I would say it’s our Third Annual, but the first was 2019 and we didn’t meet in 2020, due to Covid. In 2021 we launched our toilet seat in the Toilet Bowl in the Bay with the words “Girl’s Weekend 2021, because 2020’s Been a Real S**t Show”, complete with a poop emoji. Last year, we couldn’t swing Girl’s Weekend since Chrissy had just started a new job as a Pickleball Pro in Naples and couldn’t take the time off.

But we were able to do a Girl’s Weekend this year- 2023- at my condo in Key Largo. In years past, I knocked myself out a bit with prepping, cleaning and cooking, so this year I was determined to plan a Girl’s Weekend as low-stress as possible. It’s my Girl’s Weekend too, after all! It came on the heels of my Book Club Meeting, so I already had some delicious Chipotle Rosemary Nuts, Summer Sangria and Key Lime Shortbread to bring to the weekend.

Girl’s Weekend started Friday around Happy Hour.

I’d gone down the day before to get things ready. I shopped, changed sheets, set fresh towels out, put little soaps and shampoos in the Guest Bathroom and set out a coconut patty on each bed. Flowers from my Book Club Meeting were brought down and put in vases to spruce up the dining and living rooms, with white twinkly lights and shells adding to the ambiance. Pool toys and floats were unearthed, ready for play! I set the table with raffia placemats , tropical napkins and flower napkin rings. Pandora was playing Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, of course.

Since I’ve been on the hunt for the Best Conch Chowder in the Keys, I picked up pints of Conch Chowder from three restaurants to have a taste testing and choose our favorite. I picked up some Sourdough Bread you bake at home, at Publix to go along with it. I offered a Welcome Cocktail of Summer Sangria, Rose Prosecco and Sparkling or Still Water and set out an easy Charcuterie Platter.

*A note on cheese. I’d heard a new Trader Joe’s cheese- Fromage Pave Red Chili Pepper-was good so bought it, along with my beloved Toscano in Syrah. I tried a small slice the night before- cold and straight out of the fridge. It tasted like a cold, peppery bandaid. So Friday, I took the cheeses out an hour before serving and it made all the difference. Always let your cheeses come to room temp before serving. It lets the flavors ‘bloom”, especially with this type, a soft-ripened French cheese (like Brie) that’s flavored with jalapeno, cayenne and bell peppers. If you like soft cheeses and you like spicy, this is your cheese.

I served the cheeses with plain water crackers, strawberries, Chipotle Rosemary Nuts, dried apricots and truffle honey. Truffle honey makes anything better, as far as I’m concerned. We sipped, snacked and chatted, since it’s been two years since we were all together. We had our Conch Chowder Taste Testing, which I served in little cups for us all to taste, one by one, with sherry on the side. All the Conch Chowders were Award-Winning, so I was curious to see which one we liked the best.

Between Mrs. Mac’s, The Conch House and Key Largo Fisheries, the overwhelming favorite was Key Largo Fisheries Conch Chowder, but, ironically, it isn’t even made on sight! I served the Conch Chowder with warm Sourdough Bread and butter and a Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette.

After dinner, we went down to the chickee Hut to have a drink and watch the sunset. Back at the condo, dessert was a delicious Key Lime Pie Elise had made. We chatted for a while, hit the sack pretty early. I was the first one up the next day, so I set up breakfast.

Coffee before everything (of course!), Orange juice, water with sliced strawberries and cucumber, three kinds of berries, yogurt, Homemade Granola, Blueberry Banana Bread and Eggs, Bacon and Bread for anyone that wanted it with butter and homemade Mango Jam.

Since I love doing yoga, especially in the Keys, I’d requested everyone bring their yoga mats and we did an easy Beginner’s Yoga (Boho Beautiful) in the Living Room. Everyone enjoyed this healthy wake-up to our day and then we got dressed and went Thrifting, another one of my favorite things to do in the Keys (much to my husband’s dismay).

We hit a couple stores I like to visit in the Keys- ReStore and Salvation Army– first. Chrissy, who was totally unsure about the thrifting idea, found a tureen and platter to match her sister’s very hard-to-find china pattern, for twenty bucks. Sweet! We also visited Jolene’s, which I’d never been to before. It’s a consignment store, with new and used things. Thrifting was fun- we all came home with treasures- and we’d worked up an appetite for lunch.

