It’s a Hard Knock Life for Us

My husband takes great pride in his Christmas trees.

Every year we pick a tree out, bring it home and he meticulously strings lights around each branch, a process that takes about a week, give or take. He strings more than a thousand lights on our tree and it usually looks beautiful! This year I’d planned on going to Home Depot with him the day before Thanksgiving with our grandson Wyatt, but when Wyatt arrived early, I decided to head down to the Keys to beat the Holiday traffic. Emma was going with him, so I figured she would ensure he picked a good tree.

We usually get our tree the day AFTER Thanksgiving, but Zeke had heard there was a Christmas tree shortage, so he felt he needed to go the day BEFORE. He wasn’t happy I left for the Keys and left this merry little chore to him. After they returned from Home Depot, Emma sent me a photo of the tree. I was horrified. Not only was it very holey, but one side, the branches stuck straight up, like the tree had gone to bed with its hair wet and it stuck that way. Emma sent me a photo of the other side. There were no good sides! I called her to confirm it was a horrible as it looked. She assured me that it was.

I figured if you went with your Dad it would be ok.

I said.

Emma said the guy at Home Depot told them all the trees were awful this year and that the tree looked deceptively full when they saw it. A friend in a group chat sent a panicked text the day after Thanksgiving saying she couldn’t find a tree at her go-to spot, so went to the Firefighter’s Lot and there was in a LONG LINE, so if you wanted a tree you needed to go soon. She usually gets a beautiful 12-foot tree, but this year said she got a “baby tree” and saved her husband a lot of money.

People in the text group that had pre-lit Balsam Hill (fake) trees were gloating about how they loved their tree; one person who paid $320 for an eight-foot tree agreed a Balsam Hill tree might be in her future. I sent a photo of the pathetic tree Zeke dragged home, with the caption “When you let your husband go Christmas tree shopping without you.” And then posted it on Instagram. Nothing says the Holidays like a public outing on Social Media.

It was, of course, compared to the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. And, like that tree, it was suggested that with lights, garland, ribbons and ornaments, it could be made beautiful. I told them that there wasn’t enough lipstick in the world to make this pig of a tree look pretty. Someone else (Tami) suggested we cut some of the long branches sticking up and insert them into the center, since the (crooked) trunk was showing. Everyone agreed it was an awful tree; one person suggested he’d purposely picked a terrible-looking tree so I would never let him shop for a Christmas tree alone again.

My mother was babysitting Phoenix at my house the day after Thanksgiving, so I called her to see how it was going. He’s at the age where he has separation anxiety so when he saw my Mom, he burst into tears and cried himself to sleep. I asked her: “Have you seen our tree?” She couldn’t have missed it as it’s in the corner of the living room, where you first walk in.

Yes, what happened? Zeke usually takes such pride in his trees.

my Mother.

This cracked me up. I explained to her the Christmas tree shortage etc…. Supply chain, blah, blah blah.

We celebrated Thanksgiving in the Keys.

It was nice, but a bit of a production. I’m not set up to roast a turkey there so had to bring: the roasting pan, baster, electric knife, gravy boats, casserole dishes, pie plates, pie crust protectors, tablecloth and decorations. Also, all the food- Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, crudite, dip- I’d made ahead. I went down with Wyatt on Wednesday, put a rub on the turkey (which was still semi-frozen), made the Green Bean Casserole and Pumpkin Pies. Wyatt helped with the pies, whipping the pumpkin puree with the spices and egg yolks and whipping the egg whites before we poured it into the crust and baked them. It was Julia Child’s recipe for Aunt Helen’s Fluffy Pumpkin Pie.

Zeke arrived bright and early Thanksgiving (also my birthday) morning and I put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for Wyatt to watch. This is a tradition in our family and my grandmother always used to call us to make sure we were watching. I sort of forced Wyatt to watch (he was bored) but I love it, especially the floats, The Rockettes and the Broadway play performances. It made me want to go to New York!

