January 30, 2026 Breakfast - Granola Lunch - Cheese and Coffee Dinner - Grilled Steak with Baked Potato and sautéed Mushrooms and leek

January 30, 2026 Breakfast - Granola  Lunch - Cheese and Coffee  Dinner - Grilled Steak with Baked Potato and sautéed Mushrooms and leek

I have been sleeping better in the last few days.

I woke up at 7:45 and dressed and was ready at 8:20 when the bricks arrived to instruct the Craig to place them on the right side of the garage.

Today I ate granola with a new Lala mango yogurt, with milk, and tropical fruit salad. What a nice change for better flavor.

I then got busy in my office and organized and filed my LRGA exhibits and pleadings to clear my desk and figure out what I had and organize it.

The great wave of response is coming and I want to be ready.

Then when Suzette returned from her exercise session around 11:30 we drove to the bank and each withdrew one half of the cost of the brick installation.

Suzette had seen an interesting menu for Seared and wanted to try Cheese and Coffee for lunch. Seared is the only restaurant I know that is run by one crew for lunch and a different crew for dinner in the same location. That location is in the neighborhood at Alhambra and San Pasquale, so an easy drive from the bank.

We were the only customers eating lunch and we were directed to a corner table by the waitress. The Menu was mostly sandwiches and salads. There was only green chili chicken soup. I ordered the sandwich featured on the chalkboard,yhe Knock Out with sweet potato fries.  Suzette had a more difficult time ordering and finally decided on a chicken salad salad to see how they make it in comparison to the Bistro version which she eats most days.

The reason why Suzette wanted to go to lunch at Cheese and Coffee was to examine its dinner menu, because her Sysco rep had shown her a four item limited entree menu that was a partially table d’hote menu that she was thinking of implementing at the Bistro.

What we did not expect was the complete incompetence of the waitress. Suzette had to ask two times for her to bring the dinner menu and when she served our food we had to ask her to bring us a knife and fork and napkin. I found it laughable, but Suzette is no as amused by incompetence as I am.

When Seared’s dinner menu was delivered we finally figured out that the four item entree menu was weekly special served in addition to a complete menu with most of the lunch sandwiches and salads, plus French Onion Soup and a full complement of entrees with all the meat groups, such as duck breast and ribeye steak.

So we realized that there was no creativity in the menu and there may even be a question of competency in the service. I did enjoy my warm sandwich stuffed with sliced Turkey, salami, black olives, lettuce and tomato between slices of grilled sourdough sandwich bread with a pile of breaded and deep fried waffle cut sweet potatoes ($17.00).

 We traded dishes and I liked Suzette’s chicken salad in a large bowl of greens and diced tomatoes, but reacted to the heavily peppered lemon vinaigrette dressing ($15.00).

Suzette felt sorry for the mostly disoriented waitress and left a $5.00 tip, since it appeared that we were the only one’s showing up that lunchtime.

When we returned home we thawed one of the T bones I had bought recently.

Then at 5:00 Suzette baked five of the russet potatoes I recently purchased.

Dinner - At 6:00 I sliced 1 1/2 leeks and four or five portobello mushrooms and Suzette thawed the steak fully in the microwave.

Then I plucked the stems from a basket of baby spinach.

Suzette chose a bottle of Red Tail Ridge Cabernet Franc for dinner. We opened it and tried it and it was delicious, smooth with the delicate flavor of Cabernet franc.

Then Suzette started sautéing the leeks and mushrooms in butter and olive oil. I took over and she seasoned the steak with salt and pepper and fetched dried lemon thyme from our garden. I added about 1/2 T. of thyme and 1 T. of sherry to the mushrooms and leeks and then after they cooked a bit added the baby spinach.

Suzette grilled the steak for about ten Minutes on each side. Then when she brought it in I sliced the fillet and sirloin strip from the bone and sliced them into slices while Suzette finished the vegetable sauté by adding some cream.

I usually like creamed spinach but tonight’s recipe with the addition of sherry and thyme clashed with the cream in my opinion.

But then Suzette put the Bobby Flay Mint parsley chili sauce on the table to dip steak into and opened a potato with a broad x for each of us and added butter and sour cream.

