September 20, 2022 Lunch - Weenie Egg Foo Young. Dinner - Greenhouse Bistro Roasted Chicken with Green beans and rice

September 20, 2022  Lunch - Weenie Egg Foo Young. Dinner - Greenhouse Bistro Roasted Chicken with Green beans and rice 

Today was another two meal day.

I worked until lunch.  I decided to use the leftover rice, egg whites and garden greens Suzette picked last night and add red onion, ginger and 1/2 of a beef stick. I added an egg to the 3 egg whites plus 1/2 T. of soy and 1/2 T. of Chinese coking wine.  I then sautéed the onion and ginger.  I chopped up 1/2 cup of kale and chard.  I sliced the beef stick into then rounds and after a few minutes added the beef slices and rice to the wok.

 

After another minute I added the chopped greens and stirred all the ingredients so the beef slices would crisp on both sides.

I then added the egg mixture and let the dish cook for several minutes until the egg browned and firmed.  I then flipped the dish and let it cook on the other side to fully cook the dish while I made a cup of tea.

The dish was delicious.  This one of my favorite dishes because you easily cook all the ingredients into a delicious meal.

I used chop sticks to tear pieces off the cooked egg Foo Young cake.

I then napped until 3:30 and drove to Shahin’s office to deliver my tax records for preparation of my taxes.

I was caught in the 5:00 traffic when I left Shahin’s at 5:00, so I decided to drive tip-off the Sprouts at Academy and San Mateo, where I bought 16-20 count shrimp, a head of red leaf lettuce, portobello mushrooms, green beans, and rolled oats.

I made it home by 6:00.

Suzette had brought home a lemon and tarragon flavored roasted chicken from the Greenhouse Bistro.  I snapped about a cup of green beans and Suzette mixed the green beans with some PPI rice and heated the dark meat quarters of chicken and then the rice and green beans in the microwave.

We drank cocktails we made with dinner, a gin and tonic for me and a scotch for Suzette.

Willy came over a little later with a wild story about being accosted by a threatening person at his apartment and his laundry.

Suzette made Willy a plate with PPI Teriyaki Salmon and the last of the rice and green bean mixture.

The rice was rather special I used a bit more than 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice and added a small handful of dried lilly flowers and chopped kombu seaweed and a tsp. of Knorr dehydrated chicken stock to the water at the beginning of the boil.

I ate a piece of tiramisu cake later with a cup of tea as I watched the second episode of the America and the Holocaust series on PBS.

Suzette will not watch it.  I think it is anxiety created by being confronted by what the Germans did to the Jews.

Bon Appetit 

 September 19, 2022 Breakfast - Chai and Fig Bar Lunch - French Onion Soup. Dinner - Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikki Masala and Rice and Fresh Greens

I woke up at 7:00 and watched the Funeral for QEII but missed the first funeral in Westminster Cathedral with a cup of chai and a fig bar for breakfast.

I spent several hours today revising and updating my insurance coverage for my art.

At 1:00 I fetched the casserole of PPI French Onion Soup from the garage and heated it.  I sliced and toasted a whip olé wheat dinner roll and lay slices of Jarlsberg cheese on each toasted half and melted the two halves for 23 seconds in the microwave to melt the cheese.  I ladled soup into a bowl and lay the two pieces of bread on the heated soup and voila, I had a bowl of wonderful French onion soup in 10 minutes.

After lunch I continued my art insurance project until 4:00 and then rested and watched Ari Melber.

Suzette came home around 4:30.  She asked me what I wanted for dinner and after I was ambivalent she said she would look in the freezer.

At 5:30 I joined her in the TV room and discovered that she was defrosting a package of Trader Joe’s prepared Chicken Tikki Masala.

I spread Boursin French cheese on pita chips as we watched Shepard Smith’s news program with Suzette.

At 6:00 Suzette went to the garden and picked a basket full of different kales and some chard.  I destemmed the greens’ leaves and then diced 2 oz. of red onion and 2 cloves of garlic.  

Suzette stir fried the onion and garlic and then added. 2 cups of PPI rice and finally the chicken Tikki Masala in the wok.