A.J. and Justin arrived with Phoenix about an hour before we ate. I’d put a Spicy Rub on the Turkey (Butterball recipe) and it turned out delicious and moist, with my grandmother’s Sausage Stuffing the star of the show. I’ve tried getting Organic Turkey at Whole Foods that cost a fortune and couldn’t tell the difference, so this year I got a good old Butterball for fifteen bucks at Publix. Everything else was delicious, and as we all tried the Pumpkin Pie, Wyatt was proud that he helped make it and said the special ingredient he added was love.

I can taste it in every bite.

Justin said.

I hope you taste the love this Holiday season and remember- don’t let your husband go Christmas Tree shopping without you!

Up Next: Italian Hot Chocolate

“Pecan pie is so yummy, why would I want anything else?”

Emma

Hmmm… So I’ve been thinking, do I need to make a whole pumpkin pie for myself? Really?

I’ve made all incarnations of Pumpkin Pie, starting with the classic one off the back of the Libby’s pumpkin can. During my Bon Appetit days, I upped my game and made the one from the Silver Palate, recommended by Arianna of Arianna’s Cook Shop. Over the years, it’s appeal waned for me (too plain and loose) so I tried a Pumpkin Ice Cream pie with candied almonds from Southern Living. It was delicious, but not at all traditional. Last year I tried Julia Child’s recipe for her Aunt Helen’s Fluffy Pie– another winner and who can argue with Julia Child’s tastebuds? This year I’m thinking of skipping the pumpkin pie completely and making a Pumpkin Ginger Sorbet from the New York Times Food section. Light and refreshing.

Macy’s is still having it’s Annual Thanksgiving Day parade, but with no in-person spectators. At least one beloved tradition hasn’t bitten this dust in 2020. Last year, after Thanksgiving, Zeke and I went to New York City to celebrate my 60th birthday. It was what I really wanted (who needs more stuff at 60?) and a total surprise. The best part was, Zeke planned everything from the flight and the hotel, to our dinner reservations. I’m usually the one who plans our trips, so this was a real gift to me.

We had a wonderful trip, with excellent Fall weather and all the Pre-Holiday buzz New York radiates. The Holiday windows were just being set up that weekend, so we walked down Fifth Avenue to check them out on the way to Central Park and saw the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center being set up. We visited newly reopened F.A.O Schwartz, went to a Holiday market in a park, visited the 9/11 museum, ate at my favorite NYC restaurant (The Grand Central Oyster Bar) and saw a Broadway play (The Rose Tatoo with Marisa Tomei). The Oyster Bar is now closed (no one traveling on the trains) and Broadway, of course, is dark, due to COVID. I’m so glad we went on that trip! The expression “what a difference a day makes” can be changed to “what a difference a year makes” and there’s no year that is more true for than 2020.

I played tennis four times last week! An abnomaly for me, but I ran into an acquaintance whose moving, after 15 years in Miami, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This year (the Year of the Rat) has been a year of transition and self reflection. People had the time and space to reevaluate their living spaces, their jobs, their city, state and significant others. Some of us doubled down (I love all this togetherness!), others bailed (I can’t stand your face!), quit their jobs or moved. This year of transition has also been a year of transformation. Zeke keeps saying “I can’t believe we bought a boat!”, so the craziest thing we’ve done this year is buy a boat. Apparently, we’re transforming into boat people. If I start looking like Mary’s leather-skinned neighbor from too many hours in the sun (in “There’s Something About Mary”) someone please give me a heads up.

My birthday is always around Thanksgiving (sometimes it’s on Thanksgiving), making travel problematic, especially if I’m cooking dinner. This year, of course, that’s not a problem. Last year, I had my Aunt Josie’s funeral, where I gave the eulogy, on my actual birthday. Last week, my early birthday lunch at Fiola’s was cancelled due to the rising COVID cases. It’s so great that we have two effective vaccines in the pipeline; if we can all just be patient and safe a little longer, salvation is around the corner! They say by May things will be back to “normal”; whatever normal will look like then.

