My husband and I took a quick trip to North Carolina to his family’s cabin in Waynesville. It’s not normally my favorite place to stay since “rustic” is a generous way to describe the accomodations. The ancient dishwasher from the forties needs to be hauled across the kitchen floor and hooked up to the sink; this no longer operates at all, so all dishes have to be hand washed. Since it was just the two of us, this wasn’t much of a problem.

The bed in the “Master bedroom” (and I use this term loosely) takes up almost all of the available floor space and, even at that, isn’t very big so, when sleeping (or attempting to) we’re right on top of each other. Every wiggle results in an adjacent wag and neither one of us gets a good night’s sleep. After the first night of this mayhem, I took to sleeping in the guest bedroom in a cozy twin-size bed. I missed my two-ton weighted blanket!

The pre-fab bathroom, with vintage linoleum, a rusty metal storage cabinet and dusty duck decor from the 80’s, is now equipped with a rain forest showerhead, which proceeds to cover every square inch of the shower stall. I don’t know whose brilliant idea this was, but obviously not a person who cared about keeping their blow-dried hair dry intact. I was forced to go purchase a hideous pink shower cap.

We arrived in the middle of a violent rain storm and were greeted with dirty towels, left by the previous visitors, dirty sheets on the dryer AND a forecast of rain all week. I can take rain and I can take cold, but rain and cold is not Muy Bueno!

Yet still… There’s a little stream that runs by the cabin and it’s a very relaxing way to go to sleep. Kind of like a meditation app, turned to “mountain stream” and there is something to be said about “fresh mountain air” and waking up with a view of the Great Smoky mountains. It was also refreshing to be in a location where they actually experience seasons; Spring had just started emerging in North Carolina and luckily the rain forecasted did not turn out to be true.

I enjoyed using my plant app to investigate different plants and trees around the neighborhood. The yellow Forsythia were brilliant on my many walks up and down the hilly streets, the sour cherry were blooming in delicate white and pink flowers that showered down on the ground, and a sweet little Lily of the Valley bush adorned the corner of our street. Robins, something I rarely see in Miami, were abundant in North Carolina, with their red breasts crowding on front lawns and in trees. If there was ever a harbinger of Spring, it is the robin.

Also, in North Carolina, ramps (also known as wild leek) emerge from the soil in the Spring. They are something of a delicacy since they’re only available for three months in the Spring and have to be foraged in the forest. Chefs go crazy for them. When we visited the Farmer’s Market in Asheville, however, the ramps that were left were puny, little green stumps.

“They’ve only just come out this week,” the hefty man at the Farmer’s Market explained. “They’ll probably be bigger next week. Have a Blessed Day!”

We’d come to get ramps and some kind of meat to Bar-B-Que, but the meat person wasn’t at the Farmer’s Market so we left, empty handed. We were taunted by signs saying “Don’t forget the meat!” and when we went back to the car, there was something in a plastic bag in the trunk of the car. I opened it up. It was pork chops we’d purchased at Ingles grocery store the day before.

“Looks like you forgot your meat,” I said to Zeke.

We’d arrived Thursday night in the middle of a violent rain storm, so, as we unpacked the car, the pork chops got left behind. We went to a Butcher Shop in Asheville (The Chop Shop Butchery) and got a pork chop and steak to take home and grill. The steak was HUGE- like a Fred Flinstone Brontosaurus Steak, but my favorite was the Pork Chop. I whipped up a quick rub and Zeke grilled it. Served with boiled corn on the cob from the Farmer’s Market (ironically from Florida), grilled asparagus, sliced cherry tomatoes and garlic bread, it may have been the best pork chop I’ve ever had in my life.

My thoughts while in North Carolina, however, were on my grandchildren, my future grandson Phoenix, and my daughter A.J.’s family baby shower on Saturday after we got back. I was making Spaghetti sauce, Meatballs and Sausage for that and already had my Cotsco list ready, when it dawned on me, Easter was Sunday. I’m not a particularly religious person, so this could be the reason it escaped me, but more likely than not, I just have a lot going on in my life. All good, so no complaints, but busy!

