10 Million Words

reading

From the time Dani was a baby until she went off to college, I read to her every night. As the years passed, our reading material became a lot more sophisticated, but we never tired of the routine. Here are the books (that I can remember) that we enjoyed over the years.

The Shy Little Horse and hundreds of other stories
But Not the Hippopotamus and hundreds of other picture books
Pony Pals (many)
RL Stein books (Many)
The Cat in the Hat
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (many times)
To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
Yertle the Turtle
Horton Hears a Who
Horton Hatches the Egg
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Lorax
Madeleine (and its sequels)
Bunnicula
Howliday Inn
Redwall
Mossflower
Mattimeo
Alice in Wonderland
Tom Sawyer (twice)
Huckleberry Finn
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silent Storm
Walk Two Moons
The Cave
The Princess Bride
The Dragon In the Cliff
A Bone From a Dry Sea
Letters From Felix
The Princess and the Goblin
Where the Wild Things Are
The Wind In the Willows
The Willows In Winter
Peter Pan
Peter Pan in Scarlet
The Lion’s Paw
The Phantom Toll Booth
SOS Titanic
Night Tree
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (about ten times)
Wolf Story (many times)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle
The Indian In the Cupboard
The Return of the Indian
The Secret of the Indian
The Mystery of the Cupboard
The Key to the Indian
The Westing Game
Chasing Redbird
Sarah Plain and Tall
Dealing with Dragons (and its sequels)
Rascal
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Island of the Blue Dolphins
A Cricket In Times Square (and its sequels)
The Wheel on the School
Mary Poppins (the original novel)
101 Dalmatians (the original novel)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (the original novel)
Misty of Chincoteague (and its sequels)
Hank, The Cowdog (and many sequels)
A Night to Remember
Back to Titanic
Back to Lincoln
Back to Paul Revere
Goodnight Moon
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Wizard of Oz
Green Eggs and Ham
Stellaluna
The Polar Express
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
The Napping House
The Little Engine That Could
Curious George
Arthur series (many books)
Berenstein Bears series (many books)
Clifford series (many books)
Linnea in Monet’s Garden
The Boxcar Children series (many books)
Charlotte’s Web
A Wrinkle In Time
The Secret Garden
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh (and its sequels)
The Trumpet of the Swan
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Stuart Little
The Borrowers series (many books)
The Pearl
Walker of Time
Tag Against Time
Walker’s Journey Home
She Flew No Flags
Watership Down
The Call of the Wild
White Fang
The Shipping News
The Crystal Cave
The Hollow Hills
The Old Man and the Sea
To Have and Have Not
Myst: The Book of Atrus
Myst: The Book of Ti’Ana
Myst: The Book of D’ni
On a Pale Horse
Bearing an Hourglass
With a Tangled Skein
Wielding a Red Sword
Being a Green Mother
For Love of Evil
And Eternity
Perry Mason (several)
Shutter Island
Void Moon
Chasing the Dime
Harry Bosch novels (four or so)
The Doomsday Book
To Say Nothing of the Dog
Lincoln’s Dream
Three Men in a Boat
Three Men on the Bummel
A Confederacy of Dunces
The Mirror of her Dreams
A Man Rides Through
The Lincoln Hunters
Harry Potter And the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Black Dahlia
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Valley of Horses
The Mammoth Hunters
The Plains of Passage
The Shelters of Stone
Empire Falls
Straight Man
Nobody’s Fool
Bridge of Sighs
The Seventh Scroll
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Round Ireland with a Fridge
Ring of Diamonds
A Matter of Justice
Everything In Its Path
Cider House Rules
The World According to Garp
Snow Falling on Cedars
East of the Mountains
The Blind Assassin
Oryx and Crake

And Many, Many More

Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse

MichaelJordans
With Kevin Buckler, principle of Adobe Road Winery and The Racer’s Group

Dani and I went to an Adobe Road Wine Dinner here, rather than experience the normal dining room offerings. We were going to meet in the bar, but on a Wednesday night after work it was a madhouse, so we hung out in Starbucks until it was time for the dinner.

Boy did the chef knock it out of the park. I’ve been to hundreds of wine dinners and this had to be near the top.