She fetched a beer and poured 1/2 in a glass for me and then served the one dish meal with the apple and raisin chutney Suzette made with apples from our tree. And I fetched the Swad mixed pickle. 

Later we ate some of the leftover Tiramisu cake Monika and Aaron brought for dinner last Monday’s evening dinner with tea and cognac.

It was an easy dinner that was very enjoyable.

We watch some football on then retired to bed at 9:30.

Suzette to sleep and I to blog and read.

Bon Appetit

September 18, 2022 Breakfast - BLTSandwiches Lunch - Charcuterie Sandwiches. Dinner - Cedar Plank Grilled Teriyaki Salmon, Rice, and Seaweed Salad

September 18, 2022 Breakfast - BLTSandwiches  Lunch - Charcuterie Sandwiches. Dinner - Cedar Plank Grilled Teriyaki Salmon, Rice, and Seaweed Salad

Today we had lovely simple food and an amazing wildlife experience.

I watched the news and soccer (Arsenal held its first place position in the PL) from 6:00 until 10:00.

Suzette worked in the garden, watering and picking tomatoes.

At 8:30 Suzette made us Bacon, fried egg, Lettuce, Tomato sandwiches on whole wheat sandwich bread spread with freshly made Basil Mayonnaise with a small pile of fresh cantaloupe cubes.

We both drank glasses of Clamato juice, mine with lime juice and Suzette’s with vodka, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce (a Bloody Mary).

I then showered and dressed and we drove to the south end of the southern duck pond where there was easy access to the path to the blind on the southern pond in the Bosque.

I walked slowly to the blind where two young men were fishing.

Soon after we arrived we saw an Osprey fly down from a tree and try to catch a fish with its talons.  He missed and flew back up into a tree and repeated this fishing routine several times before flying away.

We had never seen an Osprey before.  I count this as one of the most momentous nature experiences of my life.

The Osprey was huge with a wing span of about 6 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

When we returned home I was tired and my muscles were sore, perhaps because I had not eaten. I sliced and toasted two slices of French baguette and spread them with basil mayonnaise.  I then lay slices of thinly sliced red onion cured ham and prosciutto and lettuce.  I added Moroccan dried olives and slices of dill pickles and opened a bottle of chilled Heineken beer and at a lovely lunch at 1:30. I then flipped the salmon in the freezer bag half submerged in teriyaki marinade in the meat drawer of the fridge.

After lunch I lay down and rested until 5:30 when Suzette wanted to start dinner.  Suzette Cut and soaked cedar planks of a size to accommodate the large salmon filets we had marinated.

I made a cup of rice with added dried lily bids and chopped seaweed.

I then made a gin and tonic and sat down to watch football and ySuzette took over the grilling of the salmon when the rice was almost done. 

Suzette fetched the new bag of Korean seaweed salad we bought at Costco.

When the salmon was grilled to perfect medium rare, Suzette brought it in and plated 6 oz. Portions on a pile of rice with a pile of seaweed salad on the side.

This one of our favorite dinners.

Suzette drank water with dinner and I made a cup of Chinese Green tea.

After dinner we watched, the Marrakech episode of “Who is feeding Phil”. My favorite scene is a rooftop dinner with a Berber family in the Atlas Mountains on the edge of a deep gorge with a breathtaking view of the mountains.

After Phil we watched Aaron Rogers and Green Bay smash the Chicago Bears and after Suzette went to bed I watched the new Ken Burns series titled “America and the Holocaust”.  Apparently the Nazis modeled their Jewish laws on the Jim Crow laws of the American South.

I later drank a cup of chai and ate a few biscochitos.

Bon Appetit

September 17, 2022 Lunch - Bagel, Cream Cheese, lax, red onion and capers. Dinner - Vegetarian Lasagna

 September 17, 2022 Lunch - Bagel, Cream Cheese, lax, red onion and capers. Dinner - Vegetarian Lasagna

This was a relaxing day without and any cooking.

I ate quince, fig, and raisin compote with yogurt for breakfast as I watched Leicester get beaten by Tottenham 6 to 2.  Son came on at the 75th minute and scored three goals.

I then watched football until 12:30 when I toasted a Wholewheat bagel and added Cream Cheese, lax, red onion and capers.

