August 31, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Pasta Shells with Pesto and Cherry tomatoes Dinner - Roasted Chicken with steamed Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

August 31, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Pasta Shells with Pesto and Cherry tomatoes Dinner - Roasted Chicken with steamed Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

This morning I sliced into three slices and toasted one of the whole wheat bagels I bought yesterday at El Super.  Suzette recognized immediately that it was not a boiled bagel, but that did not bother me.

Suzette picked four figs from our bush and I slit them open with a knife and filled them each with a dab of goat cheese to add to the breakfast.

I also spread the toasted bagel slices with goat cheese and then lay slices of red onion and Gravad lax n them and Suzette added a spoonful of capers.

Suzette fetched the fresh squeezed orange juice from the garage fridge and we drank a glass of orange juice.

I tested myself after breakfast and I was positive.  So after Suzette left I cancelled tomorrow’s book club meeting and the Friday oyster dinner we had planned with Aaron and Monika and notified Linda and TR that we would not be able to attend their party on Saturday night.

I then did a little office work and then got in bed at noon.

At 2:00 I went to the kitchen and decided to add a chopped slice of sausage and sauté that with the last of the Pasta Shells with Pesto and Cherry tomatoes left from Suzette’s birthday party.  I drank a glass of Clamato with the juice of 1/2 lime.

I went back to bed until dinner.

Suzette arrived at 4:30 with Roasted Chicken from the Greenhouse Bistro.

At 7:00 she called me dinner and it was fabulous; the dark meat quarter of chicken, steamed broccoli, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.  Suzette called it comfort food.  I called it fabulous?

She served a glass of Ferme Julien white blend from the Southern Rhone Valley.

I went back to bed after dinner and rested until after 10:00 when Suzette went to bed and then took my pills and returned to bed for the night.

This was a wonderful day of food.

I am not feeling bad and the Collagen and Turmeric is making my legs feel normal until I put pressure on my hip and knee joints.

Bon Appetit

August 30, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Potstickers with Seaweed Salad Dinner - BLT Sandwiches and Peach Cobbler

 August 30, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Potstickers with Seaweed Salad  Dinner - BLT Sandwiches and Peach Cobbler

I awakened at 6:48 and watched the news until 8:00.

I worked a bit and then showered and dressed and at 9:30 toasted two slices of bagel, spread them with cream cheese and added slices of red onion and Gravad lax and a sprinkle of capers. 

I drank a cup of chai with the bagel and then worked some more until 12:30, when I lay down and napped until 2:00.

I then made a lunch of 10 potstickers and a pile of seaweed salad with a soy, then worked until 4:30 when I drove to the bank to deposit checks and garlic/chili, sliced green onion, and sesame oil dipping sauce.

I then drove in solid 5:00 traffic for fifteen minutes to El Super to shop for groceries.  I bought Mexican squash, tomatoes, a Pasilla chili, limes, sour cream, yellow onions, leeks, Snow peas, and broccoli.

I arrived at home at 6:30 and made a gin and tonic and rested while Suzette put up the groceries and made dinner.  She toasted one each of the La Brea bake and serve dinner rolls garnished two halves of a dinner roll with basil mayonnaise, a pile of fried crisp bacon, a few slices of lettuce and a slice of tomato from our garden.

We drank Origon Reserva, a red blend of Grenache and Syrah from Terra Alta south of Barcelona with dinner.

After dinner we watched the news and ate bowls of cobbler with vanilla ice cream with a sniffer of cognac.

We went to bed at 9:00.

Bon Appetit 

August 29, 2022 Lunch - PPI Caprese Salad and Egg Salad. Dinner - Beef Stroganoff with Spaghetti

 August 29, 2022 Lunch - PPI Caprese Salad and Egg Salad. Dinner - Beef Stroganoff with Spaghetti

Today was a low cooking day.

I ate PPI Caprese Salad and Egg Salad leftovers for lunch at 2:30 and at 6:00 we cooked and easy one dish dinner of Beef Stroganoff.

