a board dinner

I was almost going to talk about Tuesday dinner, but we're deeper into the week than I thought, and it's Wednesday dinner, not Tuesday.  A simple dinner at that - a board of items to graze on while we continued on Cougar Town.  But I was pleased with how I composed it.  Nice job, Peter. 

hard to believe, I know

Remember how I sprained my ankle back in May?  It's still not 100%, I have to admit.  It held me back from swimming through the summer, or at least that was my excuse.  In truth, it's just so easy to not exercise once you stop exercising.  Re-starting is an effort.

So it is that my fitful (at best), wildly-inconsistent swimming resumed this morning before work.  The pool at the Rose Bowl sparkled in the sun,

and it wasn't at all too hot a day for it.  I got in, I splashed, I sucked.  But I also did more swimming today than I had for over three months, so there. 

last weekend in August

Wow, September.  Where did that come from?  A new month, and now just one month to go until the year's big trip.  I'm getting a little anxious as well as excited.  Plus, if you know me, then you know how important this is:  we are closer to Christmas, into a fall month.  I played some Christmas-adjacent music in the office today.  Shhhh.  Our secret.

With the new month ushered in, let's usher out the old one.  On with the weekend that was.

Can you predict these weekend recap blog entries by now?  Friday night:  Maestro.  Saturday morning:  Amara.  Same old, right?  Well, be prepared for a shocker.  Yes, we did go to Maestro on Friday, but no, we did NOT go to Amara on Saturday.  We went on Sunday.  What a twist!

But back to Maestro.  I asked for the Mezcal Negroni but with the Campari swapped out and Cynar used instead. 

I've had that variation before and liked it, so I thought it would be good again.  Conrad and I ate lightly, neither of us super hungry.  We shared oysters,

we had the grilled octopus dish. 

We came home and had a drink and some chocolate and listened to music rather than watch television.

Saturday morning I had a massage booked on the earlier side.  As a result, I didn't want to have a breakfast in my belly or a decaf latte making me have to pee.  Sorry for that detail, but that's what it was.  So we did a morning walk,

and then I headed to massage and grocery shopping.  We had invited Van for dinner, that evening, so at a certain point late in the afternoon, I got into the kitchen.  I made something of a creole sauce for us, based on recollections of what we used to make at the restaurant.  I cooked peeled shrimp in the sauce and served it up for each of us in a bowl with some basmati rice that was pretty much my best ever attempt at cooking rice.  Tasty dinner, not pretty for photography.  I tried a new cocktail that night (minus the fresh mint leaves I thought I had on hand but did not):  the Stone's Throw. 

A good one.  I'll be making that one again some time.  Anyway, after dinner it was an episode of Stanley for us, then Van took Olive home, and the night wound down a little on the late side.

Sunday morning started with a walk,

and then on to Amara. 

This time I ordered the breakfast burrito, taking home half of it because it's so substantial. 

A decaf latte for me as well. 

We came home from that and started in on some stuff for the big trip ahead, getting a few things done.  By the end of the afternoon, I was at Van's for a rare Sunday night television date night.  A good time:  we finished watching the series, Looking, as well as the wrap up movie that was made.  Really well done show despite some of our final frustrations with it.

The first two weekends this month will be out-of-town weekends, so the regular, predictable, at-home weekends will be missing for a few weeks from here.  They will be back.  In the mean time, may the new month be kind to us all. 

pasta with scallops

First off:  fuck.  I write notecards or postcards to friends from time to time, and today I got a response in the mail.  I hadn’t heard from Sandra and Wayne in a while, and there is bad reason.  Wayne wrote back in response to a card letting me know that Sandra had died last year in July.  He had thought he had let me know, and I certainly don’t hold that against him.  Cancer, apparently.  She was 75.  I’d known her over thirty years.  So:  fuck.

Conrad and I both cried a little.  I’m glad we are having an evening in.  I was planning a nice meal, and now it feels a little more needed.  Squid ink pasta, which I’d been eager to use, tossed with some little bay scallops I found at Trader Joe’s.  

A bottle of a New Zealand red Conrad picked up last year from a winery we have visited a few times.  

This was welcome.

Goodbye, Sandra.

fourth weekend in August

Most of the week gone, almost the next weekend, the last weekend in August.  What better time to check in on the previous weekend, right?  And I know, I know.  Maestro and Amara again, right, Peter?  Well, yes.  Unapologetically.

So let's kick it off with the usual:  seats at an end of the bar late Friday afternoon/early Friday evening at Maestro. 

I did NOT, however, go with the usual drink.  A Guayabita for me this time to start with,

followed by a glass of rose. 

Sometimes it's good to switch things up!  We ate relatively light, given the heat.  Oysters to start,

some chicken mole to share. 

Did we have queso as well?  No photo, but I dimly recall we may have, which totally makes a lie of the eating light.  We came home and watched some television, winding down, having a mellow time of it.

Saturday morning there was a mild walk, but yep, Amara.  Lattes and a shared burrito (they're pretty filling for one). 

Back at home, there was the usual assortment of things to get done, and I added the baking of two banana bread loaves to that list. 

Check!  They'll make for nice slices some mornings with coffee.  By early evening, we were swinging by Bristol Farms and picking up fixings for dinner.  Van wanted shrimp cocktails, and we obliged. 

I also bought a nice piece of coho salmon and served it atop a warm okra salad and Israeli couscous.

After dinner the guys showed me the photos of their recent road trip, telling me more of the stories.  Nice to see.  No television after they were done - it was too late for that.  We headed to bed.