The best game of the day was Syracuse versus Purdue. It was hotly contested and close with Syracuse winning by 2 points. There were no upsets of any top ranked teams, although in the evening 24th ranked Texas A & M beat 13th ranked Miami.

Suzette came home at 2:00 with a takeout box with roasted chicken and risotto from the Bistro that she ate for Lunch with a glass of Ferme Julien white wine.

Suzette had a wonderful day hosting a group of women artists fora studio session, then Suzette gave a guided tour of her Women Artists of New Mexico exhibit and then the group ate lunch at the Bistro.

I went to Smith’s at 4:00 to shop and in an hour bought bacon, milk, cream cheese, cilantro, avocados, garlic, and a large salmon filet.

When I returned home at 5:30 I lay down to rest but my right hip was hurting.

Suzette had also brought home a box full of Vegetarian Lasgna that she heated and we ate for dinner with glasses of the Signargues Cotes Du Rhone Villages we opened last night.

After dinner I drank a grappa and Suzette drank a glass of limoncello and we ate a few Guiden Belgium chocolates and watched Father Brown and Death in Paradise after which we made teriyaki sauce (1/3 cup each of sake, soy, and mirin plus. 1 T. of sugar) and marinated the salmon in a gallon freezer bag and went to bed at 10:00.

Bon Appetit

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September 16, 2022 Lunch - Picnic at Wild Rivers National Monument. Dinner - New Recipe - Sautéed PPI diced Moroccan Lamb riblets, sautéed mushrooms, potato cake, pimiento, and Spaghetti

September 16, 2022 Lunch - Picnic at Wild Rivers National Monument.  Dinner - New Recipe - Sautéed PPI diced Moroccan Lamb riblets, sautéed mushrooms, potato cake, pimiento, and Spaghetti 

Today was long but interesting.

I ate a buttered heated slice of banana nut bread drizzled with honey with a cup of Earl Grey tea on the deck of the cabin with a view of the Cuchara Creek.

We then packed up, took pictures and left to drive back home.

After an hour we stopped at a rock shop in Fort Garland and switched drivers.

We then drove to Wild Rivers National Monument in northern New Mexico where the Red River that flows from Wheeler Peak converges with the Rio Grande at La Junta, the Union or joining in Spanish.  We ate lunch and then walked to the overlook. I used my newly acquired cane and it helped relieve the pressure on my right hip on the up hill portions.  The gorge is at its greatest depth at the junction of over 800 feet. I enjoyed the 1/2 mile walk on which I saw many Rocky Mountain Junipers  with interestingly twisted trunks.

Lunch was our traditional French ham, cheese, and olives picnic lunch: slices of Serrano ham, buttered hunks of French baguette, Cabot Cheddar, Humboldt Fog, and Isigny Brie cheeses, Moroccan dried olives, and cubes of gelled guayaba paste. We drank the last of the Chianti Classico Riserva from last night’s dinner and then the Italian White wine given to Suzette as a birthday gift.

We then drove to 203 Fine Arts in Taos to pick up the Earl Stroh silver point I bought, arriving just after 3:00.  We sat and rested and talked to Montana for a while as I drank a water.

We then drove south through the Canyon to the Dairy Queen in Espanola where we ordered two root beer floats.  We sipped the root beer floats as we drove south to and through Santa Fe and all the way home.

We arrived at home at 6:15 and unpacked and decided to not attend the cocktail party.

Instead I drank a chai and Suzette showered and drank a scotch as we relaxed and watched the news.

At 7;30 Suzette made dinner from the leftovers of the Moroccan meal we ate at the Bistro by combining and sautéing cubes of the spice rubbed lamb riblets, the potato pancake, and the sautéed mushrooms with the PPI spaghetti made for Alexi for last Monday’s dinner.

The combination was fabulous. This was a perfect example of our type of PPI menus.  Two PPI’s combined and cooked to create a tasty dish.

I opened a bottle of 2018 Morel Signargues Cote du Rhone VillageS Rhone red. I like a Cotes Du Rhone with lamb and this one of my favorites.  I bought it at Total Wine for around $15.00 two years ago. 