Dinner - Beef Stroganoff 

I chopped the leftover steak from last night’s dinner.  We used about 3 oz. for this dinner.   The rest will go into French Onion Soup I will probably make tomorrow.

I quartered the rest of the shiitake mushrooms, 1/6 onion, four Shishito peppers, about 2 oz. of white beech mushrooms, and 1/4 canned pimiento.

Suzette boiled about 1/3 lb. of spaghetti in a pot of water and sautéed the ingredients in a skillet and added about 1/4 each of heavy cream and sour cream and a dash of smoked Spanish paprika.

When the spaghetti was cooked Suzette drained and then tossed the cooked spaghetti in the skillet with the creamed ingredients to coat the spaghetti with the sauce.

We drank glasses of the opened bottle of 2017 Chianti Classico Riserva.

A simple day of food from leftovers after a big cooking day.

Bon Appetit 

August 28, 2022 Breakfast - Serrano Ham and Cabot Cheddar Cheese Omelet. Lunch -Sautéed Pesto Pasta Dinner -Rib Steak with Corn and Caprese Salad

August 28, 2022  Breakfast - Serrano Ham and Cabot Cheddar Cheese Omelet. Lunch -Sautéed Pesto Pasta Dinner -Rib Steak with Corn and Caprese Salad

I woke up at 5:30 and started watching the news programs at 6:00 and PL soccer came on at 7:00. There were several terrific speakers on Fareed Zacharia.  One was the former safety director for NYC talking about how cities are reducing parking spaces and streets for car traffic and converting them to pedestrian and bike friendly areas. The most interesting fact was that Oslo has had no pedestrian or car deaths this year. The other was a British professor who talked about inflation.

The other things happening are a build up of Russian troops in the war in Ukraine and a new heavy lift rocket test planned for tomorrow that will take astronauts back to the moon.

I chopped 3 slices of Serrano ham and Suzette sliced Cabot cheddar cheese and made a hammer and cheese omelet. It is fun integrating the wonderful ingredients that are leftover from our parties into new dishes.

I then watched Tottenham beat Fulham on 2 Kane goals to go into 3rd place in the PL

 

I rested for much of the afternoon while Suzette watched remodeling shows.

At 2:00 Suzette came to ask me if I wanted some pasta.  I asked and found out it was the leftover pesto pasta shells from the party.  I requested that she add some slices of Stuffed green olives.  Soon she called and said the dish was ready. We quickly decided to open a bottle of Chianti Classico (Trader Joe’s $5.99).

The sautéed pasta was delicious, especially with the green olive slices.

I lay down after lunch and rested and read the Mammoth Hunters until 5:00. We went to the garden and Picked basil leaves and thyme.

At 5:30 I made the Caprese Salad by alternating slices of ripe tomatoes from our garden, red onion, fresh mozzarella, and basil leaves.  Suzette made a lovely dressing with the fancy olive oil and balsamic vinegar we bought on our last trip to California.

Suzette asked me to find the jiffy cobbler recipe so she could make a each and blueberry cobbler for dessert.

Here is the recipe.

I then de-stemmed and quartered about 3 oz. of lovely shiitake mushrooms Suzette had bought at the Farmers’ Market and stripped and added the leaves off the sprigs of thyme we picked in the garden.

At 6:30 Monika, Alexi, and Aaron arrived with a round of Hadiston spruce wrapped cheese from Vermont, which I had bought a smaller wheel of at Smith’s ad a bottle of 2019 Tinto from Chile. I had chilled what is probably the last bottle of La Dans rose on the planet, one of the wines we bought in our Ill-fated Romanian wine venture.

Suzette suggested we eat outside at the gazebo, but soon after we went outside we were attacked by mosquitoes.  I learned something interesting when Monika asked, “Do you know what blood type you are?”

She told me that mosquitoes will not seek blood from persons of that type of blood.