Luckily A.J. had a Honeybaked Ham from Christmas she’d frozen. I’m rounding out the menu with Buttermilk Biscuits, Mustard Sauce, Broccoli Salad, Potatoes Gratin and a Carrot Salad. The Carrot Salad (Gajjara Kosambabi) was one of a whole series of Indian recipes from the New York Times Food Section that I was planning on making, but they called for so many ingredients I didn’t have, I just gave up and made the carrot salad. I’m not sure I’m crazy about it, but carrots remind me of bunnies, and bunnies remind me of Easter, hence why I made it. I did try a fun technique for lemon juice which I saw on the internet. If you only need a little amount of lemon juice, poke a skewer in one end and squeeze out the amount you need. This eliminates the seeds and helps the cut lemon from going bad quickly. Kind of like when you would stick one of those plastic thingamagigs into a fresh orange to suck the juice out. The video is below.

While I’m still on the carrot kick, I might make a colorful and fragrant Carrot Ginger Soup to go with the meal if I get a chance, although with a toddler, a five year old and a newborn baby eating with us, any kind of an attempt at a civilized meal with more than one course is dicey, at best. Emma’s bringing Corn Dip, Courtney a Fruit Salad and Chris a Coconut Flan he’s had his eye on but couldn’t justify buying. We will have an Easter Egg Hunt at some point in the day.

I have just hard boiled thirty eggs. My first attempt was in the Insta Pot, which resulted in two cracked shells. The Insta Pot is great for hard boiled eggs if you’re going to just eat them, as it makes the shells easy to peel, but I went back to my original method for hard boiling eggs to dye, which left me with no broken shells.

Fool-proof Hard Boiled Eggs

Place eggs in a heavy duty saucepan. Fill with cold water that comes 1″ over the eggs and put heat on high. Once the water boils, cover the pot, remove from heat and let sit 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, put in a cold water bath with ice and water.

I usually have asparagus at Easter, so I will give you my favorite asparagus recipe. It’s easy, quick and I think the addition of fresh lemon juice pairs perfectly with the Spring-forward asparagus spears.

Roasted Asparagus from Joy of Cooking

4 servings

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Snap off the bottoms of 1 pound of asparagus. Arrange the spears in a single layer in a shallow baking dish and drizzle over them very lightly Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Toss the spears to coat lightly. Roast until tender but still slightly firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with: salt and pepper to taste, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, tarragon or chives.

Serve garnished with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Have a Blessed Easter, Happy Passover or just Celebrate Spring!

A UF Journalism student came over the week before to film me for a project for her TV class project. Her parents had seen photos of my garden on Facebook and suggested interviewing me about gardening in the pandemic. She came Wednesday at 10 a.m. and I showed her my garden. Unfortunately, she didn’t get one of the shots she needed, so she returned the following week, same day, same time and asked me to wear the same clothes and hat I’d worn the week before. Like I said, Groundhog Day. Here’s the resulting product.

Besides that, I’ve learned some new words- Herd Immunity (does this mean we’re cows?), contact testing and tracing. I’ve also signed up for a lot of different accounts I never had before – Zoom, Instacart, Total Wine, Twitter (so I could watch Phantom of the Opera) and the United States Postal Service (to order stamps by mail). With these new accounts, come new passwords, which I quickly forget, leading to resetting of the password and a labyrinth maze of computer hell. I forgot the security question for the USPS, so it instructed me to make a new account, but when I tried to and entered my e-mail, it says: “There is already an account under this name”, leading me back to where I started. Guess I’ll give up and risk my life at the post office.

I signed up for Instacart Express for $9.99 per month since I’ve been using it so much. It will save me the delivery fee. This week I saved $8.92- almost what I spent to sign up, so it’s worth it. My order went better this week, but for some reason I ordered one plum tomato and seven heads of garlic. I did follow Tami’s instructions and followed my shopper on my phone as he shopped. This way I was able to let him know if the replacements he was substituting were acceptable. Despite me say “No, string mozzarella isn’t acceptable as a replacement for a block”, he ignored my orders and now I have three packages of string cheese in my fridge. I did get refunded for it, however. Publix is still out of Clorox Wipes, 409, Charmin TP and yeast and tofu. A lot of bakers and vegetarians out there, I guess.

Our take-out this week was from Atchana’s Thai in Coconut Grove. Atchana is a friend of my sister Elise’s and used to run the “ugly green building” on U.S. 1 serving Thai food. We ordered Pad Thai with Shrimp, Green Curry with Pork, rice and Steamed Dumplings. It was all good and I would definitely get Atchana’s Thai again.

