January 19, 2019 A Five Meal Day Lunch – Pate Salad. Dinner at Nancy and Cliff’s

January 19, 2019 A Five Meal Day  Lunch – Pate Salad. Dinner at Nancy and Cliff’s

My first meal was a bowl of granola, yogurt, milk, raisins and a sliced ½ banana at around 7:00 during the Leicester v. Wolferton soccer match.

Then when Suzette awakened around 8:30 she made a Lax and cream cheese omelet and I joined her with a toasted slice of bagel spread with cream cheese and slices of onion

and Lax for my second meal.

After the Chelsea v. Arsenal match at noon I made a Pate’ salad with a diced Roma tomato, ¼ of a cucumber sliced, about two oz. of truffled Gouda diced, two green onions sliced thinly, two slices of pate and some onions and capers dressed in my constantly replenished Cesar salad dressing that has devolved into little more than olive oil and lemon juice.

At 2:20 I rode the small loop north to Central and the south to Marquez and back home.

Max arrived at 3:30 to look at the building at Rio Grande and Mountain, after which we drove across the street to Little Anita’s and ordered Vegetarian burritos to go. We drove home and ate the burritos with a beer for meal number four.

After Max left I showered and dressed and we drove to the
NM Philharmonic concert at Popejoy.  It was an all Mozart program with his piano concerto no. 20 and his Symphony No. 40.

After the concert ended at 8:00 we drove to Nancy and Cliff’s house for dinner. After we sat and talked over appetizers, the main course was a lovely King Salmon, rice,  and asparagus casserole served with a salad of mixed greens, candied pecans, fresh diced pears, and blue cheese.  We drank Picton Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joe’s.  This was my fifth meal.

Bon Appetit

January 18, 2019 Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup. Dinner – PPI Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes with Steamed green beans

January 18, 2019 Lunch – PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup. Dinner – PPI Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes with Steamed green beans

I made oatmeal with raisins for breakfast.

I heated the PPI Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup for lunch although I added two beef meatballs to it and a bit of water and sesame oil.  It made 1 ½ bowls of soup.  I added liberal handfuls of mung bean sprouts and cilantro and dipped the slices of meatball into a line of mixed hoisin and sriracha stretched across a small plate as I saw Vietnam veterans do at the community table at Hong Kong restaurant years ago.

After the market closed with the Dow up 336 points, giving me another healthy gain, I drove to Home Depot and bought a “For Rent” sign and then to Sprouts on Coors to shop for food.  I bought several specials, including an 18 oz. container of blueberries on sale for $2.98, two avocados on sale for $1.00, green beans on sale for $.98/lb., a 1 lb. box of mussels in garlic butter Sauce for $4.55 and 2 ¾ lb. Aji tuna steaks for $7.99/lb.  I also bought a quart of half and half to make another blueberry clafoutis and bananas for $.49/lb.

When I returned home around 4:00 I froze the tuna steaks and mussels.  It was 5:00 and I was a bit hungry, so I heated 1 1/2 tamales and spread a dash the red Chile sauce Luke and I made for a Christmas over them.

Suzette came home at 5:45 and we rested in bed for 45 minutes. At 6:40 after Brook and Marcus’ Friday weekly commentary on the PBS Nightly News we started cooking.

Tonight’s meal was a super easy prep.  I snapped the ends off the green beans I had bought at Sprouts.  I poured some of the PPI Roasted potatoes into the Pyrex baking dish in which the meatloaf was cooked and stored.  I covered the pan with Saran after a Suzette sectioned the Meatloaf into six sections so it would heat more evenly and heated it in the microwave on sensor reheat, after which Suzette re-heated the meatloaf and potato container for an additional 3 minutes to make sure it was fully re-heated.

While the Meatloaf and potatoes were re-heating Suzette steamed the Green Beans in the steamer.

In the blink of a microwave we had a delicious hot meal.

I had anticipated the meal and had fetched a bottle of 2000 Franciscan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the cellar.  I had a hankering for a full bodied yet smooth cab and this bottle delivered in both categories.  When we checked Vinvino it rated 4.0 out of 5 and an estimated cost of $22.50, so a very nice bottle of red.

I finally understand the commoditization of fine wine and why the French Burgundy wine makers say their cellars full of bottles of wine are their annuities.

