooking.  Suzette first made the dessert, a gluten free Clementine cake. She had boiled five or six clementines in simple syrup on Saturday and today she made the cake with almond flour and bake it in a spring form pan.  Then we heated ½ lb. of  Guatemalan chocolate Luke sent us plus butter, water, and Karo syrup to make a glaze for the cake. Here is how the finished cake looked.

We then made the Potato, tomato, and onion tart/ I sliced three Yukon Gold potatoes, two large slicing tomatoes, and two Texas Sweet onions, while Suzette made a pastry dough for the crust and fitted it into a tart pan.  She baked the tart crust in the oven.  We roasted the tomatoes in the oven and sautéed the onions to soften then and caramelize them in a skillet.  I cooked the potatoes for about 5 minutes in the microwave, which was not enough to soften them to the softeness of the onions and tomatoes.  Then Suzette made crème fraiche by mixing heavy cream with sour cream and then added the goat cheese and an egg and I whisked it into a smooth creamy sauce. She layered the tomatoes, onions and potatoes into the tart shell and added the crème fraiche sauce and then baked the tart in the oven for 40 minutes to cook and congeal the ingredients.

We had invited Mike Verhagen and Willy.  Mike arrived with 8 lamb chops at 6:15.

I had chilled a bottle of 2015 Casa Avril Tempranillo Rose and had freshened up the hummus by adding olive oil and fresh chopped Italian broad leaf parsley plus a bowl of pita chips as an appetizer.

We sat in the living room and drank the sweet Rose.  I had expected the rose to be dry, but it had turned a bit toward sherry and sweetened, which was an interesting aperitif. 

After a glass of wine Suzette grilled the lamb chops and asparagus and poured the crème fraiche sauce over the tart and baked the tart.

I had brought up three bottles, a 2010 Wellington Syrah, a 2012 Cote du Rhone, and a De Ponte Pinot Noir.  Willy chose the Syrah, which what I would have selected.  Wellington made wonderful Southern Rhone wines. I had not tasted the syrah, but it was every bit as wonderful as a Hermitage red, definitely as smooth as any I have ever tasted.  I am saddened that Wellington is gone as an active winery.

Suzette plated our dishes and I poured glasses of Syrah and we all enjoyed the lovely grilled lamb chops and asparagus and slices of the tart that broke apart because the crust dough had not been chilled and allowed to set and thus crisp.

After dinner, Suzette served slices of Clementine cake soaked in the chocolate sauce.  All in all it was a great dinner. I served cognac and Calvados and made tea

To go with the dessert.  Willy left and we retired to the living room for another sniffer of calvados and a bit more conversation until 9:30 when Mike left.

We enjoyed one of our first days of food and family and entertaining friends.

 

Bon Appetit 

 

 

February 22, 2021 Brunch – PPI Chinese Fish Stew with Sushi Rice Dinner – PPI sautéed chicken with PPI Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Sautéed Yellow Squash, Onion, and Red Bell Pepper.

 February 22, 2021 Brunch – PPI Chinese Fish Stew with Sushi Rice  Dinner – PPI sautéed chicken with PPI Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Sautéed Yellow Squash, Onion, and Red Bell Pepper.

Today I waited until I was hungry before eating.  At 10:00 a.m. I heated a plate of PPI Chinese Fish Stew with Sushi Rice. I also caused the TV remote to stop playing volume by pushing buttons.

At 3:00 I toasted two slices of German Whole Wheat bread and made two open faced sandwiches, one of herring in wine sauce on a slice of red onion on sour cream and the other peanut butter and honey.

I then rode five miles south.  It was easy going south because I had a ten MPH tail wind, but the return north was a different matter.  I set the bike in 3^rd gear and pushed home against the wind.  Rides with some wind resistance like this one help build muscle strength, so I love them, but 10 MPH is about my limit of fun.

When I returned home at 5:00 I made my traditional after-ride drink of Hot Buttered Rum.

Willy came by to do laundry and tried to fix the remote to no avail.  When Suzette came home she tried to no avail but she contacted Comcast Technical Support and they are working on the problem.