I also ordered a restaurant coupon booklet through Travelzoo. For $25, I will get $25 off orders of $100 or more to: Glass and Vine, Root and Bone, Mi’talia, Fooq’s, Stiltsville and other restaurants; $10 off $50 order from Pubbelly Sushi. $100 does seem like a lot, but I figure it would be a meal and leftovers and, I want to support local restaurants. Travelzoo is in partnership with FIU Hospitality and the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. $5 of every coupon booklet purchased will go to the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality Industry Relief Fund.

Other things I’ve discovered this week. Turkey Bacon is no bacon. It kind of sucks, actually. Since I was out of regular bacon, I decided to give it a try since we had some in the freezer. Its color is that of radioactive baloney and it has a weird scalloped edge, obviously machine-made. It’s basically ground turkey, shaped into a bacon shape and loaded with nitrates. Bottom line: it doesn’t taste very good. The only upside is it’s only 25 calories, but that isn’t enough reason to recommend eating it again.

Zeke apparently caught on to my complaints (hint, hint) of being sick of cooking and he cooked Monday. He made grilled shrimp, which he served over spaghetti in a lemon, garlic sauce (all Wild Fork purchases). It was good and I tried Palmini, hearts of palm cut into pasta like shapes, with it. I mixed it in with spaghetti to cut down on the carb and calorie content. It wasn’t bad, although despite rinsing it repeatedly, it still retained a bit of a bitter, acidic flavor. It’s similar to zucchini noodles, but it comes in a can. If you drown it in enough sauce, it’s acceptable.

I ate ham and hard boiled eggs, ’till it came out of my ears. Sandwiches, omelets, quiches. I’m glad it’s gone. I made this easy quiche from the blog The Frugaler, which doesn’t require a pie crust or flour. It uses Bisquick, much like the zucchini pie from the 80’s. I added some sautéed kale I had in the fridge for a little green and it turned out pretty good. I served it with sautéed mushrooms and leeks and little herb salad I made with parsley and cherry tomatoes from my garden. The last of my Romaine lettuce was looking iffy so, a little helpful hint if you’re out of lettuce- you can make a salad out of herbs you may have growing or on hand. I used parsley- Italian and curly leaf- but basil, dill or mint would work as well. I tossed it with a mustardy vinaigrette. If you’re using herbs from your garden, make sure to rinse them thoroughly in cold, salty water to get rid of the dirt and bugs.

Impossibly Easy Quiche from The Frugaler

• 1 cup cooked ham, bacon, sausage
• 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, etc…)
• 1 cup Bisquick
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a pie pan with non-stick spray.
2. Place your choice of meat in the bottom of the pan. Layer the grated cheese on top of the meat.
3. Mix eggs, baking mix and milk together with a whisk or in a blender until smooth. Pour over the cheese and meat mixture.
4. Bake for 45 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I try to write three things every day I’m grateful for. Even in this fearful and stir-crazy time, there’s always something to be thankful for. Things I am grateful for:

1. I don’t have to Home School small children. I can only imagine how challenging that would be. Yikes!
2. I didn’t lose my job and can work (write) from home.
3. I’m healthy and my family’s healthy. I saw a neighbor walking her mother down the street. The mother was on a walker and struggling. I feel empathy for people caring for elderly parents at this time. Also, people who are sick, physically or mentally, hungry, homeless and women trapped in domestically violent situations. I feel blessed.

There are other silver linings during this period.

1. People are acting nice to each other. At first, all I felt from other people was fear, but now, as it goes on, I’ve had people saying hello on the streets (unusual in Miami) and sharing things other people need. My friend Tami had a friend who needed flour so I gave her some and she brought me some Everglades tomatoes, jalapeño peppers and small bouquet of flowers. Flour for flowers. The bartering system is back.
2. Nature is resurging. From frolicking dolphins in Italy, bears in Yosemite and goats in Wales, animals- without the presence of humans, cars and cruise ships- are making a comeback.
3. Free Events. There are so many virtual tours- of museums, travel spots, national parks and free concerts steaming online, lessons- like cooking and guitar, that we definitely have more than our fair share of things to occupy our time and distract us.