We started watching Uncorked, a movie about the son of a black family who own a successful BBQ restaurant who wants to become a Master Sommelier.

We were inspired by the determination of the son, so for dessert we opened the Italian Nougat from the box of Italian food stuffs Melissa gave sip Suzette for her birthday and opened the 1/2 bottle of 2015 Herman Weimar Noble Select Riesling that I received with the case of Riesling wines I bought this summer. The nougat that was flavored with dark chocolate was amazingly delicious, a soft texture full of roasted hazelnuts, but the wine was incredible.  It was intensely acidic and sweet at the same time. One need only take a small sip because the intensity of the wine filled one’s mouth with flavors of fruit instantly.

It was exciting to taste such a splendid wine while we watched the sommelier students trying to describe the characteristics of wines in blind tastings tests for their master sommelier certificate.

We went t bed at 10:30 when the movie ended after a wonderful but taxing day of travel.

Bon Appetit

September 15, 2022 Lunch - The Cafe, Trinidad. Dinner - Alys’, La Veta

 September 15, 2022 Lunch - The Cafe, Trinidad. Dinner - Alys’, La Veta 

What an interesting day of sights and food.

We started with a breakfast of Greek Yogurt and Suzette’s newest creation,  Quince, raisin, and fig compote flavored with lemon juice, and sugar.super delicious with a firm texture of fruit.

Billy and Elaine drove to La Veta at 8:30, Billy to play pickle ball and Elaine to take an all day class in batik making.

Suzette and I left soon after and drove on Colorado 12 south over Cuchara Pass to Trinidad.  We stopped at the Farley Overlook at the Cuchara Valley.

                                                            Suzette at the Farley Overlook

When we arrived in Trinidad we stopped at the Visitors’ Center.  We were directed to the downtown area along Main Street.

We found a good parking space in a block of historic buildings where a number of Antique and thrift shops were located.

We shopped a bit but a bit after 11:00 we were hungry and decided to eat in the area.  Across the street was the Cafe which the proprietress at the thrift store recommended.  Since we wanted to stay in the area, we decided to eat at the Cafe at 135 Main Sreet.

I banged on the door and the owner opened.  She had inadvertently left the door locked from the inside.

We split an Ave Maria sandwich which included cream cheese, strawberry jam, smoked Turkey, and Havarti cheese on a toasted batard with a side of gourmet greens and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  We enjoyed the meal.  It was just enough to dispel our hunger.  I drank a Dr. Pepper and Suzette drank an Avalanche Ale produced by the Boulder Brewing Co.

I read Plains of Passage while Suzette shopped.  She bought a medium sized teddy bear for $2.00.

We then walked back across the street to the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art.  The museum was located in what was once one of Trinidad’s best department stores, Jameson’s.  Mitchell, who was born and lived in z Trinidad, was mainly an illustrator for Western pulp fiction magazines.  The paintings for the covers are composed with mainly bright colors and lots of action, but he also painted many adobes and some landscapes.

We enjoyed the museum, which contains Mitchell’s studio as it existed at his death and many old Indian pots he collected.

We then drove around the Historical Museum and several historic houses.  Trinidad was on the Santa Fe Trail and an important coal mining area.

It’s population in 1900 was 7500.  Its population today is 8,000.

Its Main Street contains many substantial buildings that have yet to be fully repurposed.

We drove back to I-25 and drove north to Walsenburg where we bought milk, topical ointment for Billy’s knee, and filled up with gas before driving back to the cabin.

Suzette rested for two hours and showered and dressed.  I rested for an hour until 4:00 and watched Ari Melber until 5:00 when I dressed for dinner.

Billy drove us to Alys’ in La Veta where we met Elaine for dinner at 6:00.

Alys’ is the best restaurant in La Veta. It is owned by Alys Romer.  The first thing I noticed was the wonderful selection of wines.  The next thing I noticed were the impressive paintings and prints on the walls.  Alys takes the orders, so I asked where she got the Spirit Horse serigraph by Woody Crumbo and she replied, “Woody gave it to me”.