Suzette decided to grill the fresh halibut we bought at Costco yesterday at 5:00 tomorrow evening so we can do so before sundown and then we can eat outside.

So that meant we ate the two pieces of Chicken Thighs Suzette sautéed last night with the Mashed Potatoes and Cream Gravy she made for them.  This was a welcome alternative for dinner because we loved last night’s chicken dinner.

Tonight’s Vegetable was the question.  I suggested sautéing two yellow squash that were getting old with some onion and red bell pepper.  I cleaned up the squashes and sliced them and ½ onion and ½ of the red bell pepper and Suzette sautéed them in olive oil and butter with a dash of Herbs de Provence in a large skillet. Tonight’s addition of sautéed squash with onion and red bell pepper with herbs de Provence was even better than last night’s chicken with asparagus because I opened a bottle of 2012 Wellington Vineyard Roussanne.  Roussanne is one of the most common white grape varieties in the Southern Rhone.  The bottle we drank tonight had a floral bouquet and powerful acidity.  A wine of great character and very drinkable with dinner or after dinner to clear our palate.

We watched the two episodes of Antiques Roadshow and then went to bed.

I ate some Kirtland fruitcake with tea and a Calvados after dinner.

Bon Appetit      

February 20, 2021 Breakfast – PPI Oatmeal Lunch – PPI Enchiladas Dinner – Stir Fried PPI Shrimp and Vegetables, Mackerel, and Salmon with Rice

 

February 20, 2021 Breakfast – PPI Oatmeal   Lunch – PPI Enchiladas  Dinner – Stir Fried PPI Shrimp and Vegetables, Mackerel, and Salmon with Rice

 In our scheme of cooking where we cook and then integrate previous dishes into new dishes there always come days like this, when you have lots of leftovers and they really don’t lend themselves to creative integration into new dishes.  The only thing left to do at that point is to eat the PPI’s and that is what we did today.

 For breakfast I heated a bowl of PPI oatmeal with some milk and a tsp. of brown sugar.  I loved it.

 We went to the Nature Center for a walk and to see the waterfowl before lunch and when we returned around 1:00 we heated the last of the enchiladas I made last week.  I fried two eggs over easy to garnish mine and sliced ½ of an avocado and got out a new container of sour cream mainly for Suzette, They were just as delicious as they had been last week, especially with Modelo Especials.

 For dinner I got out three containers, one of PPI Shrimp and shrimp sausage and Deep fried tofu and vegetable stir fry, plus one of broiled mackerel, and one of Grilled salmon and rice and couscous. I stir fried them all together with a chopped clove of garlic and minced nub of ginger and doused the mixture with hoisin and Chinese Rice Wine to emulsify the mixture.  Suzette heated the PPI rice and couscous and added some of the sushi rice I made this week.  She scooped a pile of rice into each bowl and we added the stir fry mixture for what I can only describe as a hardy Chinese Fish and vegetable stew.  Suzette drank the last of the Chloe Pinot Grigio and I drank Chinese green tea.

 I was very happy with all the meals today and we were happy to get rid of all those unused PPI’s.

 I finished the evening after Suzette went to bed watching a program of Austin City Limits featuring Will Nelson and Family that lifted my spirits after finishing another well written but depressing Book Club selection, this one was Jack by Marilynne Robinson.

 Nothing like an hour with Willy and the Austin crowd singing to lift one’s spirits.

 Bon Appetit

February 19, 2021 Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup Dinner – Sautéed Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Garlic cream gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli

 February 19, 2021  Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup  Dinner – Sautéed Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Garlic cream gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli   

I did not eat breakfast and ate the PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup I made yesterday for lunch and thawed a four pack of chicken thighs and a lb. of bacon.

The Market recovered marginally today, which meant a slight .4% increase in my portfolio.

I went to the basement and fetched a bottle of La Granja White blend of Verdejo and Viura grapes ($4.99 at Trader Joe’s) and chilled it in the fridge.

At 4:30 I walked two blocks more than usual to make a total of ¾ mile walked.  This is a slight improvement and hopeful one.

