February 25, 2021 Lunch – Padilla’s Chili Relleno Plate Dinner- Stir Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

 

February 25, 2021 Lunch – Padilla’s Chili Relleno Plate   Dinner- Stir Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

I had a busy day today.  I slept until 7:45 and then watched the Market fall dramatically again to the worst day of my career in investing, about a 2.6% loss of value.  The only good news is that I was so busy I did not have much time to watch it.

I drafted a letter to the Public Administrator of Clark County and made a small breakfast of granola, milk, yogurt and blueberries, but only ate two bites of it.

I showered and dressed and drove to 524 Romero NW to meet the Plumber at 10:00.  When I arrived I was thrilled to see Chris and Robert paneling the bar with sheets of rustic wood and that soon their plumber arrived to connect their drain lines and water lines for the bar.  After a bit of a wait Phil and his crew of On Call Heating and Cooling arrived to check the HVAC system.  I waited another hour until around 11:30 until they finished going through the system and trying to add Freon.  Phil said he would need to return on a warmer day because it was too cold to add Freon and test the cooling system.

I then called Padilla’s and ordered a take-out order of Chili Rellenos and beans and drove to the Post Office to mail my letter to the Clark County Public Administrator and then to Padilla’s to pick up my order.

When I returned home around 12:20 I heated my lunch and ate about ¾ of it.  It was delicious.  It was great having a plate of chili rellenos and cooked pinto beans. Suzette had left a pyrex measuring cup of milk and coffee in the microwave, so I poured that into a glass and added a T. of condensed milk and ice to make a Vietnamese iced coffee that was tasty and kept me going through the afternoon.

I think there were four deeds to review today.  I have a relationship with a law firm that prepares documents for loan companies to prepare deeds for New Mexico loans.  I usually average 20 to 30 every month, but this month I have done 38 so far.

Then at 2:00 I zoomed with the Book Club to discuss Jack by Marilynne Robinson.  

The book club lasted until 4:00 after which I reviewed another couple of deeds and talked to the Public Administrator and then at 5:00, when Suzette came home, I zoomed with the meditation group until 5:30.

After mediation I offered to cook dinner and Suzette agreed.

 

Stir-Fried Pork with Mixed Vegetables and Fresh Egg Noodles

I had thawed out a pork chop after lunch. At 5:30 I gathered a medley of vegetables, including Baby Bok choy, an onion, garlic, snow peas, a can of sliced bamboo shoots, a piece of daikon, a red Bell Pepper, and white mushrooms.

I sliced about the same amount of each of the vegetables and divided them into hard and soft colanders.  I then sliced and diced the pork and fetched a T. of pickled ginger from the fridge.

I heated about 2 T. of peanut oil in my wok on the stove and added the pork and stirred it until it turned white.  I then added the hard vegetables with the garlic and ginger and sautéed for a few minutes.

While they vegetables were cooking at high heat I soaked two bundles of egg noodles in hot water.  I should have soaked them for 2 minutes but I soaked them for 10 minutes and they turned into gooey mounds of floury paste in the most case.

I also made a seasoning sauce with cornstarch, salt, sugar, Shanghai Vinegar, Chinese Cooking Wine, soy, water and Hoisin.

I then added the soft vegetables, being the green leaves of the baby bok choy, the snow peas, and the mushrooms.

Finally I added the seasoning sauce and the egg noodles and stir everything together.

The result was a lovely mixture of textures and colors and a delicious dinner.

Unfortunately, Suzette had had another covid case at her facility and had been extremely busy all day and had gone to sleep in the chair in front of the TV.

I called to her and she did not awaken until I went to fetch the TV changer wedged between her and the chair.  The sauce in the dish became more coagulated as I waited for her to awaken, even though I added water to loosen the sauce.

I liked my dinner and ate 1 ½ portions, but Suzette did not because she was put off by the strong cornstarch flavor and texture. I cut the pork and red bell pepper diagonally in 1 inch long slices and the other vegetables in 2 inch flat long strips, so the appearance of the dish was very attractive,

Alas, it was not a perfect meal, but I loved having the opportunity to cook and eat a mixture of fresh vegetables.

I put the remaining spoonful of the dish in the container with the PPI Sushi rice for a lunch this weekend.

We then watched Midsomer Mystery and went to bed at 9:30.

I awakened at 2:00 to blog this blog and drink a glass of water.

We did not sleep well last night so I will return to bed and catch up on my sleep.

Bon Appetit