December 13, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with Blueberries and Banana Lunch - Hot Dog at Costco, Dinner - Jose Andres Roasted Pork Tapa with Sautéed Pasta, and roasted Asparagus

December 13, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with Blueberries and Banana  Lunch - Hot Dog at Costco, Dinner - Jose Andres Roasted Pork Tapa with Sautéed Pasta, and roasted Asparagus 

Another night of waking for two hours between 3:00 and 5:00.

I finished Before the Deluge, Hitler was another sick person like Trump who had to win, no matter the cost to others.

I awakened at 7:00 and dozed until 8:00 and then watched Chelsea beat Everton and Liverpool beat Brighton while I ate a bowl of granola with milk, Greek yogurt, blueberries and banana slices.

At 10:00 Suzette and I drove to the consignment store and bought a new king sized bed frame and mattress as our Christmas gift to ourselves.  Yesterday I ordered four bottles of Maison Surrene and two bottles of Germain Robin XO cognac as a Christmas gift for myself and possibly Billy. The XO is mostly cognac distilled from Pinot noir grapes prior to the sale of Germain Robin’s inventory to Gallo in 2017 that has been sold back to Germain Robin in 2023 when Gallo’s exclusive ended, so it is aged American cognac.

After we bought the bed and arranged for delivery on Tuesday we drove to Costco. A few days ago after I found out that Costco no longer makes fruitcake, I mentioned to Suzette that I really would like fruitcake this year. We arrived at Costco at noon, so I went to eat a hot  dog and Suzette went shopping and bought dried fruit for the Martha Stewart Tropical fruitcake and lamb chops plus batteries. Suzette needed to buy garlands and poinsettias. Since Costco was sold out we drove across the street to Home Depot’s Nursery department, where Suzette bought Three small poinsettias and we were given a large box of Christmas tree cuttings for free. After we filled the back of the Prius with evergreen fronds we drove to Total Wine to buy grain alcohol for limoncello plus a bottle of scotch, a bottle of rum to soak into the fruitcakes and a twelve pack of Negra Modelo.

We were on a fruitcake mission so we then drove to Smith’s on Carlisle to buy eggs, flour and sugar. I also bought bagels and tonic water.

We needed molasses and there was none at Smith’s, so around 5:00 we finally drove to La Montanita Coop where Suzette bought a bottle of molasses.

When we arrived home Suzette decorated the dining room and living room tables with the evergreen fronds and soaked the dried fruits in brandy to start the fruitcake process. Christmas had officially begun.

Dinner -

At 6:00 we started preparing dinner. We had agreed to make Jose Andre’s’ Roasted Pork Tenderloin, which is one of our favorite tapas in his tapas cookbook.

I went to the garden and picked a handful of stalks of oregano that were not frost bitten in the half light after sunset that I rinsed.

I then sliced two apples and an onion into long slivers and minced two cloves of garlic.

I then sliced two pork tenders into 1 1/2 inch sections and removed the silver skin from them.

Suzette snapped the ends off 7 or 8 asparagus and went to the garden and picked a handful of fresh sage and fetched a bottle of Albariño from the garage fridge.

Faustino Rivero Ulcelia is the best Albariño I have found in Albuquerque. I bought several at Costco for about $13.00 per bottle several months ago.

While I sliced about 1 T. of sage leaves into thin strips, Suzette sautéed the apple and onion slices in a large French Copper pan on the stove in butter and olive oil.  In a separate skillet she sautéed PPI Casarecce Pasta with the sage in butter and olive oil.

She then added the pork slices and sautéed them with the apples and onions turning them once.  After about ten minutes we spread the oregano sprigs on top of the pork and Suzette baked the pork ingredients and asparagus in a 250 oven for about fifteen minutes to get it to an internal temp of 140 degrees.

