May 25, 2023 Lunch - Hot dogs at the book club Dinner - Ruth’s Birthday dinner party

May 25, 2023  Lunch - Hot dogs at the book club Dinner - Ruth’s Birthday dinner party 

I ate 1 1/2 slices of a sesame seed bagel for breakfast and then got dressed.

I had an appoint with a couple that was referred by Charlie and he arrived during the interview to go to book club at 10:30.

When they left we drove to pick up Peter and then drove to the War Memorial at Louisiana and Gibson.

Keith brought Costco hot dogs with chips, drinks, and cookies and led a discussion of The Meaning of it All by Feynman.

 

We finished at around 2:30 and I drove Peter and Charlie home and then I rested until Suzette came home 4:45 and then we started cooking for dinner.

Suzette cooked a cheese cake last night and this evening we decorated it and I diced six or seven strawberries that Suzette added sugar to and cooked into a compote/glaze with which she covered the cheese cake.

I then zested four limes, and squeezed them into 1/2 cup of juice, to which Suzette added 1 1/2 T. of sesame oil, 2 T. of sesame seeds, and 1/2 tsp. of salt and poured it into a gallon bag with two pounds of cubed tenderloin and 1 1/2 lb. of 21/25 count shrimp and put it into the fridge to marinate.

I chilled a  Gruet Sauvage rose and the bottle of Domaine de Tamary, Cotes De Provence rose I bought at Costco yesterday for $10.00..

Then a few minutes before 6:30 Ricardo and Cynthia arrived with a salad, a casserole of baked rice, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and salt.

I poured us glasses of Gruet Sauvage rose.

Then a few minutes later Melissa and Ruth, the 85 year old birthday girl, arrived with a bottle of Gruet rose reserve they bought at the tasting at Gruet they went to yesterday and the bottle of Prosecco rose Cynthia and Ricardo gave them previously.

I chilled both bottles and poured Melissa and Ruth glasses of Gruet Sauvage rose, which they said they had tasted yesterday.

We moved to the table under the gazebo that was surrounded by mosquito netting that kept out most of the mosquitos.  

Then Suzette and I skewered the marinated shrimp and tenderloin and Suzette put the skewers on the grill to grill.

Cynthia then made a dressing and dressed her salad and Ricardo tossed his rice.

After the shrimp and beef were grilled we all went to the kitchen and served ourselves a skewer of shrimp and beef, rice, sautéed tomatoes and salad. I poured the bottle of Domaine de Tamary for dinner.  The 2021 Domaine de Tamary with a vibrant fruitiness and lots of acidity was a real winner at $10.00 per bottle at Costco.

We had a lovely conversation and finally cleared the table and brought out the strawberry glazed cheese cake and the bottle of Prosecco.

I served slices of cheese cake and Ricardo poured Prosecco. Around 9:00 everyone left, except Cynthia left her phone.

The weather cooperated cooling with no wind.

Suzette went to bed after we cleared the outdoor table.

I stayed up to watch the news until midnight.  The big news is the sentencing of Stuart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, to 18 years in prison for the conviction of seditious Conspiracy, for organizing a coup of the US government as Trump’s Shock troopers. The judge said he was a threat to our democracy.

Can Trump’s accountability be far behind?

Bon Appetit