Can you believe it’s almost February? I’m fully embracing 2023, drinking my green smoothies, doing yoga, taking long walks, eating out at new restaurants and socializing like a little butterfly! Fun, fun, fun. Also, I’ve discovered my “sweet spot” re: drinking alcohol. Two drinks = feeling good that night but also good the next morning. More than that, and I’m toast. Drinking less wasn’t a New Year’s Resolution, but it’s always a goal, although I didn’t go “all in” with Dry January. Cudos to those who did.

Sunday marked the Chinese New Year. Leaving behind the ferocious and unpredictable Tiger, we transition into the Year of the Water Rabbit. From last year’s predator to this year’s prey, the Rabbit is the luckiest of 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. Rabbits represent serenity, abundance, creativity, affection and bonding. A social and communal animal, the Rabbit Year represents a peaceful, patient energy; 2023 is predicted to be a year of Hope.

We’ve already kicked off the year with a short trip to The Villages in Wildwood, Florida to surprise our friend Brooks on his 70th birthday on January 13th. We stopped at a place Zeke had read about for oysters (Oh Shucks!) on the way there, then sat at the high top Sharon had reserved and waited in eager anticipation for Brooks and Sharon to walk into Blue Fin restaurant. Brooks was so eager to score a stool at the bar for Happy Hour, he walked right by us- I think he was surprised!

We had a good time at The Villages. Zeke and Brooks played golf (although it was cold that weekend!), we all went to an Art Show Saturday and then to dinner with Sharon’s sister Sandie and Mom Connie that night.

Monday has turned into our Pizza Night and we are experimenting with different pizzas in my Ooni pizza oven. Monday night we made a Pesto, Artichoke Heart, Sun dried Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza for dinner. It was delicious and we ate it, with a glass of vino, by the fire.

Tuesday night I returned to Sushi Garage with friend Sherida and ordered a couple new items- the Korean Pork Tacos ($9), Crispy Avocado Rice ($9) and 1/2 Salmon Avocado Roll ($5.50). The Pork Tacos were delicious; I would definitely order them again, along with Shishito Peppers and Tempura Shrimp Bites. Happy Hour is from 6 to 8.

Wednesday, stumped for what to eat for lunch, I baked a Sweet Potato and served it with Miso Butter (just 1/2 butter, 1/2 miso) and sprinkled it with Feta Cheese. A delicious, nutritious and easy lunch! Another lunch was Split Pea Soup (my favorite) and a little Ham and Cheese Sandwich in a Hawaiian Roll, sprinkled with Everything seasoning. Yummy!

Thursday Mercury turned direct (so no longer retrograde); in fact no planets are currently retrograde. So, green lights, make plans, sign contracts and go, go, go! Communication is back on track.

I babysat Wyatt and Phoenix Sunday from 5 a.m. (!) until about 3 p.m., as A.J. had a big event at Patch of Heaven Sanctuary. Wyatt was sick (it turned out to be strep) and Phoenix, as usual, was a little hurricane of energy. Child-proofing was invented for this kid and while I did my best to remove all breakable items, he still crawled on the coffee table and unceremoniously flung everything off in his path. I’d moved my glass candlesticks away from the edge of the table, but he stood up on the couch and tried to get them from the other side. Luckily, I was able to intercept him before disaster ensued.

There’s never a dull moment with Phoenix and, when I took him outside to water my ferns, he attracted dirt like a magnet. I gave him a bath, then fed him Spaghettios while Wyatt drank Gatorade and sipped chicken broth in bed. They were supposed to stay for dinner with their parents, but since Wyatt was sick, they got picked up early.

Emma and Gui came over to help us install the T.V. they’d gotten us (with Laurent and Eric) for Christmas and stayed for dinner. Besides the Meatballs, Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta, I also made Lemon Chicken Thighs, French Peas, Italian Salad with White Beans and crusty Italian Bread. Quite the feast, but no dessert. I’m just not into dessert these days.