                                        Returning the pork slices to the sauce

She then removed the pork and asparagus and added 2 oz. of cognac to the apples and onions mixture on medium heat and cooked it for a minute of two to cook it into a sauce. Then she added 1/2 cup of homemade chicken stock and cooked the mixture for two or three minutes to mix the flavors and thicken the light sauce a bit. Finally she returned the pork slices to the pan and spooned the light sauce over them to flavor them and reheat them.

The pasta had gotten slightly crisp from its twenty minutes of sautéing. Suzette plated a pile of pasta on one side of a pasta bowl and the pork dish on the other side and lay three or four roasted asparagus on top of the pasta and I opened and poured glasses of Albariño.

Although we have cooked several meals since our return from Japan including good enchiladas, this was the first great multi course meal we have cooked. It almost felt like a test to see if we were ready to cook another Christmas Eve buffet. And we succeeded. It was fabulous. The pork was pink in the center and very tender. The apple and onions slices were cooked to perfection, not too tough and not mushy. The sauce made with all fresh ingredients was superb. The Albariño was wonderful with the tapa and reminded us of the great meals we ate in Spain.  Anrdres’ roasted pork tapa is actually an elegant dinner entree when served with a vegetable and starch, as we did tonight.

Later we watched a Christmas movie on Netflix, although I slept through most of it and went to bed at 10:00.

A walked over 3500 steps today, my coughing is subsiding, and helped cook a great meal, so I am beginning to feel fully in control of my faculties again.

Willy returned at 7:30 and ate a bowl of delicious looking Chile con carne he had bought at a brewery with us while we ate dinner.

Bon Appetit

December 12, 2025 Lunch - Smoked Trout Salad. Dinner - PPI Enchiladas

 

December 12, 2025 Lunch - Smoked Trout Salad. Dinner - PPI Enchiladas 

I awakened from 1:00 to 4:30 a.m. and read the New Yorker and then slept until 8:30. Today was a terrible day in the stock market. My portfolio lost 1.5% as tech stocks were sold off because Broadcom sold off.

I did not eat breakfast but at 12:30 I added a diced tomato, 1/2 of an avocado sliced, a handful of spinach and 1/4 red onion sliced thinly with the new Japanese knife we bought in Kyoto to the lovely composed smoked trout salad Suzette made two nights ago with butternut squash, asparagus, lettuce from our garden, and a sliced hard boiled egg.

I also toasted three small slices of baguette and melted slices of Manchego on them In the microwave.

I drank water.

Joe came and replaced the part for the boiler and got our heating system going, which made a big difference.

I worked on the Kidz purchase agreement during the day and afternoon with Dan and Rahim.

Willy came home around 4:00 and went to walk in the Bosque.  Our neighbor Tim Keller was re-elected Mayor for a third term, which was wonderful news.

Then at 4:30 I started watching the news.

Dinner - we decided to heat up the last of the enchiladas for dinner. I added about 1/4 cup of minced red onion and a couple T.s of sour cream to my enchiladas. Suzette fetched a Carlsberg that we split and sliced an avocado and added pieces of it to the heated enchiladas.  

Willy really liked the enchiladas and suggested that we keep a dish of them in the fridge all the time

We then watched Texas A & M beat Louisville in the NCAA women’s regional quarterfinals in volleyball and went to bed at 9:30. The quality of play by both teams was fantastic.

It was a lazy day but I felt better at the end of the day than I did yesterday.  It is encouraging that my stamina seems to be returning.

Bon Appetit

December 11, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with blueberries. Lunch - Enchiladas with avocado. Dinner - Casarecce Pasta with Chicken, onions, garlic, spinach, and mushrooms

December 11, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with blueberries. Lunch - Enchiladas with avocado. Dinner - Casarecce Pasta with Chicken, onions, garlic, spinach, and mushrooms

Today was a more normal day. I awakened around 7:00 and watched Squack on the Street for a few minutes until it became apparent it was a huge tech sell off. Actually, the Dow rose over 600 points to hit a new high which offset some of the loses in the NASDAQ that ended down 60 points. Nvidia was down over $5.25 at one point but ended down $2.85 at the close, so my portfolio lost only about .55%.  