I sliced a green onion into thin ringlets and added some to each potato.

A refill of wine and we then enjoyed the best steak dinner available in Albuquerque today.

After dinner we watched a Hallmark Valentines movie on Netflix and went to bed at 9:30.

Bon Appetit

January 29, 2026. Breakfast - Starbucks. Lunch - Placitas Cafe. Dinner - Leftover Bobby Flay Chicken and Beans

January 29, 2026. Breakfast - Starbucks. Lunch - Placitas Cafe. Dinner - Leftover Bobby Flay Chicken and Beans

We got up at 4:15 and left home around 6:30 to pick up a ticket for entry to the estate sale on Casa Bonita. After we picked up our tickets, No. 20 and 21, we drove to the Starbucks located in the Albertson’s at Candelaria and Juan Tabo. I had a pistachio latte chai and Suzette had a regular latte and we split an English Muffin sandwich with egg, cheddar cheese, and a sausage Patty.

At 8:30 we drove back to the Estate sale and got in line around 8:50.

We were in the first group of 25 to enter and I was amazed by the number of Buddhist and Oriental artifacts in the house. There must have been 250 teapots, a thousand Buddhas, and artwork of every kind. 

I tried to look at everything but I am sure I missed stuff. I quickly selected a Buddha head that seemed to be of Gandahar style and a small well cast Boddisatva, and a jade incense burner.  

Suzette was looking for outdoor sculpture for the massage area. She found a heavy sitting Buddha, a concrete lantern, several dragons, a Tori gate, and several other items. By 9:30    A# 11 had paid and were ready to leave.  

I drove back home arriving around 10:00 just in time to get ready for book club. 

Charlie picked me up at 10:30 a;d we picked Peter up and drove to the Placitas Cafe for our Book Club lunch.

There were 7 of us. Charlie ordered the best dish, Biscuits and gravy with papitas and homemade patty sausage. Three people ordered green chili stew there were two hamburgers and I ordered the Buffalo Enchiladas made with locally produced Buffalo, which was a house special. I was a little disappointed because the dish turned out to be Buffalo stew ladled onto two uncooked corn tortillas that dis not even cover the entire tortilla. 

After the entrees were eaten I ordered the other house specialty, buttermilk pie soon, a warm creamy slice of pie was served with a crisp pastry crust. I took a bite and passed the pie around the table for others to try.

We then drove to Jeff’s house after lunch. The casita he and Jeannette have added to their property that has a large room for recitals and a bedroom and small kitchen are almost finished. The inside is finished. We sat in the recital hall and Jeannette played a Chopin nocturne.

Then we returned to the living room to discuss One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow.

After the discussion we ate Costco cheese cake and Charliedrove us home.

When I returned home at 4:15 it was sunny, so I decided to walk the two blocks to the bank.

That walk and all the intense shopping at the Estate Sale got me to over 4200 steps for the day.

Suzette arrived around 5:30.

Dinner - Suzette wanted to eat the rest of the Argentinian beans she cooked about a week ago, so she made a simple Dinner of a Leftover Bobby Flay chicken breast and a scoop of the beans garnished with sour cream and chopped green onion.. We drank the last of the Romanian white wine with dinner.

After dinner we watched news until 8:00 and them Midsomer Mystery until10:00 when we went to bed.

It was an action packed day for both of us starting from before sunrise with rather bland food.

Bon Appetit

January 28, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Leftover enchiladas Dinner - Bobby Flay Chicken with Calabacitas

January z8, 2026  Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Leftover enchiladas 

Dinner - Bobby Flay Chicken with Calabacitas 

I did not sleep well and woke up around 6:00 and watched the news. The market continued its slow progress upward with the S&P hitting 7000.  By the end of the day my portfolio was up another .5%.

I had a slow day with three small tasks in the morning.

At lunch I ate the last of the enchiladas from Mary and Tito’s.

My stomach was beginning to feel bad so I reduced the amount I ate for lunch.

Then Aaron walked me through the Earn website demo. I was impressed.

At 3:15 I walked the inner loop to San Carlos and back that got me to almost 4000 steps for the day.

When I returned, I rested and napped until 5:00 when Suzette returned.

