November 9, 2026 Lunch - seafood soup. Dinner - music and food at Nikelle and David’s Cabin in Nob Hill I awakened at 7:00 and was busy during the morning working on consolidating my stocks into Charles Schwab accounts. At noon I reheated the leftover seafood soup that we made the other day with a bit of water to fill my big lotus bowl with soup and I toasted a flour tortilla on the gas burner of the stove. I drank last half of the Negra Modelo from lunch several days ago to finish the meal . I then checked the market. The Dow closed up 1109 points and the NASDAQ closed up 683 points, but the scandal of Jensen’ extra-marital affair with a possible Chinese spy caused Nvidia shares to close down $8.00, So, my portfolio gained only 1,4%.

November 9, 2026  Lunch - seafood soup. Dinner - music and food at Nikelle and David’s Cabin in Nob Hill

I awakened at 7:00 and was busy during the morning working on consolidating my stocks into Charles Schwab accounts.

At noon I reheated the leftover seafood soup that we made the other day with a bit of water to fill my big lotus bowl with soup and I toasted a flour tortilla on the gas burner of the stove. I drank last half of the Negra Modelo from lunch several days ago to finish the meal 

I then checked the market. The Dow closed up 1109 points and the NASDAQ closed up 683 points, but the scandal of Jensen’ extra-marital affair with a possible Chinese spy caused Nvidia shares to close down $8.00, So, my portfolio gained only 1,4%.

I walked around the block at 3:00 and then started sautéing onions in the large casserole at 3:45.

Dinner - Suzette arrived at 4:15 and took over and added the bowl of green cabbage to the onions and went to the garden and harvested the stems of a flat Italian parsley plant that I de-stemmed and minced. 

I then diced three smoked pork chops that Suzette sautéed and added to the casserole and left on low heat while we napped from 6:15 to 7:00 when we drove to Nikelle and David’s log cabin house at 212 Tulane SE with the casserole and a bottle of 2019 Red Newt Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet , and Cabernet Franc.

We placed our casserole on the table with the beans, tamales, Posole and condiments Nikelle made. There were at least 24 people. We sat by Neal Cooperman during dinner and discussed the Music business. His company produces 150 shows a year in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area.

After dinner almost everyone picked up a stringed instrument and there were several Scottish fiddle pieces and then a large number of New Mexico traditional songs and pieces sprinkled with a few self written songs.

We stayed until 9:30 and were home and on our way to bed before 10:00 except I watched Rachel Maddow’s monologue for about 15 minutes.

Bon Appetit

November 8, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Caldo de Mariscos. Dinner - Beef Sort Ribs cooked in the Boeuf Bourguignon style with roasted carrots from the garden Mashed Potatoes and a Mushroom Sauce Another exceptional food day.

November 8, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Caldo de Mariscos. Dinner - Beef Sort Ribs cooked in the Boeuf Bourguignon style with roasted carrots from the garden Mashed Potatoes and a Mushroom Sauce Another exceptional food day.

It started simply enough with a bowl of granola with milk, yogurt, and red seedless grapes.

We then covered the raised bed containing chard, basil, and parsley, and Suzette cleaned out the remaining Cosmos from the beds and harvested the carrots growing in the raised bed, while I watched Sunderland beat Chelsea and Aston Villa tie Man Union 4 to 4 in a crazy match.

Lunch - 1 plus 1 = 1 plus 2. We combined the leftover Vuelve de la Vida caldo from La Playa with the leftover paella from Vara and added a dozen mussels in garlic sauce, water, and a sautéed minced chorizo link to make a super seafood soup. There was so much soup leftover that I filled two containers with soup for future lunches.

Then at 2:00 we drove to El Super, where we bought lemons, limes, avocados, cabbage, plain yogurt, six smoked chops, white potatoes, plums, three Bosc pears, a cucumber, two links of Aztecs chorizo, and three beef short ribs.

When we returned home we decided to cook the short ribs in the style of Boeuf Bourguignon for dinner with roasted carrots and Mashed Potatoes.

Suzette fried bacon and removed the bacon and then braised the short ribs in the bacon fat and removed the short ribs and braised 1 cup of  carrots and a diced onion and then added 2 cups each of beef stock and Pinot Noir wine to cover the short ribs and baked the short ribs in a 325 degree oven for 2 hours until the short ribs were cooked and the liquid greatly reduced.

Luke called at 6:00 to say hello and we talked until 6:10 whhen we range off in order to watch Miss Fisher on PBS.