At 9:30 I ate a bowl of granola with Greek yogurt, milk, blueberries and banana. Then I met with Jody to pay him for fixing the fan assembly in the Prius.  

Loyda came at 10:30 and cleaned the house.

Willy came home from work at 12:30 and we heated enchiladas and ate together plus Willy toasted a sliced hard boiled of sour dough bread and ate a can of sardines on it.  I drank Clamato with lime juice.

I felt fine in the afternoon so decided to begin my slow recovery of my muscles. I walked the two blocks to the bank and withdrew some cash.

When I returned at 4:00 I watched Ari. Today may be a turning point for our democracy. The Indiana Senate rejected Trump’s plan to add two additional seats to the Republicans in the House by a vote of 31 to 19 and a court freed a detainee by ICE.  The senate voted to reduce Hegseth’s travel budget unless he provides all the footage of the September 2 killing of two unarmed men after their boat was blown up off the coast of Venezuela.

Yesterday a democrat was elected mayor of Miami, so the appearance of invincibility of Trump may be collapsing as more people realize the way to fight a bully is to fight him rather than give in to his threats.

The Democrats will continue to win if the Republicans disregard the wishes of the majority, such as refusing to fix the loss of subsidies for health care insurance in the next 19 days.

Dinner - At 6:00 we started dinner. I chopped 1 1/2 cups of onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 chicken breast, 5 mushrooms sliced, and a handful of fresh oregano I picked in our garden.

Suzette cleaned and chopped a cup of spinach and sautéed the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and then added the chicken and oregano and the pasta. Finally Suzette added some Le Ferme Julien Rose wine and heavy cream and cooked the ingredients to reduce the liquids to a thin sauce. When the ingredients were all cooked and the sauce slightly thickened she placed a pile of fresh spinach in pasta bowls and we each served ourselves the pasta dish.

Suzette grated fresh Parmesan cheese and we added grated Parmesan cheese to the pasta and poured glasses of rose wine.

It was a perfect 70% carb and 30% protein dish in my estimation.

Later we watched the finale of South Park and the Daily Show. I drank a small glass of grappa and two chocolate truffles and at 10:00 went to bed to blog.

I am happy that I am able to start moderate exercise to begin to rebuild my muscles. I walked 3000 steps today, which is encouraging.

Bon Appetit 

December 10, 2025 Breakfast - Smoked Trout and onion on toasted Baguette smeared with Goat cheese. Lunch - Leftover Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup with wontons and egg noodles Dinner - Smoked Trout Salad with Butternut Squash

December 10, 2025 Breakfast - Smoked Trout and onion on toasted Baguette smeared with Goat cheese. Lunch - Leftover Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup with wontons and egg noodles Dinner - Smoked Trout Salad with Butternut Squash

Today I attended a tax seminar virtually lying in bed with my legs elevated.

I ate smoked Trout and onion slices on toasted Baguette smeared with Goat cheese with a cup of tea for breakfast at 8:00. Then attended the seminar from 8:30 until the 12:15 lunch break.

I heated the leftover yesterday lunch’s Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup with wontons, roasted pork, and egg noodles and added a few leaves of spinach, a green Nixon sliced in thin ringlets, and a small handful of cilantro and returned to the seminar at 1:10.

When it ended at 4:30 I rested until 5:00 when I meditated for 30 minutes.

Suzette went to the garden and harvested a basket full of fresh lettuce and made her famous smoked trout salad with avocado, butternut squash, smoked trout, a sliced hard boiled egg, and red onion with a honey mustard dressing made with seeded Dijon mustard.

She fetched a bottle of Trader Joe’s Bandol Rose to drink for a lovely light dinner.

