Elizabeth, Scott and Scotty Wilder

This is how my day is going......

 

They say 'married couples start acting like each over time..."

Today my wife said:

"You are becoming like me and I married you to be like you and not like me'

Quiet night...

In Tucson tonight... For the first time in 5 years, no flight delays.......But now I am watching HBO in an empty hotel

Hot stuff!

After living in SF for a year, we finally have 'instant hot water.' Not sure why we didn't think of it sooner, but we finally got a new fancy pump in the kitchen that has enabled us get instant hot water. No longer do I have to shave in frigid water. And.............. we will save lots of water because we no longer have to let the water run for 3 - 4 minutes before getting warm water.

A nice dinner surprise

Home sweet Home

Mrs. Wilder made a great dinner tonight: Pasta, Squash and Bacon.. with just the right amount of pepper.

It was a recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Actually, it is called PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAGE

Here's the recipe. (Hey, I might even ry and make it : )

Don’t be tempted to use dried sage in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

4	slices bacon , halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
8	large fresh sage leaves , plus 1 tablespoon minced (see note)
1	medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1	tablespoon unsalted butter
6	scallions , sliced thin (about 1 cup)
1/4	teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1	teaspoon sugar
	Table salt and ground black pepper
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1	pound penne pasta or other short, tubular pasta
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese , plus extra for serving
4	teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
1/3	cup sliced almonds , toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add whole sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, reserving bacon fat and bacon-sage mixture separately.

2. 2. Return skillet to high heat, add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat (adding olive oil if necessary) and heat until shimmering. Add squash in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add butter and allow to melt, about 30 seconds. Add scallions, nutmeg, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and minced sage; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer; continue to cook until squash is tender, 1 to 3 minutes longer.

3. 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and transfer back to Dutch oven.

4. 4. Add squash mixture to pasta; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and reserved bacon-sage mixture, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta liquid. Serve, passing almonds and Parmesan separately.

SHOPPING

Sizing up Squash Making batch upon batch of our Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage, we noticed a lot of inconsistency: Sometimes the cooked squash tasted slightly sweet, other times it tasted muddy or dull. Could the size of the squash influence flavor? We bought squash ranging from small 1½ pounders all the way up to 5 pound-plus behemoths and tasted them sautéed in bacon fat per our recipe, as well as boiled and pureed. Tasters overwhelmingly found that the smaller the squash, the more concentrated the flavor and the finer the texture. Larger squash not only had a more washed-out, “dirty” flavor, but also tended to be more fibrous and spongy when cooked. So when a recipe calls for a large amount of squash, it’s better to buy a few smaller squashes than one big one. We recommend avoiding squash weighing more than 2½ pounds.

Trying to keep up with my mother-in-law

Last night we went to a great fundraiser for A New River, a non-profit organization that raises money to help send kids to camp and to support women with breast cancer. There was a raffle and guess who cleaned up? Mrs. Abbott won three prizes: a spa basket of lotions, a gift certificate to a rock climbing gym and a second gift certificate to take Segway lessons. Mrs. Abbott wasted no time this morning and Segway'd to the Climbing Gym. See her in action in photos below.

Driving Ms. Daisy Crazy

Mrs. Wilder hasn't been too happy about something lately.

In our house, we have probably 6 different clocks.

And until yesterday each one displayed a different time.

So you can imagine what it was like for her when she needed to rush off to an appointment or a class in the morning, but could not tell how late or how early she really was.

Between you and me, this system worked for me. The clocks farthest from the front door were set the most ahead. And as you get closer to the front door, each clock got closer to the real time.

Well, yesterday she instructed me to take Daylight Savings Time as an opportunity to get them all in sync.

And I did. but today, I was late to all my meetings......

Chop, Chop, Chop

Saturday am....

Deep in the woods of Camel Highlands, is a city kid, Ranger Gordo, chopping wood with his mighty axe.

Chop

Chop

Chop

One by one, the wood splinters into many fine pieces of kindling.

Chop

Chop

Chop

Goes Ranger Gordo ...

(Note: We stayed in a cabin in the woods with Daniela and Libby and together we made a fire and a delicious dinner)

Chop

Chop

Chop

NO...no...no!

The other night, I woke up to Mrs. Wilder painfully crying out 'NO...no...no'

I thought she was having a nightmare, so I turned towards her and said 'what's wrong? What's wrong?.''

She said 'I wasn't sleeping. I just wanted you to stop snoring.'

SFO - San Francisco Airport

T-minus 30 minutes until I fly direct to Tucson.
The 7:05 pm is the only daily direct flight. The only daily direct return flight leaves at 6 am MST.

I am hungry. What can I eat? Here are some of my options

• Cheese Soup
• Day old bagels
• Turkey Chili

• Fruit and Yoguart (looks it has been out on the counter too long

Thank god they started serving food on the plane : )