My Mom is cooking just for herself and her boyfriend Bob. She found a 7 pound turkey, which I didn’t even know existed; she definitely robbed the turkey cradle. Zeke and I went to Publix to get our turkey over the weekend, which is 17 pounds. Do you notice, whenever you talk to someone about their Thanksgiving Dinner, the weight of their turkey always comes up? It’s the only meal I can think of where people brag about the size of the feathered friend they’ll be eating. Like when a baby’s born, we seem to need to give people this vital information. Speaking of babies…

Chris and Courtney’s baby is due this week, actually he’s due today ! Courtney said she thinks he’s waiting to arrive on Thanksgiving Day, or maybe my birthday (25th). I can’t wait to see Liam Jack’s sweet little face and have another Sagittarius to have adventures with. In other exciting family news, Lauren passed the Florida bar! She found out while in D.C. and was sworn in via, what else? Zoom. Yippee! We have another lawyer in the family.

In Miami food news, the South Beach Food and Wine Festival is on for February 2021, albeit with reduced size and no Meet-and-Greets. I’ve only been once (to the Grand Tasting) but I always have a running “wish list” of events I’d like to attend. (hint, hint)

In the wind-up to Turkey Day, my cooking has been pared down. My two favorite meals were bookended by fish dishes. On Sunday, we had Martha and Luis over for sautéed yellowtail snapper with a tropical fruit salsa, mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. We all enjoyed the dinner and seeing each other. The salsa, a Norman Van Aken recipe, elevated the tender sautéed Yellowtail with a sweet and tangy sauce, made with starfruit (instead of pineapple) from my tree. We had homemade banana ice cream with banana cake for dessert. I transformed the leftover mashed potatoes into a Shepherd’s Pie on Wednesday, with Bison meat instead of the normal ground lamb. If you’ve never tried bison, it’s a delicious and lean meat, low in calories and full of protein and iron.

We had lunch at Lazy Lobster on Friday on the way to our condo. They have a very safe set-up outside under a huge chickee hut. I do prefer it for dinner, however. I know I’ve been saying we eat too much red meat, but when we went to Publix and Zeke suggested chicken, all I could think of was that 17-pound lump of poultry awaiting me on Thursday, so we got skirt steak instead. I marinated it in mojo and Zeke grilled it. I served it with black beans and rice. Lunch on Saturday at Skippers (at the Holiday Inn) was excellent! I got the Shrimp Ceviche and Thai Glazed Chicken Wings and both were great, as was the Blackberry Margarita I drank – highly recommend.

Saturday night we had a drink with our Sanctuary neighbors outside at sunset and talked about our Thanksgiving plans. I made myself an Ancho Chile and Agave Margarita to sip; it was Muoy Bueno! At home, Zeke grilled a beautiful filet of Grouper, which I served with risotto and a caesar salad with plantain chips instead of croutons. I made the Lazy Day’s sauce, with tomatoes, scallions, white wine and key lime butter to go on the grouper. We both wanted something a little sweet, but all I could find was peanut butter cookie dough I’d made from Gigi Camp this summer, which I baked into cookies. Desperate times…

After one Thanksgiving a couple years ago, where I cooked and cleaned for days with little help, I went on strike and told Zeke “Never again.” Of course, I relented, but with the caveat that everyone bring a dish, even if they have to buy it already prepared. So this year, we’ll be having a crudite plate no one will touch, with black olives that taste more like than the can than olives (because tradition!), our Roasted 17-pound turkey with my grandmother’s sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. A.J.’s bringing a sweet potato casserole, Emma’s bringing rolls and making Brussel Sprouts and Lauren’s making pecan pie.

2020 isn’t a year for experimenting with weird or funky recipes. We need tradition! We need comfort! We need the tried-and-true! So, no, I won’t be making Pumpkin Ginger Sorbet in place of Pumpkin Pie. I’ve decided I will be making Pumpkin Pie this Thanksgiving, but a Lighter Libby’s Pumpkin Pie version. Because we all know who will be eating it.

“We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings, he hastens and chastens his will to be known.”

Dutch Hymn

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you have a wonderful meal, whether you’re alone or with a small group. Lastly, I’m thankful for everyone who reads my blogs!

Up Next: Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes