Shhhhh, listen to the silence.

It's no wonder that I walk in every afternoon and just zone out on the couch in the quiet.  My day starts with people chattering/asking for this and that and phones ringing, kids crying/screaming/kicking/throwing things, text messages and cell phones ringing.  It's not unusual for me to be wearing a headset that connects me to the phone in my office while I'm sitting at the receptionist's desk out front talking on her phone while taking a text or cell call.  It's something NOISY all day long.  (I come home for lunch just to get a 20 minute break, thank goodness we're only 2 blocks away.)  So if I never call you or rarely talk to you on the phone, please don't get your feelers hurt....  I just go into a sort of trance once the buzz of quietness hits me when I walk in the door.

This week was a bit different.  If you follow Jolea on FB then you know she set out from Key West on the 5th headed North and then West.  She was traveling with a friend of a friend to Sedona, AZ.  Taking a few months off from the island life during hurricane season and getting some much needed quiet after living above a bar for over a year.  They were not in a real hurry as they couldn't get into the house they'd be staying in until the 15th, so Jolea, being the little social butterfly that she is, found them places to stay for the night with friends along the way.  Destin, New Orleans, Houston (at Nita's where they spent a few nights eating well) and then up to our house (eating well again.)

As with every visit from Jolea it's a whirlwind of activity.  I took a day off from work to spend time with her you never know when she'll get back home, and do some shopping.  D, her traveling companion had never been to Texas and like many a traveler from the northeast, wanted to shop for REAL cowboy boots, hats, belts and buckles, etc.  I don't think he was prepared for the boots in Texas to be priced in the $500 range.  He did find a pair of boots, a hat and shirt in his price range, but after seeing the buckles in the case with a $1K price tag, he put the belt on hold.

We stopped by the Oil and Vinegar store on the way home, which turned out to impress him more than the western wear store.  D is a Master Chef.  Good thing we didn't stop here first or he'd blown his boot budget.  We headed home to make some lunch and glean some wisdom from having a Master Chef in my kitchen.

Jolea had her heart set on a fried ham sandwich with a side of pickles and a Dr Pepper.

And don't forget to top it off with a couple of Double Stuff Oreos.  This meal was a standard if Jody had to prepare lunch for the kids when they were little.


That kind of lunch didn't appeal to me and never does, but what did appeal to me was to watch D open the fridge and cupboards and start grabbing this and that and throwing things together to make a meal.  Oh I would LOVE to be able to do that!

So here's what he found and created....

First he fried up some prosciutto and set that aside.

 Then he rough chopped some pistachios and toasted those in a pan on the stove and set them aside.  He also thinly sliced a tomato.

 He lightly grilled a couple of pieces of Naan bread and drizzled a little olive oil over them.  Then he placed the tomatoes on the bread and chopped some chives and baby spinach, and maybe some basil I think.

 He then placed the bread, one in a iron skillet and the other on an iron griddle, he loaded them up with the spinach, chives and basil and tossed on some Mexican Queso Fresco cheese!

Just a quick broil to melt the cheese and finished them off with the pistachios, crumbled prosciutto and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  OMG, I can make this!!!!

Then later that night he made some grilled zucchini/goat cheese rolls and we cooked tenderloins out on the grill he realized that YES everything is bigger in Texas when he saw the size of our tenderloin steaks. What???  Everyone doesn't get tenderloins the size of my hand?  But the grand finale was grilled white peaches with a light grating of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of CHOCOLATE balsamic vinegar from the Oil and Vinegar Store.  I can make this too!   

 And Jody made this.... yeah, it's an Ant Farm.  He always wanted to make one.

And he made this... yeah, he always wanted to make an aquarium too.  We have two cute fish in it and they love the bubble thing that launches bubbles from the rocks.  "Ohhhh burbles! Ah lurv burbles!"


Jolea and D left Wednesday morning heading to the ranch thank goodness I was getting lazy having D doing all the cooking.  Gracie was relieved too, she's very shy around people and D's little dog Daisy was messing with her calm. 

They spent a couple of day's out at the ranch visiting with Michael and Andee (Di was in California or she and D would have had a cooking fest.)  Jolea said D's camera was in overdrive taking pics of all the 'ranch' scenery.  I bet those longhorns blew his mind.  They even took him to a real Texas Honkytonk.

Jolea texted me last night around 10 AZ time that they had made it to Sedona.  I'm excited for her to see the place in the light of day.  I love that, driving into an area in the dark and then when you get up the next morning it's like Christmas!  Although she missed out on seeing some beautiful scenery driving through western NM and eastern AZ after the sun went down.  Oh well, maybe Kev will take her sight-seeing.

Now.... shall I watch a movie we have or go rent something new....  or just veg out with my knitting listening to the aquarium bubbler?  

We're tired!