It’s an event that has been going on since for at least 18 years, since before I was married to hubby #2. It started at my sister Kelley’s condo in Key Largo and was originally just the two of us, wanting to take a break from our lives. It progressed to inviting our friend Susie and then Kelley’s friend (now mine) Peggy from Tallahassee. The party moved from the condo to Kelley’s home in Tavernier several years ago.

The normal turn of events is: Arrive Friday afternoon, blow it out Friday night (aka drink too much), recuperate Saturday and leave on Sunday. On one of our first Girl’s Weekends, we decided to become a Female Detective Agency (a la Charlie’s Angels), until we found out what was actually entailed. Our goal? Bust cheating husbands. On another Friday night blow out, we booked flights to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, to set Susie up with someone Kelley knew, only to wake up the next morning, regretting our drunk dialing decision. We still had fun, at Girl’s Weekend and Saint Thomas.

Girl’s Weekend is a chance to catch up on all the events that have transpired from the year before. Yes, there are Zoom Happy Hours, phone calls, texts and e-mails but nothing can replace one-on-one time that is face-to-face with another human being. During the time we’ve been together we’ve dealt with: Break-Ups, Marriages, Selling Businesses, Starting Businesses, Retirement, Weddings, Health Scares, Surgeries, Becoming Grandmothers and Kid’s Issues- large and small.

We normally talk ourselves silly until the wee hours of the morning, trying to solve the world’s (and each other’s) problems. The one constant is that we all look forward to this little oasis carved out each year to spend together. I enjoyed it so much, I recently started my own Girl’s Weekend in the Keys at my condo in Key Largo.

Girl’s Weekend is also a License to Chill.

There are no kids, husbands, pets or grandchildren to cater to. There are cocktails, wine, snacks, relaxed dining, paddleboard rides, neighborhood walks, playing Head’s Up, dominos, card games, reading, hanging out in the hammock, watching Chick Flicks, going out on the boat or shopping at Shell World; these are all activities we’ve enjoyed over the years at Girl’s Weekend. There was also the time we went out on Kelley’s boat and pulled Stone Crab traps to harvest their claws, a traumatic experience for me (not to mention the stone crabs!). We boiled them and ate them for dinner.

Last year, 2020, was the first year ever we didn’t have a Girl’s Weekend. Thanks Covid! But this year it resumed, albeit a calmer and gentler version. Kelley made an Ina Garten recipe for Lobster Cobb Salad and I made Ina’s frozen Key Lime Pie for our Friday night Dinner, which Ina said was her “all-time favorite Summer” lunch. Peggy had brought other salads (quinoa and orzo with garbanzo beans), which we added to the mix with Challah bread, for a very chill (and chilled) first meal for Girl’s Weekend. And, for the first time, we didn’t blow it out Friday night!

There is always a Welcome Cocktail, thanks to Peggy, our resident mixologist. This year she experimented with three different cocktail ideas before settling on The Beach House Cosmo, a delicious and refreshing drink that is reminiscent of Pink Lemonade, but with a kick. It was a little sweet for me, so I added some La Croix sparkling water, to make it like a Pink Sparkling Lemonade- even better! We used to have little plastic men in Speedos (called Drinking Buddies) that I’d bought as drink markers for our cocktails, but Kelley’s granddaughter Grace played with them and they disappeared, so this year, no little men. Another first. Bye Chad!

Our plan Saturday was to take Kelley’s boat (Playin’ Too) out early for a picnic at Alligator Reef and get back in time for the U.M. game at 12. When we were almost to Alligator Reef, the engine started making a buzzing noise. We stopped and after numerous calls to husbands and sons, decided to try to idle back home. Alas, right before the Sandbar, the engine quit and wouldn’t turn over. We called a boat towing service and waited. We ate delicious Muffaletta sandwiches (NYT Food recipe) Kelley had made, munched on cold watermelon slices and drank Coors Light as we waited.

The high school aged boy who came to tow us said:

Now, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Nelson with Boat Tow USA.

As we arrived home, a neighbor on a nearby dock said:

How’d you kill a Yamaha? I thought they were indestructable.

A**hole neighbor.

Kelley’s next door neighbors were out of town and had told her she could use their pool while they were away. After our Tow of Shame, she wanted to take a dip in the pool and rinse off the salt water, but the OTHER next door neighbors (a couple) were already firmly ensconced in the inviting blue water. They stayed there ALL DAY. Kelley’s neighbors had told them they could use the pool too, but they were being kinda greedy. We watched U.M. and U.F. lose, went to dinner at Lazy Days and came home to watch the best Chick Flic ever- Bridesmaids.