I recall buying a bottle of wonderful Marc and an ever better bottle of prunelle (a liquor made from the juice of wild plums picked in the forests near Nuits Saint Georges) from our propritess at the farmhouse chambers we stayed at near Nuit St. George in Burgundy,  the best I ever tasted.  We walked out to her barn which was filled with racks of bottles.  She came from a multigenerational wine growing family.  There is no telling what was in that barn.

Here are the bottles hand signed by Madame Dufouleur.

We sipped the wine before dinner but its ability to complement the food is what impressed me.  It supplanted the residual greasiness of the Meatloaf and potatoes with a rich dark berry flavor.  It was a powerful, complex wine with lots of tannins and not much fruit.

I tried it with slices of Brie after the meal.  It did not complement the delicate cheese’s flavor, but it had done its job with the meat course.

After a chocolate covered cherry and watching Washington Week we went to bed a bit before 9:00.

Bon Appetit

January 17, 2019 Lunch – Sashimi Dinner – PPI Enchiladas, Posole and avocado crema

I ate two 1/3 slices of whole wheat bagel spread with cream cheese, white onion slices, old Lax slices, and capers.

Then for lunch I cut up the last ¼ lb. of tuna, the last of the octopus tentacle, and some more old Lax.  The Lax has become somewhat more dry and can pick up the soy wasabi sauce a bit.

I made a wasabi and soy dipping sauce and a cup of green tea and heated the PPI Mapo Dofu and red rice did filled a small Chinese bowl with pickled, sliced ginger.

I ate all the seafood and some rice band picked shiitake mushroom slices and strands of wood ear out of the Mapo Dofu as I ate.

I rode my bike at 3:30 north to Central and then south to Marquez and back home, a distance of three to four miles.

When I returned home, I made a cup of hot chocolate and then a peanut butter and honey open face sandwich on toasted nine grain bread.

Suzette arrived home a bit after 6:00 and we quickly decided to heat the PPI enchiladas and Posole.  There was one small avocado left and Suzette asked me to make avocado crema, which I did and I fetched beers from the fridge.

So in a matter of minutes we had an interesting hot meal.

The market was went up again today.  I have now gained back ½ of the loss from the starting balance at the beginning of last year when the mandatory distribution is taken into consideration.  Pretty depressing when viewed from a macro viewpoint.

We watched the news and went to bed a bit after 8:00.

Bon Appetit

January 16, 2019 Lunch – Beef Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup Dinner – Mom’s Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, and Baked Asparagus

January 16, 2019 Lunch – Beef Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup  Dinner – Mom’s Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, and Baked Asparagus

I had to go to Court today so I started the day with a hardy breakfast.  I sautéed a smoked pork chop, a ¼ inch thick round of onion, and two eggs and toasted a slice of rye bread and smeared it with orange marmalade.

Aaron arrived around 11:00 and we prepared and filed his exhibit list and talked about the case.

At noon I made Beef Vietnamese Miso Noodle Soup.  I started with a large pot of water and added 1 shallot diced, ½ T. of dried seaweed, 1 mushroom sliced, 1 hamburger sliced thinly, 1/heaping T. of red miso, 3 oz. of firm tofu, a few drops of beef broth, a cube of Vietnamese soup flavoring, four leaves of Napa cabbage sliced into strips, and 1 ½ T. Of Chinese cooking wine plus three types of dried noodles, Vietnamese rice sticks, bean thread noodles, and Japanese buckwheat noodles.

I put out fresh mung bean sprouts, cilantro, hoisin sauce, and sriracha.

We ate two bowls each, it was so good.

We went to trial at 2:00 and got a good result, which made me very happy for Aaron.
When we returned home I was tired and after a quick celebratory drink, Aaron left and I lay down for a while.  The market and my portfolio made small gains today.

At 5:45 I checked my mail and I saw a message from Todd, which made me realize, it was Wednesday, our normal  meditation night.

I called Todd and drove to  the Friends’ Meeting Hall.  I found Todd had already arrived.  We meditated until 7:00.

When I returned home from meditation Suzette had already made Mom’s Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes and Baked Asparagus, much to my delight.  Mom’s Meatloaf is a simple recipe for traditional Meatloaf that includes, hamburger meat, chopped Nixon’s, oatmeal, catsup, Worcestershire Sauce, and eggs, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Suzette also roasted the remaining 2 lb. of the baby creamer potatoes from Costco tossed in olive oil and covered with aluminum foil and the last of the asparagus.

