THE PANDAS ARE COMING
Apr 3rd, 2009, 01:00 PM
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THE PANDAS ARE COMING
the silver has been hidden, the old china is out and all glassware is plastic....
why you might ask?? gpanda is coming to dinner tonight....
kristina noted how he took over things at the GTG last weekend so what is left of our house since he last visited has been tied together with twine.... we have guards at each portal with orders to strip search all who leave....
i've made one of my favorite french dishes and have red wine and baguette in hand so we are ready for the mighty one and additional guests....fodorites of course.....mimi from the europe board and bookchic from MI.....should be fun because i have a roll of duck tape at my place shoud the panda frisk up a bit....
why you might ask?? gpanda is coming to dinner tonight....
kristina noted how he took over things at the GTG last weekend so what is left of our house since he last visited has been tied together with twine.... we have guards at each portal with orders to strip search all who leave....
i've made one of my favorite french dishes and have red wine and baguette in hand so we are ready for the mighty one and additional guests....fodorites of course.....mimi from the europe board and bookchic from MI.....should be fun because i have a roll of duck tape at my place shoud the panda frisk up a bit....
Apr 3rd, 2009, 01:45 PM
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THAT's why the heavens are weeping!
Seriously, folks, it is thundering and lightning and pouring in the vicinity of Cambridge and Needham. This is not usual early April weather -- but now I understand why the cataclysmic upheaval...
En garde with those baguettes.
Seriously, folks, it is thundering and lightning and pouring in the vicinity of Cambridge and Needham. This is not usual early April weather -- but now I understand why the cataclysmic upheaval...
En garde with those baguettes.
Apr 3rd, 2009, 07:23 PM
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well some other news....just before they arrived one of our banks was robbed....what are the chances? he was very jumpy all evening....of course he did his muscle trick---YET AGAIN!!!
btw, there are two silver forks missing, but he is safe, he eats with his fingers....
it was a pleasant evening....mimi is her usual charming self, having just returned from paris...bookchick entertained the folks at dana farber today and they are allowing her 6 full months of resbite at home and at the office.... she returns for her next check up the day before the boston GTG.... beth was patient as usual---the long suffering beth....
we're off to london on wednesday for a few days, with a day at home before we head to argentina for 3 weeks....
btw, there are two silver forks missing, but he is safe, he eats with his fingers....
it was a pleasant evening....mimi is her usual charming self, having just returned from paris...bookchick entertained the folks at dana farber today and they are allowing her 6 full months of resbite at home and at the office.... she returns for her next check up the day before the boston GTG.... beth was patient as usual---the long suffering beth....
we're off to london on wednesday for a few days, with a day at home before we head to argentina for 3 weeks....
Apr 3rd, 2009, 10:32 PM
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Have fun in Argentina,Bob.
Don't know if you are visiting an estancia?
Do try the argentine beef steak---very salty, but ooh what flavor. BTW, it goes straight to the arteries---very healthy!
No pandas there, but lots of penguins.
And lots of tango dancing.
Don't know if you are visiting an estancia?
Do try the argentine beef steak---very salty, but ooh what flavor. BTW, it goes straight to the arteries---very healthy!
No pandas there, but lots of penguins.
And lots of tango dancing.
Apr 4th, 2009, 02:33 AM
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We survived another night in darkest Needham. I got my shots, so the development of the usual infectious diseases has been avoided.
My job was to pick up a Ricotta pie from Modern pastry. beth was concerned that the regular pie would not be enough, so I ordered a large. This pie was enormous. It was 2 1/2 inches thick and heavier than one could imagine. It was delicious. The filling was particularly light and tasty. This is a great pie.
Then I picked up Bookchick and Mimi at the Meridien in Cambridge. That went smoothly. Then back to the Panda Palace to pick up Beth. As has been noted, it was pouring rain and the traffic was horrible. Nonetheless, we arrived at Cave Bob just a few minutes late.
The evening followed the normal pattern of chatting in the living room while foraging at a wonderful cheese and olive platter. Bookchick made the mistake of revealing a personal item from earlier in the day and this provided great fodder for some stories. I did manage to make Karen blush.
Dinner was super, as usual, but I was stuck next to Bob. I guess my tip to tyhe maitre'D was insufficient. The cheap seats again.Bookchick and Mimi were charming. Karen and Beth were their wonderful selves. Bob was present.
Everyone will be glad to know that I gave Bookchick and Mimi a substantial discount on the fare for their return to civilization.
My job was to pick up a Ricotta pie from Modern pastry. beth was concerned that the regular pie would not be enough, so I ordered a large. This pie was enormous. It was 2 1/2 inches thick and heavier than one could imagine. It was delicious. The filling was particularly light and tasty. This is a great pie.
Then I picked up Bookchick and Mimi at the Meridien in Cambridge. That went smoothly. Then back to the Panda Palace to pick up Beth. As has been noted, it was pouring rain and the traffic was horrible. Nonetheless, we arrived at Cave Bob just a few minutes late.
The evening followed the normal pattern of chatting in the living room while foraging at a wonderful cheese and olive platter. Bookchick made the mistake of revealing a personal item from earlier in the day and this provided great fodder for some stories. I did manage to make Karen blush.
Dinner was super, as usual, but I was stuck next to Bob. I guess my tip to tyhe maitre'D was insufficient. The cheap seats again.Bookchick and Mimi were charming. Karen and Beth were their wonderful selves. Bob was present.
Everyone will be glad to know that I gave Bookchick and Mimi a substantial discount on the fare for their return to civilization.
Apr 4th, 2009, 05:12 AM
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No, I had agreed to give them a ride to Needham. However, they were not clever enough to have procured a ride from Needham. It was raining so my discounted price seemed like a very good deal. Beth was a party pooper and made me do it for free. It's this type of creeping socialism that Bob hates.
Apr 4th, 2009, 07:24 AM
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we found the folks....they were hidden deep down under a pillow in one of the living room chairs....i suspect that a certain person thought that he would be discovered and thus ditched them there quickly....
we did have a fun evening....
we did have a fun evening....
Apr 4th, 2009, 07:39 AM
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Sounds like you guys had a good time. Good for mimi and her trip to Paris. I had seen notes about it on the Europe forum. I'm sure it was a fantastic trip!
Always good to hear that BC had a good check-up. BC, I assume that means you will be in BOS for the GTG in October, since you are in the city just the day before.
Lucerne weather has been gorgeous the last 3 days. Two more days to go, here, and then off to Zurich and then home on Wednesday. (Bob, I'll wave to you and Karen as we are passing one another over the Atlantic!!! haha) I took a one-hour boat ride today. I really wish we had had full sun so that you could see Pilatus and get some great photos, but I will settle for NO RAIN, only a few clouds and some haze, and about 60 degrees!! There is some sort of music festival going on here in the city, so there are zillions of people here! I don't remember when I've seen Lucerne this crowded.
Sounds like things are back to normal in Needham once again, now that the panda has left for his own home cage.
Everyone, enjoy your day, where ever you may be spending it.
Carol
Always good to hear that BC had a good check-up. BC, I assume that means you will be in BOS for the GTG in October, since you are in the city just the day before.
Lucerne weather has been gorgeous the last 3 days. Two more days to go, here, and then off to Zurich and then home on Wednesday. (Bob, I'll wave to you and Karen as we are passing one another over the Atlantic!!! haha) I took a one-hour boat ride today. I really wish we had had full sun so that you could see Pilatus and get some great photos, but I will settle for NO RAIN, only a few clouds and some haze, and about 60 degrees!! There is some sort of music festival going on here in the city, so there are zillions of people here! I don't remember when I've seen Lucerne this crowded.
Sounds like things are back to normal in Needham once again, now that the panda has left for his own home cage.
Everyone, enjoy your day, where ever you may be spending it.
Carol
Apr 4th, 2009, 12:38 PM
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Yes, indeed, I definitely plan to be at the BOS GTG, as I was offered several dates for my return visit to Dana Farber Cancer Institute and chose the second Friday in October to coincide with the GTG. And yes indeed, cheated death again. The hematologist claims if my scans remain clear, and if I am still deemed "in remission" in another 6 months, then I won't require scans or a re-visit for a year.
Andy subjected Cigalechanta and myself to untold indignities prior to arrving at Bob & Karen's. We were forced to pick up a box containing his new shoes and comment on them. They looked okay but felt as though they were made of cement!
As always, Bob & Karen were utterly charming, and every morsel of food they served us was wonderfully delicious. Karen put out a nice assortment of cheeses with crackers that even Panda raved over. We had red wines, of course. Karen said Bob had made the delicious beef bourgionon over noodles, and it was accompanied by a green salad. Panda was practically salivating over the 90 lb ricotta pie he brought, which, BTW, Mimi and I were also forced to pick up. Beth was her usual saintly self; next time I'm at the Vatican, I'm going to inquire about her canonization, despite the minor detail that she's still living.
Panda observes some bizarre rituals that include drinking some cola beverage and taking his shoes off and donning socks. He claims his body is a temple, but frankly I believe the foundation may be shaky....He failed to provoke me about having had lunch earlier in the day with an ex-boyfriend, so he clearly set Cigalechanta and myself up with the two "missing" forks, and went further still to try to extort money from us for a ride back to Cambridge in the rain.
Cigalechanta, newly returned from Paris, was her energetic and effervescent self, and had taken me out to dinner the night before to celebrate my "clear" scans as well as my birthday, which is a week from today.
It was a little bit, I imagine, like having dinner with opponents who claim to try to forge a Middle East peace treaty. Doubt and mistrust all about you, yet with an overlay of conviviality.
Next time you're in touch with the Panda, ask him how his spinning class is going. Zzzzz....
BC
Andy subjected Cigalechanta and myself to untold indignities prior to arrving at Bob & Karen's. We were forced to pick up a box containing his new shoes and comment on them. They looked okay but felt as though they were made of cement!
