July 8, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Brat, and Stir Fried Yu Choy with mixed Vegetables. Dinner - Chicken Mole with steamed Rice and Garden Greens

July 8, 2022 Lunch - Sautéed Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Brat, and Stir Fried Yu Choy with mixed Vegetables. Dinner - Chicken Mole with steamed Rice and Garden Greens

Today was a good day.  I started writing the brief.

I watched a terrific mountain top finish in the TDF.

Suzette wanted to use a chunk of red mole that has been sitting in the fridge for months, so in the morning I fetched and thawed a package of 5 chicken thighs from the garage freezer.

I watched the President speak to the Nation about abortion while I ate three open faced sandwiches, two with Cod roe and Jarlsberg cheese slices and one with Cheese slices and salami with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

I then went to meet with Jim and John at Consensus Planning to review and sign two letters. One to support Marie Coleman’s application to build a coffee roaster and distillery next door to the Old Town Taproom.

And the other letter authorized Consensus Planning to represent me to join the re+zoning of lots along the frontage road on the north side of I-40 west of Paseo del Volcan.  The county was holding up re-zoning because of my 2 acre out parcel next to KOAT’s Doppler radar site.

I agreed to join the re-zoning from Agricultural to Commercial-light industrial, opening my land up to commercial development.

I was thrilled that my vision that Old Town could become an evening tourist and local destination was coming into sight with Marie developing the adjoining property and learning that the area around my two acres west of Albuquerque I got as a fee was being re-zoned by a major developer exceeded my wildest dreams.

After the meeting at 12:30 I returned home and sautéed the PPI Sautéed Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Brat, and Stir Fried Yu Choy with mixed Vegetables in the fridge plus two portobello mushrooms sliced and 1/4 onion sliced plus a dash of Chinese Cooking wine for a very tasty lunch.

After lunch I celebrated and drank a cup of root beer for dessert.

I then prepared a Request for Setting and filed it with the Motion for Summary Judgment and served copies on opposing counsel to help brighten his Friday afternoon.

I then napped until 4:15 when Suzette came home and walked around the block at 5:00.  I felt good all the way although I tired a bit toward the end.

When I returned I helped Suzette prepare dinner.  I started a cup of rice cooking, while Suzette went to the garden and picked a basket full of greens.  I cut the excess skin and fat off the chicken thighs and then Suzette sautéed the thighs in oil,, while I de-stemmed the greens and cut them into bite sized pieces. Suzette then emulsified the mole into a sauce by adding lobster broth in a large enamel casserole to which she added the sautéed chicken to the mole sauce and baked the covered casserole in the oven at 375 degrees for about twenty minutes.

                                                         The rice and steamed greens

                                                         The baked chicken mole

We added the greens to the rice as it was steaming for 30 minutes to cook the greens.

When the rice was finished cooking and the mole heated, Suzette filled plates with rice and chicken mole and added spoonfuls of the re-heated Sautéed Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Brat, and Stir Fried Yu Choy with mixed Vegetables left from lunch.

we drank glasses of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner.

So today was a good day for recycling and using lots of PPI’s.

There was lots of room in the fridge for the rice in its pot to which I added the remaining two chicken thighs and mole sauce.

I ate two chocolate sandwich cookies and lay down to blog and read at 7:45.

Bon Appetit

July 6, 2022 Brunch - Steak, onions, and eggs Snack - foie gras on toast

July 6, 2022 Brunch - Steak, onions, and eggs  Snack - foie gras on toast 

Dinner - Grilled, Sauerkraut, and Mashed Potatoes and Pineapple Foster

I awakened at 4:00 and at 5:30 went back to sleep until 7:45. 

I worked for a while and then showered and dressed by 9:00. When I turned on the Tour de France there was a leading group of four about a minute ahead of Pogacar, last year’s winner with 8 miles and one stretch of cobbles to go.

The lead group held its lead and Australian Simon Clarke finished first.  No one had picked Clarke to win.  It was just great racing luck that he found himself in the lead group that was able to hold on to the lead to the finish.

The Yellow jersey and peloton were 3 minutes back, so no threat to upset the finish.

I then went to the kitchen and made breakfast.  I butchered the fat from several slices of PPI beef steak and diced the meat.

I then diced red onion and a clove of garlic and then sliced about ten roasted butter potatoes. I fried the onion first and then added the potatoes and fried them until slightly browned and then added the steak.  I broke and whisked three eggs and added a bit of salt and white pepper to them and poured them over the ingredients in the skillet.

I went to notify Suzette that breakfast was ready and came back and flipped one-half of the egg pancake onto the other half to make an omelet.

I toasted two pieces of bread and buttered them and spread them with orange marmalade and made a cup of tea.

Suzette left after breakfast.

I worked and then slept from 12:30 to 1:30.

I then ate two slices of baguette with foie gras and dill pickle slices and one slice o& baguette with goat cheese.

I then drove to the Law library and researched until 3:30.

I returned home and talked to zsuzette a out dinner.  She suggested a traditional German dinner of brats, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes.

I called Mike and told him we were going to fix him a birthday dinner and texted Willy to invite him to dinner also at 6:30.  Mike said he had some fresh broccoli, so we asked him to bring it and I put a 2015 Gruet Rose in the fridge to chill.

I peeled and diced 1/2 of a pineapple into cubes.

Suzette boiled a bunch potatoes and braised the brats in Negra Modelo beer.  She also braised the sauerkraut with diced apple and apricots from our garden. 

When Mike arrived Suzette deflowered a head of broccoli and steamed the flowerets.  She set the table and charcoal grilled the brats on the propane grill.

I poured the bottle of rose and Suzette plated the plates with a pile of mashed potatoes, then lay 1 1/2 brats on the potatoes and a mound of sauerkraut on top of the brats and steamed broccoli on the side.

The aged Gruet rose’ was surprising good and complemented the Smokey grilled brats.

We enjoyed dinner and talked until 9:00 when Suzette made dessert.

She created a new dessert, Pineapple Foster or rum flambéed pineapple cake and pineapple cubes served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Suzette retired after dessert and willy went home.

I poured Mike and me a small glass of cognac mixed with a dash of Trimbach Framboise liqueur for a little nightcap.

At 10:00 we said goodnight and I went to bed.

Out of thin air we came up with a credible birthday dinner menu, thanks mainly to Suzette.

Bon Appetit 

July 5, 2022 Brunch - Sausage and eggs with toast. Snack - Open face sandwich with pate and brie. Dinner - Lobster and Oyster Bisque

July 5, 2022 Brunch - Sausage and eggs with toast. Snack - Open face sandwich with pate and brie. Dinner - Lobster and Oyster Bisque

I have cut down my meals to two per day, except today I went out so ate a pate and brie sandwich with a few potato chips and a glass of red wine at 2:30.

I sautéed two sausage patties and two eggs and toasted three small slices of bread at 10:00.  I spread orange marmalade on the toast and drank a cup of tea with milk.

At 3:00 after my sandwich I drove to the bank and made a deposit and then drove to the law school and did research for 2 1/2 hours.

I then returned home at 6:00 and watched the news and drank a gin and tonic.  I brought in three bottles of oysters and the lobster broth.

Suzette made Lobster and oyster bisque with the PPI lemon butter from our July 4th dinner plus cream and tomato paste.  She served the bisque topped with several crushed crackers and a dash of Spanish smoked paprika.

We loved the soup and took seconds.

We then soaked in the hot tub for about 30 minutes and then got in bed around 9:00.

Suzette slept and I blogged and read.

Bon Appetit

July 4, 2022 Brunch - Toasted Bagel slices with Lax and Ham and cheese. Dinner - BBQ Pork Ribs with Roasted Potatoes and Steamed String Beans

July 4, 2022 Brunch - Toasted Bagel slices with Lax and Ham and cheese. Dinner - BBQ Pork Ribs with Roasted Potatoes and Steamed String Beans

Today Suzette and I worked most of the day.

She hosted the July 4th Celebration at the Center for Ageless Living until 2:30 to 3:00.

I studied collusion and NM cases reviewing collusion.

I toasted two slices of bagel around 9:30 and spread cream cheese on them. Then on one I laid slices of red onion and Gravad lax and on the other slices of Jarlsberg cheese and slices of ham and drank a cup of tea.

I did not eat any lunch.

When Suzette came home I was hungry so at 5:00 I prepped dinner.

I snapped the ends and threads off about 1/4 lb. of string beans and steamed them.

While they were steaming I heated 4 PPI BBQ Pork ribs and a bag of PPI Roasted potatoes in the microwave and fetched two cold Carlsberg Green beers from the garage fridge.  When the string beans were steamed in about 8 minutes dinner was ready.

Suzette fetched another bottle of BBQ Sauce and we had a great 4th of July dinner that took almost no effort.

We watched the second and third episodes of Hotel Portofino that we had missed portions of, so we are now up to date and then some of the National July 4th celebrations and then went to sleep.

