March 13, 2016 Brunch – Lax Omelet, Costco, Dinner – Shrimp Shish Kebabs, rice and steamed Broccoli and Asparagus

March 13, 2016 Brunch – Lax Omelet, Costco, Dinner – Shrimp Shish Kebabs, rice and steamed Broccoli and Asparagus

I enjoyed watching the morning shows this morning.  I particularly found interesting a segment of Fareed Zakaria with a Dr. Weiller who has written a book about a study that finds that four questions of parents are predictive of how they and their children will vote to a greater degree than any other statistic.  The questions deal with the parents’ and thus the children’s attitude toward authority.  One question I recall is, “Would you rather your child be curious or well mannered?

The best example of the manifestation of authoritarian control in this election cycle to me is Donald Trump’s asking his supporters to take a pledge to vote for him.

Then the Sunday Morning Show spent the entire 1 ½ hours examining Guns and America.  Two fascinating shows.  It appears that this election cycle is forcing us to examine the worse and better angels that direct our actions and beliefs, as Americans.

After the sho ws Suzette and I decided to make a lax omelet.  I diced the two front flipper areas of Salmon Gravad Lax, 1 tomato, and 1/3 onion and then Suzette made a wonderful creamy omelet with those ingredients and the addition of lots of goat cheese, ½ avocado diced, and about 25 Italian capers.  

At noon we drove to Costco.  I was hungry again and left Suzette to eat a Polish Dog in the temporary food court, while the food court is being remodeled.  The area is small, which forces conviviality in the small ordering area and at the tables.  Because of the lack of tables we were forced to share tables in the small dining area.  I sat at a table with a family whose daughter is a freshman at UNM Law School.  When I overheard her say she liked Contracts, I spoke up and said, “I liked Contracts best also,” and we had a conversation about the law and law school.  It was fun to meet someone just embarking on their career as a lawyer and particularly satisfying to see how proud it made her family, who smiled at me and thanked me for speaking to them. 

Then I met Suzette and we finished shopping.  She bought a new electric wastebasket for the kitchen that opens and shuts with the flick of one’s hand or by pushing a button, like the microwave drawer.  The age of smart appliances is finally upon us.  She also bought pot stickers for Willy, a large round loaf of sourdough bread, eggs, potato chips, and a few other items, like laundry detergent.

Today Suzette finished making her Wheel of fortune that I think she intends to use for a Spa promotion. 

After we returned from Costco I napped a bit and then rode to Rio Bravo, while Suzette and Willy played Bocce.

I also watched most of the last episode of Downton Abbey, where all the plot lines sort themselves out.  

At 7:00 I discussed dinner with Suzette.  She said, “Let’s cook shrimp.” and I said, “How about Shish Kebabs?”  Suzette did not want to cook, so I went to the basement and fetched the skewers and made Shish kebabs by thawing and peeling 18 large shrimp and cutting  baby bell peppers into sections, cleaning whole mushrooms, and cutting a large onion into four sections.  I then skewered a shrimp, a piece of pepper, two slices of onion, and a mushroom and repeated that for each skewer until I had made six skewers.  Suzette asked if she should make a sauce to baste with and we both agreed on a butter, lemon juice, and garlic basting sauce, which is important to aid in the cooking of the ingredients to avoid their drying out and burning when there is no natural fat in a meat like chicken and shrimp, rather than there is in a lamb or beef Shish kebab.  

We heated PPI rice, keftas, broccoli, and asparagus to complete the meal.  Willy joined us and we all loved the fresh charred ingredients that I removed from the skewers and piled on plates that Suzette then filled with reheated rice and vegetables.  Suzette ate her dinner without rice for a no carb feast.

I fetched a bottle of Nessa Albariño from the basement and chilled it for a few minutes and then poured it and added a few cubes of ice to each glass.  The feature I like best about our new fridge is the large opening inside the door that allows access to the cubes of ice in the ice drawer.

After dinner I made a bowl of chocolate ice cream with rum and chocolate syrup and ate it as we watched the Democratic town Hall meeting at Ohio State University.  Hillary was great.  She was empathetic and answered the questions with assurance and clarity.  It made me feel like there was hope for America to come out of this election in one piece.  

Willy was fascinated with the CNN series on the Sixties that documented 1968 last night, which I told him was a watershed year in American history and politics, with the assassination of both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy and the ensuing riots and anti-war riots that led to Lyndon Johnson refusing to run for re-election and the fracture in the Democratic Party that allowed Richard Nixon to win the Presidency and turn the South from Democratic into Republican control.  It feels like we are at that same door again where America can go into the light of progressive more inclusive politics or stay in the darkness we have been in since 1968.

The death of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King in 1968 ended any chance for the U. S. to progress to an inclusive, more democratic political system, in my opinion.  Perhaps there is a chance there can finally be change now.  

Let’s hope for progress over darkness in this election cycle and no more assassinations or more darkness.

Bon Appetit