As always, Bob & Karen were utterly charming, and every morsel of food they served us was wonderfully delicious. Karen put out a nice assortment of cheeses with crackers that even Panda raved over. We had red wines, of course. Karen said Bob had made the delicious beef bourgionon over noodles, and it was accompanied by a green salad. Panda was practically salivating over the 90 lb ricotta pie he brought, which, BTW, Mimi and I were also forced to pick up. Beth was her usual saintly self; next time I'm at the Vatican, I'm going to inquire about her canonization, despite the minor detail that she's still living.
Panda observes some bizarre rituals that include drinking some cola beverage and taking his shoes off and donning socks. He claims his body is a temple, but frankly I believe the foundation may be shaky....He failed to provoke me about having had lunch earlier in the day with an ex-boyfriend, so he clearly set Cigalechanta and myself up with the two "missing" forks, and went further still to try to extort money from us for a ride back to Cambridge in the rain.
Cigalechanta, newly returned from Paris, was her energetic and effervescent self, and had taken me out to dinner the night before to celebrate my "clear" scans as well as my birthday, which is a week from today.
It was a little bit, I imagine, like having dinner with opponents who claim to try to forge a Middle East peace treaty. Doubt and mistrust all about you, yet with an overlay of conviviality.
Next time you're in touch with the Panda, ask him how his spinning class is going. Zzzzz....
BC
Apr 4th, 2009, 01:24 PM
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Did anyone else notice that Bob managed to properly pluralize Panda in titling this thread. His apostophe obsession was overcome.
BC was not very forthcoming in her story about lunch with an ex-boyfriend. The details leaked out over dinner, but I remain discreet.
Also notice the common theme of great weight when relating stories about shoes and pies. I guess in the midwest they don't often deal with weighty matters.
BC was not very forthcoming in her story about lunch with an ex-boyfriend. The details leaked out over dinner, but I remain discreet.
Also notice the common theme of great weight when relating stories about shoes and pies. I guess in the midwest they don't often deal with weighty matters.
Apr 4th, 2009, 01:51 PM
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I'm wondering if there is a good boeuf bourguignon recipe available for sharing. I made a dreadful version earlier this winter that managed to sacrifice both the beef and the burgundy. Very tough. Very sad.
If it is some special chef's improvisation that can't be replicated, I'll understand, but if it's a standard recipe that can be looked up, please shout out.
If it is some special chef's improvisation that can't be replicated, I'll understand, but if it's a standard recipe that can be looked up, please shout out.
Apr 4th, 2009, 04:14 PM
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you asked for it so here it is:
1-3 pounds of well trimmed stew beef, cubed...
saute in large heavy duty pan in 1/2 butter, 1/2 oil until browned slightly, turning frequently---no more red showing on beef...you may have to do multiple batches...
remove beef to large baking pan with cover, set aside
scrape saute pan slightly to loosen tid bits--remove from heat....add 2 Tbsp of flour slowly, whisking continually to make a thick rue--- i use a flat L-shaped whisk.... add 1/2 bottle of burgandy or pinot noir wine and increase temperature until the sauce boils to release the alcohol, stiring constantly. whisk in 1/2 tsp of dried thyme, 1 Tbsp of tomato paste and salt and pepper...sauce with be a lovely consistency....add more wine if you wish, say 1/4 bottle....
bake at 325 degrees covered for about 2 hours. stir once or twice/scrape sides...
peel and add sliced (diced) fresh carrots (not those horid baged ones already to use--they become mush), white pearl onions and as many mushrooms as you desire.
bake for another 1-2 hours, testing onions for doneness...
i stir about every 1/2 hour after initial 1.5 hours of baking...i also add more wine as needed....beware, the veggies release lots of water into the mix....sometimes you have to use a bit of thickener to make the gravy part more to your liking...
we serve this with egg noodles, a green salad, crusty bread and a delicious red wine....
fabulous the next day also, so make extra...
sounds like a lot of work but it really is not that bad...
bon apetite
1-3 pounds of well trimmed stew beef, cubed...
saute in large heavy duty pan in 1/2 butter, 1/2 oil until browned slightly, turning frequently---no more red showing on beef...you may have to do multiple batches...
remove beef to large baking pan with cover, set aside
scrape saute pan slightly to loosen tid bits--remove from heat....add 2 Tbsp of flour slowly, whisking continually to make a thick rue--- i use a flat L-shaped whisk.... add 1/2 bottle of burgandy or pinot noir wine and increase temperature until the sauce boils to release the alcohol, stiring constantly. whisk in 1/2 tsp of dried thyme, 1 Tbsp of tomato paste and salt and pepper...sauce with be a lovely consistency....add more wine if you wish, say 1/4 bottle....
bake at 325 degrees covered for about 2 hours. stir once or twice/scrape sides...
peel and add sliced (diced) fresh carrots (not those horid baged ones already to use--they become mush), white pearl onions and as many mushrooms as you desire.
bake for another 1-2 hours, testing onions for doneness...
i stir about every 1/2 hour after initial 1.5 hours of baking...i also add more wine as needed....beware, the veggies release lots of water into the mix....sometimes you have to use a bit of thickener to make the gravy part more to your liking...
we serve this with egg noodles, a green salad, crusty bread and a delicious red wine....
fabulous the next day also, so make extra...
sounds like a lot of work but it really is not that bad...
bon apetite
