May 31, 2022 Lunch - PPI Pasta with Lamb Spaghetti Sauce Dinner at Charlie and Susan’s.

May 31, 2022 Lunch - PPI Pasta with Lamb Spaghetti Sauce   Dinner at Charlie and Susan’s. 

This was a near perfect day for me.  I awakened at 7:30.

I ate granola with milk and blueberries and yogurt for breakfast at 9:00.

Then at 2:30 I ate the last of the PPI Pasta with Lamb Spaghetti Sauce with a glass of Chianti Classico.

This was the recipe we copied from the Stanley Tucci CNN Discovering Italy episode on Umbria in which they roast and then purée roasted wild boar and mix the pureed meat into a spaghetti sauce.  We substituted roast leg of lamb seasoned with rosemary for a very credible rendering of the dish.

After lunch I rested until 4:00 and then felt physically strong and without much pain in my hips as I often do after a nap.

I opened the mail and then drove to the bank and got my notary application notarized and deposited checks.

I still felt good so I drove to Lowe’s and bought yogurt, eggs, club soda, and tonic water.

When I returned home Suzette had arrived and was watching Shepard Smith.

I made a gin and tonic with some of the newly purchased tonic water and joined Suzette.

At 5:45 she started getting our prep ready for dinner at the Palmers at 6:30.

Suzette made a salad with radishes. a tomato, an egg, the lettuce she picked in her garden in Los Lunas and the dressing she made last night with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar we bought in California.

She packed a bowl full of clafoutis, and fetched four ears of corn and a pound of asparagus.  

I fetched the Béarnaise Sauce I made last night and went to the basement to fetch a bottle of wine.  I brought up four bottles and Suzette selected the Trader Joe’s 2015 Platinum Pinot Noir, which tasted like it was not grown in Anderson Valley.

Suzette packed a basket with all of the items and we walked to the Palmers at 6:30.

When we arrived we were pleased that Susan had made about fifty gourgeres, one with Gruyere and the other with cheddar.

We poured glasses of wine and ate a few of these lovely cheese puffs.

Then Suzette started a pot of boiling water and I added the corn when it reached a rolling boil. Charlie helped find the asparagus steamer and we started cooking.

Then Charlie took the platter of top cut rib eyes he had cooked by the sous vide method out to the grill and grilled them for a couple of minutes on each side to give them a charbroiled flavor.  Charlie explained that he had cooked these thin boneless rib eye steaks using the sous vide method of bagged meat cooked in hot water eleven months ago to a uniform temperature of 129 degrees and then froze them.  Charlie explained that the sous vide method bot only cooks the meat to the perfect temperature, it also kills all the bacteria so can be stored indefinitely.

Susan had made a mushroom sauce.  We placed the pitcher of Béarnaise on the stove near the two pots to warm it without breaking.

I made this Béarnaise with a little extra vinegar last night, so the butter and egg yolk were firmly bound and melted to a thick sauce without breaking.

When the asparagus, corn, meat, and salad were ready. We took them to the table with the sauces and our glasses of wine and ate a lovely dinner.

                              Steak covered with béarnaise, corn, and asparagus

 

We always seem to get along with Charlie and Susan so we had a lively conversation until 8:00 when I requested that we move into the living room for dessert and to watch the third period of the first game of the Western NHL playoffs between the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers.

Charlie, Susan, and Suzette talked while I watched without sound.

I was happy because Colorado won 8 to 6.

We ate clafoutis and some bite sized brownies Susan had made.  Susan made me a cup of Darjeeling tea, so I was a happy camper.

We said goodnight at around 9:30 after the game.

A wonderful day.

Bon Appetit

May 30, 2022 Lunch - Dim Sum at Ming Dynasty. Dinner - Teriyaki Cedar Board Grilled Salmon with Sushi Rice and salad with sugar snap peas and snow peas

May 30, 2022 Lunch - Dim Sum at Ming Dynasty.  Dinner - Teriyaki Cedar Board Grilled Salmon with Sushi Rice and salad with sugar snap peas and snow peas

I ate a bowl of granola with milk and blueberries and a diced strawberry, and yogurt at 9:30 and then prepared teriyaki sauce by heating 1/3 cup each of soy sauce, sake, and mirin plus 1 T. of sugar.  Japanese food uses a surprisingly large quantity of sugar, not unlike Scandinavian cuisine, due to the fact that it is a climate that does not support the production of green herbs.

Then I worked until 11:00.  At 11:30 I drove to Ming Dynasty to meet Aaron and Alexi for dim sum for lunch.  They had already chosen 8 to 10 items, most of which I would have chosen.  We shared the bounty, but could not finish lunch, so I took a box home.

As other restaurants close, Ming Dynasty keeps going.  It reminds me of those huge dim sum restaurants in San Francisco or San Diego.  It has that old established feel to it.

