Eating with Bob and Suzette

Monday, April 20, 2026

April 20, 2026 Breakfast - Gravad Lax on Bagel. Lunch - Salad Semi-Nicoise Dinner - Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Asparagus and Roasted chicken

I worked briefly this morning and then tried to go to Tricore but could not find a parking spot, so I came home at 8:30 and made breakfast of slices of Gravad Lax and red onion on two slices of toasted bagel smeared with cream cheese.

Suzette and I then commenced bidding on art offered in the Santa Fe Auction’s Etcetera Auction today.

I spent all morning bidding on four works of art and got three of them and let the fourth go at $2500.

Here they are.

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/erin-currier-johnny-tapia-mi-vida-loca_5365F82395

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/after-cady-wells-desert-scene-1933_304A995F06?catalogReferredQueryParam=%3Futm_source%3DSanta%2BFe%2BArt%2BAuction_PL&utm_medium%3Demail&utm_campaign%3Dautoregistration&utm_content%3Ddefault&utm_term%3D356139&scrollPosition%3D5365f82395

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/ronald-davis-holed-cube-sssv-2011_F451BABF0E?catalogReferredQueryParam=%3Futm_source%3DSanta%2BFe%2BArt%2BAuction_PL&utm_medium%3Demail&utm_campaign%3Dautoregistration&utm_content%3Ddefault&utm_term%3D356139&scrollPosition%3D5365f82395

I called the auction because I kept getting a “time to bid has been extended” and was told, when there are two persons bidding the time to bid is extended for ten minute intervals to allow time for another bid.

So I relaxed and bid normally instead of waiting until only a few seconds remained. I own an encaustic by Ron Davis so let the one that is not as good as mine go for $2500, which would result in a price of over $3000 with bidder’s commission and tax.

I love all three works I bought, so it was a great way to grow my collection at less than wholesale prices

When rhe bidding stopped around 1:20 I made a salad which romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber, Red onion, avocado, and Kalamata olives. More interestingly, I made a Dijonnaise dressing seasoned with Herbs de Provence and garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and Dijon Mustard that tasted of Southern France.

I also melted Manchego cheese on slices of baguette.

The remarkable Dijonnaise dressing

After I watched the market close as I ate, I checked my portfolio and happily had a slight gain.

I then drove to Tricore at Encino Medical Plaza for my draw.

When I returned at 4:00 I was tired and napped until 5:00.

Dinner - We decided to eat leftovers for dinner. Suzette reheated squares of Spinach and mushroom lasagna with leftover steamed asparagus drizzled with the remaining Dijonnaise dressing and slices of roasted chicken from Costco.

I poured out the last two glasses of Kirkland Pinot Grigio (now 5.49) and we ate under the gazebo in the warm slate afternoon sun. The area around the pond has never looked better with the rose bushes, columbines, and water lilies all in bloom.

After dinner we watched the cut roses and put them in vases in our bedroom where they aspirate an amazing aroma.

At 7:00 we watched Antiques Roadshow and went to bed at 8:15.

Bon Appetit

April 18, 2026 breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce. Dinner with Nancy and Cliff - BBQ Pork with Green Rice and Ratatouille

I watched an early PL match and then ate my usual granola with milk, mango yogurt, and blueberries.

For lunch we heated leftover lasagna noodle strips covered with leftover Spaghetti Sauce that was a mixture of roasted vegetables and the meat and mushroom sauce I made several days ago.

Then we went the symphony at 6:00 but it was mainly choral music, so we left at intermission at 7:00.

We watched Kara Swisher’s new special on living forever at 7:00 on CNN while we heated the dishes and Suzette thickened the liquid cooking juices from the pork into a thick sauce by the addition of cornstarch.

At 8:00 Nancy and Cliff came with a new Italian wine and several Argentinian cookies that combined two short bread slices with a lemon cream filling that were coated with chocolate.

Suzette immediately served plated of pork, rice, and Ratatouille with the pitcher of sauce and I poured glasses of Archer’s Summit Vireton Pinot Gris that went well with the slightly spicy pork.

After dinner I served the Karen’s Bakery Lemon puff cookies filled with lemon cream.

We said goodnight at 10:00 and went to bed after a pleasant dinner and evening of conversation.

Bon Appetit

Sunday, April 19, 2026

April 19, 2026 Breakfast - BLT and Egg Sandwich Dinner - leftover Lasagna with Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Chicken

I woke up and watched an uneventful 0 to 0 tie between Brentford and Fulham and drank a Latte Macchiato and a much more exciting win by Liverpool over Brentford.

Then Willy came over at 9:30 to watch the biggest PL fixture of the season, No. 1 Arsenal vs No. 2 Man City. Willy has a bet that Man City will win the PL this year, so we cheered for Man City and they won to draw within three points of Arsenal.

At Halftime we made bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and egg sandwiches that were really delicious.

Yuen after the fixture, Willy left and we drove to a musical concert put on by amateur musicians in which Jeff’s wife, Jeanette, played piano.

