LUNCHING WITH SARAH

The table is ready and waiting for my little luncheon with Sarah. A panini and salad very simple and tasty with a nice chardonnay to sip and share.


The day is gray and cool. Are we in England? You always hear of so many grim gray days in England. How do they stand it? When hubby and I were in Aruba one spring we encountered to English ladies pool side they were having a gay old time loving every moment of sunshine. They had the whitest skin I ever saw like bleached bones. They smiled at us as we sprawled in the chaise lounges browning like toast. They said in their crisp accent "you are Americans aren't you?" They found Americans interesting. Why?  Americans are normally loud and boisterous and the center of attention.  We told them we were from Oregon. They were not sure where that was, then one lady said I have heard of Portland, are you from Portland? Well no, we tried to explain that we were from the other side of the Cascade mountains. They tried to follow but lost interest I think. They said they loved the sun, but where they were from the sun rarely made an appearance.  They explained that they lived outside London in the country and as they told the story of their little town it sounded so enchanting to us though all that gray.........we have enough here.


Sarah and I had a lovely visit. We are both communicators. We share and share. She pumps me for family info and I am happy to give it to her and I am interested in all that she does and is going to do and on and on. She is a great gal and I so enjoy her company. We made plans at some point to go to pizza the place that serves up pizza out of those special ovens that are rare in America. They originated in Naples Italy. The pizza's get so incredibly hot the pizza crust is charred around the edges. The pizza's are simple and not overloaded like American pizza's. The tomato sauce is rich and taste like fresh tomatoes. All the ingredients are fresh. So that will be a fun lunch out another little adventure for Sarah and Zo.


I was out of reading material so I looked through my bookcase and found a book that I had read about thirty years ago or maybe even longer. It is a saga of a family and their family history. The story commences in the late 1800' s and at this point of the book I am in 1939. So the atrocities of the Hitler regime are taking place. The story will continue through two generations. It is a wonderful tale full of romance, tragedy and suspense. I do not remember the characters or the story but occasionally something in the back of my mind seems familiar. I will keep this book forever it is a grand novel. I am about half through and I have cried, laughed, chewed my fingernails as the pages turn. Oh I am so thankful that I love to read what it brings to you is immeasurable.  No matter how old we are there is always something new to learn and wonder about from books.


I have the slow cooker filled with pork shoulder, onions, shallots and garlic. Over the top of all I poured salsa Verde. So tonight that yummy sauce and pork will go over a mound of rice and pinto beans in a deep bowl. I will serve warm flour tortilla's to sop up the sauce. I know hubby will adore it as I have made it before as it is an easy camping meal and we made it quite frequently in the motor coach. I must be careful of the sauce as I am still dealing with digestion issues. I will have a small portion.
Last night the codfish sammies were wonderful. We had them on toasted kaiser rolls with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions and homemade tarter sauce. Each roll held two big fillets of fish. We hummed and munched as tarter sauce oozed through our fingers.


I must leave you now as I need to do a few things in the kitchen as usual.
I liked this day visiting with my dear niece. She is like a friend even though the age difference is huge we always seem to keep the chatter up. She so truly loves teaching. She was telling me about her fifth grade student teaching class and her eyes were just glistening. I can see that she would bring much to that classroom. She is bursting with enthusiasm and energy. She will make a wonderful teacher she already is!


So it is Friday late afternoon almost evening. Oh how that meant something when I was young. No school for two days, or off work for the weekend. Time for what needs doing in ones life and time for enjoyment.
So to all you TGIF folks I remember them well. Have a great weekend.
Ciao.