Three Beautiful Things 10-01-2023: 6201!, Napping with Copper and Luna, A Beer Sampling Session, Fall Harvest Family Dinner

Yesterday, I posted my 6200th entry on this blog. 

Here comes number 6201!

1. For no good reason, I slept in this morning and then, early in the afternoon, I decided to spend some time on the bed with Luna and Copper. Their contentment made me content -- so much so that I fell asleep and enjoyed a surprise nap.

2. Before heading over to Carol and Paul's house for family dinner, Debbie and had some sit, split, sip, and yak time. First we split a Hazy IPA from Boss Rambler Brewing in Bend, OR called Hang Juice. We both enjoyed it a lot. The brewery did not present this beer as a 2IPA, but its ABV is 7.2% and if sure worked on me as a Double IPA -- both in its assertive flavors and the mild euphoria it gave me. 

We then spilt a Double IPA from Dekker Brewing in Fargo, ND called Neon Phenom. The hazy juicy beer we drank first had very little bitterness, but the Neon Phenom finished with bite of bitterness I found refreshing.

3. Debbie baked a pan of beer bread and she assembled chunks of Romaine lettuce to be grilled and dressed at Carol and Paul's house, creating a grilled Caesar salad.

Tonight's family dinner was cozy. Christy joined a boat cruise from Coeur d'Alene to the St. Joe River and back and Molly put in a shift this evening at Radio Brewing, so Paul, Carol, Debbie, and I got to spend time together. 

Carol and Paul greeted us with Evan Williams Spiced Cider, a perfect cocktail for the beginning of fall, and Carol warmed a delicious creamy and spicy chunk of brie cheese topped with raspberry jam, jalapeños, and walnuts and served it with crackers for our appetizer.

Our main course was Carol's Coconut Pumpkin Red Curry soup featuring pumpkin puree Carol made after roasting a couple of pumpkins from her garden.

The puree and coconut milk in the soup balanced the spiciness of the soup's red curry. Therefore, the soup had a mild bite of heat, not overpowering, and it was a splendid contrast to the mildness of the pumpkin and coconut milk. 

Our dinner ended with a slice of Carol's delicious Brown Butter Pear Cake made from pears a friend gave to Carol and Paul.

Fresh homemade raspberry jam. Soup made from roasted garden fresh pumpkins. Cake made from garden fresh pears. 

Ours was a meal that emerged from the bounty of early fall. 

It worked!