Lunch was the very easy “Make Your Own Sandwich.” I love sandwiches, so got the makings for a variety of options, with Sourdough and Whole Wheat Bread, mustard and mayo. I’d cooked some bacon that morning and had tomatoes and lettuce, in case anyone wanted a BLT. I also got sliced Boars Head Turkey Meat and Swiss cheese, with a slice avocado from my tree, creating a wide range of sandwich possibilities. Cape Cod Potato Chips and Homemade Pickles were the sides, with Iced Tea and Sparkling or Plain water to drink.

The afternoon was left for Free Play– Paddleboarding, Swimming, Reading or Napping (I choose the latter) and then we were off to dinner at the newly remodeled Marker 88. Dinner was good (I opted for sushi) and we were back home and in bed relatively early. This Girl’s Weekend was not a wild one! Maybe we’re too old to do wild.

The next morning, Kelley and Elise went Paddle Boarding, while Chrissy went to do Water Aerobics in the pool and I stayed home and read. For our Farewell Meal, Kelley had made an Eggplant Parmesan for lunch. I’d done a whole Spaghetti Dinner the first year of our Girl’s Weekend and it almost wiped me out, so thought I’d be easy on myself and pre-make the Eggplant Parm. Kelley volunteered to make it (our Aunt Josie’s recipe) making it even easier on me! Elise made a salad with avocado, tomatoes and red onion and I made garlic bread with the leftover sourdough bread. As my mother always says: “Many hands make light work.”

Doggy Bags (for husbands and boyfriends) were packed up, hugs were had and we all said goodbye for another year. Or two. We’ll see. I do know this was the easiest Girl’s Weekend I’ve ever had. Here are my tips to stress-free entertaining.

*Girl’s Weekend Tips*

1. Send out an invite or Evite with the Time, Place and Activities planned. This lets your guests know what to expect, what to bring and gets them excited about the weekend.
2. If possible, arrive at the location one day early to shop, clean, prepare and decompress. Doing it all in one day is exhausting.
3. Pre-cook as much as possible, so you’re not spending time in the kitchen. I made the Chipotle Rosemary Nuts, Blueberry Banana Bread and Granola ahead.
4. Don’t forget the special touches. Folded towels next to fresh soap, fresh flowers, scented candles and a coconut patty on the bed all make your guests feel pampered.
5. Eat out at least once or twice during Girl’s Weekend. You don’t want to spend the weekend in the kitchen!
6. Let people help. If someone offers to bring something you need, say yes. Elise supplied dessert Friday night, Kelley made the entree for Sunday. This made it easier on me and let my guests feel engaged and appreciated.
7. Do activities you enjoy. While none of my guests had done Yoga recently, they all enjoyed it and Thrifting was a hit as well. The weekend is about catching up with old friends, but also about introducing your latest hobbies, activities and passions to friends.
8. Make it easy on yourself. For breakfast, I set out a variety of items and Make Your Own Sandwich was a hands-on, easy-peasy lunch. Since I wasn’t sure of what people could eat (last time we gathered Chrissy ate no meat) I wanted to have options available.
9. Go with the flow. One never knows what the weekend will bring. While you want to have a schedule, also be open to the chance to go off on a tangent and explore.
10. Don’t forget to-go containers for your guests to take leftovers. They will appreciate it and their S.O. will be more inclined to let them attend the next Girl’s Weekend!

I just realized maybe I should be less worried about anyone mistaking us for “easy girls” than the fact that I’m calling us “girls” at all, since most of us are past 60 (except Elise). But my Grandmother and Aunts called each other girls till the day they died, so I’m going with that philosophy. Girls forever! Born to be mild.

Up Next: Nutty Blueberry Granola

I do try to eat healthy and exercise on a normal basis, but I would like to try and mix it up this year. Try some new healthy foods (made easier by my subscription to CSA Empower Farms) and try some exercises beyond my walking and tennis. I’ve already done Yoga once this month and went Swimming as well. Maybe I’ll even try Pickleball! Doing exercise that’s fun means it’s more likely you’ll keep doing it. So, maybe my New Year’s Resolution for 2023, is simply More Fun.

