No words can express how enjoyable it is to see old friends during this extended period in the US. Last evening, we met old friends Peggy and Maury. We knew Peggy in 1991 when she married the now-deceased Lane, a friend we’ve surely missed. But, a year later, Peggy met Maury, and their union and eventual marriage were ideal.
Both enjoy traveling, and they particularly love traveling in the Midwest. We often see photos of them on Facebook in quaint little towns, seeing the sites and dining in historic restaurants and establishments. Although we travel outside the US, they’ve made retirement as enjoyable for themselves as it has been for us.
By 8:30, we were back at the hotel. We changed our clothes, got comfortable, and watched a movie, which ended around 10:15 when I was off to bed, reading the news on my phone. I had another fitful night’s sleep but finally, around 6:00 am, fell back to sleep for another 90 minutes.
For tonight’s dinner with leftovers for Monday and Tuesday, yesterday we picked up groceries from Cub Foods to make a beef stir-fry with peanuts. This morning, I began chopping all of the ingredients, including:
- Red, green, and yellow bell peppers
- Celery
- Onions, yellow
- Portobello mushrooms
- Green onions to top each serving when served, including one ounce of dry roasted peanuts
- Sirloin steak slices
- Fresh minced garlic
- Fresh minced ginger
Tom will use white rice as a base for the stir fry, while I will use riced cauliflower. We’re also adding various Asian sauces, such as wheat-free soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and various spices, such as pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sesame oil, and salt.
I made a marinade for the meat using the above seasonings. After cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces, I placed it along with the vegetables in the refrigerator. I’ll cook them later, just before dinner. I will first sauteed the garlic, ginger, celery, yellow onions, and mushrooms in sesame oil until al dente and then add the meat.
When the meat is medium rare, I’ll add the remaining ingredients, including the bell peppers, which, again, I won’t cook until tender to ensure a bit of crunch, along with the green onions and peanuts topping. It will be a tasty dinner that we’ll savor for a few days.
It’s a relief to have all the chopping and dicing done. The remainder of my day will be easy and relaxing. It is a sunny day, and soon, I’ll get outside to walk. We hope you have a pleasant and relaxing day.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, June 29, 2014:
