May 31, 2023 Lunch - Vietnamese Miso Noodle and beef Pho. Dinner Party at Charlie and Susan’s house

May 31, 2023 Lunch - Vietnamese Miso Noodle and beef Pho. Dinner Party at Charlie and Susan’s house 

I toasted two slices of plain bagel, spread cream cheese on them and garnished them with slices of Gravad lax, red onion, and capers and drank two cups of tea with them.

After breakfast I paid bills and sent in our NM Philharmonic season ticket reservation.

Then at noon I started making lunch.  There was a small bag of PPI grilled steak, so I decided to prepare pho style noodle soup with tofu, onion, and miso plus a handful of the chopped bok Choy Suzette brought home from the Center.

I added beef stock and a pho seasoning cube to 1 1/2 quart of water and later added a heaping T. of red Miso flavored with dashi plus a T. of Chinese cooking wine and a few dashes of sesame seed oil to make the broth, I added 1/6 onion, and a bundle of egg noodles, a small handful of soba noodles and a bundle of rice vermicelli also.

I garnished the soup with sliced green onions, lime juice, and hoisin for a very hearty and flavorful soup thick with lots of ingredients.

The trick with noodle soup in my opinion is to develop a broth that does not have even a hint of water.

After the first and second bowl I added water because the noodles kept expanding, but the broth’s flavor was still good.

Carlos came to pour the concrete pads to extend the patio and Suzette brought home more plants and, at my suggestion, modified the design to extend the patio about ten feet instead of fifteen feet to avoid encroaching onto the gravel foot path near the raised bed where we set up tables and chairs for large parties.

After meditation, at 5:00 I walked around two blocks.

Suzette came home at 4:30 with an apple pie from Smith’s for our dinner with the Palmers.

At 7:00 we grabbed a bottle of Touché white wine from Cotes Du Gascogne and walked to Charlie and Susan’s house.

Susan had made several delicious appetizers including an absolutely wonderful bacon, blue cheese, and.green onion dip and a red pepper and artichoke dip.

We nibbled appetizers and talked with Charlie while Susan sautéed breaded chicken breasts and boiled corn and asparagus.

When the dinner was ready Suzette helped Susan fill bowls and a platter with the asparagus, corn, and chicken breasts and Susan also brought a bowl of pickled cucumber slices to the table.

Susan and I poured out the last of the Palmer’s bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and we all took our seats at the table.

I loved dinner; soft asparagus, vinegary cucumber slices, fresh corn on the cob, and, best of all, the crisp on the outside and tender on the inside chicken breast schnitzel.  Susan explained the chicken recipe as follows: “I pounded the chicken breasts until about 1/4 inch thick and then marinated them in sour cream and then coated them in panko and sautéed them in oil”.

This was one of the best meals we have ever eaten at the Palmers.  I loved it and ate a double helping of chicken.

Then we opened the bottle of French Touché white from Cotes du Gascogne for one more glass of wine for Suzette and me.  Charlie and Susan do not drink wine.

After dinner Suzette and Susan served dessert plates with small pieces of the apple pie Suzette bought at Smith’s on her way home to which Susan added a generous scoop of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.

We gobbled that up also.

We all commented on how we have become accustomed to going to bed by 9:00 to 9:30 and soon we all felt tired.  When Charlie checked his watch, he discovered it was 9:00 so we shortly wished everyone a good night and returned home and soon went to bed.

I awakened at 4:15 a.m. to watch the news and finish blogging this entry.

I thawed a rib steak yesterday, so Thursday dinner will be steak, roasted vegetables and a salad.

Bon Appetit