Trying New Restaurants is also fun and I’ve already tried two this year. I ran into food blogger Pat Mackin at the Villager’s Home Tour (check out her Instagram at patmakincoconutgrove) and asked her for restaurant recs for the Grove. She recommended Sushi Garage, in the newly redone Coco Walk, for their Happy Hour so I tried it.

Coco Walk is a happening place these days! And Sushi Garage (we sat outside) is in the midst of it all.

Happy Hour goes from 5 to 8- quite a long Happy Hour- and features 1/2 off drinks. I tried the Lychee Mule and then the Fat Cucumber, both delicious. The bites offered for Happy Hour are $4, $6, $8 and $10. For some reason, our server recommended all the $10 bites (hmm), but everything we sampled was good and a great deal. In particular we liked the Hamachi Serriole (Yellowtail Roll), the Tempura Shrimp Bites and the Chili Shrimp Dumplings. We also got Shishito Peppers, Edamame and 1/2 Bagel Roll.

This new year, I also ate at The Bayshore Club, in the former Scotty’s location. It’s a beautiful venue and the night we ate there it was a Full moon and they had live music. Luckily, we sat away from the music (it was a little loud) for dinner. The drink The Slip ($16), with vodka, Elderflower liqueur and dill, was quite refreshing.

The Conch Fritters ($16) were very good, as was the the Coral Reef Ceviche ($18) I ordered for my entree, with Rock Shrimp. My friend’s Mini Ahi Tuna Tacos, in fried won ton wrappers and topped with caviar, looked delicious and she loved them. Others at the table ordered Fried Chicken Sandwiches ($15) and Fried Fish Tacos ($18). I sampled the French Fries. They were a tad underdone and just so-so. Prices were a little high, but not outrageous.

The Bayshore Club is part of The Grove Bay Hospitality Group, which also has Glass & Vine and Root & Bone, among other restaurants. The food was decent, definitely better than Scotty’s. I wouldn’t run back for the food, but I would run back for the location and ambiance. They also have specials, like $2 oysters on Monday nights and 1/2 off bottles of wine Wednesday, as well as Happy Hour Monday through Friday (4-6) and Live Music Wednesday through Sunday.

I got a pizza oven for Christmas! It wasn’t on my list (Zeke went rogue) but, ever since we visited Kuleto Winery in Napa, where they had a homemade Wood-fired pizza oven, I’ve longed to get one. This one is by Ooni; pizza ovens are very hot items (pun intended) these days.

Our first pizza, a Margherita, was a total success. Zeke said it was the best pizza he’s ever eaten. We kept it simple with Publix pizza dough, Rao’s red sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, crushed red pepper, Parmesan and olive oil. It was truly delicious and, at 900 degrees, only took about 3 minutes to cook. It does take 30 minutes for the oven to come to temp.

The second pizza I attempted- a Hawaiian Pizza with Ham, Pineapple and Mozzarella- was a total disaster. The pizza dough had gotten sticky in the fridge and when I tried to slide the dough off the peel (the metal tray with a handle) the toppings slid into the oven, while the dough stayed behind. What a mess! I ended up throwing the sticky dough away and using the toppings to make English Muffin pizzas for dinner. Live and learn.

It’s a learning curve and I’m sure, in no time, we’ll be making all kinds of delicious pizzas. I envision Shrimp Pizza with Pesto, Breakfast Pizza with sausage and egg and Potato Pizza with Truffle Oil. The possibilities are endless and it’s a great way to use up leftovers.

One thing I do want to do (that was on my list of things to do last year) is revamp my Foodie in Miami website in order to put the recipes into an index. This was a suggestion by several Foodie in Miami readers and I’m determined to do it in 2023. I may need professional help, however, as Foodie in Miami is not a Technology Whiz.

So, stay tuned… and Happy New Year! New Year, new you?