When I returned I drank a Hot Buttered Rum and ate a pickled herring in Cream sauce on a slice of German Fullkorns bread.

At 6:00 Suzette decided to sauté the chicken and make brown gravy with mushrooms and garlic and mashed potatoes.  I suggested Steamed broccoli.  Suzette was in a cooking mood and fired up the stove and peeled and squeezed several cloves of garlic into the olive oil in which she sautéed the chicken.

I diced five Yukon Gold potatoes, washed them and put the pieces in a pot covered with water, on the stove. I also diced four mushrooms, put the pieces in a small bowl that I handed to Suzette and poured us glasses of wine and retired to the TV area while Suzette deflowered and steamed a stalk of broccoli, and boiled and mashed the potatoes.  

After the chicken had cooked Suzette sprinkled the remaining flour, chervil, salt and pepper from the bag in which she had coated the chicken thighs with a flour and herb mixture into the sauté pan in which she had sautéed the chicken. Suzette added the mushrooms and sautéed the flour mixture and mushrooms for several minutes to cook them.  Then she added 2 cups of chicken stock she had made by mixing dehydrated Knorr Chicken stock with hot water and a bit later some milk, which made a creamy slightly brown gravy.

 

I filled our glasses and added ice cubes to chill the wine further and Suzette plated our plates attractively with a piece of sautéed chicken on a pile of mashed potatoes surrounded by steamed broccoli flowerets and cream gravy.

I love this recipe because it combines crisp sautéed chicken with a cream sauce that utilizes the pan drippings that flavors the cream sauce with the chicken and garlic flavors created during the sauté. The sauce is flavorful, and a quick sauce to make.  It is similar to the sauce Julia Child makes for her Scallops Provencal in which she coats the scallops with flour and then adds liquid to the sautéed scallops to make the sauce. A short cut to a sauté dish with a cream sauce.

We watched the new movie “Bliss” with Salma Hayak and Owen Wilson and went to bed at 9:30 shortly after dinner, which often is the case on Friday nights.

I awakened at 10:30 to take my pills and blog.

Bon Appetit

 

 

February 18, 2021 Breakfast - Lax and Bagel Lunch – Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup Dinner – PPI Texas Chili Enchiladas

February 18, 2021 Breakfast - Lax and Bagel   Lunch – Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup Dinner – PPI Texas Chili Enchiladas

Today’s delight was seeing the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Mexican Modernism Exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum.  It was fabulous exhibit of the Collection of a European Couple named Gelman who found refuge in Mexico from the Nazis who put together a fabulous collection.  They were friends with Frida and Diego who each painted their portraits. I highly recommend seeing the Exhibit that is on display until May. It contains some of the best Diego and Frida’s paintings and photographs I have ever seen.

Breakfast was one toasted slice of bagel spread with cream cheese and garnished with sliced onion, lax and capers.

For lunch I made a Pho soup with the one-half PPI burger with melted Manchego cheese in a two quart pot filled 2/3 full of water plus dehydrated beef stock, a Pho seasoning cube, a heaping T. of red miso, plus two baby bok choy diced, six snow peas halved, two mushrooms sliced, and one shallot minced, to which I added a bundle of bean thread noodles, a bundle of egg noodles, and a handful of brown rice vermicelli sticks.  After 30 minutes everything was integrated and cooked for a delicious noodle soup with a rich broth.

Dinner was even more simple.  After seeing the exhibit we heated squares of PPI Texas Chili Enchiladas and garnished them with avocado sour cream and I added an egg to my dish to supercharge the protein. I had made the enchiladas in a large pyrex baking dish with two layers of corn tortillas softened in oil and green chili sauce, two layers of grated mozzarella cheese, two layers of Texas chili con carne, and a layer of sliced avocado.  I loved the enchiladas.

After dinner we ate the last of a pint of Jenni’s peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.

After dinner we made plans to drive to Las Vegas and visit Bryce and Zion National Parks.

Now that we have two doses of vaccine we are beginning to stretch our wings and move a bit more in the world. 