After lunch I drove back home and rested until 4:00, when I went to the kitchen and made a Béarnaise Sauce for tomorrow’s dinner at the Palmer’s.

I expanded the recipe from 1/4 cup each of white wine vinegar and white wine to. 1/3 cup each and added garlic scapes to the first reduction of shallot and tarragon with the wine and vinegar.  The result was very pungent and had a vinegar bite at the finish that I am pretty sure will go away when used to sauce the beef and asparagus tomorrow.

Suzette came home at 6:00 and and at 7:00 we began cooking.  She snaps a handful of peas and picked and we de-stemmed the four snow peas from out garden and she spun the beautiful lettuce she picked in her garden in Los Lunas.

I heated some of the sushi rice I made yesterday.

Suzette cut and soaked a 1 x 6 cedar plank and when the propane grill heated she lay the marinated salmon fillet on the board and grilled it.

Suzette made a wonderful dressing by mixing some of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil we bought at I Fiorello olive farm in Suisun Valley in Fairfield, Calif. and adding crumbled Gorgonzola to it.

We opened a bottle of 2006 Norton Reserva Malbec from Argentina.  It was one of the best Malbec’s I have ever tasted.  It had great character and a lot of dark Cherry flavors.

We ate dinner on the patio and then drank the rest of the bottle as we talked until almost 9:00.

After Willy left we watched the CNN special documentary on Julia Child.

Bon Appetit 

May 29, 2022 Breakfast - Chili Relleno Plate at El Super Supermarket Lunch - Sashimi Dinner - Pasta with PPI Lamb spaghetti Sauce and Steamed Broccoli

May 29, 2022 Breakfast - Chili Relleno Plate at El Super Supermarket Lunch - Sashimi   Dinner - Pasta with PPI Lamb spaghetti Sauce and Steamed Broccoli

We slept until 8:00.

Chili Relleno Burrito breakfast - At 9:00 we drove to El Super Supermarket.  We first went to the restaurant area and suzette ordered a large jug of fresh squeezed orange juice at the frescos bar while I ordered a chili Relleno plate with double beans.  The food line included six types of taco meat fillings, several soups like caldo de res, and four or five guisados, such as beef in chili Rojas and pork in green chili besides chili rellenos.

I ordered the plate with flour tortillas and waited while the server toasted two large tortillas on the grill.

Suzette got cups of ice and poured us glasses of fresh orange juice.

I cut the chili Relleno in half lengthwise and we each rolled our half with a generous amount of refried beans into a warm flour tortilla to make one of our favorite dishes, a chili Relleno burrito.

After we ate we started shopping.  Cherries were on sale for $1.74/lb., so Suzette bought about 8 lb. We bought papaya, broccoli, cauliflower, and cluster tomatoes for $.69/lb., zucchini, limes, carrots, Persian cucumbers, and a pineapple for $.50/lb., ataulfo mangoes and avocados for $.50 each.

We also bought a box of salt, lemons, two avocados, and bunches of cilantro, parsley, and green onions.

Just amazing prices.

We then went home at 12:30 and unloaded and rested.

Sashimi Lunch - At 1:30 I suggested that we make sashimi with the tuna steak and some of the salmon we bought yesterday at Smith’s.  Suzette agreed so I made sushi rice. I heated 2 cups of water plus 2 T. each of sugar and rice vinegar a 2 tsp. of shredded dried pulse seaweed, and 1 T. of mirin with 1 cup of jasmine rice when the water came to a boil at a simmer for 30 minutes.

While the rice was cooking I sliced a 4 oz. Aji tuna steak and a 4 oz. slice of salmon into thin slices and piled them on a platter with a sliced Persian cucumber, three sliced radishes, and the last dozen pickled leeks.  I filled a small bowl with pickled ginger and Suzette filled two dipping bowls with soy and a squirt of wasabi and boiled five eggs and sliced one for each of our plates.

Suzette made a Bloody Mary and I made a cup of green tea.

When the rice was cooked I filled rice bowls with sushi rice and we had a fabulous sashimi lunch.  It was so good we forgot to add seaweed salad to our plates. 

Marinated Salmon - After lunch Suzette went to the garden and gathered a bundle of fennel fronds and then helped me assemble Gravad Lax/Marinated Salmon.

We mixed in a bowl 1/2 cup of sugar with 2/3 cup of salt, plus a tsp. of ground pepper, and the zest of 1 orange.

We then rinsed and dried two salmon fillets and dusted both sides of each fillet with the mixture and lay layers of fennel on each side on each fillet in a Pyrex baking dish into which the fillets and fennel fit snugly.

I drizzled a tsp. of Grappa de Brunello into each corner of the dish to further flavor the salmon and then we covered the dish with Saran and lay a brick on the Saran to weigh down the fish and placed the covered dish in the fridge.