After the concert we drove to Costco and shopped for some basics such as olive oil, liquid laundry detergent, and bought a roasted chicken, several cheeses, and cream. I got tired and bought a chocolate soft ice cream and ate some of it while Suzette checked out.

We then drove across the street to Home Depot where Suzette bought mulch for the rose beds.

Finally a bit after 4:00 we drove home and Suzette mulched a rose bed while I ate two roasted chicken drumsticks.

Dinner - At 6:00 we made a simple dinner. Suzette steamed a handful of asparagus, cut up the two thighs from the roasted chicken, and heated squares of leftover Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. We drank the last of the Red Newt Dry Riesling and then opened a bottle of Kirkland Pinot Grigin, now $5.48 at Costco and still a great wine value.

We watched Eva Longoria in the CNN series, Discovering France episode on Provence and to our delight, it included a segment on the roses of Bandol.

At 8:00 we watched rage Forsyths Saga on PBS and the went to bed at 9:00.

Bon Appetit

Friday, April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Leftover Chirashi. Dinner - PPI Roasted Vegetable, Ratatouille, and Spaghetti Sauce over Pasta

I woke up at 7:25 in time to watch the market open up again. This was the 13th session in a row for the NASDAQ to close up. The last time a 13 day winning streak occurred was January 9, 1992. Today ithe NASDAQ was buoyed by Iran’s agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz that sent the NASDAQ to a close up 385 points and increased my portfolio to a new new high up an additional 1.6%.

I ate a bowl of granola with milk, blueberries and mango yogurt at 8:30 and worked until 10:00 and then drove to Costco to pick up a prescription.

Then I drove to my 11:00 appointment at podiatry and after that I drove to a non-appointment at the Vein Clinic.

So I was free by 11:50 and drove home and ate the leftover chirashi from yesterday’s lunch at Crazy Fish. I must admit that the fish tasted better today than yesterday. I heated the sushi rice and made several cups of green tea to go with the fish, seaweed salad, squid and burdock salad, and shredded daikon.

I watched the Market close and then checked my portfolio and then typed a bit and lay down at 3:00 and rested until 4:00 when I started watching the news. A tentative ceasefire is better than no ceasefire, so no one seems to care whether Trump is lying or claims to having made peace for two wars he and Israel started.

I ate two snacks, the first was slices of Granny Smith apple garnished with grated lime zest and sugar and the second was a slice of toasted whole wheat bread spread with a thin layer of peanut butter and honey.

Suzette came home at 5;30 and after her cocktail we decided to cook a simple dinner using leftovers.

We boiled several clusters of Pappardelle pasta and garnished the cooked pasta with a mixture of roasted root vegetables, ratatouille, and the beef and Mushroom Spaghetti sauce I made several days ago.

I opened a bottle of Kirkland 2020 Barolo red wine that was delicious. So we has a great and simple no-cooking meal, except for boiling pasta.

After dinner we watched the Magic of Belle Isle starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen on Netflix and went to bed at 9:00

Bon Appetit

Thursday, April 16, 2026

April 16, 2026 Breakfast - Granola and Blueberries, Lunch - Crazy Fish Dinner - Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Alfredo

I slept until after 7:30.

I then ate a bowl of granola, yogurt, milk, and blueberries.

I met Suzette at Crazy Fish for lunch at noon. I ordered Chirashi, green tea, and fresh wasabi. Suzette ordered an unagi bowl that is grilled unagi on rice with a bowl of steamed vegetables. My fish were salmon, yellow tail, ahi tuna, albacore tuna, white tuna, with seaweed salad and squid and burdock salad.

I ate 1/2 and boxed the rest for later.

Then I returned home and checked the market and the NASDAQ was up 86 points and my portfolio increased .3% to a new high.

If the NASDAQ finishes up tomorrow it will have gained for twelve days in a row, a record it has not occurred since 2009.

Then at 3:30 i meditated until 4:00 and then watched Ari. At 5:00 I walked around the block that l3 to a total of over 2800 steps today.

Dinner - At 6:30 we started preparing lasagna for dinner.

I sliced a leek, five cloves of garlic, about a lb. of baby portobello mushroom, about 1/4 lb. of Lion’s Mane mushrooms and destemmed a bunch of spinach.

Suzette soaked a box of lasagna noodles and sautéed the leeks and then the mushrooms and made a thick Mornay sauce with the tallegio and Racalette cheese. We then assembled the lasagna with liberal amounts of Italian olive oil on each layer with pasta on the bottom, then leeks and spinach and sauce, then pasta and mushrooms, mozzarella, olive oil, and sauce, and finally pasta and mozzarella. We baked the lasagna in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until the top turned golden brown and the sides all bubbled.

It was really delicious and reminded us of the fabulous cheese lasagna we ate in Intra, Italy on Lake Maggiore twenty years ago with Debbie and Greg.

We then watched Midsomer Murders and I watched George Gently, another grittier English Police mystery.

I went to bed at 11:00.

Bon Appetit