 Bon Appetit and arte

 

 

February 17, 2021 Lunch - Sashimi Dinner – Grilled Fillet Mignon, PPI Scalloped Potatoes, and Steamed Asparagus.

 February 17, 2021 Lunch -  Sashimi   Dinner – Grilled Fillet Mignon, PPI Scalloped Potatoes, and Steamed Asparagus.

 Today illustrates that simple food can be delicious.

 For lunch I ate the leftover fresh salmon, aji Tuna, and scallops from yesterday with another bowl of sushi rice, pickled ginger and the leftover soy and wasabi combination with a cup of green tea, steamed asparagus and fresh sliced daikon.

I took a fillet out of the freezer to thaw.

This simple traditional Japanese dish was fresh, tasty and surprisingly filling.

After the market closed at 2:00 and I booked my .6% loss I napped until 5:15, when Suzette turned on the TV.

We only had to decide upon the vegetable, since we already had the remaining dish of scalloped potatoes to re-heat.  We decided to steam the last of the bunch of asparagus I bought at Sprouts on Sunday.

We wanted a good wine and decided to drink one of our good cabs, so I went to basement and fetched a bottle of 2010 Wellington Morhardt Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was perfect.  It smelled and tasted of mulberries with an incredibly clean taste that just improved for about an hour as we drank it.  I am so proud I bought several cases of this wine when the winery ceased operations.

After dinner, I sipped a sniffer of Calvados and we ate a square of two of chocolate.

A simple and delicious meal of top quality ingredients.

Bon Appetit

February 16, 2021 Breakfast - PPI Oatmeal Lunch – Sashimi and Sushi Rice Dinner - Cedar Board Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and PPI mixed Tomato Couscous and Rice

February 16, 2021 Breakfast - PPI Oatmeal  Lunch – Sashimi and Sushi Rice  Dinner -  Cedar Board Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and PPI mixed Tomato Couscous and Rice

Today was a good food day.  I went to Sprouts yesterday and bought a salmon fillet and a tuna steak so today we had two meals with salmon.

 For lunch, I sliced about 6 oz. of salmon, a tuna steak, and two sea scallops into bite sized pieces.  I then sliced one-half of a piece of daikon into semi-circular slices, and filled dipping bowls with soy and wasabi and put some pickled ginger in a bowl.  We heated a pitcher with sake and I made I cup of sushi rice with 2 T. of sugar, 2 T. of rice vinegar, two cups of water, a tsp. of dehydrated dashi, and 1 cup of jasmine rice after the water boiled I added the rice and simmered it for thirty minutes.

The rice was a little wet but delicious.  

After lunch Suzette made a recipe of teriyaki sauce with 1/3 cup each of sake, soy, and aji mirin plus 1 T. of sugar heated to dissolve the sugar into solution.  She then poured the teriyaki sauce into a freezer bag with the 2 ½ lb. of salmon fillet and set it in the fridge to marinate.

At 6:00 we started cooking.  Dinner was easy. Suzette had soaked a cedar board in water and she put the teriyaki marinated salmon on the board and grilled it on the grill for about 20 minutes.

I deflowered a stalk of broccoli and put it in the steamer with water. Suzette mixed PPI tomato couscous with PPI rice and heated it in the microwave with a pad of butter and a bit of water covered with saran.     

 

I opened and poured a bottle of Cloe Pinot Grigio and we had a wonderful meal.  Suzette cooked the thin part of the salmon fillet separately from the thick portion because I love my salmon under cooked and Willy likes the salmon well cooked.

I called Billy today to make sure he had electricity and he did, so they are okay during this worst winter weather in Dallas ever.

The plumbers came yesterday to fix our boiler, so we are as snug as a bug in a rug.

 

After dinner, we watched Finding your roots and President Biden’s Town Hall and after Willy left at 8:00 Suzette fetched President Biden’s favorite ice cream Jenni’s Peanut butter chocolate chip, and we each had a bowl of it.

A fun day of food with lots of fresh fish.

 Bon Appetit    

February 15, 2021 Breakfast – Lax and bagel Lunch – Salad Dinner - PPI Enchiladas garnished with chopped onion and avocado and sour cream with Steamed Asparagus.