One thing I am into is White Lotus, which we watched on our new T.V. in the Family Room. I’d already watched both seasons, but Zeke hadn’t and the first one takes place in Maui, right near where we stayed for our honeymoon. The second season takes place in Sicily and the third (not out yet) is set in Greece. It’s addicting and I can’t wait for Season 3.

First Lady Jill Biden has a great idea for entertaining, since her family gatherings are large and she often needs help. She puts Post-Its on dishes with instructions (like slice lemons, fill with water, chop vegetables) so everyone can assist with the meal. That way guests can pick their task and do it without having to bother the hostess. I think it’s brilliant and plan to use this idea for future large gatherings. People normally offer to help anyway and this takes the guess work out of it.

The Coral Gables Farmer’s Market is now open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until the afternoon. They’re only open for three months out of the year, so take advantage while we have this nice weather. The raspberries I’ve gotten at Publix lately (Driscolls) have been delicious, sweet and flavorful. In other grocery news, eggs have gotten super expensive, up 49% from November of last year to this one. This is due to the Bird Flu, which wiped out a lot of chickens, as well as other issues. Ironically, sometimes the Organic or Cage-Free eggs may be cheaper than the regular ones, so check the prices when purchasing.

The Villagers had a Member Appreciation Party last Saturday. Our President- the hostess- served Paella, and members were asked to bring an appetizer or dessert. I tried to think of what appetizer to bring for the Spanish theme; I settled on Dates, filled with toasted almonds and wrapped with prosciutto and a Warm Spanish Bean Salad with Smoked Paprika by Serious Eats cook J Kenji Lopez-Alt. Alas, I forgot to take photos of my dishes.

Both were hits, however, for the EASIEST solution to what to bring to a Tapas Party, I would head straight to Trader Joe’s. Serrano Ham, Manchego Cheese, crackers, fruit and Marcona Almonds would make a lovely Tapas Platter that would be welcome at any party. Make it easy on yourself!

I’m looking forward to the South Beach Food and Wine Festival next month, from Feb 23rd to the 26th. I got tickets to A Taste of Italy with Giada De Laurentis , where you walk around the Miami Design District tasting items from a dozen chefs using Wood Fired Ovens. The other event I signed up for was a Master Cooking Class for Pork Rolling Cakes hosted by Hy Vong at The Real Food Academy. I can’t wait!

So gather your cuddle bunnies, friends and family around you and enjoy the new, peaceful and happy vibe of the Year of the Water Rabbit.

Up Next: Inspired by Ina: Five Favorite Soups

This recipe, originally titled, Spaghetti, Josie’s Way, was marked Prize Winning- National. I can only assume she won the prize for a Ronzoni contest, as the first ingredient was Ronzoni Spaghetti. This recipe is similar to all amatriciana, which uses salt pork, onions and white wine, but with the addition of ham and sliced mushrooms. For all amatriciana, a pasta with a hole inside called Bucatini is used, so this is what I used to make this dish. I also added peas, which wasn’t called for but added color and freshness to the dish.

My last time playing was a match in March against my old team at Dante Fascell, where my partner threw down her racket and said she quit because she refused to play with cheaters. We eventually resumed the match and ended up winning, but it was a dramatic end to our season. Anyway- it was so nice to be out on the court getting exercise and fresh air, but even nicer to reconnect with old friends and teammates.

“Tennis has been my sanity,” said my friend Ellen, who arranged the game.

“My horses have been mine,” said Lulu, who is married to a vet and lives in the Redlands on a large property.

“Mine has been the Keys,” I said. Also walking and gardening, but mostly the Keys.

“I have never cooked so much in my life,” said Ellen, who of all my friends has been the most cautious. She just started getting take-out and only from Sage.

A petite brunette who is a Weight Watcher Leader (now retired) she said, “I went to Publix and finally weighed myself after months. I gained weight.” She attributed it to all the tasting she’s been doing while cooking. We all admitted we’d gained weight during the lock down, out of boredom and having to cook all the time.

“I’m having a hard time social distancing from my refrigerator.”