When Suzette went to prep dinner we took a vote and it was unanimous that Suzette was of the zero exposure blood type and we were not of that blood type and we would go back inside to eat dinner.

We arranged ourselves around the table in

Suzette was boiling ears of fresh white corn she bought at the a farmers’ market and grilling the two steaks and sautéing Shishito peppers and shiitake mushrooms with fresh thyme.  Aaron opened the bottle of Tinto and we poured glasses of it. Suzette had made a Delice Sauce by whipping horseradish and heavy cream.

When Suzette brought in the steaks. I sliced them both while Suzette placed an ear of corn on each plate.  Aaron stripped the kernels off Alexi’s 1/2 ear of corn and cut her steak into bite-sized pieces.  Soon we began serving ourselves and rolling the ears on a stick of butter.

The rib steak was a little over cooked and tough but the tomahawk rib steak was perfectly grilled to medium rare uniformly throughout the steak.

I took three slices of rib steak and two small pieces of tomahawk but after I tasted the tomahawk I asked for two more pieces of it.

The heavier Tinto was perfect with the steaks.  It was fruity and also had some fruitiness but without a lot of acidity.  I did not discern any youthful acidity.

After dinner we opened we opened a bottle of Calstar 2013 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir, my favorite Pinot at this time, and ate most of the creamy Muenster style Hadiston cheese with crackers.

Monika mentioned kefir, a liquid form of yogurt, and I poured us each a glass of mint flavored kefir I had bought at Istanbul Market.

Finally Suzette fetched the vanilla ice cream and served cobbler with a scoop of ice cream.

We finished dessert at a bit before 9:00.  Since that was close to Alexi and our bed time when we said goodnight and I gave Monika a wheel of Hadiston spruce wrapped cheese.

What a wonderful meal and so simply prepared.

Bon Appetit

August 27, 2022 Breakfast - Almond croissant and Chocolate and Almond Croissant. Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwiches. Dinner - Shell Club.

August 27, 2022 Breakfast - Almond croissant and Chocolate and Almond Croissant. Lunch - Egg Salad Sandwiches. Dinner - Shell Club.

Today was another busy, fun day. I watched PL soccer this morning.  Leicester lost, Leeds lost, and Arsenal won to go into first place up in the PL.

Suzette went to the Farmers’ Market to buy tomatoes for Caprese Salad and Shishito peppers and shiitake mushrooms to sauté for dinner tomorrow evening and also brought back an almond croissant and a chocolate and almond croissant for breakfast.

I made tea and she made coffee and we enjoyed the best croissants I have ever tasted.

I then watched the rest of the Arsenal match and rested. Suzette went shopping for beds and chairs to furnish a room for a new client.

When she returned she made egg salad with chopped egg, Serrano ham, pimiento stuffed olives, Mayo, and mustard.

She toasted slices of French baguette and sliced a tomato and we made egg salad sandwiches for lunch and nibbled red seedless grapes with them.  Suzette drank beer and I drank Sauvignon Blanc from France (Trader Joe’s $5.99).

I then showered and dressed and drove to Smith’s where I bought two rib steaks and a tomahawk rib steak plus milk, blueberries, a bok Choy, La Brea Bake and serve dinner rolls, and vanilla ice cream. 

When I returned home at 3:30 Suzette had packed a basket with cheeses, olives, figs, the apple chutney Suzette made from apples from our tree, the reduced Cabernet Sauvignon made by Chef Josh, Serrano ham.  I grabbed a bottle of 2016 Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja and four shells to show the members.

At 4:00 we drove to Tom and Donnie’s house at the top of the hill in north Rio Rancho. Suzette unpacked all the items and created a lovely charcuterie and cheese board.

I had invited Pradip to the meeting because he had done years of research on Conotoxins, mostly for pain relief treatment.  The cone seashell is the only species of Gastropod that creates toxins and hunts with them.  The Geography cone, found mainly in the Philippines and Australia, is known to have killed humans.  It kills by firing a poison dart it makes from its body and has a toxin that immobilizes like the venom of a rattlesnake, except there is no known antidote for the geography cone venom.  It is called the one cigarette bite because that is how quickly it kills.