Clafoutis - I then seeded 2 lb. of cherries, about four cups, and marinated them in a bowl with 1 T. each of cognac and Grand Marnier covered with Saran and placed the fridge while watched a new remodeling show called Quick Start on HGTV.

Then we made the batter by scalding 3 cups of whole milk, mixing 10 T. each of flour and confectionery sugar and 1/2 tsp. of salt and then beating in 3 eggs whisked and the 3 cups of milk.  I coated the inside of a ceramic baking dish with butter and granulated sugar. Then I poured the batter into the baking dish and finally the 4 cups of marinated cherries and we baked the Clafoutis for 50 minutes in a. 350 degree oven.

Dinner - At 7:00 when the four episodes ended we decided to make dinner. We had thawed the lamb and green olive spaghetti sauce, so Suzette boiled a cup of pasta and heated the spaghetti sauce and steamed a head of broccoli that she had cut into flowerets.

I opened a bottle of 2017 Chianti Classico Reserva and poured glasses.

The wine was delicious and bought at Trader Joe’s for $6.00 or $7.00.

We enjoyed a very tasty dinner.  Suzette said she wanted to make the ground meat spaghetti sauce with pork or beef next time, so this dish seems to have joined our pantheon of favored dishes.

After dinner we ate bowls of warm Clafoutis. 

We watched “Hell or High Water”k a modern Western set in West Texas, but filmed in New Mexico.  Billy reminded us that it was a great movie the other day and we loved the movie.

Suzette went to bed at 10:30 and I stayed up to blog and read  until 12:30.

Bon Appetit 

May 28, 2022 Brunch - Bacon and Herb Omelet. Snack - Fried Oysters and Seaweed Salad. Dinner - Pork, onion, Shishito, and Roasted Vegetable Sauté

May 28, 2022 Brunch - Bacon and Herb Omelet. Lunch - Caesar Salad. Snack - Fried Oysters and Seaweed Salad. Dinner - Pork, onion, Shishito, and Roasted Vegetable Sauté 

When I awakened Suzette was talking by our house guests Robin and Janie.  Suzette mentioned the Farmers’ Market and I mentioned tamales, crepes, arid French Riviera Bakery’s croissants.

Suzette left for work and I showed them some of the art and then they left.

Willy called and we decided to cook breakfast here, so I started frying 4 slices of bacon.  When Willy arrived I went to the garden and snipped two chives and a sprig of garlic greens, and several sprigs of tarragon.

When I returned I minced the herbs and added them to 4 whisked eggs and made an omelet.

We drank Earl Grey tea with breakfast.

We talked after breakfast until 12:00 when Willy left to go meet friends to watch the EUFA championship Match between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

I drove to Smith’s and bought asparagus, a red bell pepper, green beans, potatoes, fresh oysters, ground pork, ground beef, three salmon fillets, another package of bacon, eggs, bagels, and two small Aji tuna steaks.

I will make sashimi for lunch tomorrow or Monday and also make Gravad lax.

When I returned at 1:30 I made a real Cesar Salad with romaine lettuce, a diced tomato, a sliced radish, slices of onion, anchovies, and slices of Pecorino-Romano cheese and watched the match until 3:00 when Suzette returned from work.  Real Madrid amazed me by winning the match.  Both teams had rosters full of international super stars, so it was a great game.

When she saw the two bottles of oysters she exclaimed that she had been wanting oysters and made fried oysters with the 8 oysters.  She made an egg dipping in one bowl and mixed flour and crushed saltine crackers in another bowl to coat the oysters.

She then fried the battered oysters in 1/4 inch of hot canola oil.

When the oysters were fried and drained of excess grease, she served them in a bowl with a pile of seaweed salad.  Suzette made a fancy tartare sauce by adding pickle relish to a bowl of PPI crab Louis Sauce containing horseradish, shallot, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and catsup.

Suzette drank beer and I made a wine spritzer with the last of the Salmon Run Riesling and club soda and ice.

We ate this lovely snack around 4:00

The oysters were wonderful.  I think we will use crushed saltines for the coating in the future.  Seeing the pictures makes my mouth water.

We the rested until 6:00 when I awakened and watched game 6 between the NY Rangers and Carolina Canes in the Eastern semi-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. NY won to send the series to a game 7.

At 8:00 we watched Father Brown and then I made my dinner.  I sautéed 1/2 cup of the ground pork, some onion slices, a diced Shishito pepper, a sliced, a diced clove of garlic, and some sage.  When that was cooked I added the PPI Roasted Brussels sprouts, onion, and potato from last night’s meal.  Suzette ate a few bites with a glass of German Riechart Riesling and ate most of the dish with an Angry Orchard Crisp apple cider.