Lulu

“The first thing I think of when I wake up is ‘What should I make for dinner tonight?’ There’s just something wrong with that,” said Lulu.

We all agreed it’s been a struggle to come up with interesting menus for meals, especially Ellen who doesn’t eat red meat or pork. She said the other night she’d been at her daughter’s visiting the grandchildren and got home at 7 pm, with nothing prepared for dinner.

“You’re getting an omelette tonight,” she said to her husband Mark.

“Fine,” he said.

Our fourth tennis player, Martha said her husband likes to eat whatever he’s in the mood for that day, making it impossible to plan ahead.

“It’s very challenging,” she admitted.

My husband Zeke isn’t that challenging, but he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy so my soup and sandwich dinners, or breakfast for dinner, don’t go over too well with him. The other night I was attempting a complicated New York Times recipe for Smoky Eggplant Croquettes by Gabrielle Hamilton. I broiled the eggplant, peeled it and strained off the juices, added olive oil, garlic and salt and spread it out on the silpat as instructed. I then got to the next part of the directions: Freeze overnight. They always say you should read a recipe through before you start, and this is a perfect example of why that is a good idea.

At any rate, I had to cook something for dinner, so I dumped a box of Farafelle pasta into boiling salted water and served it with homemade pesto, chopped chicken from leftover Publix rotisserie, sun-dried tomatoes and some crumbled feta cheese. Roasted pine nuts would’ve been a welcome addition, but I didn’t have the energy. It was good enough for a last minute dinner and the next night, I took the frozen eggplant out, cut it into rectangular chucks, refroze it and then dredged it in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried it at 350 degrees. It tasted really good, although some of the croquettes were still cold in the middle.

My idea had been to serve the croquettes as part of a Mezze platter, with Trader Joe’s grape leaves, cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumber slices, hummus and homemade pita bread. This idea did not float with Zeke. He didn’t even know what a Mezze platter was (“You’re too fancy for me”) and doesn’t like grape leaves, tomatoes, olives or hummus. There’s something about the texture of mushy foods (he has a similar aversion to avocados, mushrooms and asparagus tips) that Zeke can’t stand and he doesn’t feel appetizers are an actual dinner. Personally, I could eat appetizers for dinner every night, but not Zeke, so he made some skewers with beef and veggies, that he then grilled.

Skewers are an easy dinner to make if you have meat on hand. Don’t buy the pre-made skewers, as these are more expensive. We used top sirloin, cut in chunks with sliced Vidalia onion and yellow bell pepper and I sprinkled it all with a good dose of Greek seasoning. You could use chicken instead of beef, or even scallops or shrimp, but in that case, skewer your veggies separately, as they will need more time to cook. Zeke put his grilled beef skewer and veggies in the homemade pita with some hot sauce, for an easy sandwich.

The Homemade Pita Bread was a New York Times recipe and, while rather fun, I’m not sure I would make again. It was cool to see them puff up in the oven and they were softer than pita bread you buy in the store, almost like a na’an. As I was kneading the dough into little balls I said to Zeke:

“I get why people have gotten into baking in the Pandemic.”

Me

You sprinkle the yeast into water with sugar, wait for it to bubble up, then add the flour and cover it. It doubles in size, like a miracle, smelling yeasty and full of life. You bunch it down (theraputic) and knead it on a floured surface until it transforms into a satiny dough. Shape it into balls, bake it- creation! Like playing Dr. Frankenstein in your own kitchen, baking is both restorative and healing. It’s something totally under the creator’s control, something we’ve all been craving during this crazy time of our lives.

I am, however, perfectly ok with buying Daily Bread pitas at Publix and they certainly seemed more uniform in size than my misshapen attempts. They did work great with some scrambled eggs and tomatoes for breakfast.

Dinner of the week definitely goes to our dinner Saturday night at Martha and Luis’s house. First, we had Torchon pate from D’Artagnan, the Duck Store. It was smooth and creamy, like butter with no heavy gamey taste; served with little toasts and chilled Veuve Cliquot champagne, it was heavenly. Dinner was two ducks from D’Artagnan, that Luis had roasted and Martha made Julia Child’s Duck a l’orange sauce to adorn the bronzed beauties. Divine! They served the duck with fingerling potatoes and onions that had been roasted in duck fat and couscous with golden raisins. I made a green salad to serve with dinner, for a little lightness and to get some greens in.