I blogged and read while Suzette slept.

Bon Appetit

July 3, 2022 Lunch - Museum Hill Cafe Dinner - Broiled Lobster with Yu Choy, Bamboo shoots, sliced water chestnuts, and beech mushroom

July 3, 2022 Lunch - Museum Hill Cafe   Dinner - Broiled Lobster with Yu Choy, Bamboo shoots, sliced water chestnuts, and beech mushrooms

What a pleasant birthday!

I awakened at 6:30 and watched the morning news shows and Stage 3 of the Tour de France until the last 20 minutes, because we needed to go find coffee for Suzette.  We drove to the Railyard and I drank a cup of chai while Suzette drank her coffee on the patio of Sky coffee.  The farmer’s Market was closed today and we were about an hour early for the Artisans’ Market, so we drove to Museum Hill and were 1/2 early for our lunch at 11:00.

 TR and Linda arrived at 11:00 at the Museum Hill Cafe and we joined them and were seated immediately.

What an odd assortment of dishes we ordered.  T.R ordered a hamburger, Linda ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, Suzette ordered a shrimp Chile Relleno, and I ordered a Cobb Salad.

We talked and talked and they talked Suzette and me into going for a blood treatment for my hip problem.  TR had it and claims it made a big difference.

Yesterday was Linda’s birthday so we shared a slice of coconut creme pie for dessert.

After lunch I drove to La Bajada Hill, where Suzette took over and I slept all the way into Albuquerque.

We drove to Talin and bought a live 2.2 lb. Maine Lobster for dinner.

When we arrived home I received birthday calls from Susan, Rahim, Billy, and Karim.

We invited Willy for dinner at 6:00, so at 5:00 we began to cook.

Suzette cooked the lobster in boiling water first.  Then she went to the garden and picked a handful of fresh thyme.  We took 1 T. of the leaves from the stems and I mixed it with butter and lemon juice.

I then butterflied the lobster exposing its tumuli and roe, and split the tail in half along its length.

Then Suzette smeared the thyme butter over the entire surface of the lobster and broiled it in the oven until it cooked and started to brown.

Yu Choy - I started by separating the stalks from the leafy green leaves of about ten clumps of Yu Choy.

I then minced three cloves of garlic and some ginger and sliced 1/2 of a white onion for the first bowl.

Suzette sliced the bottom off 1/2 of a box of brown beech mushrooms and I opened small cans of water chestnut slices and bamboo shoots and added them to the second bowl. I left the stalks of Yu Choy in the third bowl.

I left the Yu Choy leaves in their fourth bowl.

I heated 1 1/2 T. of peanut oil in my wok and added the first bowl of ingredients and cooked them for about five minutes. While the first group of ingredients cooked I combine 1 T. of cornstarch, 1 tsp. of dehydrated chicken stock, about 1/4 cup of water and about 2 T. of rice wine.

Then I added the second and third bowls of ingredients and cooked them for a few minutes.

Finally, I added the Yu Choy leaves and the seasoning sauce and stirred them into the mixture to coat all the ingredients and cook the leaves.

Suzette pulled the lobster from the oven at this point and we went into serving mode.

I stripped the tail meat out of the lobster shell and Suzette put a pile of vegetables into three pasta bowls.  We gave Suzette and Willy each a claw and 1/2 of the tail.

I took the front part with all of the tumuli and 12 small legs and the part of the claws connecting the body to the claws of both claws.

We opened a bottle of 2015 Bougrier Chenin Blanc reserve Vouvray and poured three glasses full and took our plates to the outdoor patio table to eat. the Chenin Blanc was lovely and smooth but a bit sweet, but fine with the rich lobster.

The seasoning sauce did not cook enough to create a thick sauce for the vegetables, but the vegetables were fully cooked and in my case that was a positive because the light sauce combined with the cooked tumuli to make a tumuli sauce for the vegetables.

I made melted lemon flavored butter for dipping chunks of lobster into but most of my dish was thin tubes of lobster leg mixed with vegetables plus some good sized chunks of meat from the claw armatures.

ThIs was the first time I made or ate lobster with Chinese Sri-fried vegetables and it turned out exceedingly well.

My dish was especially delicious with the tumuli and small tubes of lobster mixed with the medley of Chinese vegetables.  The dish could have benefitted from some rice, but we were satisfied.  

We made tea later and ate a few cookies with the tea.

Luke called and we talked for a bit, and Willy left when we began watching Endeavour on PBS at 8:00.

We went to bed at 9:30 after Endeavour.

