Technically, the first thing I ate in the new year: dessert from New Year's Eve at 3:40 in the morning. Chocolate-filled empanadas. I had one. At home.
Jan 1, Breakfast. The usual, which is an iced cappuccino (made at home of Illy Caffè on our Gaggia machine) and a glass of fresh-squeezed juice. In this case, blood orange juice. At home.
Jan 1, snack. A "Baci," really un bacio but who can complain? Delicious. At home.
Jan 1, lunch. Leftover Beef Burgundy stew (from New Year's Eve), according to Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. At home.
Jan 1, dinner. Zemam's Ethiopian. With Jan, Mark, and Rose.
January 2, breakfast. The usual, at home.
January 2, breakfast. I made cheese blintzes. At home, with Jan, and friends Jeff, Liz, Pam and David.
January 2, lunch. Some chips and salsa at the Eclectic Cafe. With Jeff, Liz, Pam, David, and Jan.
Jan 2, dinner. Antipasto of cheeses, olives, meats, and so on. In the little dish in front are these wonderful hand-cut pears in balsamic vinegar that Barilla puts out. The breads are Ikea Food, possibly the best thing they've ever put out. At home with friends.
January 2, dinner. Penne Arrabiata. I threw this together quickly. The sauce was a little thin, unfortunately, but it was still good. At home with friends.
Jan 2, dinner. Green beans with toasted almonds in balsamic reduction sauce. I think it was more than was needed with the penne, but it was good anyway. A tiny bit sweet, which was nice. At home with friends.
Jan 2, dinner. Dessert of Penn State Creamery ice cream. Craig and Eileen and the rest of the Cedar Knoll gang send us this every year. At home with friends.
Jan 3, breakfast. The usual. You're going to see a lot of cappuccini this year, so I thought I'd mix it up a little. At home.
Jan 3, snack/lunch. Some Tallegio cheese on one of those Ikea biscuits. At home.
Jan 3, dinner. Leftover prime rib from Christmas, warmed gently and with a new gravy, plus mashed potatoes and some kind of Price Club salad thingy. Sunday, at home with the whole family.
Jan 3, dinner. More Penn State ice cream. At home with family.
Jan 4, breakfast. The usual, plus fresh-squeezed orange juice from Jan's trees. At home.
Jan 4, lunch. Sausage Deli sandwich: prosciutto ham and mustard with swiss on swirl rye. With potato salad, pickles, and some Poore Bothers Salt and Vinegar potato chips. Outside, with Jan.
Jan 4, dinner. I took leftover mashed potatoes (had a lot of them) and smooshed them, then fried them up to make them crispy. Served with leftover beef gravy, sour cream, and leftover green beans. At home, with Jan.
Jan 5, breakfast. The usual. In the background is Wanda, the cat. At home with Jan.
Jan 5, lunch. At Nico's Taco Shop in Tucson. We ordered the #12, which is the Carnitas (pork) plate, which comes with beans, rice, guacamole, pico de gallo, cabbage, and some tortillas. Make your own mini-tacos and enjoy. A big lunch for two. With Jan.
Jan 5, dinner. Salad of leftover Price Club salad and prime rib. At home with Jan.
Jan 5, dinner. Penn State ice cream. WPSU Coffee Break tonight. At home with Jan.
Jan 6, breakfast. The usual.
Jan 6, snack. Some peanuts.
Jan 6, lunch. A Rubio's shrimp burrito. At Rubio's in Tucson with Jan.
Jan 6, dinner. At Rosa's Mexican Food in Tucson (corner of Campbell and Ft. Lowell). They always start with chips and salsa; the salsa is particularly good because they use an enormous amount of garlic in it. With Jan.
Jan 6, dinner. Because it's Wednesday, you can get Cocido at Rosa's (they don't have it every day). Cocido is a "farmer's soup," always with a piece of corn cob in it, rough cut vegetables and chunks of meat, often on the bone. In Tucson with Jan.
Jan 7, breakfast. The usual.
Jan 7, lunch. A chicken, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese sandwich. At Beyond Bread (Campbell location) in Tucson. With some of their chips. Beyond Bread sandwiches are huge, so I split this one with Jan.