 February 15, 2021 Breakfast – Lax and bagel   Lunch – Salad   Dinner - PPI Enchiladas garnished with chopped onion and avocado and sour cream with Steamed Asparagus.

I am trying to reduce the amount of food I eat or eat foods that ae not fattening.

So for Breakfast I toasted 1 slice of bagel instead of two and spread it with cream cheese and garnished it with a slice of onion, slices of lax and capers.  I am actively seeking to eat the smallest amount of food I can to sustain me.

At 1:00, I made a large salad with full head of romaine lettuce, a diced egg, a tomato, and a slice of onion and about ¼ of a cucumber plus three white anchovies and ¼ cup of grated Pecorino-Romano cheese.

I drank water with lunch.  Unfortunately, I felt a little weak and sleepy after lunch so I drank a glass of Iced Vietnamese coffee.

I watched Chelsea beat Sheffield United in soccer until 3:00 and at 3:30 drove to Sprouts Farmers’ Market to pick up a few items we needed.  I bought an Atlantic farm raised salmon fillet, and an aji tuna steak, some broccoli crowns on sale for $.98/lb. and a bunch of Asparagus for $1.98/lb. I also bought yogurt, sour cream, milk, cream cheese and a bottle of 2018 Edna Valley Pinot Noir for $13.99.

When I returned I was tired, so I made a cup of tea and ate a chocolate chip cookie with it to help regain my energy.

Suzette arrived shortly after I did and she watched TV while I read my book club book, Jack by Marilynne Robinson. She is highly rated, having won a Pulitzer Prize for her earlier book, Gilead, but I am having trouble appreciating her skill so far.  I have trouble with books that are not informative or deal with persons with difficult personalities for me to be sympathetic with and Jack is one of those personalities.

At 6:30, we made dinner.  I fetched the PPI enchiladas I made with the Texas Chili, avocado slices, grated mozzarella cheese and sautéed chopped onion and corn tortillas softened in green chili sauce and oil.

I also snapped 12 Asparagus and put them in the steamed with water and chopped some onion and an avocado.

Suzette cut and placed squares of enchiladas on two plates, covered them with saran, and heated them in the microwave.  I opened two Modelo Especial beers and put the sour cream and chopped avocado and onions on the table to garnish the enchiladas. 

We enjoyed this simple meal as we watched the Antiques Roadshow. Suzette was tired so she went to bed at 8:00 and I stayed up to watch an American Experience documentary on the life of Marian Anderson until 10:00 and then blogged this blog.

Bon Appetit   

February 14, 2021 Breakfast - Oatmeal Lunch – Chicken Dumpling Miso Soup Dinner- PPI Pork Belly with Steamed Broccoli and Scalloped Potatoes.

 

February 14, 2021 Breakfast - Oatmeal   Lunch – Chicken Dumpling Miso Soup  Dinner- PPI Pork Belly with Steamed Broccoli and Scalloped Potatoes.

A day spent inside as there is snow on the ground and the temp is under 30 degrees outside.

Suzette made oatmeal for breakfast. She stewed apricots and raisins and then made two cups of oatmeal with equal parts water and milk and added brown sugar and butter. I am not accustomed to butter in my oatmeal but it was delicious.

I watched soccer until noon and then ate the last of the Chicken Dumpling Miso soup with baby bok choy, and broccoli. I added three dumplings, an additional T. of red miso and two green onions sliced.

I cut the dumplings in half after removing from the broth and dipped them into a mixture of hoisin and Siracha.

After lunch I read until 2:00 when we zoomed with the family and drank a glass of Estate Carneros 2015 Estate Brut Cuvee.  Later I rested and read and then helped Suzette put the Cocktail puzzle together until 5:00 when she started dinner.

Suzette steamed broccoli and re-heated the Pork Belly and Scalloped potatoes     

We enjoyed dinner tonight more than last night as the pork was more tender after being cooled the additional two hours at 200 Degrees last night. We finished the bottle of Carneros Brut with dinner.