We started on the mezzanine of the Intercontinental Hotel with a superb 2009 Chardonnay. Great wine, possibly the best of the night, but unfortunately the winery is out of it. This was accompanied by a passed appetizer of bruschetta, which was a twist on the usual, with buratta cheese, proscuitto and a thin slice of pickled peach. Delicious.

Dinner was in a room off the mezzanine perfectly sized for twenty people. I got the sense it was far from the kitchen, because it took several servers quite a while to deliver each course.

The first course was Duck with cherries and dijon mustard, a perfect accompaniment to the 2009 Pinot Noir. The wine is good, but may have a trace of sorbate, and after a slightly earthy nose it quickly fades into a just okay California pinot noir.

The second course of hickory smoked lamb chops with mint, watermelon and tomatoes might have been my favorite. It was served with a 2009 Syrah that offered a smoky, meaty nose, but seemed a bit shut down. Apparently the night before it had been even more so; I think it just needs a rest after shipping.

Third course was Wagyu Ribeye with roasted baby potatoes and a black carrot. It was perfect with a chewy 2010 Knight’s Valley Cabernet.

Dessert wasn’t my favorite, although Dani liked the brown butter cardamom cake with roasted plums and whipped cream and black pepper. The plums seemed a bit tart to accompany the 2008 Zinfandel which was jammy but nothing remarkable.

Then Kevin pulled out the Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow! I could sip this all night. After an hour it was just starting to open up and do some amazing things. Brandy soaked cherries coated in dark chocolate, with a bit of pound cake at the end. It was dessert in a glass, yet not a drop of residual sugar! The wine must be close to 15% alcohol. Worth every cent of $95 retail. Give me this and the Chardonnay, and lock me in a room.

Kevin Buckler and Bob Dickinson were welcoming as always, and promised to come do a private event next time they are in Orlando (January?) We also met some other interesting people including Thaddeus Buggs, author of TheMinorityWineReport.com

I was very impressed with the “banquet” food at Michael Jordan’s. I’m not sure which course was the best, but I would happily return here for any of these entrees. Service was prompt and friendly, and the private room was perfect for a group of twenty. Most seemed to be racing enthusiasts at this gathering, as opposed to the Orlando events where it seems the guests are mainly wine enthusiasts.

I will definitely go back to check out the regular menu, because there is some serious talent in the kitchen.

 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

ChickenPotPie

These turned out as delicious as they look.

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 package diced frozen peas and carrots
  • 2 medium celery stalks, diced
  • 1 cup green beans
  • 1 potato, diced
  • 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
  • 2 tbsp freshly chopped tarragon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp five spice
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 frozen puff pastry crust
  • 1 egg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400F
Remove pastry crust from refrigerator
Use a ramekin to cut circles from pastry crust
Cut up chicken
Sauté onions in olive oil
Add chicken and sauté until brown
Add veggies and soup (do not dilute with water)
When warm, add herbs and seasoning
Divide into ramekins
Brush pastry circles with egg wash
Top ramekins with pastry circles, brushed side down
Brush tops of pastry
Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is brown

Cauliflower, Potato and Green Bean Curry

cauliflowercurry

Here’s a simple recipe for curry made from scratch. You can pretty much use any vegetables, this is just what I had lying around.

Ingredients (in order used)

4 potatoes, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet or red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon

2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp ketchup
4 cups cauliflower, broken into florets
3 cups green beans, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup water

1 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Microwave potatoes until almost cooked, but still firm.
In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in oil and spices.
Add vegetables and water.
Bring to a boil, simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add cilantro, toss and serve.

 

Lamb Burgers

These turned out well. They taste like Kefta. I served them with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. ground lamb
  • 1 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp. finely chopped mint
  • 1/2 tsp. finely chopped dill
  • 1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1⁄4 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1⁄4 tsp. ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Acoompaniments

  • Sliced red onion
  • Feta cheese (optional)
  • 2 hamburger buns, toasted

Preparation

  1. Mix ingredients and form into two patties.
  2. Grill over a gas grill on medium-high until charred on outsides.
  3. Serve with sliced onion, toasted hamburger buns, optional feta cheese.