And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Up Next: Food Trends 2023

We all agreed that did not sound right, but we were having Shrimp and Grits (Lauren’s request) for dinner, with blistered cherry tomatoes, sautéed spinach and failed Sour Dough Bread. It was the third and last time I attempted Sour Dough Bread; this time it stuck to the bottom of the pan and didn’t rise. I give up on Sour Dough! Yeast is so much easier and is now readily available in the Pandemic.

As we all sat down to say grace, Lauren asked “Where’s the sausage?” With everything else going on, we’d forgotten to cook the Bradley’s smoked sausage, so I pulled it out of the fridge and cooked it quickly in a skillet. Since most of us had already eaten one helping, there was leftover sausage and Zeke was trying to get rid of it.

The Bradley’s Sausage and Grits had been a Father’s Day gift from Emma to Zeke, shipped from Tallahassee. If you’ve never been to Bradley’s Country Store in Tallahassee, you should make a stop there while visiting our Capitol City. It’s definitely a step back in time, an old-fashioned General Store on a country road, with candy and smoked sausage sandwiches. This type of smoked sausage, tends to dry out, so they steam it. I did something similar, by placing it in a skillet with some liquid, to keep it moist.

I roasted the cherry tomatoes and sautéed the baby spinach with sliced garlic, in an attempt to get rid of grocery items that would go bad before our trip. Since Shrimp and Grits is a one-color kind of dish, I also always like to add some COLOR to the plate, so it pops. After dinner, Emma and Lauren shared hugs and tearful goodbyes, with Emma saying: “Don’t leave me!” and Zeke promising to send Emma up to visit Lauren in D.C.

My Mom’s birthday was the day before; I tried to think of a way to celebrate it that was special, but COVID-free. I would have loved to have her and boyfriend Bob over for dinner, but since that wasn’t advisable, I sent her some Filet Mignons from Meat and Bone. They arrived Tuesday and I brought the rest of her dinner over to her at 5 p.m. the next day, which was her birthday. Zeke had gotten some New York Strips from Meat and Bone for his birthday and really enjoyed them, so I ordered online from there. They have a wide variety to choose from, with different price points and the meat arrives in a cute red and black pouch with a coolie thing. They email you when your order arrives.

My Mom’s from Tuscon, Arizona, and is a Western woman at heart, so she loves steak. To go with the meal, I enclosed homemade Fish Dip (with fish Zeke had smoked), with saltine crackers, steak rub for the filets, two Baked Potatoes with the fixings (sour cream and chives), a Steak Salad with sliced onion, tomatoes and cucumbers, with an Italian dressing on the side. For dessert, in lieu of cake, I brought over my homemade Black Pepper Ice Cream and Strawberry Sorbet. I packed the cold stuff in a little cooler and the rest in a box for delivery.

What a production!

My Mom said as I arrived to deliver it.

I added some birthday napkins, a small vase with yellow roses and some nut brittle, one of her favorites. My Mom really enjoyed her Birthday Dinner and it made me feel happy to do something special for her. When she called the next day to thank me, she said Bob was still enjoying the fish dip.

We hit the road at 8 a.m. (an hour late) Friday morning to start our Road Trip. We stopped in Charleston on the way to D.C. Zeke was very excited to visit (he’d never been) and got reservations at a charming hotel named the French Quarter Inn. We checked in during Happy Hour and they had individual plates of charcuterie and little plastic containers of Marcona almonds set up at a big table in the lobby. As Lauren and I got ready, Zeke went to get a drink and came back to the room talking about how he heard they had “pork rinds” and “bacon all day”, so after I got ready for dinner, I ventured out to get a glass of wine and see what this Porkfest was all about.

The very nice Southern gentleman who delivered my glass of Sauvignon Blanc, told us that after dinner they served Port Wine and cookies in the same lobby area.

“Cookies?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, “I’ve been baking all day!”

“Bacon?” I asked. Between the mask and his Southern accent, it was hard to make out his words.

No, “Baking”, he said. “I’ve been baking all day.” Port Wine (not Pork Rinds) and Baking (not Bacon) all day. Ah huh! Mystery solved.