We are officially back on our diet, so did not eat any dessert.

Bon Appetit

Feb 13, 2021 Brunch - Fried Egg Sandwich, Valentine’s Day Dinner – Roasted Pork Belly with Rosemary Sage and sun dried tomatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus

Feb 13, 2021 Brunch - Fried Egg Sandwich,   Valentine’s Day Dinner – Roasted Pork Belly with Rosemary Sage and sun dried tomatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus

I awakened at 5:30 and I was glad I did because Leicester was playing Liverpool and Leicester beat Liverpool 3 to 1.  That was the most exciting sports event of the month for me and kept Leicester in second place in the Premier League.

I watched the Impeachment for a while until Suzette made herself an egg sandwich and then I did too.  I make open faced sandwiches, so I whisked two eggs with two sliced green onions and a pinch of salt and pepper and fried the egg on both sides like a big pancake.  After I flipped it I added slices of manchego cheese and then when the egg pancake was fully cooked I flipped it in half so the cheese would melt in the middle. I toasted two slices of 9 Grain bread and spread them with mayonnaise and then put the egg on them. It was a lovely sandwich eaten with knife and fork.

We drove to Peter Eller’s house to see his new antique furniture at 10:30.

I worked watched more impeachment.  When the senate voted to call witnesses I got excited but soon realized they would make a deal to avoid calling Trump and stopped watching an worked on the puzzle Cynthia loaned us.

I then ate a cookie and read and napped until 5:30 when we started cooking dinner.

Roasted Pork Belly - I went to the garden and picked rosemary and sage for the dish

Suzette made a sort of glaze with oil and the herbs and tomatoes and roasted the pork for 90 minutes but it was still tough.

Scalloped Potatoes – the best dish was the potatoes, sliced in the Cuisinart and layered in two layers in a baking dish and dusted with flour and dollops of butter and Jarlsberg cheese. Suzette then added a mixture of ½ milk and ½ cream to fill to the top of the dish and baked.  Suzette tells me the secret is to use a sifter or sieve to make sure the flour is spread evenly in a light dusting so it will melt into a sauce and not clot.

 Suzette also roasted 8 lovely thick asparagus.

 I chilled a bottle of Reichart German Pinot Noir Rose ($4.99 at Trader Joe’s, the best Rose value in town) that was delicious with the dinner.

We decided the pork had not cooked enough to melt the fat and tenderize the meat, so Suzette put it back into the oven at 200 degrees for an additional two hours and it seemed to become tender.

We plan to have the same meal tomorrow night with the properly cooked Pork Belly and champagne for our official Valentine’s Dinner.

Valentine Dinner is special for us because Suzette and I had our first date on Valentine Day 23 years ago. She cooked a killer cassoulet.

How time flies when you are having fun.

I Pad not set up yet so no photos yet.

Bon Appetit   

 

 

 

 

 

  

 February 11 and 12, 2021

Thursday we were knocked down physically by a reaction to the Covid vaccination we received on Wednesday.  I managed to make a clear chicken dumpling soup for lunch with baby bok choy, chicken stock, 1/2 shallot, chicken mini-dumplings, red miso, and 4 oz. of tofu.

I stopped at Pastian’s Bakery on my way to Costco to gas the Prius and bought loaves of German Whole wheat Sandwich, 9 Grain Sandwich, and 6 plain bagels.

After that it was dry toast spread with peanut butter and honey for a snack after I returned from a short walk and later, peanut butter and peach jam on toast.

We went to bed at 8:30.  I got up at 10:00 feeling better but Suzette slept through the night. 

We both felt better Friday morning and I made us lax and bagels with cream cheese, sliced onion, and capers.

At noon I made an enchilada casserole with12 corn tortillas in two layers of corn tortillas softened in peanut oil and Garduno’s Green Chili sauce, two layers of Texas chili, two layers of grated mozzarella, a layer of sliced avocado, and a layer of onions baked in a pyrex baking dish at 350 degrees for 1 hour. By coincident Suzette came home early and Willy came by so we all enjoyed eating warm enchiladas and we still have about 80% left.  Making enchiladas with Texas chili (commonly known as Chili con Carne) is something I made for years while I lived in Texas and is the common method of making enchiladas in Texas.