Also, some restaurants and theme parks are releasing their formerly secret recipes. Disney Theme parks released their recipe for the Dole Pineapple Whip you can get outside the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room. I made one for lunch and ate it while I watch a You Tube video of the Enchanted Tiki Room. I didn’t use a star shape piping bag, so it didn’t turn out as pretty, but it was just a delicious. It was only three ingredients- 1 big scoop of vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup pineapple juice and 2 cups of frozen pineapple. Put it in a blender, blend it up and voila! Delicious and oh so refreshing!

And McDonalds released their recipe for their Sausage Egg McMuffin. I made it according to the recipe and just substituted ham (leftover!) for sausage. I didn’t have American cheese (McDonald’s actually has their own formula that melts over a hot English muffin) so used sharp cheddar. The only item you might not have is the egg ring to break the egg into. They sell them at Bed, Bath and Beyond or online. My homemade McMuffin was quite tasty.

We had another Corona Virus Go Away! Zoom Happy Hour this weekend. It was Adele’s Birthday, so we all sang her Happy Birthday as she cooked her own birthday dinner. We were off-key but enthusiastic. Everyone seems to be holding up well during this stressful time, although some of our hair definitely looks better than others.

The Natives are Getting Restless.

I’ve had this sense for the last week or so (at least). People can only be by themselves for SO long without going a little crazy. At least two couples I know, had other couples over to their houses, six feet apart of course. Human connection is crucial.

I also had a Social Distancing Happy Hour, six feet apart, with my Book Club. While there, drinking drinks we’d brought ourselves, I asked everyone what they missed most in this continuing s**t storm of the coronavirus. Most everyone agreed getting their hair done and getting mani-pedis. Guta, an interior designer with fabulous taste, said she missed the gym and shopping to find the perfect, little thing she didn’t know she needed and then, having a leisurely lunch with a girlfriend. Diana, who owns a couple of chain restaurants, said she misses tennis and dancing. She normally takes dance lessons a couple times a week and is in great shape. She’s applied for assistance for her restaurants, but wonders what the restaurant scene will look like, when the dust settles. Vicki, our resident nurse, misses Pilates and going with friends to restaurants. Loli, who hosted, misses getting her hair done, eating out, seeing the water (she calls herself a beach bum) and going to the movies. As a former actress, she says: “streaming is ok, I guess, but like to see movies in the theaters.” I agree!

Sumita, a realtor who started our Book Club and always tries to look on the bright side of things, said “all this”, motioning with her arms to indicate hair, nails etc… Then she elaborated “going to visit my parents (they live in India), going for ice cream on a whim, dinner parties with friends, office meetings with colleagues, hugging a friend.” Louisa, an ESOL teacher, misses being able to visit her mother in Stuart, attending physical therapy sessions and eating out. She also misses her children, who live in different states; any of us with children we can’t see, miss them.

I was supposed to go visit my son Christopher and his wife Courtney in Tallahassee in April, when the weather is glorious and the dogwood and azalea trees are in full bloom. My flight, on April 2nd, was cancelled. I thought about hopping in the car and doing a road trip, but my daughter-in-law is a labor and delivery nurse who works in a hospital, so my son advised against it.

So, I miss road trips and traveling in general. Also, I really miss getting my monthly massage. I need to get my teeth cleaned and this is something I can’t do myself, despite enthusiastic brushing and flossing. They are starting to get that slimy feel. I miss going to Trader Joe’s to shop- everyone there is happy and helpful and they have things you can’t get other places. And also dinner parties- going to or throwing them.

As for what we’ve been watching on TV, we still haven’t finished McMillions (about McDonald’s Monopoly game scandal) but we did enjoy Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, about Fred Rodgers. This documentary, chronicling the life and legacy of Mr. Rodgers, is an upper, and honestly, who doesn’t need that these days?

Up Next: Foods to Fight Viruses and Projects to do Around the House while you’re stuck inside and have nothing else to do.

It was also used as an easy snack throughout the day. Other ideas for using leftover ham: a ham and cheese omelet, quiche, chef’s salad (with hard boiled egg), ham salad, on pizza with pineapple or a flatbread, thrown into Mac and cheese or other pasta dishes, in soup or beans; ham can also be made into delicious, homemade croquettas.