Alys recited the menu of dive or six items.  Suzette ordered Beef Stroganoff.  Elaine and I ordered the chicken breast and Billy ordered the 4 riblet rack of lamb.  All dishes came with mashed potatoes and steamed crisp asparagus.  I thought the chicken breast was the more interesting dish. It was a sautéed chicken breast sliced with the first wing joint cut off. The chicken was sauced with a sweet brown sugar, Pinot Grigio white wine, capers, dates, and cumin.

Suzette liked the stroganoff because the pieces of beef were cut into thin strips and the sauce had a strong paprika flavor.  Billy’s lamb was cooked to medium rare as he requested (pink in the middle).  We enjoyed our dishes and shared.  

 

                                                                   The Stroganoff 

                                                           The chicken breast

I ordered a bottle of Figuiere Mediterranee Rose from Provence   Here are the winemaker notes:

Winemaker Notes

Méditerranée Rosé is intended to be light, invigorating and easy-to-enjoy. Aromas and flavors of peach, orange skin and white flowers are accented by refreshing acidity and a salty minerality thanks to the influence of the sea.

The refreshing character of southern French rosé with its bright acidity and moderate level of alcohol make it the ideal partner to the simply prepared cuisine of the Mediterranean. Serve this wine with crudités and anchovy sauce, marinated red bell peppers and a crudo of sea bass with lemon and peppercorn.

We each drank a glass as an aperitif. Then Billy and Suzette ordered a bottle of Chianti Classico Riserva for their red meat dishes.

Each dinner was served with either a salad or a soup.  The soup was Manhattan Clam Chowder, which Billy ordered. The rest of ordered the salad, which we all loved the crispness of and the large variety of vegetables, including red and white cabbage, cauliflower and zucchini slices with three types of tomato and crisp gourmet greens.

We also ordered desserts.  Billy ordered the pecan pie.  Alys described it as filling a pastry shell with pecans and then adding agave syrup and butter.  I have never tasted such a delicious pecan pie because the pecans were roasted without the typical heavy gooey Caro syrup.

I ordered a Chocolate Whiskey Pudding which turned out to be a dark chocolate volcano cakes flavored with Jack Daniels’ whiskey.

We all agreed the salads and desserts were terrific.

After dinner we drove to the Mercantile Store for the open Mike night.  We stayed about 45 minutes and heard three musicians and one story.

We then drove home and after some work on a 1000 piece puzzle by Elaine and Billy my and watching the news, we went to bed.

I liked Alys’ and would go back. In fact Billy and Elaine have a reservation for Saturday night.

Bon Appetit 

September 14, 2022 Lunch - Legacies, La Veta, Colorado. Dinner - Posole and Rice

 September 14, 2022 Lunch - Legacies, La Veta, Colorado. Dinner - Posole and Rice 

I got up at 6:30 today and dressed.  Suzette and I ate a slice of the banana nut bread Elaine made for breakfast.

Billy and Elaine then left to play pickle ball.

I peeled and dried fed the three quinces Suzette picked from her tree at the Center and Suzette added sugar, raisins, lemon juice and chopped figs to make a compote.

Then at 10:30 Suzette and I drove to town to meet Billy and Elaine for lunch.

Before lunch we visited a gallery by the park and I bought a large tea cup for $11.00.

We then drove to the Legacies Restaurant that is owned by folks from Santa Fe. Suzette ordered Tuna Poke with seaweed and blue corn chips.  Elaine ordered Aji tuna salad.  The seared tuna was very attractively dusted with black sesame seeds.  Billy ordered chicken enchiladas and I ordered beef enchiladas.  The enchiladas were a stack of two blue corn tortillas stuffed with onions and meat and served with beans. We both ordered red sauce and I swear it is Josie’s She’d recipe but with milder powdered chili. Everyone enjoyed their lunch.  The food was first rate.

I drank apple cider and everyone else drank beer.

We then returned to the cabin and rested until 4:00 when I watched Ari Melber and we watched news until 6:30 when Billy and Elaine prepared a Dnner of Posole and rice and grilled ears of corn and served the Posole with tamales and guacamole.

We drank beers again.

After Dinner we took a small walk until it started to rain.  Billy says the striping wind and rain are unusual for this area, but I suspect it is more likely the warning of a cool Fall coming.

Bon Appetit