Busy Morning – Busy Evening

First… thanks go out to those who have sent things via the wishlist.

Different delivery services have been here this morning and the post hasn’t yet arrived.

RB of TX sent a much needed USB hub.  As I expand my interest to video as well as audio, this will be useful!

RR of IN sent a desktop microphone stand, which will simplify my setup a great deal and allow the eventual use of a shock absorber for the microphone.

RJ sent, bless her, more Colatura di alici.  I am afraid I am becoming addicted to this stuff.

And someone, I don’t know who, sent the new external hard drive.  Thank you.  This will put my mind at ease.

MG sent a little webcam of 5 megapixels.  I use it now in the chapel and it is superior to what was in there before.

DM sent some English Stilton!  This will be a main feature of a supper I am preparing for tonight.  Some friends are coming from several hundred miles away by car.  Thus, I am preparing a supper.

As soon as I take care of a few needful things, I am off to the grocery to see what is around.

There is an appetizer I like to offer, which involves shrimp.  Perhaps I can pair that with something dry that has bubbles.

Two "firsts": I will probably revisit the Potato Leek Soup of the other day.  I think I will put together some ravioli in butter and sage leaves, with grated parmiggiano.  I am keeping an embarrassingly scraggly sage plant alive from the summer.  Might as well use some.  I have all sorts of herb plants in here with me this winter. Hey… on my budget its cheaper than buying the fresh stuff in the store considering how I use fresh herbs to cook!

And when the sage is done with its usefulness, maybe I can imitate those idiots at the White House the other day and go drive evil spirits out of a rectory I know.

I am thawing some Sunfish fillets snatched up from depths in the usual way during the summer and stored away in the deep freezer for an appropriate moment.  I am not sure what will go with them.  Must see at the grocery what looks good.  That will determine my sauce: I want to use my sauce spoons.  Sunnies are so delicate… I don’t want to overpower them.

My guests are bringing the wine, which will be a 2004 Chassange-Montrachet for the Sunnies and the firsts and a 2006 Ridge "Three Valleys" for the Stilton.

PENJING REPORT
This little tree thrives.  New growth and flower buds.   A little light and a little water… penjing bliss.

Meanwhile, the "amaryllis" is really popping now.

Back to work for me now.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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16 Comments

  1. Raphaela says:

    Oh my… Father, your dining table looks stunning. And given your culinary skills, I predict that this will be a supper to remember.

  2. James Isabella says:

    You know, Father, wdtprs is becoming a real neat internet experiment.

    I mean, though donations, people are helping you to build a true multimedia broadcasting site! Many newspapers and news journalist like to say that they are “The voice of the people”, but they are supported by large multinational corporations and/or billionaires who are only interested in making their voice known, not the peoples. But instead of a single billionaire, you get donations from regular people from all over (many who, i’m sure, are not exceptionally well off), so this site really is the voice of the people.

    Has something like this ever been done before…could it have been done before the age of the internet?

    I hope it continues :)

  3. James Isabella says:

    Just an additional thought to my previous post…

    I suppose EWTN is an example of a similar type of grassroots phenomenon, but what separates wdtprs from anything else, is that your doing this all out of your house (and sometimes phone)!

  4. Tomas says:

    Father – how’s the Pine Siskin?

  5. A Random Friar says:

    In the chatroom Fr. Z mentioned that he hadn’t seem them around for a bit. There had been a cold snap in the area.

  6. JoyfulMom7 says:

    Your table looks beautiful and inviting! I hope you have a wonderful evening with your friends.

  7. Calleva says:

    You must have green fingers – I have never managed to keep a bonsai tree for more than a few months.

  8. John Enright says:

    I said before that you should write a recipe book. Father, I think I was short-sighted! You ought to be hosting a show on the “Food Network,” or whatever it is called.

  9. Jacob says:

    Your food reports always leave me depressed. I ask you all to pray for me that God may restore my ability to swallow solids sometime soon…

  10. A Random Friar says:

    Not the same colatura, is it? I mean, the same brand? I thought Amazon was out. You’re so lucky. My wish list hasn’t moved in years! :)

  11. Dan says:

    Father I love how you have followers on the candles on your table. to rich.

  12. RichR says:

    Ahhhhh, Penjing.

  13. r7blue1pink says:

    AH something familiar! I have those chairs Father! In Oak and I have 8 of them for the brood.. But we having Benches made, we cant all fit at the table anymore and we can only add one more leaf to the two we already have!

  14. mrsmontoya says:

    Thank you – you inspired me to clean off our dininroom/worktable and put out the nice dishes. My family won\’t know where they are when they come home for dinner!

  15. Mary in CO says:

    Lovely table, food prep’d with care, asti (!), and comfort food fit for a cold day. Can’t get better than that. Buon appetito!

    PS: Have you ever tried Shrimp Paesano and crusty Sicilian bread to mop up the lemon butter? With a small size of pasta and Roma tomatoes, the appetizer becomes the entree!

  16. irishgirl says:

    Wow-you’re quite the cook, Father!

    Hope you and your guests have a wonderful time!

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