I’ve turned to my good old trusty and cooking-battered Fanny Farmer Cookbook for some of these classic recipes and I love this quote from my 1979 edition:

“It seems almost superfluous to make suggestions for using leftover ham, it has so many uses. In fact, ham is something you never want to be without. As a Virginia-born friend, Edna Lewis, said of her childhood: ‘Ham held the same rating as the basic black dress. If you had ham in the meat house any situation could be faced. On short notice it would be sliced and fried with special red gravy…The smoked shoulder was indispensable as a seasoning for other meat dishes; a slice would be added in to fried chicken, rabbit or quail. It was used also in boiled pots of cabbage, beans, watercress and black-eyed peas’.”

The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1979

If you have leftover ham, and can’t find inspiration in any of the above suggestions, this is a very easy recipe from James Beard’s cookbook, Beard on Pasta. I won’t make this because: #1 my family doesn’t like peas (I do) and #2 I have no peas. But ham and peas are a natural combination; farafelle (bow tie) pasta would be perfect for this dish, but most any short pasta will do. If you have no cream, you could just make this with butter.

Ham and Peas James Beard

Very simple. Pour a cup of heavy cream into a saucepan. Let it cook down and thicken slightly, and add some peas and bits of ham. Pour over hot noodles and sprinkle on quite a lot of grated cheese.

Now, if you have leftover hard boiled eggs, the logical first choice is to make egg salad with them. I love egg salad and, once again, turned to my Fanny Farmer Cookbook for the recipe, which used eight of my eggs. Other options: chopped and served over cold asparagus in a vinaigrette as a salad, in Asian soups and noodle dishes, sliced on toast and covered with Bechamel sauce, as part of a grain bowl, or sliced and served on a savory oatmeal. They are also good just sprinkled with toasted sesame salt and eaten out of hand.

Deviled Eggs are pretty much the little black dress of the egg world. Everyone loves them, they’re first to go at potlucks and are endlessly adaptable. They can be mixed with curry powder, chopped scallions and topped with chutney, mixed with siracha and topped with cilantro or chives, mixed with truffle oil and topped with caviar, mixed with Buffalo sauce, chopped celery and topped with blue cheese, or served Bricktop’s style- topped with candied bacon.

Here’s my mother’s recipe for a classic deviled egg.

Deviled Eggs Lyla Lee Rice

• 12 hard boiled eggs, shelled
• 1/2 mayo (Hellman’s)
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 1/2 tsp. hot dog mustard
• 1 tsp. grated onion
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T sweet pickle relish

Peel eggs. Slice eggs in half and remove yolks. Mash and add other ingredients. Use a pastry bag to fill egg halves for nicer presentation. Decorate with paprika, chopped parsley or pimento. Makes 24.

If you have both leftover ham and hard boiled eggs, you have the making for a classic Chef’s Salad. If you don’t have all of the ingredients, don’t sweat it. As long as you have lettuce, ham, eggs and dressing, you’re good to go. This recipe, from Fanny Farmer Cookbook, says “This is a main dish for a summer evening or a lunch.”

Chef’s Salad Serves 4

• 1 head iceberg
• 12 radishes, trimmed, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups French Dressing (recipe below)
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, cut into 6 wedges each
• 3/4 cup Swiss cheese strips
• 1 cup cooked ham, cut into strips 1/8 inch wide
• 1 cup cooked chicken or turkey, 1/8 inch wide
• 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Core the iceberg lettuce and save four outside leaves for the bed in which to put the salad. Place them around the edges of a large salad bowl. Cut or tear the remaining lettuce into bite-size pieces, place in the bowl and toss with radishes, celery and half of the dressing. Arrange the tomato wedges around the inside edges of the lettuce. Combine the cheese, ham and chicken, toss and spread it over the lettuce and vegetable. Place the hard boiled eggs between the tomato wedges. Salt and pepper lightly over the salad. Spoon the rest of the dressing over the salad.

French Dressing

• 2 T vinegar
• 1/2 tsp.salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small bowl mix the vinegar and salt and let stand a few minutes. Add the pepper and slowly stir or whisk in the oil. Taste for acid and salt and add more if too bland. Stir to blend before using or store in a jar with a tight lid and shake before using.

Up Next: Foods to Fight Viruses

The highlight of the week was seeing my grandson Wyatt for an early Easter egg Hunt on Friday. I hadn’t been able to see him, up close and personal, for a couple weeks but since he was leaving for North Carolina the next day, to see his other grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins, A.J. decided it was silly for me not to see him. He arrived in his Sunday best, saying “This is the best day ever!” He had a great time finding the 11 hardboiled dyed Easter eggs and 30 plastic eggs hidden around our backyard.

