Just Another Thursday

Today Just Another Thursday
I am up early as usual and have time for a few thoughts. I have lost one whole page somewhere. The whole thing is so annoying and I am giving it too much time and thought while I search for it. Every setting on the computer has been checked but it's just gone away. Maybe if I just rest the whole idea it will come to me what to do to fool this computer into giving it up!
Meanwhile the tournament yesterday ended on a low note for my partner and me, as we just missed taking the last game by one point. But I know, that's the way of tournaments, there is always one more on the horizon.

Thinking of yesterday's great dinner, I used a bunch of red chard for an interesting marmalade mixture under BBQ thin sliced seared pork tenderloin.

 Some of the main ingredients.

 In a saute pan, use a grating of fresh ginger, minced onion and  garlic.
Saute these ingredients in 2 Tbls, olive oil.
Add chopped  chard, (hold the chopped leaves to add later). 
 and cook briefly on high.
Add a  splash of chicken broth and dry Vermouth.
Cover, cook on simmer 2 minutes.
Add leaves, stirring into chard.
Season with pepper and salt if needed.
Add a nob of butter, stirring in 2 Tbls. flour to add texture to mixture.
 Cook 2-3 minutes more.

To assemble
Use big spoonful of chard in center of plate, add seared, BBQed thin sliced  pork tenderloin on top.
Finish with a splash of fig/balsamic liquid seasoning for perfect results! (Marshall's)
 Minced basil around edges of plate, optional.
Enjoy!

My trip to Vancouver in July is forming up with friends registering ahead for the book signing as expected. I hope I will be able to accomplish it all. Some days I just get too tired and that worries me. My son Paul said what did I expect,---Mom you are 82! Well I expect to go on with my usual energy that I have always had.  Gracie is nudging my arm reminding me of her morning walk, so I can't write anything more and will sign off.
bye
B

Pickleball

I am off today to play in a tournament over at Sun n' Lake, a complex that is nearby. This is not a serious event as it is described as a fun tournament! What ever that is?  the game is always fun but of course we want to win-n-n. My partner today is Marv, 80, and still playing hard. (I'm 82), so who can complain? Anyway, the weather is breezy and a little chilly to start, but we will warm up as soon as play starts.
Pickleball is a great work out and good for the soul. Just to still be running about is a blessing and I should not forget that.
 At 6.45 AM Mike went with me this morning to walk Gracie. she behaves so much better for him, very annoying as I am the one that brushes her, feeds her and generally does all the stuff, but still she behaves perfectly for him and with me she does a lot of barking.
I better grab my bag of stuff, ie. paddles, drink bottle and towel for the game.
Bye
B

The Strudel lesson

Today I plan to make Strudel, something that is difficult for most bakers, but because I have made it so many times, it should be easy. I remember making strudel in France at our base of operations , Les Sources de Caudalie, a fabulous hotel and spa in the Bordeaux area.
I had brought my little  group of 12 eager travelers to this amazing complex to start our week long adventure into the food and wines of the region. I first heard about this new hotel from an acquaintance.  Alan owned a boutique cognac distillery, (in cognac of course), and he was a friend of the new spa and hotel owners. Also the property adjacent to the spa  was the famous Smith Haut Lafitte Winery owned by the parents of the new spa. It is all in the family and depends on who you know in order to get pass the gates of many of these long established properties. Alan Royer was such a person: a knowledgeable friend from my last year excursion.  I had guided my wine and food group to Chateau Drouilles, to immerse ourselves in a dream week in the Limousin area of France. While we tasted, sipped and savored the cognac at his  own delightful establishment, Alan dropped the name, Smith-Haut-Lafitte and the newly opened Les Sources de Caudalie suggesting I should include it as a base for my next tour. This was my entre.
This amazing hotel, was rustic country and so very French.  Nouvelle in all aspects. It also encompassed two creative, starred restaurants. It is here that I chose to ply my knowledge and technique at a morning cooking class I  produced showing how real strudel is made in front of my adoring travelers.
 As I reminisce about it now, I was pretty gutsy to take on this task and then ask the kitchen pastry chef to "Please bake this for our lunch dessert today), adding all my tips and baking directions as if he didn't already know how to handle it.

Our lunch was impressive and included two desserts,  a combination of my heavenly strudel dressed with a dollop of whipped cream, and their own specialty for that day on a second plate. All of it was over the top!

Now my morning baking was wafting aromas of sweet apple dreams, so I will take it out of the oven to cool, cut and devour as few pieces as possible. Yum!