After dinner Willy arrived from work and ate enchiladas, so there will be trout salad left for lunch tomorrow.

I worked at my desk after dinner until 10:15 and then blogged this entry.

I hope resting in bed today will provide me more stamina and reduce the swelling of my right calf.

Bon Appetit

December 9, 2025 Breakfast - Enchiladas and Eggs. Lunch - Lime. Dinner - Roasted Whole Chicken stuffed with Herbs de Simon salt and Acorn Squash and Baked Asparagus

December 9, 2025 Breakfast - Enchiladas and Eggs. Lunch - Lime. Dinner - Roasted Whole Chicken stuffed with Herbs de Simon salt and Acorn Squash and Baked Asparagus 

We each had a busy day. I woke at 6:30 and called Tricore Labs  and checked the voting times. 

Then at 7:15 I drove to Tricore for my labs and then drove back Washington Middle School and voted.

When I returned home at 8:30 as Willy was getting ready to go work.

I heated a square of enchiladas and fried two eggs with some onion for breakfast.

Then by 10:00 I received a call for an appointment with a doctor at Pres so I went by the bank and then drove to the Montgomery location for my 11:00 appointment.

I learned that the swelling in my calves was not infected and due to insufficient pumping of blood in my veins, so basically okay.

I had talked to Aaron and then at 12:15 drove to Lime Vietnamese restaurant on Montgomery at Eubank where I read my book and waited for Aaron, who arrived at 12:45.

I had reviewed the menu and decided on chicken soup with egg noodles, wontons, and roasted pork, No. 16.

When Aaron arrived he picked the same item. The soup was served in a large bowl. I loved everything about the dish, but could eat only 1/2 so the lady packed the rest in a large plastic cup.

I drove home at 2:15, took the chicken out of the fridge to thaw and checked my portfolio that suffered a small loss and got in bed where I could elevate my legs and rested until Joe and Bryan came to fix the boiler at 4:30.

Joe got one side of the house heating but need to order parts for the boiler, so I gave them a bottle each of wine.

Suzette had seasoned the chicken with herbs de Simon salt and lemons and roasted it starting at 4:00.

She also sliced the acorn squash into slices and baked them with the chicken. After an hour the squash was baked and Suzette glazed them with baked acorn squash rings with homemade apricot chutney and put the asparagus in the roasting pan with the cooking juices from the squash and baked a handful of asparagus with the chicken an additional 20 minutes. 

When I cut into the chicken the meat was still a little bloody, so Suzette cooked it for a couple of minutes in the microwave. I loved all the different flavors, the soft baked asparagus, the soft chutney flavored squash and the tender roasted chicken with its herb and lemon flavor.

I opened a bottle of Archery Summit Veriton Pinot Gris.

The Vireton walks boldly into the Willamette Valley and returns with the unexpected, a kind of down-to-earth, everyday level of luxury. Not tethered to any one vineyard site, this outgoing wine instead reflects the merits of an entire region. It’s a testament to the power of multiple voices within one storied region and the strength in numbers that follows. In wine, just as in life, it’s the most intrepid who end up the most fulfilling experiences. The Vireton celebrates as much, whether you’re toasting another Tuesday or celebrating something much bigger.

Vireton is named for a style of crossbow arrow with feathers placed at an angle to make it spin in flight, improving its accuracy. Vireton wines express our unwavering commitment to exploration and excellence. As in archery, making great Pinot Noir requires finesse, attention to detail and finely tuned instincts.

Willy arrived around 6:30 after a hard day of work and was happy to have a hot meal ready to eat.

We were tired and went to bed at 7:15 and slept until 9:15 and watched several episodes of House Hunters International and Suzette went back to sleep and I blogged this entry.

This was a wonderful day of food with three good meals. I was unable to go to Smith’s today but hopefully I will on Wednesday. I have an all day seminar tomorrow.

We decided to make a smoked trout salad for dinner tomorrow evening.

Bon Appetit