We watched the impeachment until 4:00 and then walked ½ mile.

When we returned, I fetched the container of diced tomatoes and a bottle of 2015 Domaine Toussaint Appellation Vouvray Controlee that I had bought at Total Wine in 2016 for $14.99 less 20%.  It was marvelous, with full bodied chenin blanc fruitiness and a touch of citrus acidity that makes Vouvray so appealing.

After watching the news and sipping wine, at 7:30 we started cooking dinner.  I cleaned and filleted the two blue mackerel I had bought at 999 Seafood Market last Wednesday for $3.99/lb. and Suzette found her broiled mackerel recipe, which was simply broiling mackerel fillets coated with olive oil and a dash of lemon and smoked paprika.

We also made Asparagus and tomato couscous.  Suzette diced about 8 asparagus into 1 inch segments. She sautéed the asparagus. I sliced and chopped a clove of garlic and added it and a cup of couscous and 2 more T. of butter to the pot and heated 2/3 cup of water to the boil.  Then I added the water and covered the pot to let the water create steam and mix with the couscous.  Then I added 2/3 cup of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup more of water to get the right water to couscous balance.

After the pot began to create steam, I turned down the heat to the lowest level and let it cook for about five minutes and then fluffed the couscous and put the lid back on. When the pot started steaming again I turned off the heat.

Will arrived a bit after 8:00 and Suzette plated piles of asparagus tomato couscous with a fillet of mackerel on top.

We loved this Mediterranean broiled fish dinner that we could have eaten in Spain or Morocco as easily and the wonderful wine.

We watched two episodes of The Durrells in Corfu.

Suzette gave me a 2 oz. Hershey’s Kiss as a Valentine’s Day gift, which we shared with sniffers of cognac.

Willy left at 10:00 and Suzette went to bed and I blogged.

This was a great day of food.

I am between I Pads.  My old one died and I ordered another one that arrived today, but until it is set up to operate I will not be able to attach photos.

Bon Appetit

February 10, 2021 Lunch – Shrimp Sausage Noodle bowl from Coda Bakery. Dinner – Shrimp, Shrimp Sausage, and deep fried onion tofu and vegetable stir fry with PPI rice

 February  10, 2021 Lunch – Shrimp Sausage Noodle bowl from Coda Bakery. Dinner – Shrimp, Shrimp Sausage, and deep fried onion tofu and vegetable stir fry with PPI rice

The food was good today, but the food shopping was great.

I ate granola, banana slices, blueberries, yogurt, and milk for breakfast at 9:15 as I listened to the first day of the second Trump Impeachment trial.  The evidence was devastating to Trump as it showed how over six months he planned to de-legitimize the vote count if it did not favor him and then after all other legitimjate avenues to reverse the vote failed, he planned the January 6 insurrection to have his supporters stop the count of the electoral college votes that had been certified by the states.

Willy picked me up at 10:20 and we drove to the Center in Los Lunas, I for my second shot and Willy for his first shot.

Afterwards he was kind enough to drive us to 999 Seafood market on Gibson, just east of San Mateo. 999 Seafood is a full Oriental Supermarket with lots of wonderful food items.  We both went a little crazy.  I bought hoisin sauce, a fresh bamboo shoot in water, snow peas, a quart of pickled daikon and carrot, fresh egg noodles, two blue mackerel, a pork belly, chocolate cookies, and a 19 oz. tub of medium tofu.

Willy got and array of sauces, such as teriyaki sauce and sesame oil, some cookies, a jar of ground turmeric, and several canned beverages.

It was a super shopping experience.

We discussed lunch.  Willy suggested Coda Bakery that makes amazing Vietnamese sandwiches. I prefer noodles, so I opted for a noodle bowl with shrimp sausage.  I also bought two small loafs of deep fried onion tofu ($.85 each).