Dinner at Husk in Charleston was excellent. We’d watched Netflix’s Chef’s Table about the Chef who started Husk (Sean Brock) and even forced Lauren to watch it, so it was really a treat to be able to dine there. Although Sean Brock is no longer with Husk, he did start the concept, which is now in other cities. The winners of the night were the Pig’s Ear Lettuce Wrap and Lauren’s Heritage Pork with pink eyed peas, peaches and arugula, so dinner was a Pig Fest after all. They even had a certificate, noting Lauren’s Graduation from Law School, waiting for us at the table when we arrived. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and enjoyed the Port Wine and Cookies in the lobby.

We arrived in D.C. just in time to change for dinner at Old Ebbit Grill, the oldest Bar and Grill (1856) in Washington D.C. Zeke had heard about it from one of the men in his “Table of Knowledge” Zoom Happy Hour Group. I’d been there with my parents on a visit to D.C., the summer after I graduated from High School in 1977. I remembered it being dark and smoky and eating a juicy hamburger.

“It used to be known for its Happy Hour scene,” Zeke said, “but I don’t know with Covid.”

He’d told us this three times already.

Old Ebbit Grill is also known as a hot spot for Politicians and celebrities to frequent and also for it’s oysters, so we ordered a half dozen local oysters to try. We were lucky to be visiting during D.C. Restaurant Week, so Zeke took advantage of that deal, with Caesar salad, Crab Cakes and Peach Cobbler at a set price. My Scallops with sautéed corn was delicious, but my favorite menu item was the Peach Cobbler, a la mode. Lauren asked the waiter to surprise her and he brought Walter’s Favorite– a sandwich with pastrami, Muenster cheese and coleslaw on pumpernickel bread. She enjoyed it.

Lauren didn’t get the key to her apartment until 12 p.m the next day, so we drove to Georgetown Law School to walk around and see the campus, located right in D.C. I took a photo of Lauren and Zeke in front of the Georgetown Law sign (proud Papa!) and we walked around campus on an early Sunday morning. As we walked towards the closed Fitness Center, a policewoman made a beeline towards us.

“Can I help you?’ she asked.

Zeke explained Lauren was just starting Law School here and we wanted to walk around and check out the campus.

Well, I have good news and bad news for you, she said. First, welcome to Georgetown. Second, you’re not allowed to be here due to COVID, so you need to leave.

Campus Officer

No students are allowed on campus, even to walk around on an empty Sunday morning, so we left. Lauren had been informed all her classes were online two weeks before, so she was prepared for that, but she’d been so absorbed in studying for the Florida Bar (which got cancelled at the last minute) that she didn’t know the campus was closed.

I feel so sorry for students across the country who are attending school under these circumstances. My only knowledge of Law School is from films- The Paper Chase (I’m dating myself) and Legally Blonde. In these films, Professors lord over large classes of cutthroat, energetic students on ivy-covered campuses; there are intense study groups and fun get-togethers, off campus.

All that is gone now, replaced by Zoom online classes and virtual everything. Are students attending classes in 2020 going to remember this time as: “We’re all in this together” or just feel totally gypped? To me, while I know there’s nothing to be done about it, it’s inextricably sad. As the phrase goes: “It is what it is.” And what it is, sucks.

We got Lauren moved into her apartment with everything we’d crammed into the mini-van from Miami on Sunday. We made a trip to Target to stock her fridge and buy the basics. The next day, Zeke went with Lauren to wait for her furniture, which she was renting, to be delivered. She was worried about all the pieces fitting into her tiny, studio apartment, but they did.

As I sat outside our hotel, drinking my cappuccino and writing, I thought about how Washington D.C. always seems both familiar and different each time I visit. The same monuments are there, the beautiful dome of the Capitol beams brightly and the Washington Monument is a towering majestic beacon in The Mall. But on this visit, there was construction on a new WWI monument across the street from our hotel, the White House was equipped with lights and sharpshooters awaiting the GOP convention and there was discussion of a March happening that Friday, in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

But, as I wrote and waited for Zeke, my thoughts were already on hitting the road again and checking the first of three states off my bucket list. Because no matter what is happening in this crazy world we live in, life goes on. Next stop, Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

Almost Heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.

Life is older, older than the trees, Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.

John Denver

Up Next: Eating out On The Road