Nice Dinner Party
July 30, 2006
Wow, what a nice dinner party last night! We had some folks over to review recent big vacations.
The food was quite good and got rave reviews. My favorite was the Peperone e Formaggi (stuffed orange bell peppers). They were outstanding. The Raspberry Sauce I made for the Center Cut Pork Roast was a great addition. I hadnt made any of those items before last night.
The Pfitzenmaiers brought over their album of photos from their recent 3 week trip to New Zealand. Larry, a retired US Navy Captain, was stationed in New Zealand for seveal years while flying A-4s. This trip was a reunion of the old New Zealand squadron he was in while stationed there as liason. The pictures were quite fascinating and beautiful.
We have been considering booking a Celebrity Cruises itinerary that sails from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Auckland, New Zealand. It’s a wonderful looking cruise that stops in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Cook Islands and other South Pacific destinations. The photos from last night just ratcheted up the interest level even more. If we do it, we will have to consider adding a few extra days in New Zealand.
The main issue with the cruise is the air fare. Since its a one-way cruise, we would essentially need a one-way ticket to Honolulu and then another one-way ticket back home from Auckland. The two tickets for four make the airfare as much as the cruise. There is more research to be done on the airfare. Currently, that itinerary can only be made twice – once in fall 2007 or spring 2008. It would force the kids to miss a bit of school since it is a 17 day cruise.
Anyways, the companionship was great and the food added to the enjoyment of the night.
Fun Day in the Kitchen Cooking
July 29, 2006
Today should be a fun day. Most of it will be spent in the kitchen cooking. We are entertaining some friends this evening and I get to do the cooking. Hooah!
The little get together is planned as a vacation trip review. Everyone is bringing photos of their recent big vacations. We will be showing video and pictures from our cruise on the Celebrity Mercury to Hawaii last November.
The menu I have planned for tonight is:
- Appetizer – Bacon wrapped Bay Scallops
- Salad – Mixed greens with Bacon and Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Entree – Center Cut Pork Roast with a Red Raspberry Sauce
- Side – Stuffed Orange Bell Peppers Italian Style
- Rolls
- Dessert – Fresh Berries and Chocolate Roulade
And of course, it’s a low carb menu.
I rose early at 6:30 this morning to get a good start on the cooking. Savannah’s dance company is doing a couple of quick dances this afternoon at the mall in Sierra Vista (35 minutes away), so that’s gonna kind of crimp the preparation a bit. I think they do these little things around town to get the girls used to performing in front of folks. Suzanne is off at Defensive Drivers school today for a recent speeding incident, so I have to take Savannah to the performance.
Monsoon season is in full swing here in Sonoita though a bit strange of late. Rain is falling every day now. Usually, monsoon season is characterized by late afternoon thunderstorms. These thunderstorms are scattered around the area and are hit or miss. They are fun to watch and they usually contain impressive light shows. It’s not unusual for weather tracking stations to record over 5,000 lighting strikes from one of these little cells in an hour. The last few days, however, it has rained most of the day. It’s been dark and overcast with a relatively light rain falling. That’s very unusual for this part of Arizona. Throughout the day, though, the rain will get very heavy as one of the monsoon cells moves around. It’s still quite impressive, after all these years, to watch the massive amounts of water coming down during one of the cells. Pretty soon the area is going to be very green. We will have to enjoy it quick, though, as it only lasts a week or two.
Okay, enough of a break, back to the kitchen for me.
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