At 7:00 Suzette peeled and diced and boiled the two White potatoes we bought and at I cubed four portobello mushrooms and 1/2 shallot and sautéed them in olive oil and butter. When the mushrooms were cooked we added them to the short ribs. The we removed the short ribs from the casserole and Suzette made a mushroom brown sauce.

Then Suzette whipped the potatoes with milk and butter in the Kitchenaid mixer while I uncorked the 2024 Minjaud Bandol red we bought at the winery.

At 7:30 we called Willy and then Suzette finished whipping the mashed potatoes. Suzette plated three pasta bowls with .a puddle of mushroom sauce, then covered that with mashed potatoes, and then a beef short rib on top and sprinkled roasted carrots on the side of the pile.

I poured glasses of wine and Suzette placed the three bowl on the table.

Willy arrived around 7:45 and joined us for dinner.

He told us about Alan’s wedding yesterday and we all were excited by the wonderful dinner and wine.

At 8:00 we watched Maigret on PBS and wilky cleaned some me dishes and then left.

Suzette went to bed at 9:00 but I stayed up to watch Chicago beat Tampa Bay and eat a Swedish dessert with a cup of tea.

I went t bed when the game ended with field goal.

Then I went to bed and blogged this entry.

Bon Appetit

November 7, 2026 Brunch - Bacon, Mushroom, and cheese Omelet. Snack - Peanut Butter and Honey on toast. Dinner - Bobby Flay Chicken with baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

November 7, 2026 Brunch - Bacon, Mushroom, and cheese Omelet. Snack - Peanut Butter and Honey on toast. Dinner - Bobby Flay Chicken with baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

I slept until 8:00 and watched two PL soccer matches and then at 10:00 the Texas v. Missouri football game, which Texas won.

At 9:00 we made a wonderful omelet with crisp bacon lardettes, sautéed mushrooms, shallot, and lemon thyme, thinly sliced green onions and grated Gruyere cheese. I toasted and buttered and spread with strawberry jam, three slices of Costco baguette.

At 11:00 we drove to pick up four chairs Suzette bought for the table under the awning on the back patio and then we drove to St. John’s Methodist church for the annual Scandinavian Festival. It was really fun with lots of painted things for sale and Swedish food for sale, Swedish meatballs and potatoes, and pancakes with buckets of lingon sylt.

            A young woman brig fitted with a crown of flowers for St. Lucia day

a traditional Swedish home, the eldest daughter steps into the role of Lucia on the morning of December 13th. Dressed in a full-length white gown with a red sash, she wears the luciakrona to serve coffee, saffron buns (lussekatter), and gingerbread cookies to her family before dawn. Nationwide, schools, churches, and workplaces also host beautiful, dark, candlelit singing processions led by a chosen Lucia.

Unfortunately we were not hungry.

When we returned home I watched football and made a peanut butter and honey sandwich as we watched the Santa Fe Auction in who h Suzette bought a Dorothy Brett painting and a really good Gene Kloss painting.

At 3:30 we rode our bikes in the neighborhood.

Dinner - We decided to use the Bobby Flay method to cook the four quarters Suzette had thawed, which is to first braise the chicken in a skillet on the stove and then to bake the braised pieces in 5he oven for 20 minutes. I separated the legs from the thighs and Suzette tossed them with flour and slid fresh rosemary and garlic under the skin before cooking the chicken.

I separated the flowerets from a head of cauliflower and a head of broccoli. Suzette put the flowerets in a baking dish and dusted the flowerets with black garlic powder and mushroom powder and garnished them with grated Parmesan cheese and baked them in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

I fetched a chilled bottle of Lllegado d’ Farro Spanish blend of 80% Verdejo and 20% Godello ($7.99 at Costco), a truly wonderful wine at that price.

The chicken was tough but edible and the Roasted vegetables were a little soft but edible, but the wine was really great.

We ate and then drank the rest of the wine as we watched Bill Maher and Have I Got News for You.

Suzette then went to bed and I stayed up to eat a Swedish dessert and drink a cup of tea and watch Father Brown but fell asleep during it and went to bed to blog and by 10:00 i went to sleep.

Bon Appetit

November 6, 2026 Breakfast - Enchiladas and Eggs. Lunch - La Playa. Dinner - Vara Winery

November 6, 2026 Breakfast - Enchiladas and Eggs. Lunch - La Playa. Dinner - Vara Winery

This was a fun day of food. For breakfast I heated a square of enchiladas with two fried eggs and a handful of chopped red onion.