Sunday morning I didn't get up early for a solo walk despite best intentions.  I slept really well, but when I finally got up, I soon heard Conrad.  And if Conrad gets up, that means Olive is awake with him.  She really loves him.  A short walk for the three of us, then a further short walk for me to get some more steps. 

Conrad and I had coffee while Van slept in, then the four of us headed off to Starbucks because we weren't quite up for a big breakfast at home.  Conrad and I got home around noon, and then it was an afternoon devoted to online happy hour.  Sushi and television to finish the day.

That, friends, was a very regular, normal, no-frills weekend for us.  Nice one, I have to say.

pork and cabbage

Another short post, another photo of a dinner I made.  Wednesday night dinner at home, accompanied by television and time with Conrad.  As tempting as it was to go get sushi again or otherwise go out, we stayed in and I cooked.  Pork tenderloin first seared then popped into the oven.  A wedge of roasted cabbage each.  And a loose puree of cauliflower, onion, and yellow carrot that functioned as starch and sauce both.  Nice little meal for a midweek evening. 

a basic dinner

What a nice, simple, easy Tuesday at home last night.  Conrad and I continue to work our way through the series Cougar Town, watching it while we eat dinner.  That dinner last night?  A basic corn and zucchini risotto with a few sweet Italian sausages.  I made the risotto, I only cooked the sausages that I bought from the store.  Nothing too fancy, just Tuesday dinner. 

August online happy hour: dogs

Monthly happy hour rolled around yesterday, and as usual, I made multiple drinks to try.  Unusually, though, between us, Conrad and I enjoyed them all.  One each of two of them for him, one each of the other two for me.  That's a change.  Sometimes the ones I shake or stir up are more interesting on paper than in the glass.  Bonus:  the only thing I needed to buy for the drinks was some grapefruit juice and some fresh sage, both of which will otherwise be put to good use in my kitchen.  Yay!

So, the drinks.  The theme, by the way, was dogs, spinning off the expression "dog days of summer".  Goodness knows we're feeling the heat.  I hate it.  I want cool weather.  Anyway, the drinks....

Conrad started with the French Bulldog. 

I liked this one as well.  On the sweeter side, and I was surprised he went with this one first.  I had thought it might need some citrus when I was reading the recipe, but no, it wasn't overly sweet.  The sage muddled in it really helped.

He then had an Olive Oil Martini. 

Olive, get it?  I didn't care for this one as much.  I think it needed something to counter the white vermouth better (and maybe I should have tried making a variation with dry vermouth).  The interesting thing about this one was the fat washed gin, which I did myself. 

My first time fat washing a spirit, and I'll have to try it again (I also have to find the recipe I have for a cocktail that involves sushi rice!).  Olive oil and gin, shaken a few times and left to separate in the fridge overnight.  Fun technique to try out.

As for me, I started with the Italian Bulldog. 

You'd think with that name it would be similar to the French one, but no, not at all.  Different base, different go-alongs, different way of serving.  A cognac drink of all things, but it was bright and had a pleasantly tart edge to it.

My second drink was the Old Dog, New Tricks. 

I really like Fernet Branca, and it was fun to have a drink like this that used Fernet Branca along with, interestingly enough, banana liqueur.  I also made a muscovado syrup (oh, right, I bought some sugar, but I'll use that again in the kitchen), and I think that was a nice, rich touch.  Good drink!

We had an enjoyable time catching up with the others, then capped the evening when we were done with sushi and television.  Now to have some days without cocktails (or wine!) and look ahead to the next happy hour in a month! 

a normal night at home

Hey, I forgot to mention:  Conrad and Van made it back home on Wednesday evening.  Yay!  They had a great time, and I missed them.  So did Olive.

That meant that last night was a relatively normal night at home for me and Conrad.  I poured us Last Words so we could chit chat and sip

while I finished making dinner, then we ate and watched some television and got to bed at a not-too-late time.  And all was good.

Routine can be very welcome, I have to say.  I'm glad to have the guys back. 

prime rib dinner in Fullerton

Actually, the most important thing here is that I had dinner with Ed and Denice. 

I'm getting to see a lot of Ed this year, which is nice.  In New England in the spring, in Chicago in June, and tonight in Fullerton.  It's becoming a somewhat annual tradition whereby he and Denice come to Orange County for Disney related activities, and we (only me tonight) meet them for dinner in Fullerton.  Summit House has become our place,

and we always always go for the prime rib. 

I mean, come on:  Yorkshire pudding!!  I have to say, though, that I especially loved the creamed corn and creamed spinach tonight.

It was a good meal, though.  So nice to catch up.  I loved hearing about their Hawaii trip with their sons earlier this year, and it was great to talk about trips to come and looking down the road toward retirement and more.  Well worth the drive down, and whoa, quite the drive.  I really saw a lot of suburban SoCal!

One more day here with Olive, and then Conrad and Van come home on Wednesday.  I can't wait.  I miss them.

Bed time!  Night! 

quiet Sunday in August

Well, howdy!

It's been another quiet day with Olive.  She didn't even want to go for a walk this morning - maybe I tuckered her out yesterday.  She did enjoy a drive late morning to go check up on the condo, though, and I got her over to the park for a brief stroll. 

Otherwise, we're two mellow souls, having a day of (so far) reading, music, napping.

I may write some more note cards this evening before I turn on the television.  We shall see.  But dinner is done for both of us.  I poured a Kamikaze

and served up some leftover pork

and a few other things scrounged from the fridge. 

A basic meal, and that's fine.  It's not been the best day for eating, I admit.  Ah well.

A new week ahead, the library closed, Conrad and Van due back later on Wednesday.  Let's see what else the week brings!