Martha set a beautiful table, we were socially distanced at opposite ends of the table; their daughter Carolina joined us. It was all delicious and I’d used my ice cream maker to prepare two different frozen concoctions from The Last Course for dessert. Black Peppercorn ice cream (really!) was a revelation, served with Strawberry Sorbet and shards of golden, Pistachio Nut Brittle. I loved the combo of flavors with the clean fruitiness of the strawberry sorbet, cutting the rich and slightly spicy peppercorn ice cream. And who doesn’t like homemade brittle?

A.J. asked me if I wanted Wyatt for one last Gigi Camp. Hmmm… I thought about the peace and silence of the Sanctuary, of morning yoga and time to write, sipping my coffee in bed, of long walks listening to podcasts and the glass of frozen rose waiting for me when I returned, and of being able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted for dinner. But then I realized Wyatt was starting school soon and this would be my last time this summer to have him for Gigi Camp, so of course I said yes.

We went to the grocery store to stock up on Wyatt’s favorites- Spaghettios and yogurt- and to get the fixings for a Shark Week Sundae (marshmallow fluff, fruit roll ups, ice cream, blue sprinkles, sugar cones) when Wyatt spotted a shiny, green Hot Wheels car on display at the end of the aisle. I bought it for him and said he could get it on the condition that he listen to me all day. Well, he didn’t get it the first day, but he did the second day. The third day, I had a Zoom Meeting. For some reason, every time I’ve had one this year, I’ve had Wyatt.

I put him up in my bedroom, with my phone on a show he liked and went to my computer set up downstairs. I have to say this about Zoom meetings. Everyone can see you people! During this particular one, I saw someone eating lunch, someone licking envelopes, another person was wiping their nose, someone else was moving locations and another person shuffled papers around in their makeshift office. When I heard “Gigi, help!” I put the top of my laptop down and ran upstairs. Wyatt’s show had ended, or some such emergency. I resolved it and went back to Zoom.

After the meeting, I took Wyatt to lunch at Key Largo Fisheries because they have a good Peel-n-eat shrimp and he loves shrimp. My friend Elmy describes Key Largo Fisheries as like a “Shorty’s for seafood”, but unlike Shorty’s, there are no servers. You wait in line, order and have to go pick up your order when the buzzer beeps.

Someone at the Sanctuary told me the way Key Largo Fisheries started was that fishermen would bring their catch to the Pilot House restaurant, but when the Pilot House had bought its fill, the fishermen were left with the rest of their fish. Key Largo Fisheries opened in 1972 to buy, and then sell, the extra seafood as a Seafood Market. This is where most locals come to get their fresh fish, stone crabs and lobster to cook for dinner. All the food I’ve ever eaten here has been fresh and good.

Anyway, this lunch was a lesson in indigestion. We ordered, sat by the water where we fed the fish pellets dispensed for 25 cents out of a glass dispenser. Luckily, I had plenty of quarters to keep the fish fed and Wyatt entertained. We saw yellowtail, parrotfish, barracuda and even a shark, which Wyatt spotted. We got buzzed, I picked up our food and returned to the table. Wyatt took one bite of his shrimp and started crying.

“It’s too spicy!” he said.

So, I went back up the steps to get a glass of water, which I brought back to the table to wash each shrimp off and peeled them. He then dunked them in ketchup (cocktail sauce is too spicy too) and gobbled them down. By the time I got around to my lunch- a BLT with Lobster– it was cold. The BLT with lobster didn’t really work for me- the little pieces of lobster kept falling out, the croissant was too soft for the filling and the bacon wasn’t cooked enough. Anyway, we finished our lunches and I promised Wyatt I’d get him a chocolate covered Key Lime Pie on a stick for dessert.