I changed his clothes (he said he was uncomfortable), fed him Spaghettios for lunch and Zeke and I took him down the trail to look at the stuffed animals neighbors have placed in the trees for children to find during their bike rides. The trail is a couple blocks away from our house and Wyatt kept asking “When am I going to see the animals?”

I said “Wyatt, you have to be patient. Do you know what that means? Sometimes we have to wait a little bit for things.”

This made me think of all of us in the pandemic. It’s been so hard to be at home, to not go out as we used to, to not be able see our friends and family and to self-isolate. But, we too, have to be patient. Of course, it’s not the same when what you’re waiting for is within sight and a couple blocks away. We have no idea how long the pandemic will last and if the world, as we knew it, will ever go back to normal.

The other exciting news our family had this week was that Lauren, my oldest stepdaughter, got into University of Florida’s LLM program for getting her Masters in Tax Law! Yipee! We cracked open the proscecco (although that’s not been that different than every other night the last month) and toasted her acceptance. Now we have to adjust to the fact that we’ll have a Gator in the house. Zeke noted she’s graduated as a Seminole, soon to be a UM Cane graduate, and now UF. Go Gators!?!

I finally got up the nerve and stepped on the scale. I was relieved to find I was the same weight before COVID-19! About five pounds (at least) from where I want to be, but still! I consider this a minor miracle, given the stress eating, boredom eating, take-out food and excessive wine drinking that’s been going on.

When I mentioned this fact to Zeke he said:

“Well, then we need to cut out this” and pointed to his wine glass.

“Are you crazy?” I said. “You are NOT taking away my wine!”

I told him I attributed not losing weight more to eating ribs, pizza and pasta than my wine drinking. I’ve been mixing up the Pinot Grigio with Sauvignon Blanc, Rose and Sparkling, with a little Albarino thrown in for good measure. I get bored drinking the same wine all the time.

Speaking of wine, Total Wine has a great method for getting your wine. You order and pay online. They send you an email when your order is ready to be picked up. You drive to Total Wine, park in one of the designated spots and text them the spot you are in. They will then bring out your wine, stick it in the trunk and you’re set to go. No contact whatsoever and you’ve got a week’s worth of wine that will probably last you three days.

The other new thing we tried was DIY pizza. I had a gift card for Farinelli 1937 in Coconut Grove that I wanted to use. I called up and ordered one pizza special (Truffle pizza $30) and one do-it-yourself pizza (prociutto with arugula $14). Zeke picked them up and brought them home. They give you everything you need to make your own pizza, including the flour. We had a pizza stone which we heated in the oven, while we held the Truffle pizza on low. Our do-it-yourself pizza turned out awesome! I liked it better than the twice-as-expensive Truffle pizza. This isn’t as easy as take-out, since you do have to cook and clean up yourself, but it’s worth trying.

Another big hit was ordering the Family Meal Deal from Sports Grille. For $50, you get a rack and half of ribs, pulled pork sliders, French fries, Cole slaw, macoroni and cheese and Texas toast. It fed six of us with leftovers, so it was a good deal. The Mac and cheese, however, was straight up Kraft from the box. Pick-up was curbside.

Other DIY Miami Restaurants:
Eating House has Pasta Kits. Pollo Tropical has Citrus Marinated chicken. Nave in Coconut Grove has $25 pizza kits. Coyo Taco in Coconut Grove has a Family Pack from $25 to $34. Chug’s Diner in Coconut Grove has Meal Kits for $60.

I’ve been cleaning religiously every morning, the countertops, knobs, light switches etc…

“You know I read this article on MSN,” Zeke told me, “You’re supposed to let the spray sit on the counter for at least 10 seconds before wiping it off. And, when you wipe with paper towels, you need to keep folding it over for every knob, so the germs aren’t transferred from one to the other.”

“So, do you want to start doing the cleaning?” I asked.

“No, I’m just letting you know what I read,” Zeke said.

Yeah, thanks. Likewise, when I’m cooking, he has a tendency to look over my shoulder and make recommendations. When I boiled salted water to put asparagus in for Easter dinner, he pulled out the steamer.

“Steaming is a better way of cooking asparagus,” he informed me.

