cooking AND baking...

 We ventured out by ourselves, Miss Camille and I, in Aaron's nice car.  Backing out of the garage trying to go straight and not ding Riley's nice car, not really very difficult but sort of stressful.  We didn't go far, just to the Safeway.  They had London Broil for $1.97 a pound, and burger for $2.97.  We decided to get the ingredients to make meatballs, and this chai cake with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting.  Camille is a baker, and who wouldn't want to bake in this nice kitchen?

There was a Starbucks in this Safeway, so we got our iced Americanos, and were quite happy.  Home...well, home AWAY from home...and that London Broil was put in a marinade of lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and some seasonings.  We made the cake, then the meatballs...

It's very clear that I do not know how to cook for three people.  Also, I have discovered that smaller quantities of meatballs are better when made in a frying pan, versus the oven.  (I consider this a "smaller quantity".  My normal batch uses five pounds of ground beef, two baking pans in the oven).  I like them with a thick crust on the outside from browning in the fat.  I added a few chopped tomatoes to caramelize, then the sauce.  I skipped the pasta, but Paul and Camille had some.  We had some amazing salads with it, then a slice of cake.  I usually just skip the desserts, but here in the desert, I've had a few.  

I'll take a pic of the cake later, it's nothing amazing to look at, but oh dear!  It's a recipe from Julie Marie Eats, you can google her recipe.  We halved the recipe and made a one layer cake, which is still too much. Cam was dubious of my halving suggestion, would it still work?  Yes, because the full two layer called for four eggs, an even amount.  Everything else you can halve easily.  The half frosting recipe was plenty too. We sprinkled cinnamon on top, and oh what a luscious creation.

We were out in the pool and in the sun for about an hour and a half yesterday.  I am so enjoying the pool, getting in there and moving.  We have been watching an episode of Black Mirror each afternoon, then I'm reading and doing crossword puzzles and making coffee and vacuuming the couch with the nice vacuum.  (Cheryl, Aaron might just have more vacuum cleaners than you do!).  

We take the dogs out at least every hour, throw the ball a few times, makes them happy.  They seem to be adjusted to us now.  The big Lab sleeps with Camille, and the other two have their little beds in our room, and are good little sleepers.  Paul takes them all on their sunrise walk, then they eat their chow, and are all tired and content.  

This fine day, Camille and I will be heading in the other direction, out to where there are several stores.  I'm not big on driving in new places, especially when it's a really nice car (it's a Jaguar!).  Of course I'll be careful, Careful is my middle name, but what if someone else dings it?  Or what if I'm not sure which lane I'm supposed to be turning in to?  All these other drivers seem so certain, so sure, of where they are going.

Banjo, in my face.  She's a cutie.  She rarely runs out of steam, she's a direct descendent of the Energizer Bunny.  You can't even look at the slider doors into the back yard without her starting in.  She yips and yaps and full on barks.  If you make the mistake of stepping outside withOUT a ball in your hand, she'll bark you right back in to grab one from the bin by the door.  She almost always gets the ball when you throw it.  Sometimes Lilly the Lab gets it, but mostly Banjo.  Pretzel never catches the ball, her job is to herd Lilly.  She keeps a good eye on her, and of course no one ever trained her to do this, she just assigned herself to be the boss of Lilly.  

So I'm not actually busy here in the desert, but our days fill up.  As much as I miss my kids and grandkids back home, I'm totally enjoying the time with Paul, and with Camille.  (Tennyson saw the picture of the donkey, then I talked to him on the phone, and he wanted me to bring him there to see the donkey.  Oh, how I wish I could just buy them tickets and they could come swim with me...). 

Here are a few pics...

Just press a button, and a double Americano...

Dawn...

Ah well, have a really good day!