Dinner - We decided to make Bobby Flay Chicken with Calacitas.

Bobby Flay is a slightly complex recipe. It combines sautéed and the roasted chicken breasts with a very interesting sauce combining  fresh mint and, poblano chili, garlic, and parsley processed into a sauce and then 1 T. each of honey and Dijon mustard and a bit of salt and then olive drizzled to the consistency you wish.

At 7:30 after dinner I went to bed with a slight fever and slept until 4:15 a.m.

Bon Appetit

January 27, 2026 January 27, 2026 Breakfast - Leftover Enchiladas with an egg. Lunch - Costco hot dog. Dinner - Boiled Shrimp in white wine and leek with avocado crema

January 27, 2026 January 27, 2026 Breakfast - Leftover Enchiladas with an egg. Lunch - Costco hot dog. Dinner - Boiled Shrimp in white wine and leek with avocado crema

I tried to not over eat today again.

I ate about 1/2 of the enchiladas and beans from yesterday’s lunch with about 1/2 of a flour tortilla for breakfast.

Then I learned that I would not qualify for a dematerialization account at Icici Bank.

At around noon I drove to Costco and bought eggs, granola, asparagus, a Malbec and a Côtes du Rhône, baguettes, potato chips, a package of lamb chops, a package of four pork tenders, a box of baby spinach, and a bag of Ghirardelli truffles.

I then drove home and put up the groceries in time to meditate from 3:30 until 4:00.

After meditation I watched Ari and at 5:00 walked around the block where I met Tom Homan walking with John Myers and their dogs.

The walk got me to almost 5000 steps for the day.

At 5:30 we started cooking.

Dinner - Suzette boiled the 1 1/3 lb. Large shrimp win butter, white wine and the white portion of a leek. The shrimp in the light sauce were delicious and the sauce was perfect for dipping slices of fresh, toasted baguette.

Suzette also made avocado crema to eat with the shrimp and I made guacamole from the excess avocado that Willy and I ate with several blue corn chips

We opened the bottle of white Romanian wine Monica and Aaron gave us. It was slightly sweet but had a pleasant flavor.

We watched Finding Your Roots after dinner and then I watched a two hour special on the life of Ellie Weisel.

We sipped cognac with one of the chocolates and Suzette went to bed at 8:00 to avoid watching the Nazi horrors.

And then half of a history of the Holocaust with Simon Sharma.

The unrelenting death got to me after a while.

I blogged and went to bed around 10:45.

We now have enough food to cook meals for about a week.

Bon Appetit - Leftover Enchiladas with an egg. Lunch - Costco hot dog. Dinner - Boiled Shrimp in white wine and leek with avocado crema

I tried to not over eat today again.

I ate about 1/2 of the enchiladas and beans from yesterday’s lunch with about 1/2 of a flour tortilla for breakfast.

Then I learned that I would not qualify for a dematerialization account at Icici Bank.

At around noon I drove to Costco and bought eggs, granola, asparagus, a Malbec and a Côtes du Rhône, baguettes, potato chips, a package of lamb chops, a package of four pork tenders, a box of baby spinach, and a bag of Ghirardelli truffles.

I then drove home and put up the groceries in time to meditate from 3:30 until 4:00.

After meditation I watched Ari and at 5:00 walked around the block where I met Tom Homan walking with John Myers and their dogs.

The walk got me to almost 5000 steps for the day.

At 5:30 we started cooking.

Dinner - Suzette boiled the 1 1/3 lb. Large shrimp win butter, white wine and the white portion of a leek. The shrimp in the light sauce were delicious and the sauce was perfect for dipping slices of fresh, toasted baguette and steamed asparagus.

We opened the bottle of white Romanian wine Monica and Aaron gave us. It was slightly sweet but had a fresh flavor.

We watched Finding Your Roots after dinner and then I watched a two hour special on the life of Ellie Weisel.

We sipped cognac with one of the chocolates and Suzette went to bed at 8:00 to avoid watching the Nazi horrors.

And then half of a history of the Holocaust with Simon Sharma.

The unrelenting death got to me after a while.

I blogged and went to bed around 10:45.

We now have enough food to cook meals for about a week.

Bon Appetit