A very hot day all of a sudden

And yet I spent much of it slaving over a frying pan.

Up by 9, after the morning routine spent time with Spot, who loves tummy rubs. It's tough to keep him in the closed room, he's so affectionate, but Spook needs to feel it's her house again. She's made some progress, coming into the office while I was online this afternoon, clawing at the back of the recliner, yelling for treats at the food tower.

10-ish, drove to Lucky's, bought some big yellow onions, looked for but did not find duck fat, bought 4 steamer bowls for next week's lunches.

Cooked up the chicken livers, it took three batches in the cast iron skillet. Used olive oil because I hadn't made schmaltz yet. Put in the fridge for later.

Wasted time online, refilled hummingbird feeders and just relaxed in the recliner till 2, then headed for auditions which were way the hell down in San Jose, usually a 15-minute drive but it was 90° out, and traffic was all jammed up with people heading for the beaches. I was late for the 2:30 appointment, but the auditions were late, like half an hour late. Not only was this place way far from where they show will be done, it was in a dance studio up a LONG steep stairway, no elevator. Not cool. Had half a mind to go home, if the producers are going to be this stoopid.

I had chosen an audition time where other friends were signed up. I knew 3 of the 6. Did not know the woman who went first, don't think she will be in the show after hearing her screech her music. Tone deaf. Dressed as a dancer, but not shaped like one. Everyone else did okay with their songs, I did really well with the song and the reading. My buddy Peter said "I have to follow that?" which was nice - he nailed his song, but his reading showed he didn't know the show. He did well considering that. Terri, whom I have never been on stage with but have seen a few times, and know from science and sci-fi fandom, showed a beautiful and strong voice.

I begged out of the dance audition, the directors/choreographer were a bit shocked about the pacemaker. I also thought it was rude that after making us wait half an hour, they wanted the dance audition to be done after the next group did their singing/reading.

Callbacks are next Sunday at the same place, which means they are going to overdo the dancing in this production.

The trip home was faster, still a lot of traffic for a weekend afternoon. 

The chicken skins had thawed in the fridge, I tried cutting them with a knife and then scissors, but finally threw them into the Cuisinart and pulsed them with the chopper. Worked fine, though a little smaller pieces than traditional. Rendered them in the cast iron skillet, it took three sessions, poured off about a cup of schmaltz. Completely forgot to add onions. Will do those in schmaltz tomorrow.

Put the Cuisinart container piece in the microwave for 30 seconds hoping to melt the chicken fat which was coating the sides, but did not know there is a metal rod which locks the unit in place, which allows the machine to turn on. The rod fused the plastic around it and the next time I tried to use the machine, it was dead in the water.

Emergency trip to Target, planning to use my $5 discount card to buy a new food processor. But did not count on there being a street faire blocking my way, so a long detour. And did not count on Target being out of stock on all 12 food processors on display.

On to BB&B, where they had the 2018 version of mine on sale $40 off. Ugly color but who cares? Also bought a chef's knife for $20, since all mine are dull and the sharpener has not helped.

Home, unboxed the food processor and was thrilled that it came with the two blade discs - which were not mentioned on the box - as well as the chopper blade, which is. It took a while to get it to work, because the new model's food chute is at the back instead of the front. The container is the same 14 cup capacity, but a smaller diameter, so the new container won't work on the old unit..

Threw a cut up onion in, it chopped it in seconds. Threw in another. Ditto. Peeled some HB eggs, caramelized half the chopped onions, put that, the eggs and cooked liver and half the greebens into the food processor and in 45 seconds had chopped liver.

That's in a bowl in the fridge. Sliced an onion into rings and cut the rings in half, they are in a tub with the greeben to carbonize in schmaltz (which is in a Mason jar in the fridge) tomorrow.

Took a Spot break, Spook was hanging out by the guest room door when I came out.

Mixed fruit for dinner, mochi for dessert. Watched half of the latest 1 Strange Rock.