So, the next morning, we staked our claim at the neighbor’s pool early, putting towels down around 9 a.m. We entered later in the morning and when Kelley offered to bring us Beach House Cosmos (there was still some left in the pitcher) we said “Why not?” There was nothing left to do but float in the pool, drink our welcome cocktail and relax. And that is what Girl’s Weekend is all about!

Beach House Cosmos

Recipe by The Beach House CookbookCourse: CocktailCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

206

kcal

Ingredients

• 4 cups prepared limeade

• 2 cups Vodka

• 1 cup cranberry juice (we used light)

• 1/2 cup of Triple Sec

• 12 slices fresh lime

• La Croix, Key Lime flavor

Directions

• Mix all ingredients in a pitcher. Place in refrigerator and let chill 2 to 3 hours.
• Pour mixture into in Martini glasses 3/4 full.
  
• Top with La Croix (or other sparkling water) and garnish with a lime slice.

Up Next: Boat Food

On the Road Again…

When I was a Flight Attendant for Air Florida, I flew to London on a regular basis and this song played as we were embarking and disembarking on our transatlantic flights. After quarantining for five months, I was finally able to be “on the road again”, on a Road Trip in a rented mini-van to take Lauren to Washington D.C. to start Georgetown for her LLM. Along the way, Zeke and I hit seven states and nine cities; we ate many excellent meals, while sampling food in the South and Mid-Atlantic states, so here are my recommendations.

Best Overall Meal: Husk, Charleston, SC.

It’s kind of a bummer when you’re first meal is your best on a vacation, but this was the case on our Road Trip. The welcoming atmosphere, friendly and professional staff, attention to detail, delicious affordable Southern fare and the overall impression- from wine selections, to appetizers, entrees and desserts, made Husk my best overall meal on our Road Trip. Recommended dishes: Skillet Corn Bread, Kentuckyaki Glazed Pig Ears & Heritage Pork with Pink Peas, Peaches and Arugula.

First things first. All you hear about when you travel to Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Area, is about the crab, the crab cakes and the oysters. Zeke was going on a streak (eventually broken) where he was eating a crab cake every day. Again, the best Crab Cake for me was the first one I tried on our trip, at the Mecca of Crab Cakes.

Best Crab Cake: Faidley’s, Baltimore, MD

This market, which is not really a restaurant (although they do have stand up tables) was recommended to us by our friend Sharon’s mother Connie, who is from Havre de Grace, outside Baltimore. You order your Crab Cake, with sides if desired, pay and it’s delivered to you. The crab cake comes out, golden brown, baseball shaped, heaping in the middle, bursting with jumbo lump crab meat and, very little filler. These 8 ounce crab cakes are rich, meaty and slightly decadent. I got the coleslaw on the side, Zeke got the cucumber salad. Both were good, but the crab cake was definitely the star of this show.

Best Raw Oyster: Patty’s Fatty’s, the House Oyster at The Boatyard, Annapolis, MD

Since Zeke and I both love raw oysters, we tried them in almost every place we ate on this trip, and especially wanted to try the local oysters from the Chesapeake Bay. These Patty’s Fatty’s stood out in our memory as special and they lived up to their name, being plump and briny, with a mild taste. I also liked that The Boatyard labeled their oysters with little wooden skewers, taking the guesswork out of which oyster you’re eating, as I usually forget what the waiter tells me they are, within seconds of him walking away.

Most Unique Meal: Steamed Crabs at the Crab and Steak House, St. Micheals, MD.

When we bought our boat from Todd at Unique Marine, he told us was had to try the crabs while in the area, where he’s originally from. Not the crab cakes, he explained, but the whole Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs, where you crack them open, dig the meat out and feast.

“It’s messy and a lot of work,” he explained. “But there’s nothing like it.”

Todd

So, being the adventurous eaters we are, we did it.

I ordered a 1/2 dozen Steamed Maryland Crabs (market price), Zeke got a dozen and we really over-ordered. The waiter came and dumped the Old Bay encrusted Steamed Crabs from a red, plastic tray onto our paper-covered table. He showed us how to eat them, and then we were on our own. You flip the crab over, remove a little section, flip it over again, remove the red shell. You pull out the “black muck”, pull off its legs (dismember it) and then, start eating. A wooden mallet is provided for cracking into hard-to-getting the crab meat out of hard to get to spots- the honeycomb-like body was the most challenging area of the crab. It was a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience, I don’t ever want to do again.

Best Drink: Thames Oyster House‘s Summer Negroni Slushie, Baltimore, MD.