Pradip told us his history of working in DNA and RNA research and how he became affiliated with Dr. “Toto” Oliveras at Utah University and studied conotoxins.  Dr. Oliveras had spoken to our group many years before I joined.

Tom and Donnie served a dinner of roast beef and a watermelon Mediterranean Salad and then sugar lace cookies with vanilla olive cream with fresh raspberries and blueberries.

The highlight of the evening was Bruce presenting Tom the first President’s Award of the Conchologists of America in recognition of his serving as Editor of the Conchologist Magazine for 20 years and other services, such as being an identifier (one who can identify hard to identify seashells).

This is the biggest honor the organization has ever bestowed on an active member and the first time it has ever been awarded.  Bruce is on the board of directors of the COA. We are only four members in Albuquerque, but we play a big role in the COA.

I need to renew my membership.  Tom told me I needed to go to the next Annual Convention.

We left around 8:45 and arrived home by 9:30.

What a lovely evening.

Bon Appetit

August 26, 2022 Breakfast - French Toast. Snack - Duck Fried Rice. Dinner - Chicken and Dumpling Soup and Chile Relleno with beans

August 26, 2022 Breakfast - French Toast. Snack - Duck Fried Rice. Dinner - Chicken and Dumpling Soup and Chile Relleno with beans

Today we ate a lot of leftovers, although Suzette made French Toast for breakfast with slices of the delicious French baguettes that Brianna made for the party last night. We put the peach compote, yogurt and maple syrup on the French toast.

Etienne spent the night.  When I dressed around 9:00 and after we are breakfast we went to the back yard and put up the oil cloth, cleaned the tables and folded the tables and Etienne helped load the tables into Suzette’s Highlander to take back to the Center for the Saturday concert.

Suzette left for work and Etienne stayed and we talked and finally around noon he helped move the green glass into the back yard.

After Etienne left, I rested until Suzette came home around 3:00 and i then ate the leftover duck fried rice.  

At around 4:00 Suzette drove to the bank and then the Post Office and finally to the Chile Connection on Broadway, where she reserved several bags of Limiter fresh picked green Chile.

We returned home around 5:00.  Suzette watched the news and I read a history of the Biden family in the New Yorker until 6:00 when Suzette opened her birthday gifts and sent thank you notes by email and texts.

We finished around 7:00 and I heated the Chicken, tofu, and dumpling soup and Suzette ate the leftover Chile Relleno and beans from Padilla’s.

While we were opening gifts we ate several truffles that Joanne and Karl gave Suzette.

We finally got in bed around 9:00 and I blogged yesterday and today’s events band then read.

Bon Appetit

August 25, 2022 Brunch - Eggs and Sausage. Dinner - Suzette’s 65th Birthday Party

August 25, 2022 Brunch - Eggs and Sausage. Dinner - Suzette’s 65th Birthday Party

It will be impossible to adequately describe this day.  It started out rather calmly, perhaps because Suzette has been working for days cleaning the gardens and setting up serving and dining areas around the back yard.

While she put the finishing touches on the food areas, I made breakfast of sausage Pattie’s and eggs over easy.

After breakfast we went to Costco and ate a hot dog and then did some last minute shopping including Ten 16 lb. Bags of ice, eggs, Heineken beer, and a bouquet of flowers.

When we returned I rested and soon Suzette’s kitchen crew arrived with baked bread and a birthday cake baked by Brianna, the new baker at the Greenhouse Bistro. The executive Chef Josh arrived and the food and beverage director.  The cooked the shrimp and pasta for the party and hung slices of prosciutto, serrano ham and capicola on columns with toothpicks.  They also made a large bowl of Grape Suzette Salad with white and red grapes, cherry tomatoes, shredded Parmesan cheese, and lettuce. The inspiration for the party’s theme was the extravagant food arrangements by Salvador Dali in his cookbook.