Alas, the The Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie Company was closed, so I took Wyatt to Dairy Queen to get a soft serve ice cream dipped in chocolate. We went outside to eat it and, if you’ve ever gotten a chocolate dipped soft serve ice cream, you know it’s a disaster waiting to happen, especially in 90 degree heat. The vanilla ice cream starts melting, leaking all over your hands and then you take a bite of the frozen chocolate shell that will inevitably slide, like an avalanche, down your cone and onto the ground. Wyatt’s cone proved no exception and the nice lady at DQ, who put sprinkles on his cone, only gave me one napkin! I kept trying to get Wyatt to throw away the rest of the cone, as he got increasingly messier, but he refused. He ate it down to the very last bite of soggy, criss-crossed interior filled with melted ice cream and random sprinkles. I washed him off with some water I had in my car and we headed back to the condo, where his parents were coming to pick him up.

“Well Wyatt, what was your favorite part of Gigi Camp?” I asked him.

“My new green car,” he said.

“Even better than seeing the shark?” I asked.

“No, actually my favorite part of Gigi Camp was spending time with you,” he said.

“Oh Wyatt! My favorite part of Gigi Camp was spending time with you!”

Heart melts here.

We both agreed we learned things from each other in this third and final session of Gigi Camp 2020. Wyatt learned that if you pick Neopolitan Ice Cream, you get three flavors in one carton. I learned that if the conversation you’re having on an I-Phone suddenly disappears, you tap the little square in the right hand corner to get it to reappear. Yes, I am getting technology tips from my four-year-old grandson.

I finished the TV show Catastrophe– I really liked it; there are four seasons. Carrie Fisher died during filming so they worked her death into the last episode. I really wish it would have gone on another season- I fell in love with the characters- but apparently the actor/writer Rob Delaney felt he had said everything he wanted to regarding marriage and relationships. Really? I feel that subject is a never-ending conversation.

GOOD NEWS! I got asked to be part of the Yelp Elite Squad. I said yes to YES and am looking forward to contributing to Yelp with restaurant and hotel reviews. I also get invited to special Yelp events through being part of YES.

BAD NEWS! My stepdaughter Lauren, who’s been studying her ass off the the Florida Bar Exam which was to be this week, found out it’s been postponed until October. By that time, she’ll be in school at Georgetown and who knows how much she’s studied for will be retained? Apparently, they’ve been having issues with the tests crashing in other states. Disappointing for everyone who’ve been studying for the Bar for months.

Lastly, here are some Foodie Newsletters I enjoyed, recommended by Taste. A Newsletter by Alison Roman, i love you egg, Some Meals Considered, On Hunger and You Can Do This.

Stay safe, read your recipe directions all the way through before you begin and keep on doing whatever keeps you sane!

Every time I look around (look around) Every time I look around (Every time I look around) Ooh baby, ooh baby It’s making me crazy It’s in my face

OMC

Up Next: A Simple Salad

RED

In other good news, it appears that new coronavirus cases are leveling off, in the nation and in Florida. We’re still a “red” state, with a high volume of cases however, and last Thursday, Florida had a record number of deaths for the third day in a row. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me a lot of people are dying lately, not just of COVID, but in general. Celebrities like Regis Philbin, Olivia de Havilland and Wilfrod Brimley, the guy from Cocoon. A lot of babies being born are also popping up on my Instagram feed, so I guess it’s a circle of life kind of thing. And, in what’s really the most shocking news of 2020, Ellen DeGeneres, inventor of the motto “Be Kind to One Another” and America’s Golden Girl, is apparently mean. Or, at least her producers are.

BLUE

Denim Sales have fallen sharply amid the Pandemic, as people are becoming one with their yoga and sweat pants. The Pioneer Woman, aka Ree Drummond, referred to them as “hard pants” on her cooking show. Apparently, people are realizing it’s more comfortable to wear athletic wear amid the lockdown and are rejecting their stiff blue jeans, or “dungarees” as my Dad used to call them. Levis sales have dropped 62% and True Religion and Lucky Brand stores, known for their jeans, have filed for bankruptcy. Lord and Taylor and Men’s Warehouse are two other retailers that have declared bankruptcy amid the Pandemic retail free fall.

