August 27, 2013: A tale of two dinners!

Last night, Akemi made some beautiful home made orecchiette, “small ear” pasta, following my mother’s recipe.  Getting the cooking time right was a little tricky.  When first served they were clearly undercooked, so they went back in the pan with the tomato sauce and grown chicken and, ten minutes later, they seemed dense but ready. The pasta was accompanied by a nice fresh farmer’s market beans with garlic and olive oil.

Looks yummy!

After dinner, we did a few chores, then headed downstairs for a not-overly-heavy workout.  An hour later, I was at my laptop when I started to feel…queasy.  I informed Akemi who admitted she too was feeling…queasy.  Could it have been the pasta?  I headed into the kitchen for a sip of water and happened to glance down and lay eyes on the water-logged remnants of Akemi’s dessert.  THAT did it!  I raced to the bathroom and threw up.  It was my first time vomiting in years. And it wouldn’t be the last.  Akemi soon followed suit.

Hey, did you know that my toilet is a Kohler?  I’ve lived here almost nine years and never knew!

It’s interesting to note that, had we gone out for KFC hot wings instead, we’d have felt MUCH better.  The irony way not lost on me as I crawled into bed and passed out.

Feeling much better this morning but I think I’ll take it easy.  Today’s lunch: ginger beer!

Another memorable meal – for a completely different reason – the other night when Akemi and I had dinner with former Stargate Exec. Producer Robert Cooper and his wife.  We had planned to go out but, after spotting a couple of Tomohawk steaks at his local butcher, Rob decided to have us over instead.  And, without even knowing what we could have eaten at a restaurant, I can confidently  say it was the right call.  Of course, I didn’t have to do any of the actual cooking and cleaning, so my opinion is somewhat subjective.

Home made flatbread with herbs and sea salt.

A sweet, rich, silk smooth corn soup with fresh crab.

Look at these beauties! Barbecued Tomohawk steaks.

Accompanied by a jam of caramelized onions and peppers.

Oven-roasted potatoes

Crispy roasted brussel sprouts.

I had asked Rob if I could bring dessert, but he informed me he had it covered.  He wanted to test a recipe for something called Crack Pie!

The Crack Pie. Presumably, no actual crack was used in the making of this pie. That said, I’m experiencing withdrawal pangs just looking at it.

Essentially egg yolks, brown sugar, and rolled oats baked and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.  It’s easy to see why they call it Crack Pie.  

The chef!

A big thanks to Rob and Hillary for having us over for a fantastic meal.