Willy dropped me off and brought in my groceries. As soon as I put up the groceries and completed a deed, I ate the noodle bowl.  It was a revelatory experience.  I had sections filled with lettuce and bean sprouts, some fresh mint, soft steamed noodles garnished with slices of grilled shrimp sausage that was delicious, a section of sliced cucumber with sautéed green onions sprinkled on top, a covered cup of fish sauce in the middle and a small container of roasted, chopped peanuts.

I made a Vietnamese iced coffee with Suzette’s leftover coffee from breakfast mixed with a heaping T. of condensed milk and served in a glass filled of about .2%.  I had a harrowing experience at 7:47 in the morning.  Apple and the market started dropping so I sold my shares of Apple at $134.85 but soon it turned around and the market and Apple started to recover. I knew I was leaving so I bought it back at $135.09, a loss of $.24 cents.  As it turned out the buy back was the right decision because Apple ended the day around $135.35.  So I gambled but limited my loss when I saw the market turn a second time.  Of course I would have been better off to have done nothing.

At 4:45 I walked about 1/3 mile just to loosen my joints.

Suzette did not wish to cook dinner, which was fine with me because I did.  I wanted to stir fry the deep fried tofu and leftover shrimp sausage from lunch plus some extra frozen heads on shrimp with some snow peas, baby Bok Choy, onion, garlic, and ginger.

I chopped all the ingredients and made a seasoning sauce with rice vinegar, hoisin, soy, sesame oil, salt, sugar, broccoli, three large white mushrooms sliced, Chinese Cooking wine, cornstarch and water.

After the ingredients had steamed and been turned several times I added the seasoning sauce and then a bit more water to create a loose sauce.

  Before the seating sauce was added

After the seasoning sauce was added

 I heated some of the PPI rice I made several days ago and we ate a wonderful dinner.  Suzette drank water and I drank green tea.

I ate a chocolate chip cookie after dinner with a second cup of green tea.

I loved my day of Vietnamese and Chinese food shopping and lunch and dinner.

Bon Appetit 

February 9, 2021 Lunch – PPI Texas Chili. Dinner – Hamburger steak with Roasted Potatoes and Butternut Squash and Steamed Broccoli

February 9, 2021 Lunch – PPI Texas Chili. Dinner – Hamburger steak with Roasted Potatoes and Butternut Squash and Steamed Broccoli

I ate granola, blueberries, sliced banana, milk, and yogurt for breakfast.

I heated a bowl of Texas chili garnished with mozzarella cheese, corn chips, and sour cream for lunch.

I listened to the jurisdiction arguments in the impeachment of Trump starting at 11:00 and heard the entire House argument but I went to an appointment at 1:15 so missed most of the Trump response.

History is being made as the senate tries the first president to be impeached twice and the first President to incite insurrection against the government.

I heard the vote at 3:15 and was happy that the impeachment trial will proceed.

I worked on the new puzzle in the late afternoon and evening after dinner and Finding your roots.

Dinner was really tasty. Suzette and I decided to roast the remaining ½ baked butternut squash and six or seven creamer potatoes. I diced them and placed them in a pyrex baking dish with cloves of garlic and rosemary.  Suzette tossed the ingredients in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them covered for 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil and uncovered for another 20 minutes. 

I formed hamburger 4 hamburger patties from the package of ground beef we bought at Costco on Saturday.

Willy called and we invited him to dinner at 7;00.I sliced 5 portobello mushrooms and1/2 shallot and a sweet onion andi sautéed those as Suzette grilled the hamburgers outside on the grill.

I also cut florets from two stalks of broccoli and put them in the steamer with water.  When Suzette put the hamburgers on the grill I started sautéing the mushrooms and onions in butter and olive oil and started the steamer.

I opened a bottle of 2011 La Vega de Origon Gran Reserva from the Terra Alta region in Spain. It is 40% Syrah and 60% Grenache, similar to aSouthern Rhone blend $5.99 at Costco.

 When We brought the hamburgers in I lay slices of Manchego cheese on them and Suzette covered them with aluminum foil so they would continue to cook and melt the cheese.

We loved dinner andi was pleased that we were re-emphasizing flavors again.

Bon Appetit