It was a lovely day.  My hips did not hurt much and celebrating my birthday with all the food, family and friends was wonderful.

Bon Appetit

July 2, 2022 Picnic Lunch at Las Golondrinas, Dinner at Ten Thousand Waves

July 2, 2022 Picnic Lunch at Las Golondrinas, Dinner at Ten Thousand Waves

Today was rather straightforward but pleasant for the day before my birthday. We awakened and I watched the Tour de France Stage 2 as I made breakfast and packed for our trip to Santa Fe.

I fried three pieces of bacon, toasted four small pieces of French baguette, and made a four egg omelet with a sliced green onion for breakfast.

We left at 11:15 and drove to Las Golondrinas in La Cienega where the Vine And Wine Society was tasting and selling their wines.  I bought a glass of orange apple cider for lunch. We tasted about ten wineries and then laid out our picnic under the tent where a band was playing music.

I opened the duck mousse I bought at Smith’s and pieces of goat cheese, brie, slices of French baguette, and Manchego plus salami and dill pickles.

Suzette went and bought a glass of wine and a double helping of curled fried potatoes.

We enjoyed a pleasant lunch and then packed up and left.

We drove to the Green Tree Inn where we had reserved a room.  We dozed for several hours until 4:30, when we awakened and drove to Stephen’s Consignment.  We did not see anything at Stephen’s, so we drove on to Ten Thousand Waves.  We arrived a bit early for our 6:15 reservation, so had to wait.

Wee were seated at a table beside the Tatami dining area.  I ordered ramen with pork, corn, and baby bok Choy.  Suzette ordered two crab cakes and later two unagi sushi.

Suzette drank a beer and I drank a mild green tea.

It was lovely clean food that was more than adequate to satisfy our hunger without feeling stuffed.

We then drove back by the Plaza to see if there was music and seeing none, drove back to the room and went to bed after watching Father Brown and Death in Paradise.

Bon Appetit

July 1, 2022 Lunch - Hotdog at Costco. Dinner - Salmon Composed salad

July 1, 2022 Lunch - Hotdog at Costco. Dinner - Salmon Composed salad

Today food was of secondary importance.

I ate a bowl of granola with milk and blueberries and yogurt during my appointment with Shahin this morning.

Then I watched a bit of Stage 1 of  the Tour de France, an individual time trial in downtown Copenhagen. I recognized where I used to work in the summer of 1968 across Holmans Kanal from Christianborg Castle. 

I looked to me as if the race passed the Hand I Hand Group where I worked at 6 Holmans Kanal.  My summer job was to extend and foot re-insurance contracts in a large leather bound book that contained hundreds of pages with many lines and each line contained a premium amount and a percentage that represented the insurance company’s portion of the syndicated insurance for each ship’s sailing. Sort of a Lloyd’s of London.  I enjoyed the work.  I worked in an office with several people and we were served lunch of Danish open faced sandwiches in the company’s lunch room every day.

That is where I gained my love of open faced sandwiches.

At 11:00 I drove to my ear exam and found out that there was no wax build up.  The PA prescribed Benadryl and Flonase to open up the tubes that drain liquid from the inner ear into the sinuses.  My hearing is still a work in progress.

After the exam at around noon I drove to Costco and bought the two meds  and ate a hotdog and then filled the tank with gas that was down to $4.25.  Costco was crowded with people stocking up on food and other items for the 4th of July holiday weekend and there as a mass of cars and trucks filling with gas.

I then drove to Smiths and bought a Duck mousse pate’ and a container of mozzarella balls on discount.

I then drove to the bank and finally home.

I deposited the comestibles in the fridge and drove to Bill Turner’s to examine the closing documents for a water rights sale.

When I made it home at 4:50 Suzette had arrived. We both lay down and napped until 8:00 when we composed salmon salads for dinner with diced tomato, dill pickle chunks, egg slices, black olives, avocado slices, and red onion on a pile of gourmet greens.  I made a dill mustard mayonnaise dressing by adding mayonnaise and olive oil to Swedish salmon Sauce from IKEA. The salad was beautifully composed.

We opened a bottle of the French Chardonnay Suzette bought for the Greenhouse Bistro, which did not have a strong malolactic flavor and actually expressed some citrus notes as it warm slightly.  I think she bought a good bottle of Chardonnay.

After dinner Suzette soaked and I ate ice cream.  Then we watched the episode of Somebody Feed Phil featuring Vietnam but I fell asleep.

We went to bed at 10;30.

Bon Appetit