June 25, 2024 Breakfast - Pain au Chocolat and a Latte Macchiato Lunch - Leftover Deep Fries Noodles and Vegetables Dinner Party - Roast Duck and Asparagus with Rice, and Texas Waldorf Salad.

June 25, 2024 Breakfast - Pain au Chocolat and a Latte Macchiato Lunch - Leftover Deep Fries Noodles and Vegetables  Dinner Party - Roast Duck and Asparagus with Rice,  and Texas Waldorf Salad.

The pace of the day was perfect. I awakened at 6:00 and started working on Steve Faykus’ case and preparing for his 10:00 hearing. At 9:00 I ate two pain au chocolate with a latte macchiato to make sure I had a store of energy for the hearing And watched the financial news. NVDA and the high tech stocks rebounded from their slump today Then I finished one of the two leases by 9:45

Then we called in to the hearing and I handled the hearing for him.

After the hearing I worked on the other lease until 1:00 when I watched Denmark play Slovenia and England play Serbia. Both matches ended in 0 to 0 ties but Serbia was eliminated on points scored.

At 1:00 I heated the leftover deep fried noodles and vegetables that Aaron had ordered yesterday at Vietnam 2000.  It is No. 194 and is a wonderful dish a combination of vegetables and a meat are sautéed in a soy brown sauce and then poured onto a nest of deep fried wheat vermicelli noodles.

I  made a Vietnamese iced coffee with a coffee from the Miele and a heaping spoonful of condensed milk mixed in a tall glass with ice added to melt and cool the drink.  I always imagine how delicious an iced coffee must be in Saigon in the sweltering heat under a ceiling fan In an outdoor cafe.

At halftime at 1:45 I switched to CNBC to watch the market close at 2:00.

My portfolio had lost 5.55% of its value in the high tech meltdown over e last three days of last week, but today that all turned around and my portfolio gained 2.5% or almost half of the loss back in another high tech rally.

After the matches ended around 2:45, I completed the other lease and at 3:30 I read and napped until 5:00.

We had invited Melissa and Ruth and Christina and Ricardo for dinner, so we started prepping at 5:00. I cut the tops of a dozen figs from our garden and filled them with fresh goat cheese for appetizers.

Then I snapped the stalks of 45 asparagus and rinsed them. Suzette started roasting three duck halves around 5:40.

Everyone arrived on time. Melissa brought a bottle of Gruet Savage rose that I poured out. We looked at the bathroom and then wandered back into the kitchen. Cynthia made made a wonderful Texas Waldorf Salad with spinach and romaine lettuce, toasted pecan halves, apple slices and a vinaigrette dressing.  Ricardo made baked rice with raisins and cinnamon sticks that was flaky and delicious, and Suzette roasted the Pre-cooked duck and asparagus tossed in salt, herbs, and olive oil.

I carved the three duck halves that were roasted to dark brown and Suzette garnished the cut up duck with glacéd apricots in heavy syrup.  Then we served ourselves buffet style. And I poured a bottle of Dr. Constantin Pinot Gris. The wine got lost in the heavy greasy duck but did not detract from the richness of the duck

We talked and ate for about an hour during which I oOpened and poured a Henry Weimar Magdalena Vineyard 1919 Riesling.

The wines got lost in the food and became hard to taste in my opinion.

After Dnner Suzette served slices of Whole Foods key lime pie and Ricardo opened and poured the bottle of Prosecco they brought.

It was a lovely meal with lots of good conversation . At 8:30 everyone left and I saw the last 15 minutes of the Argentina v, Chile match, which Argentina won with a goal in the 89th minute.

We went to bed at 9:00. Suzette to sleep and I to blog and read.

Bon Appetit