Maybe it was because we’d walked around for hours in 90 degree heat in the Inner Harbor, maybe it was the charming little courtyard away from the maddening crowd of Fell’s Point, or maybe it was our accommodating waiter, but I loved this place, that seemed like a Secret Garden hidden in the middle of Downtown Baltimore. The couples around us were all apparently in a party mood and, when I saw the Summer Negroni Slushie on the menu, it had my name all over it. Gin, sweet vermouth, lemon and grapefruit juice combined with crushed ice made for an awfully refreshing drink. I’ll have another.

Best Appetizer: Foie Gras Parfait at Le Diplomate, Washington D.C.

While this was my favorite appetizer on our trip, the manager was such an unhelpful jerk, it almost seemed like we were actually in Paris. This tainted my experience of Le Diplomat. But forget all that, in the name of journalism and listening to my stomach, I loved this dish of smooth, whipped pate in a jar, covered with a wine gelee and served with fat slices of rich brioche. The Foie Gras Parfait was reminiscent of a grown-up peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as you spread it on the toast; it was a perfect bite with a glass of French Chardonnay. The French fries, which came on Zeke Steak Frites, were awfully good as well.

Best Breakfast: Iron Rooster, Annapolis, MD.

We stayed at several Bed and Breakfasts on this trip, which supplied tasty starts to our day, but our favorite breakfast, by far, was at the Iron Rooster in Annapolis, Maryland. We both got the same exact breakfast- two over-easy eggs, with hash browns, Canadian Bacon and a huge biscuit. The eggs were cooked perfectly, the hash browns non-greasy and delicious and the Canadian Bacon was the best we’ve ever had. This was no Jones skinny, colorless patty, but a fat slab of pink meat, with a nice char from being on the flat top. Good coffee and service as well, with a view of the harbor.

Best Lunch: Agave, Lewes, Delaware.

I’d heard a lot about Rehoboth Beach, so booked a night there in Delaware, but didn’t really understand what the fuss was about. We walked the Boardwalk and ate Boardwalk Food (Grotto Pizza). I’m so glad we stopped at the nearby beach town of Lewes (the first town in the first state) for lunch! It was a charming town, full of history, book and antique shops and Agave, an excellent Mexican restaurant. I got the BEST margarita there- Ancho Chili with Patron Citronge and Ancho Poblano Chili Liqueur, rimmed with spicy salt. Zeke loved his Chicken Mole Enchiladas, smothered in sauce and my Blue Cheese and Steak Quesadillas, filled with rare filet mignon slices and carmelized onions, was to die for.

Best Entree for Dinner: Chicken and Waffles at Founding Farmers, D.C.

This was one of my last meals on our Road Trip, on our return trip to D.C. and it was delicious. My crunchy fried chicken, creamy macaroni and cheese and flavorful green beans were so darned good, I didn’t even get around to eating my waffles. There were plenty of leftovers for Lauren to take back to her apartment in D.C. The service here was friendly, the food affordable, definitely a repeat when we return to D.C.

Best Pasta Meal: Gnocchi with Shrimp at Gia’s, Baltimore, MD.

Every trip has to feature a trip to an Italian restaurant and when we asked the Front Desk lady at our Baltimore B & B to recommend a spot in Little Italy, she recommended Gia’s, owned by a friend. We’d walked by it before, as I noticed the colorful mural on the way to our hotel. I got the homemade Gnocchi with Shrimp, which was a huge portion of al dente gnocchi and fresh shrimp, which were cut into the same size as the gnocchi, which led to a fun experience, of not knowing if the bite you were taking would be pasta or shrimp. These gnocchi were made with ricotta (the way my Aunt Josie used to make them), so they’re lighter and the sauce was fresh tomatoes, arugula and spicy prosciutto paste, topped with burrata. Mama Gia- I loved this dish! And our waitress was helpful and lovely, as well.

Best Dessert: Peach Cobbler at Old Ebbit Grill

I’m glad that it was Washington D.C. Restaurant Week and that Zeke ordered the prix fixe meal (with Caesar salad and Crab Cake), because I got to taste his Peach Cobbler, which came a la mode. The cinnamon-scented peaches were hot and slick, covered with a crunchy, nutty and crumbly filling that went perfectly with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So, if you get a chance in the near future to visit any of these cities/states (and I hope you do!), these are my recommendations. Also, overall, I felt traveling to these states was very safe, with a few exceptions, which I’ll talk about in a future post. Thanks to Beth and Mireya for recommendations of places to visit on our trip.

Up Next: Faidely’s Crab Cake Recipe.