                                           Chef Josh at the charcuterie table

I went to the kitchen at five and filled six bowls with olives and dates.  I then unwrapped the cheeses at the charcuterie and cheese table.  The hit of the party was not our cheeses but the wheel of Brillant-Savarin cheese brought by Monika and Aaron. Suzette made a terrific apple, raisin, and ginger chutney and I bought a slab of Guava paste for something sweet to go with the meat and cheese.

At 5:45 Will, one of the band members, arrived and started setting up under the trampoline.  He was with a jazz quartet that played until 9:30.

People started arriving at 6:30 it was quite a crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  Almost everyone brought a gift. Here is a list of the attendees who brought gifts, although there were extra gifts for which we were unable to determine the donor.

                                                            The Shrimp Shrine

                                                  The cheese and charcuterie table

There was a shrimp Shrine under the gazebo.  There was a beverage area beside the big elm tree in the yard and on the patio was the cheese, olive, and charcuterie table.

I had trouble walking but tried to help with the wine.

                                               The melting clock birthday cake

                                            The cheese board at the end of the party

       The candelabra with the cake just before Suzette blew out the candles and cut the cake 

Willy and I had pulled 20 wines from the basement Wednesday evening and many people brought wine.  We also served Pellegrino water and Warsteiner Oktoberfest beer and Heineken beer.

The best wine was a 1990 Wynn’s Shiraz from Australia.

We guessed there were about 50 folks attending.

At 8:00 we cut the Salvador Dali cake with the melting clock.

It was a very special evening.

Bon Appetit

August 24, 2022 Lunch - Padilla’s Chile Relleno Plate. Dinner - Sautéed hamburger steak with onions and mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes with Pesto and green beans

August 24, 2022 Lunch - Padilla’s Chile Relleno Plate. Dinner - Sautéed hamburger steak with onions and mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes with Pesto and green beans

I slept until 7:30.  Suzette went to work in then back yard and I showered and dressed and made a cup of chai and ate a fig bar.

At 9:00 I went to the garden and picked two baskets full of basil for the pesto Suzette made for the party in the afternoon.

Suzette went to an appointment I then rested until she returned at 12:30 with lunch.  I am not suture what she purchased for herself, but she brought home a Chile Relleno Plate from Padilla’s for me with green Chile and double beans.

I ate one of the two rellenos and saved the other one and some beans.

After lunch I fetched three hamburgers from the freezer to thaw.

I then ate the two sopapillas that come with the plate with a spoonful of honey in each.

The window guys came and installed all the storm windows and screens at 3:00.

After they left Suzette made pesto and I watched Ari Melber until 5:00 and then read the Mammoth Hunters by Auel.

Suzette asked about dinner around 6:00 and I suggested sautéed hamburgers with mashed potatoes and green beans.

I called Willy and he said he would come over when he finished his project at work. To help me pick the wine for the party.

He arrived around 7:00 while Suzette was cooking dinner and we went through the wines in the wine cooler and picked 11.

We decided to drink a Londer 2006 Paraboll. Since we were having a family dinner, we decided to drink the Paraboll rather than serve it at the party.

Suzette added onion slices and mushrooms to the skillet in which she sautéed the hamburgers.  She steamed the green beans in the microwave 

And drizzled them over the mashed potatoes on which she added a dollop of pesto.

The Londer Paraboll was exquisite.  It was complex but lacked any tannin acidity and opened up as we drank it to expose its cherry fullness of flavor.

It is rated 93 points and sell for $55.00 per bottle, which may have been almost what I paid for it.

This is a good example of how a great wine can turn an average meal into a great meal.

After dinner we ate a few Keebler Fudge sticks with the last sips of wine and then Willy and I went to the wine cellar and pulled another 11 bottles that provides 20 bottles for the party.

Willy gathered his laundry and left and I lay down.

At 9:00 Suzette went bed and I read and blogged and went to bed a bit after 11:00.

Bon Appetit