Let’s see, came home Monday for a quick pit stop. Zeke had bought steaks at Wild Fork, but had an online meeting at 7, so after waiting till after 8, I gave up and cooked the steaks so we could eat. I was going to reverse-sear the Flat Iron steak I seasoned with Montreal Seasoning, but cooked them too long in the oven, so we ate it as is; they were still very good. Flat Iron is a flavorful and tender cut of meat we first discovered at the now-closed Ortanique. I made baked potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, a green salad and garlic bread to go with it. It was a Meatfull Monday and there was a big mess to clean up afterwards. Is it any wonder I’ve been retreating to the Keys?

WHITE

While I was home, I threw away all my Sour Dough Starters that were clogging up the outside fridge. You have to maintain them by adding flour and water at least once a week and by the inch of dark sludge on the top of them, I could tell I’d killed them through sheer neglect. It made a white, floury bloodbath in my sink and, as I dumped them down the drain, my dreams of Pandemic Baking met a watery, sludgy end. The girls, Zeke and I were talking about how in the beginning of the Pandemic lockdown in March, this all seemed like a temporary adventure, with puzzle solving, long walks, yoga by the pool, Tiger King and endless whipped coffees on rotation. Cut to five months later and it’s sort of unbelievable we’re still dealing with this and it’s gone from bad to worse.

I picked up a breakfast sandwich from Cecile’s Bakery and Cafe in South Miami, since I had to go by my bank and it’s close by. I didn’t realize my bank’s lobby was closed, so I parked, picked up my sandwich and went to the bank’s drive-through instead. It’s little things like this that are disheartening to me in the bottomless pit of the Pandemic disappointments. Going to my bank, which is normally open except for Holidays and weekends, and finding it closed made me sad. I’m not one of those people who does online banking, I actually like to do it in person, even though entering a bank with a mask on does seem the opposite of normal. I even miss the cranky old man and cranky young man tellers who used to wait on me at my bank. Sigh-

My breakfast sandwich was very good- scrambled egg with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon strips, on a croissant. It came with a little side salad, which was wilted and sad by the time I arrived back in Key Largo, but I saved the dressing. Cecile’s Bakery on Sunset Drive is a neighborhood gem, with soups, salads, sandwiches, delicious baked goods and outdoor seating.

I made easy tacos (Taco Tuesday) that night, with leftover pork marinated in lime juice and garlic. Instead of a tomato salsa, I made a mango salsa (see previous post) which went perfectly with the pork and added some sliced red cabbage for crunch and a squirt of spicy mayo. I love using leftover meat, chicken or pork to make easy tacos! These were with flour tortillas, but corn would work as well. Cilantro is always a welcome addition to add a bit of freshness.

GREAT WHITE

Thursday morning, I figured the odds were in my favor, so took my paddle board out into Buttonwood Bay for a ride. I survived, but as I paddled off, was horrified to find the water was super cloudy and murky. I don’t like to paddle board in these conditions as I cannot see WHAT LIES BENEATH. Luckily, I hadn’t read the article that came out Saturday about a Great White Shark who fatally attacked a woman off the coast of Maine. Apparently, she was wearing a black wet suit and the shark mistook her for a seal and… the article said Great Whites are making a comeback. I’m not sure if this is Good News or Bad News. I’m guessing good for the sharks, bad for us bait.

Thursday I repeated my Grilled Cheese sandwich with Muenster for lunch, but this time added Fig jelly (I liked the Guava better) and whipped up a Fresh Tomato Soup to go with it. It wasn’t the best soup in the world, a little blah, but still better than Campbell’s (no offense to Andy Warhol). I added some avocado chucks to thicken it up instead of the normal slice of bread. The next day, I ate a salad with leftover soup and little teeny grilled cheese sandwiches, that was kind of genius.

