Rainy Days and Tuesdays...

It was windy and chilly Tuesday morning, but not yet raining when I took the car in to get the windshield replaced. This was good, since I had about a quarter mile walk from the Belle Tire Store to our Building 3.

I got to Belle Tire and went inside when they opened at 8:00 AM. They said they were all set and to come back around 10:00 AM. I took one of their cards, so I could check around 9:00 and see how it was coming (since I would not be at my usual desk and phone to get calls). I walked to Building 3 and settled into the cube that Jake had prepared with a computer for me to work at for the next couple of hours.

I did call at 9:00 and they said the windshield was installed. The adhesive needs to cure for an hour, so they said come get it at 10:00 AM. It was much windier and colder on my walk back. I gave them $200.99 USD, got in the car and headed back to Building 50. It started raining about half way back, BTW.

They seem to have done a nice job, even transferring my Oil Change Sticker to the new window. He scared me a bit by telling me NOT to slam the car door (or to leave the window down a crack - not a good option today) for at least a day.

I went to Meijer's at lunch (in the rain) and grabbed a few things I needed (mostly supplies, like trash bags) and then went home for lunch. I made up one of those roast beef sandwiches I told you about before and, to tell you the truth, it was pretty damn good! The horseradish sauce gave it a nice kick and the melted provolone cheese smoothed out the sliced Pepperocini.

It was raining hard again when I went back into work but was just a light rain when I walked out of work at 5:00 PM. I am curious where we stand with rainfall amounts, but no so much I want to go out into the damn rain (again). But, about 6:00 PM, it had stopped, so I grabbed my boots and went out to take photos (see, well, Photos, LOL). Believe it or not, I forgot to check the rain gauge! That's okay, though, as it's supposed to rain and then snow again tonight (God, I love Michigan!) I posted the four photos and then finally changed clothes. I'll report on the final storm rainfall tally tomorrow after work (when it's supposed to end).

I must admit to being embarrassed at the photo of the forsythia next to the compost piles, as you can see all the winter trash. As long time readers may remember, I use a homemade four foot wooden handle and a sharpened finish nail to pick up this crap every year. But, it's still early and I haven't got to it yet. Once it dries out some, I'll do my yard and the damn empty lot next to me to clean it all up (Believe it or not, I usually get two or three full garbage bags full of this stuff).

So, it was almost 7:00 PM and raining hard again when I started on my dinner. Now what I didn't say is that Jake and Carla had brought over about a pound of fresh asparagus that they didn't use (if I remember, it was due to a lack of imported Prosciutto at Westborn). I offered to bring it back this morning, but Jake pooh-poohed the idea. So, before it dries out, I thought I'd use it.

Now, again, I must say, long term readers will know you grasp a stalk of asparagus at both ends and bend it until it snaps. That's exactly where you cut the rest of the bundle. But, here's something I didn't know until refreshing my memory on this recipe. For some reason, (and I am sure Steven Hawkins knows why but I don't) when roasting, items at the edges of the pan cook more quickly than things in the middle. Therfore, put them so the tips face inward and the bottoms face outward and you will get a more even roast (especially if you double the recipe).

I sprinkled them with extra virgin olive oil and Kosher salt, rolled them around to coat them and heated the oven up to 400 degrees F. Then I roasted them for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made a simple Hollandaise sauce by combining a large egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (thanks to Jake and Carla for replenishing my lemons) and a pinch of cayenne pepper in my food processor. I pulsed it a couple of times to combine. Then I put 1/2 of a stick of butter into the microwave to melt. With the food processor running, I slowly added the melted butter to make a smooth frothy sauce.

Note, if the sauce is really thick, add a teaspoon of lukewarm water to loosen it up. I didn't need to do that step, but I did put it into an aluminum bowl, sitting in a bigger bowl of hot water (the recommended method to keep it warm).

I put two of the lamb chops into the microwave, wrapped in wax paper and zapped them for a minute. I pulled out the roasted asparagus, spread it on a platter and hit it with a generous amount of fresh, ground black pepper. Then I drizzled it with my Hollandaise sauce.

The lamb chops were good (I must confess they did taste better fresh off the grille). The asparagus were excellent, either with or without the Hollandaise sauce (but I love roasted asparagus).

I left the mess (just food processor parts and the cookie tray) soaking in the sink and went to watch some TV.