May 24

A happy Memorial Day to all! I haven't posted in a few weeks for a number of reasons. First...I knew Traci was going to be a little busy this month, but more accurately, the cost of stamps went up and the commissary ran out of the $.02 stamps! They now have the new stamped envelopes so I'm back in business. Although I am thinking of writing just a couple of times a week as I really don't have that much news to report on a weekly basis.

It was reported that Matthew and Maddie had a nice birthday party. My parents came from El Paso and spent the remainder of time with the kids. I'm certain all had a good time. I certainly enjoyed our two weekends of visits.

The weather has been a pleasant surprise this past week. Nice days and very pleasant nights. Unseasonably cool! Too bad that won't last.

Well, I think my time here is coming to an end! Last week I saw several guys who arrived a month or so before I did leave. I'm predicting that I will move on from here in the next month or so. So if any of you are planning a visit, now is your chance. Who knows where I will end up. Stay posted to this page and you will find out.

I'm back to working full time. The guy they hired to replace me was moved to another position so I'm back to working in the same job that I got when I arrived here in 2007. It sure will make the remainder of my time here go more quickly. I also completed another six months at my job, so I received another certificate to add to my collection. I think I'm now done with my certificates!

I saw a recipe in the May issue of Bon Appetit that someone should try and tell me how good it tastes. It is the cover recipe, which is Beef Shank & Sausage Ragu with whole grain spaghetti. I think regular spaghetti will be just as good. As well, short ribs instead of beef shank! Recipe is on page 92.

The recent issue of Saveur magazine had a recipe for Caramel Tart with Chocolate Ganache which sounded great. You sprinkle Grey Sea Salt on top of the chocolate ganache before serving. I wrote down the recipes for both so I can try them someday.

I just finished reading Angels and Demons last night. It was very good--a lot of action. All that was missing was eating a piece of pizza in the Piazza NAVONA. Buon appetito!

Until next time--

Tom

Don't Give Up

Dear Friends,
I haven't had a letter from Tom recently, so there have been no blog updates. As soon as I have something new I'll update the blog. In the meantime, you might try sending him a regular letter. -the ghostwriter-

A Recipe Tom Loved - Saveur Magazine

And here's a story to go with it. Tom read about this pasta in the magazine, and then "...they served us spaghetti with meat sauce, bread, and--are you ready--garlic butter (or margarine, from the color). That was the first time in two years that I was served butter. I scraped the meat sauce to the side and tossed the spaghetti with the butter.

Tom asked me to share this story with you along with the recipe from Saveur.

The Original Fettuccine Alfredo

Rate this recipe | See Reviews

SERVES 4 – 6 Mixing the ingredients on a warmed platter will help them melt quickly to make a satiny sauce. For the best results, use dried pasta, which doesn't break as easily during tossing as fresh egg pasta does. 1 lb. dried fettuccine 1⁄2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks) 1⁄2 lb. finely grated parmesan (about 3 1⁄4 cup) 1. Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, cut butter into thin pats and transfer to a large, warmed platter. Drain pasta, reserving 3⁄4 cup pasta water, and place the pasta over the butter on the platter. 3. Sprinkle grated parmesan over the pasta and drizzle with 1⁄4 cup of the reserved pasta water. 4. Using a large spoon and fork, gently toss the pasta with the butter and cheese, lifting and swirling the noodles and adding more pasta water as necessary. (The pasta water will help create a smooth sauce.) Work in any melted butter and cheese that pools around the edges of the platter. Continue to mix the pasta until the cheese and butter have fully melted and the noodles are coated, about 3 minutes. (For a quicker preparation, bring the reserved 3⁄4 cup pasta water and the butter to a boil in a 12" skillet; then add the pasta, sprinkle with the cheese, and toss with tongs over medium-low heat until the pasta is creamy and coated, about 2 minutes.) 5. Serve the fettuccine immediately on warmed plates.

When Pigs Fly - May 2

When I sat down last week to write this I don't think many of us had heard of Swine Flu. A week later (less than) we are totally absorbed in Swine Flu. They cancelled visits this weekend. (If anyone tried, I hope they called first.) From what I understand, they cancelled almost everything. I don't even know if we'll be working this week. Two of the maintenance bosses called in sick last week because they had flu-like symptoms. I hope this "pandemic" ends quickly as my parents are planning to travel to visit me and the kids for their birthday May 17. We'll see.

I finished "Death in Vienna" by Daniel Silva. I guess I would rate it a 6 on a scale of 1-10. He has had better! Then I started a book by Lee Child called "Bad Luck and Trouble." I like the Jack Reacher character. However, I can't read them back to back, but it is nice to read one every once in a while for a change of pace.

I understand the kids took the TAKS test last week. Hopefully everyone passed. Just think--only four more weeks of school left. Where did the year go?

My sincerest wishes for a Happy Mother's Day to all! Have a great day!

Tom