And, since I had an abundance of parsley, I decided to make Pesto. Basil is usually the main herb in pesto, but it’s an adaptable recipe and I already had garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese, so I attempted to make it in my blender. I don’t have a food processor in the Keys, but soon discovered, pesto cannot really be made in a blender, so I ordered a new Cuisinart and will take my old one to the Keys. I justified this purchase by the fact that my old Cuisinart is REALLY old, like from 1985! I had it serviced once, but other than that, it’s original and has lasted thirty five years.

Thursday night I made Bay Scallops with Thai Red Curry Butter and Clean Out Your Fridge Fried Rice, since I had leftover take-out rice and lots of veggies that needed to go. This can be made with almost any vegetables, although onions, peas and carrots are typical. Mine was made from corn, Brussel sprouts, carrots, onions and jalapeño pepper. I used chopped bacon to sauté the veggies in. Tip: sauté the ones that are the hardest first, like carrots and celery.

Here are some other helpful hints for Fried Rice from Gimme Some Oven.

1) Use cold, leftover rice.

2) Use butter (like Benihana) to fry the rice and veggies in.

3) Use veggies, your choice.

4) Add sesame oil and oyster sauce to the fried rice. (I skipped the oyster sauce).

5) Stir fry on high heat.

6) Add extra soy sauce, to taste, at the end.

I added some cilantro, chopped green onions and sesame seeds to finish the rice. Chopped meat, like ham, chicken or pork can also be added and this also makes an excellent breakfast, with a fried egg over the top. See my latest post on how to make a perfect fried egg.

Zeke came down to the Keys Friday and we were on different wavelengths.

I was hungry for lunch, he wasn’t. He wanted to stay in and cook and I, after staying home all week, wanted to go out. We went to Lazy Lobster and sat outside, under a huge chikee hut. We’d been to Lazy Lobster (owned by the same people as Lazy Days) many times, but had never sat outside and were surprised to discover what a large and spacious space it was. Everything seemed very sanitary, tables were socially distanced, silverware in pre-wrapped plastic, paper menus and our waitress was great. We split Oysters Rockefeller and a bottle of wine and both got (what else?) a Lobster Dish. Zeke got the Lobster Lorenzo that came with a crab cake and hollandaise. I got the Lobster Islamorada, with shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, scallions in a a Key lime Butter Sauce. Thumbs up on Lazy Lobster and we had Banana Bread to take home for the next day.

Saturday the news was all about the Hurricane Isaias, but luckily, we were spared. In the Keys, it was just very windy, with white cap seas and intermittent rain. Saturday night Zeke grilled steaks, made baked potatoes and I made a salad of tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar. I was worried about our house in Miami, but we had Rachel there keeping an eye out, especially on our roof to make sure it wasn’t leaking. I did have a dream that the water from the Hurricane came up to the second story of our condo and there were fish, dolphin and sharks swimming all around in an aquarium type situation, while Wyatt and I just watched.

RED SAUCE

I’d promised the girls I’d come home to make my grandmother’s pasta sauce on Sunday, so that’s what I did. Here’s the thing about making my Grandmother’s sauce. It’s not even my favorite pasta sauce, but when I form the meatballs, sauté the salt pork with onions and sausage, pour in the the pureed tomatoes from the blender, add the sugar and bay leaf and let it simmer for a couple hours, it always reminds me of my grandmother and Spaghetti Sundays at her house. The funny thing is, it’s really the smell of it, more than the taste, that gets me. When we walked into her house as children, arriving with our parents in our 70’s brown station wagon, we were greeted by the smell of that sauce and my grandmother and aunts in the kitchen. They were always happy to see us, wanted to kiss us and feed us; we felt loved. Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet, said on his show: “Sometimes we just need to cook the dishes of our childhood to remember.” I would venture to say, this is one of those times.

The memory of what we ate as a child forms a sort of patriotism that lasts throughout our life.

