Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2024

 Saturday, November 23, 2024

Before dinner cigar.

Before dinner cocktail. 

Dale's famous baked pasta and broccoli.

We watched Desk Set. Cozy night in.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2020

Sunday, September 27, 2020

I've been working lots of extra hours on weekends this school year due to Covid-19 and the distance learning it has necessitated. Today was an 8-hour day. Wrapped it all up by 4:00 and was able to relax in the back yard with a cigar. 

Athena needing a little attention. Dale is social distancing from me not because of Covid but because of the cigar. It’s feeling very fall outside but perfectly comfortable with a mid-weight jacket. 

Hit with a little bit of rain which forced us to the garage. It only lasted about 5 minutes and then cleared up pretty quickly. 

   

We made a chicken pot pie with gravy from the Kowalski's deli for dinner. 

     

Watched Murder, She Said starring the incomparable Margaret Rutherford. This was a movie Dale brought to the relationship. It was already an old favorite of his when we met and I remember watching it with him in our first apartment together on Fremont Avenue way back in 1993. We rented it on VHS tape (remember those?) from a video store (remember those?) and it's since become a favorite of mine as well. I'd say we watch it at least every other year. It's become what I like to call a comfort movie.

   

In the early 2000s I found a box set of all 4 Margaret Rutherford/Agatha Christie movies on DVD and picked it up for Dale for Christmas. He was tickled.

   

Pumpkin pie for dessert. From Kowalski's. I think this was the first pumpkin pie of the season. 

   

     Wonderful evening in with a perfectly contented dog. 

Quiche

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Great rainy, cool, fall evening to make a quiche.  Perfect for the first day of October. The store was out of shredded Swiss cheese so Dale bought a brick which we shredded ourselves. It was fun to do it manually however it took awhile to find the cheese grater which we just don't use much any more. 

Before

After

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2015 - Cocktail Hour

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Rosie and Bachelor's Guide to the Galaxy.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2015 - Dinner

Saturday, November 14, 2015

First chicken pot pie of the season.

Time for Beef Stroganoff

It's always something of a big deal when Dale and I make beef stroganoff for the first time every fall season. It's such a wonderful fall and winter meal.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2011

Dale slaved away over a hot crock pot today and made a wonderful beef stroganoff. He also made some very delicious brussels sprouts. For dessert we had burnt butterscotch ice cream from Pumphouse Creamery.

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2007

Okay, the Golden Hour Kickoff was last Sunday with beef stroganoff and pumpkin pie, but, tonight really feels like the Golden Hour Kickoff as it is back to central standard time. Dale and I are having a chicken pot pie with canned (oh well, no one's perfect) turkey gravy. It will be delicious! We'll have asparagus as a vegetable and we're listening to Anita O'Day on the stereo hi-fi system as it all cooks. What could be better? Jo Stafford was playin' earlier. Before that was Dave Brubeck.... Sophie got a little chicken and Homer was asleep. Victoria (rest her soul) could not be with us. I miss that cat.

Tonight we'll have PUMPKIN PIE for dessert. Whipped cream will most certainly be available as the topping of choice. Desk Set with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey (beard and purse that they were) will play as dinner is served. Meet Me in St. Louis will be the movie of choice next time around.

Drinks: I started with a Sidecar but didn't have enough brandy for a second. The second and third were martinis. I like to have a martini... Two at the very most... Three I'm under the table... Okay, technically I've only had two since I didn't have enough brandy for a second Sidecar but I'm on my third drink but I'm not under the table... I'm still standing (although I'm not done with the drink yet)... Okay... I hear the plates coming out of the cupboard in the background... I better check on how things are going....

Fall Golden Hour Kickoff 2006

Tonight is the Fall Golden Hour Kickoff. What a Sunday dinner it will be. There is no official date for the Fall Golden Hour Kickoff although it usually starts on a later September or early October Sunday when it starts to feel like fall weather as opposed to summer weather. It is also when the Golden Hour is devoted to more substantial and hearty fare than in summer time. Pumpkin and other squashes as well as root vegetables begin to enter the picture. It is much more likely that the oven will be used. Cocktails are more likely to be red wine and hard liquor rather than a light rose wine.

Tonight the menu will include beef stroganoff and a steamed green vegetable. Dale will have red wine and I'll have a martini. Have I given directions for how I make a martini. It's been such a while since I've posted! I should have probably checked past postings rather than just jumping in and making a new post.

Anyway, I line a glass with Noily Prat vermouth and pop it in the freezer. Then at cocktail hour I'll fill another martini glass with Bombay Sapphire gin which will then be dumped into the shaker. I'll add a drop of vermouth and shake the whole thing up. The martini is said to be better if it is shaken in waltz time. Once properly shaken I'll pour it into the frozen vermouth lined martini glass. Cold is so very key. I've begun keeping the gin in the refridgerator again even though I'm told it is not good for the gin. My non-refridgerated gin martinis have just not been cold enough even when shaken on ice Also, I haven't been getting ice crystals when using non-refidgerated gin. Anyway, I got some sun dried tomato stuffed olives at Kowalskis which I'll have on the side instead of in the drink.

I'll have apple pie for dessert and Dale I believe is having carrot cake. I'll tell all about how it all turns out in the next post...