Fun Fact: Deipnophobia is the fear of dinner party conversations.
We may be Sea Otters, or at least partially. Sea otters hold hands when they sleep, so they don’t drift apart. Mary and I hold hands!
We were lazy bones most of the day with plans to do some serious cooking as Robin came over for the evening. I went to the market to shop for French onion soup supplies; Robin is doing the honors.
The day was delightful, and we are getting anxious to have the twelve-foot-long screen installed in the next couple of weeks!
It was a glorious day!
They sent me to the store for beef stock, and I came back with three kinds. The boxes helped hide their faces from the camera.
The girls were hiding.
The work begins, and Robin and I take two large yellow onions.
Did You Know? World onion production is estimated at approximately 105 billion pounds each year. The average annual onion consumption calculates to around 13.67 pounds of onions per person worldwide. Libya has the highest consumption of onions, with an astounding average per capita consumption of 66.8 pounds. (National Onion Association)
Yellow onions make up more than 75% of the world’s production of onions.
Onions represent the third largest fresh vegetable industry in the United States, and the U.S. produces well over 2 million metric tons of onions annually.
Chopping onions, not for the faint of heart!
Now that the onions have been reduced to a thousand pieces, it is time for drowning them in butter and garlic. Chef Robin steps up to the stove, says a few chants, and begins the process. I did see her reach in her pocket and add her “special ingredients.” It looked a lot like bat wings.
Brown those onions!
We heard slight snoring, and it was Scout, The Wonder Dog, cutting logs and providing minimal supervision.
We took turns siring the onions.
I took my turn stirring the onions.
We determined that we packed them too tight. If you pack too many onions into your pan, they’ll steam and produce water. Eventually, they will caramelize—but it will take much longer to get them there. In a 12″ pan, you’ll ideally be able to cook two large onions (we like yellow or Spanish onions) without encountering any steaming problems.
Are we having fun or what? We changed pans, and that helped!
It’s time for someone to “cut the cheese.” Why did the ladies look at me?
I cut the cheese (Please! No giggles!)
Mary is just finishing up the angel hair pasta, technically known own as Capellini. Capellini is a skinny variety of Italian pasta, between 0.85 and 0.92 millimeters. Like spaghetti, it is rod-shaped, in the form of long strands. Capelli d’angelo is a thinner variant with a diameter between 0.78 and 0.88 millimeters. It is often sold in a nest-like shape.
The chefs’ hat has many purposes.
I set the table and was getting ready to sit down, wine glass in hand. I decided to go less than formal this evening.
Too much to remember!
Mary gets the last piece of dinner and heads for the table.
Dinner is served!
Ring! Ring! The bat-phone went off, and it was Colleen and MArk. We talked for a few minutes and then proceeded to have dinner.
We had a short conversation with Colleen and Mark!
We did the pasta first, waited a while, and then had French onion soup for dessert.
Down the hatch!
We watched three episodes of Space Force before retiring at 9;00 PM. We were all beat!
I do remember well two years ago when the family joined together in the waiting room in the Intensive Care Unit where Sue was located. We were all surte things would be better in the
When family and friends come togetrher.
morning.
