December 5, 2015 Breakfast – Banana and Blackberry Pancakes, Lunch – Oysters and Champagne, Dinner – Posole

December 5, 2015 Breakfast – Banana and Blackberry Pancakes, Lunch – Oysters and Champagne, Dinner – Posole 

We were hungry when we woke up and we had two bananas that had turned black, so we decided to make pancakes.  I sliced the four remaining blackberries and Suzette sliced the bananas and made pancakes with a mix.  

I went to Albertson's at 10:30 to buy fresh oysters that were on sale for $.79/each.  When I walked in there was a cart of free vegetables, so picked up some tomatoes and decided to make a tomato and mushroom pasta sauce, so when I went to the meat counter, I bought a lb. hamburger meat and two dozen fresh oysters from Mexico. I also bought stick matches and vanilla ice cream.  

  I worked until 3:00 .  Suzette and I  had decided to play bocce, eat oysters on the half shell, and drink champagne.  

I put a bottle of Gruet Blanc de Noir Twenty-fifth Anniversary champagne in the freezer and Suzette rinsed the oysters off and put them in a drying rack. She fetched the wooden guacamole cutting board which has a depression where one usually mixes the guacamole but in this case, she found a rag and put that in the bowl part so I could stabilize the oysters while I shucked them.  I made a cocktail sauce with  catsup, horseradish, lemon juice, and a few drops of Cholula hot sauce.  

We took the champagne and oysters out to the table by the bocce court. While Suzette opened the champagne and poured us glasses, I shucked 12 oysters.  We each ate 6 oysters and drank glasses of champagne.  The 25th Anniversary Gruet was wonderful. It had a nice balance of Pinot Noir and good character.  We then played a game of bocce and then opened the last dozen oysters and finished the champagne for a delightful late lunch. 

We mopped the basement floor and then got cleaned up and at 6:00 we went to the Harwood for their Annual 12x12 show and to meet Ricardo and Cynthia.  The Harwood was crowded but we were able to get into the gallery and Suzette found a piece she liked and bought it.  After we ate appetizers and talked and saw some art, we found Cynthia and Ricardo and went home.  I made a Crema and avocado guacamole with a few drops of Cholula hot sauce and chopped ½ onion and about three Tbsp. of fresh cilantro.  Cynthia and Ricardo brought a bottle of 2015 Cupcake Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough District of New Zealand, which I found surprisingly fruity and refreshing.  We heated the Posole and had bowls of it with lime juice, cilantro, and guacamole.  After Posole we sipped wine and and biscochitos.

By 10:00 we were ready to call it a night. 

What a fun day of food and activity.  

Bon Appetit