We watched Death in Paradise and then the Indian Doctor and went to bed at 11:00.

 I am proud that I ate no sweets today.k except for jam on the toast at brunch and the apple cider at dinner.

I also believe eating four meals is a good idea; breakfast at 9:00 to 10:00, lunch at 1:30 to 2:00, a snack at 4:00 to 5:00, and a light dinner at 8:00 to 9:00.

The fried oysters and seaweed salad were the high point of the food chain today.

Bon Appetit

 

May 27, 2022 Lunch - PPI Chile Relleno, rice, and beans. Dinner - Sandwiches with a radish and dill pickles

May 27, 2022 Lunch - PPI Chile Relleno, rice, and beans. Dinner - Sandwiches with a radish and dill pickles

I started the day with a bowl of granola, yogurt, milk, and blueberries at 9:00.

The market took off like a stampeding herd of cattle.  Everything was on the move upward.  The NASDAQ ended up 3.3% and my portfolio gained 5%, admittedly from a rather low base.

I found the information I told Johal that I thought proved we were not paid for an easement and sent it to him.

I also revised my notary and worked on a client’s probate case.

I stopped working at 1:00 to eat lunch.  I heated the leftover Chile Relleno with green Chile and brisket from yesterday’s lunch and ate a bit more than half of it.  I put the rest back in the fridge and Suzette finished it for her dinner.

Suzette and I talked to Pat Simon for a while at 5:00.  She has had a lot of sadness in her life, but she is my only second cousin named Simon, so it treasured our re-connection.

Billy and I talked and I was able to find the number of Ben Johnson Jr.’s clinic in St. Louis and we called it and left a message for him to call us so we could find out how our last first cousin Audrey is doing.

After lunch rested and when Suzette came home we checked the garden and I picked one rose.

At 6:00 we watched the Avalanche advance to the NHL Western finals by beating the St. Louis Blues in their best of seven series by scoring in the final 4 seconds.

I toasted two slices of French baguette and spread mayonnaise on them and the garnished them with slices of Manchego cheese, salami and ham, and onion, and spread a bit of mustard on the meat.  I also added three slices of my homemade dill pickle and a radish and drank a Negra Modelo and ate as I watched the hockey game.

We then watched an Amazon movie titled “The Electrical Life of Louis Main”, a true story about an eccentric Victorian artist who painted mainly cats.  The lead was played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

We went to bed at 11:00.

We hosted Tinker’s daughter and her friend for the night, although Willy was the one who hosted them in the evening by joining them for drinks at Copper Lounge on Central.

After dinner I ate three squares of chocolate and almond candy and sipped the last shot of Calvados.

Bon Appetit

May 26, 2020 Lunch - Cocina Azul Dinner - Sautéed Rib Steak with Creamed mushrooms, and Brussels Sprouts, onion, and Potato Casserole

May 26, 2020 Lunch - Cocina Azul  Dinner - Sautéed Rib Steak with Creamed mushrooms, and Brussels Sprouts, onion, and Potato Casserole

I rested in bed until 10:00 watching the market go up and up.

It looks like the contagion of fear is subsiding in the market.

I showered and dressed and then called Charlie to offer to take him to the book club lunch at 12:30.

I worked at my desk until then reading mail.

We drove to Cocina Azul and met the other members.

I ordered Chile rellenos with brisket and green chili with rice and beans.  Others ordered of dishes, including green Chile stew, green chili chicken cream soup, a ribeye quesadilla, and a hamburger.

Here are the pictures.

                                                            My Chili rellenos

                                                       Charlie’s ribeye quesadilla 

                                                      Karl’s Green Chili Stew

                                             The Green chili Cream of Chicken Soup

After lunch we drove to Charlie’s house for the meeting.  Susan had made delicious brownies and lemon bars.  The most exciting thing of all was Karl bringing the wine.  He brought a 2018 Stag’s Leap Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc.  When I complimented him, he replied, “I like good wine.”

Indeed he does.

Stag’s Leap is among my favorite Napa Wineries.

 The club held a good meeting with lots of interesting insights.

We ended around 4:00 and I stayed to plan a meal for next Tuesday with Charlie and Susan and returned home a few minutes before 5:00. I took the remaining bottle of Stag’s Leap Cab home, which set the stage for the dinner menu.

I meditated and then at 5:30 lay down for a nap, leaving Suzette to cook dinner after we decided to sauté a steak and make a Brussels Sprout. Potato, and onion Casserole to go with the Cab.

Suzette also sautéed sliced mushrooms in a cream sauce.

At 7:30 we ate and then drank the rest of the cab as we watched the end of the hockey game and then at 8:00 Midsomer Mystery.

When Midsomer Mystery ended at 9:30 we went to bed, Suzette to sleep and I to blog.

Bon Appetit