“Do you want to cook then?” I asked.

No, he didn’t. He just wanted to tell me how to do it.

Easter was a small affair, with just Zeke, Lauren, Rachel, Emma and myself. We had a Publix spiral-cut ham, biscuits, asparagus with lemon sauce, sweet potato soufflé and fresh pineapple salad with raspberries. No one had room for dessert, but we have plenty of leftover ham.

My big outing this week was to CVS for my medicine. I know I should’ve had it delivered (since medicine is an essential need, CVS will deliver it) but I didn’t get my act together in time, so I just went to pick it up. There were signs posted at the entrance saying customers were required to wear masks. I had my mask on and surprise!, so did everyone inside, from customers to staff. In Miami, this kind of compliance is a minor miracle. After picking up my medicine, I ventured into the hair coloring section to look for a tip kit for my hair, which is getting darker by the day. None of the kits looked familiar to me, from when I used to do my hair, so I gave up and went to check out.

The cashier was situated behind a plexiglass window, with a narrow slot in which to slide items. This made it hard to scan some of the bigger items, like my Epsom salts. I had a question about a BOGO, so the manager came up to check on it. He had gloves on, but no mask and stood inches away from me. Likewise, a customer in the checkout lane next to me had no mask on.

“Aren’t people supposed to be wearing masks?” I asked my cashier.

She couldn’t understand me, because of my mask, but finally told me, yes they were.

They are calling these people covidiots and I’ve encountered more than my fair share, like the skateboarder who passed Zeke and I on the sidewalk when we were walking, then doubled back and passed us going the other way. We were near Epiphany Church and hopped up the hill to evade him. He almost seemed amused at this, like he was getting his jollies out of scaring these old people. Some millennials are calling the coronavirus the “boomer remover”. Thanks millennials.

I’ve been looking around my house and noticing things that need to be fixed up and organized, so I ordered a drawer organizer and rubbermaid storage containers for my kitchen and hangers for my closet. My housekeeper has a very specific way of folding my underwear, so I took out a pair to figure it out so I could replicate it. It may be a Marie Kwondo thing, I’m not sure.

Besides that, I REALLY miss my housekeeper Isa. Big, fluffy orange hairballs from our cat Eloise have started accumulating around my house. These, Isa normally took care of with her huge, industrial strength vacuum cleaner. I don’t even have a vacuum cleaner, so I’ve been trying to make due with my dust buster, which I recently ordered on Amazon.

Speaking of Marie Kwondo, I haven’t read her book but did read an article online that said to start with organizing your desk, specifically with your pens. She said, oftentimes, pens we have on our desk are just junky, give-aways, not pretty or fluid pens that “spark joy”. I looked at mine, and sure enough, my pen holder was filled to the brim with crummy pens I’d picked up from one place or the other. I went through each one, testing how it wrote. If it didn’t write easily or hold a good memory for me, I tossed it into a pile for the Vets of America.

They aren’t collecting items now, but I will have a big bag when this whole thing is over. One thing I was going to donate, but decided not to, was a white cotton tablecloth that belonged to my grandmother. It had a lot of rips and holes in it, but I decided I may as well sew it while I’m watching T.V. As I sat in my rocking chair watching The View, the lacy tablecloth draped over my lap, it reminded me of a doll of a little old lady sewing lace, my grandmother had brought me from Brussels.

Other projects I’ve been doing: I made applesauce out of apples that were getting wrinkled, made quick pickles out of a cucumber and made more homemade ricotta. I’ve also been saving the bottoms of Romaine lettuce, celery, scallions to grow in the kitchen and the top to a pineapple to plant. My garden’s looking good and I had a UF Journalism student (Carla) come over to film it for a student project. I talked about how it’s been comforting to have gardening as therapy in the pandemic, as well as a practical source of fresh food for my family.

Alcohol sales are up a lot, Tiger King has a new episode and people apparently are having weird dreams during the pandemic. I had a dream the other night that I went on a cruise with my sister Kelley and sister-in-law Becky. As we got on board our cruise, we were surprised by some friends that had come along for the trip unexpectedly. I’m not the Dream Doctor, but I have a feeling that means we’re all on this crazy ride together. We thought we were going for a three hour tour, but it turns out we’re all stranded on this desert island, for who knows how long? But it’s nice to be here among friends.

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