Jeff Smith

Emma made an Eggplant Parmesan for our meal, which was very impressive as it is a labor of love; it turned out great. I made penne pasta, served with meatballs and sausage (spicy and sweet), salad with garbanzo beans and onions and Italian bread. For dessert, I tried out my new ice cream maker (a late-arriving Mother’s Day gift) and made Pistachio ice cream. It turned out great and I’m already dreaming up other kinds of ice creams to make. Lemon, Coffee, lavender ice cream, Mango or Cherry Sorbet? Emma said her boyfriend Guillermo said my sauce was the best he’d ever eaten and wants to know when the next Spaghetti Sunday is going to be.

On TV, I’ve been watching reruns of Frankie and Grace, with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and also binge-watched a show called Catastrophe on Amazon Prime. I discovered it when listening to Desert Island Discs, when they interviewed the writer/actress of the series, whose name is Sharon Horgan. It’s about an English schoolteacher who has a fling with an American ad man visiting and she ends up pregnant. He moves to England and they start a life together and the series is about their adventures, which are less catastrophic than relatable. There are 4 seasons and Carrie Fisher makes a cameo as his mother. The two lead actors co-wrote the series and I found it to be a hysterical, if somewhat raunchy show. I need a good laugh right now and this one fits the bill for me.

I finished sending my photo cards with the Emily Dickinson quote about Hope to all the Active members in my Pinecrest Garden Club; there were about 100 members. Then I had to decide if I wanted to keep going and send them to the Associate members as well. Like Forest Gump, I decided “For no particular reason, to just keep on going.” Of course, I did actually have a particular reason and that was to uplift and encourage my fellow garden club members to stay hopeful. And some of the Associate Members are actually good friends, like Tami.

BLUE WITHOUT WYATT

After waiting for months, I finally got refunded for Disney tickets I’d purchased for A.J. Wyatt and I back in February. We were supposed to go in March, but those plans got scrapped into the junkyard of broken dreams. They’ve been gone in North Carolina more than a week and I miss them! Face Time is no replacement for Face to Face, but while in the car the other day he did tell me: “Guess what? I got monkeys today. Not just monkeys, but Sea Monkeys!” Oh man, is he going to be disappointed! They have been staying at his other grandmother’s (Lela’s) house in Banner Elk and he also whispered to me: “Where we’re staying is kind of like a castle.”

We also got refunded for our American Airline flight to D.C. I’d gotten “fully refundable tickets” but according to the person I talked to at American Airlines, hardly any tickets are actually “fully refundable” and the only reason I got refunded is because they changed the departure time by more than two hours. We’re now driving instead.

RED STATE

Lauren found out last week that her Fall classes at Georgetown Law are going to be entirely remote, a real bummer. It’s hard to move to a new town to start a new school, but then to have to classes remotely where you can’t meet fellow students, very hard. I’m now planning our Road Trip to the surrounding states and had a couple of my old Book Club friends give me some traveling tips on Baltimore and Delaware, which was helpful. Thanks Beth and Mireya! Luckily, none of the states we’re visiting have restrictions on visitors coming from our bright red state of Florida, branded like like the Scarlet F. I probably just won’t mention where I’m from on our travels.

Hampton’s designer Tom Samet posted on Instagram: “August. The Sunday of summer” and I like that idea. June is frantic with end-of-the-year programs and school coming to an end (normally), July you’re in the thick of it (with vacations normally), but August is relaxing, mellow and fully into summer mode, even in these abnormal times. Instead of the Days of Wine and Roses, I think August will be my summer of ice cream making (and eating). Luckily, even if I have to wear a bathing suit, it will be in my own back yard and no one will see me. And, truth to tell, I didn’t dispose of ALL my Sour Dough Starters. There was one I’d kept alive in the Key Largo fridge that I started feeding again and now it’s back in Miami.

So I guess I haven’t given up all hope. And as Martha would say:”It’s a good thing”.

I used to rule my world from a pay phone, Ships out on the sea But now times are rough and I’ve had enough, Can’t explain the likes of me. But there’s this one particular harbor, So far and yet so near Where I see the days, As they fade away and finally disappear.

One Particular Harbor by Jimmy Buffet

Up Next: Who Knows?