Suzette selected a bottle of 2015 Paton Crianza Spanish Tempranillo as I was checking my daily portfolio performance.  This is a very drinkable bottle, especially for $4.99 at Trader Joe’s.

I went to dinner on the second call to dinner.  Here is the result of Suzette’s handy work in the kitchen tonight.  This is surely one of the quintessential comfort food meals.

After dinner I ate a few pieces of toasted French baguette with Iberico cheese on them and a few chocolates.

We went to bed at 9:00 after I refrigerated the PPI potatoes and meatloaf.

Bon Appetit

January 15, 2019. Lunch – Sashimi and seafood salads. Dinner – PPI Grilled Rack of Lamb, Steamed Asparagus, and PPI Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Onions

January 15, 2019. Lunch – Sashimi and seafood salads. Dinner – PPI Grilled Rack of Lamb, Steamed Asparagus, and PPI Roasted Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Onions

I started the day with a bowl of granola, the last of the blueberries, milk, and yogurt.

For lunch I made a large plate of Sashimi with the leftover seafood and salads from last night’s meal. I can not begin to describe how delicious it was, especially since it felt like I was eating a wonderful free meal after three of us ate a huge amount of Sashimi last night.  And there is enough left for another meal.

At 4:00 I walked to the Country Club and one extra block to make a circle.  I feel like I am ready to ride my bike as soon as we get a sunny day on which the temperature is above 50 degrees.

When I returned I found that the Market had rallied toward the end of the day on news that a China was taking steps to stimulate its economy.

I am half way back from the January 3rd low to where I started last year, but still a long way to go.  The biggest help would be a positive earnings report by Apple.

I made a cup of tea at 5:00 and ate a toasted buttered piece of bread on which I spread chopped chicken liver.

Suzette came home a bit after 6:30 and we decided to not make neat loaf. Instead we opted for a ten minute prep for dinner of sautéed PPI lamb chops, PPI Roasted potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, and steamed Asparagus.

I poured the last 1/3 of the bottle of Aquino Chianti Reserva we had opened Saturday evening for hamburgers.

One of the things a love about having PPIs is they can quickly be re-heated to create a delicious hot meal.  Many of them taste better after sitting for a few days.

We each ate bowls of blueberry Clafoutis after dinner.  I added whipped cream and powdered sugar to mine because the blueberries and the Clafoutis were not sweet.  The Clafoutis greatly improved from sitting for a few days.  It seemed like some of the moisture in the blueberries flowed out of the Clafoutis leaving a denser more toothsome texture.

The last bit of blueberry Clafoutis 

At 8:30 we were ready for bed.

Bon Appetit

January 14, 2018 Lunch – PPI Mapo Dofu and red rice. Dinner – Sushi and three salads

January 14, 2018 Lunch – PPI Mapo Dofu and red rice. Dinner – Sashimi  and three salads

I ate granola, milk, blueberries, bananas, and yogurt for breakfast.

I worked until 1:30 and ate a quick and easy lunch of re-heated PPI Mapo Dofu on a pile of red rice, except today I garnished the dish with fresh sliced green onion.

I then went to my physical therapy from 3:00 until 4:00.  After P.T. I drove to Talin.  I have not shopped there since I was sick in December and I admit it; I went a little wild.  I bought a small can of Spanish pimientos, a kilo package of red miso, seaweed salad, squid salad, a 1 lb. piece of sushi grade tuna, a ½ lb. piece of salmon, an octopus tentacle, a container of wasabi sauce, a 1 lb. jar of pickled sliced ginger, beef meatballs, shallots, rice noodles,  fresh bean sprouts, white beech mushrooms, a whole frozen duck, pho seasoning, a small can of water chestnuts, and a can of sliced bamboo shoots for $79.66 in all.

I drove home, put up the food, and a few minutes before 5:00 Suzette arrived. I had an appointment that lasted until a bit after 6:30.  As soon as my appointment ended I filled our large appetizer platter with slices of the three types of fish, aji tuna, salmon, and octopus.  Suzette made a quick Japanese pickled salad by shredding a zucchini, carrot, and cucumber and dousing them liberally with sesame oil, a bit of salt, Japanese rice vinegar, and Aji mirin and then arranged the squid salad, the seaweed salad,  and her pickled vegetable salad on another large plate.  We put dipping bowls and chop stick rests on the table and a beautiful Chinese painted dish at each place.

                                                                 Plate near salads

                                                              Plate near Sashimi

Willy heated the last of an open bottle of sake in a pot of hot water to warm the sake and I made a cup of green tea.

Suzette squeezed a small dab of wasabi into the dipping bowls and floated it on a puddle of soy and Willy poured sake in the small tea cups on the table and we were ready to devour this elegantly simple meal.

I considered this my official return to gastronomy.  I wanted it to not be fatty or filled with carbs, so a magnificent array of sashimi fit the fill perfectly. Sushi is so high in protein one can not help but feel energized and satisfied after such a meal.

We ate and ate and there was still a bit of salmon and octopus left for lunch tomorrow.  I finished the
bottle of sake and actually got the first buzz I have ever experienced from drinking sake.

Later I celebrated further with a small bowl of butter pecan ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with maraschino cherries.

Then after watching the Antiques Roadshow and the 11th hour I blogged a bit and dozed off until 5:00 the next morning.

Bon Appetit

January 13, 2018  Lunch – Tapas at Cynthia and Ricardo’s House
Dinner – Antiquity

Another interesting day of food.

I made oatmeal for breakfast.  My brother, Billy, told me he has substituted a banana for brown sugar and that the dried cranberries I usually add have sugar added to them, so today I reduced the brown sugar from about 1 ½ T. to about ½ T. and added ½ banana diced and the usual 1 T. of dried cranberries. The oatmeal was still delicious and in fact I could taste the sugar, so next time I may eliminate the sugar entirely.

We showered and dressed and went to the Albuquerque Museum at 11:30 to see the Spanish exhibition.  I had never heard of the Huntington Museum or Collection and it was very impressive.  It ranged across all mediums and across all ages starting with Celtic and the entire geographic reach of Spanish culture, including South America.

Here are several photos of works that caught my eye.  My favorite paintings were by Sorolla who painted at the turn of the century in a beautifully articulated impressionistic style, usually of bathers at the seashore.

My favorite work in the exhibit is 

by Sorolla

After the Museum we went home and heated the artichoke, ham, green pea, and saffron tapa we made last week and took it to Cynthia and Ricardo’s house for their tapa party to honor Nora and Dick, their best friends from Maine, who were visiting on their way to California to visit their kids.

When we arrived at 1:00, Dick was finishing cooking a skillet full of shrimp sautéed with sweet and jalapeño Chile strips.  There were also BBQ chicken wings and Cynthia soon pulled a Tortilla Espanol out of the oven containing eggs, potatoes and leeks cooked in a Pyrex baking dish.  There were also a mushroom flavored Brie and a mushroom flavored semi-soft cheese from Italy. I also
enjoyed a tuna and caper tapa..

We took a bottle of 2017 Tularosa Tempranillo that Suzette thought had a baked flavor. In my world Baked is a lack of milder flavor.  It occurs in wine raised in warmer climate, where there are no
cooling off shore breezes or fog at night to cool the grapes.

I became tired and we left at 3:00.  We went to the candy store and covered the broken glass window with cardboard.  Then we went home and I napped for about an hour.  At 4:45 we dressed and drove to Antiquity to meet Debbie and Jeff for dinner.

Jason had given Debbie a Gift card that was expiring, so we shared a meal and split the difference above the amount of the gift card.

Suzette and I split an Oysters Rockefeller appetizer; six nice sized oysters baked in their shell with spinach and Béarnaise Sauce.  I found the addition of fennel to be a little off putting flavor but Suzette liked it.

Oysters Rockefeller

Suzette and I also split a rack of lamb with rice and fresh steamed vegetables and preceded by a salad or soup.  The soup was black bean jalapeño, which Jeff ordered with his NY strip steak.  Debbie ordered Grilled Scallops with angel hair pasta.

Suzette and ordered ½ bottle of Schug Pinot Noir and Debbie ordered a ½ bottle of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.

My general impression was that the food was generally competent, although not particularly exciting, which is more than one can say about most restaurant food in Albuquerque fine dining restaurants.

We had a medley plate of vanilla crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, and key lime pie.  The most exciting part of the meal was combining roasted slivered almonds into the graham cracker key lime pie crust.

We said goodnight to Debbie and Jeff at 7:30 and drove home.

Bon Appetit