Then I filed a notice with the court of appeals and at 11:30 I drove to La Playa restaurant at 5210 San Mateo NE to meet Aaron for lunch. La Playa is the best seafood restaurant in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Espanola and serves impeccable Mexican seafood.

Aaron ordered a platter of fried shrimp on rice and I ordered my new favorite caldo, Vuelve à la Vida Mejor that is a tomato and fish broth full of shrimp, carrots, bay scallops, a crab tentacle, clams, and celery. I got the large and could only finish 1/3 with a corn tortilla, although I ate lots of chips with the three bowls of condiments before Aaron arrived, refried beans, pico de gallo and an avocado and chili crema.

It was a great meal and the restaurant has one of the best signs advertising its oysters I have seen.

After lunch at 12:15 I drove to Costco to fill the car with gas and shop. I bought eight wines, three bottles of Largo Farro, a Spanish blend of Verdejo and Godella grapes, an Argentinian Malbec, a French rose’ from Provence, and a Gavi White plus a Kirkland Pinot Grigio and a Kirkland New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a case of Pellegrino, two baguettes, mushrooms, eggs, and romaine lettuce.

I then drove to Shahin’s and paid the insurance premium for 524 Romero and went over my tax payments for 2025 taxes.

I arrived at home at 4:00 and rested for an hour. Then we drove in the rain to Vara for their wine club pick up party where each couple was served a large pan of paella with wine.  The paella was really good, a nice crust on the bottom of the rice and yet not dried out or scorched.

We only ate 1/2 but tried several wines. We picked up our box of three whines and said hello to Laurent and complimented him on the zero dosage sparkling wine that was very creamy tasting.

Tasting notes - a light yellow, perfect straw color with tiny bubbles and aromas of citrus blossom, green apple, and lemon. On the palate, this wine has bright acidity with fresh ripe fruit, minerality, green apple, and grapefruit. Gold Medal at TexSom.

We went home and watched several episodes of Lupin and ate a Swedish dessert. Suzette went to bed at 10:00 and I stayed up to watch TCU blow an 8 point lead over Arizona with two fatal errors in the last 2 minutes and blogged this entry and went to bed at 12:30.

Bon Appetit

November 5, 2026 Breakfast - Assorted Pastries. Lunch - Chicken Parmigiana and Rigatoni pasta with sauce Dinner - sautéed Smoked Pork chop with Sautéed cabbage, Fennel, and Onion and green beans

 November 5, 2026 Breakfast - Assorted Pastries. Lunch - Chicken Parmigiana and Rigatoni pasta with sauce  Dinner - sautéed Smoked Pork chop with Sautéed cabbage, Fennel, and Onion and green beans

I woke up at 8:00 and hurried to get ready and ate a pain au chocolate on the run to the Business NM Law Seminar at the Bar Center on Masthead. When I arrived a few minutes before 9:00 I discovered that a speaker was ill and the start had been delayed to 10:10 so I was left with a room of pastries and coffee and teas for an hour, since everyone else seemed to have noticed the e mail announcing the delay.

I ate two lovely apple pastries, a blueberry muffin, and 1/2 of a croissant with a cup of Oolong tea dreaming about the baked goods in France.

Lunches are always good and today’s was no exception; Chicken Parmigiana with Rigatoni and a lovely light spaghetti sauce plus salad and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I enjoyed talking to Gabe Parra who specializes in Medical coverages.

The most interest in session was the one presented by two criminal attorneys titled “What to do when a federal agent serves a warrant on your client”.

When the seminar ended at 4:45 I drove home through heavy 5:00 rush traffic.

When I arrived we discussed dinner. There was very little food available, so Suzette fetched a pork sirloin and package of five chicken  quarters to thaw and we decided to repeat our dinner of several nights ago of sautéed cabbage with fennel and onion, a sautéed smoked pork chop, and green beans.

I fetched a bottle of 2023 Sancerre rose of Pinot Noir and chopped 1/3 head of red cabbage, 1/2 medium onion and four fennel bulbs that Suzette harvested from the garden. 

Then Suzette sautéed the cabbage mixture and added sugar and apple cider and cooked the mixture until it was crisp. At the same time she sautéed the smoked pork chop and reheated the green beans cooked several nights ago.

I poured the Sancerre rose and Suzette ladled a pile of sautéed cabbage and sprinkled the green beans on plates to which I added pieces of the cut up pork chop sans its fat and we had a lovely impromptu meal.

We watched Midsomer Murders at 9:00 and ate a Swedish dessert I fetched from the garage and went to bed at 10:30.

Bon Appetit