Plans for tomorrow:
Cook up the onions & greeben
Enjoy some home made chopped liver on rye bread
Early coffee (3pm) with Janice. She's off to Fiji soon
Take out the garbage
Swiffer the kitchen floor
Maybe let Spot out.

Spit take

Breakfast was chopped liver on rye sandwich. Lunch was the same, but with a sliced HB egg and onion slices added. The chopped liver tastes just like I remember Mom's & grandma's. I am thinking what may have triggered this foray into my culinary past is Mom's birthday was May 29. Same as JFK's.

In cat news, spent some quality time with Spot, who seems to get fatter daily. He has been parking himself on the window ledge lately, which is good. I swapped out his too-light food tower for one he can't easily tip over. Refilled his water fountain too. Spook has been around some, hanging out by the door when I'm in the guest room, curled up in the livingroom amongst the toys. Grooming herself, which she had not been doing much of.

9 am, phone call, went to VM. Checked it later, its was the woman in #4 asking for help moving her son's Chevy Bolt so she can get the garbage bins to the curb - after 5 pm. I replied okay. Son is at a tech conference back east.

Read some more of Moira's book. I thought I was near the end, but Kindle app says no. It's an uncomfortable book to read, on many levels. She had a horrendous childhood full of parental abuse from her two very famous parents. They were both vehemently opposed to Christianity, in favor of paganism (Mom) and atheism (Dad). Both were MENSA + geniuses. So is Moira. Odd but true, what makes me most uncomfortable about the book is her choosing a fairly prudish edition of Christianity as the antidote. OTOH, it obviously works for her (I have seen her in concert both in front of large audiences and at intimate house concerts. The woman I see shows none of the damage she describes in the book).

Did the reading out on the porch, where it was 80° or so, nice breeze, only saw one hummingbird.

2:55, off to MV for 3 pm coffee with Janice. That will be the last one for a while, she's off to Fiji on the 9th. She reminded me to install What'sApp on my phone in case she wants to call.

Home, pulled out a set of food containers with snap-on lids, and filled 4 of them with chopped liver. Three in the freezer, one in the fridge. Also pulled out a small tub of tuna salad to thaw for lunch tomorrow.

5 pm, went over to #4 and was surprised that the neighbor with the Mexican surname is Jewish and speaks as much Hebrew as I do, if not more. Petite, her eyes are the same color as my maternal great-grandfather's. A kind of blue-grey which my Boston cousin also has. It was a bit of a challenge to get the Bolt in gear, instead of the intuitive button on the top front of the shifter enabling that, it was a flush-mounted button on the left side. Had to RTFM to find that. No problem after that except I had to park close to the stairs on the left and crawl out over the passenger side. He had his seat adjusted as if he's 4 feet tall.

Back home, watched Graham Norton and the news, then caught enough of the NBA post-game to know the Warriors did it again.

The last of the curried chicken wings + some rice for dinner, ice cream with cherries & walnuts for dessert.

Started dough for sourdough bread, will know tomorrow if I need to cheat and buy yeast or not. So far, 1 cup of stater, 3 cups of white flour, and some water is all, covered and in the fridge. Next step is 2 more cups, rye flour this time, and maybe sugar & salt. I will burn that recipe when I come to it.

I had been putting off the 23&me kit, because I don't spit. I've always been disgusted by spitting, and just don't do it. But a reminder to send in a swab test for a pre-Alzheimer study got me killing that other bird. Took an hour to "fill to this line". And it wasn't easy.

But both kits will be mailed out tomorrow. Also in the mail will be the 2018 US Mint America the Beautiful quarters for youngest sister.

Plans for tomorrow:
Phone Middle (Baltimore) sister and sing Happy Birthday off key to her as is our tradition
Work
Home
Sourdough bread phase 3
Fry up some onions in schmaltz. My memory says they should be carbonized, beyond caramelized.