All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey…

Here in Miami, all the leaves aren’t brown, but the sky is grey and rainy, due to incoming Hurricane Ian. Yes, while the rest of the country begins to bundle up for the Fall nip in the air, we here in South Florida are still in the midst of Hurricane season, dodging bullets and crossing fingers the latest “tropical depression turned hurricane” doesn’t come our way.

But, good news! It actually is officially Fall.

The first day of Autumn was September 22nd- last Thursday. I usually take photos of my garden the first day of each season, but this year my little herb and vegetable garden is empty and covered with black plastic. I’m waiting until it cools down a bit to start planting.

Still, my starfruit are plentiful and avocados keep falling from two trees. I also have a beautiful butterfly pea plant with brilliant purple flowers and white, fragrant jasmine blooming, which give me a reason to go outside in this hot, humid weather.

Fall means all things PUMPKIN!

You’re either a pumpkin lover or a pumpkin hater. I fall into the first category, loving Pumpkin Lattes, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Bundt Cake and Pumpkin Ice Cream. My favorite (and easy!) way to enjoy pumpkin, is to sprinkle a little Pumpkin Pie Spice into my morning coffee because (spoiler alert) most “pumpkin flavored” items, are actually just” pumpkin spice” flavored.

A couple weeks ago, when it was still Summer, I had leftover lobster and corn, so I turned it into one of my favorite ways to use leftovers and made a summery Lobster and Corn Pizza. For some reason, Monday’s became Pizza Day in our house (I think it was when we watched The Bachelor together in the Pandemic), where we would order a pizza from Miami’s Best and chow down, while watching “the most dramatic season ever”.

When making your own pizza, you have different choices for the crust. The easiest is to buy a pre-made crust, like Boboli. The middle option, is getting the pizza dough from the Bakery section of your grocery store. They also have a pizza dough in the can (Pillsbury), but I’m not a fan of this method. The most labor intensive option is making pizza dough from scratch. This is what I did for this pizza. It was a Bobby Flay recipe and, while good and not that hard, I feel the one from Publix Bakery tastes just as good. Just remember it needs to sit in the bag an hour before baking.

For my Lobster and Corn Pizza, I used Pesto as the sauce on the bottom, added cherry tomatoes, the lobster and corn and topped it with mozzarella cheese and chopped chives. Can you say Summer on a pie? It turned out great, as did the tomato sauce with basil and fresh mozzarella one I made, since the recipe made two balls of dough. Emma and Guillermo ate with us. While they stayed for Jeopardy, they did abandon us before The Bachelorette started.

Tuesday, I made an easy dinner of Marinated Chicken Thighs in Teriyaki sauce. They sell frozen ones at Trader Joe’s, already de-boned and de-skinned, which makes preparing them a breeze. Just marinate in your favorite marinade for a couple hours, then grill or bake.

I was excited to try my new Our Place Always Pan, which I purchased through Katie Couric’s newsletter during a Labor Day sale. Apparently Katie loves this pan, which comes in many pretty colors, and it’s supposed to take the place of 8 pieces of cookware. I sauteed red bell pepper, onions and carrots in the pan and they turned out great. It’s non-stick, so the vegetables slid right out.

Having said that, there are some rules with this beautiful (and expensive) pan. You can’t heat it over medium heat and never, ever use metal utensils in it, or it will ruin the non-stickiness of the pan. Also, it can’t go into the oven. I was trying to figure out how it replaces 8 pans, but it actually says 8 utensils. It comes with a steamer basket, lid, wooden utensil and a natural sponge to clean it.

While I like my Always Pan, for me- Cast Iron Skillets that can be heated to scorching, put in the oven and scraped with a metal spatula- offer the most bang for the buck. They are pretty much indestructible! But, the Always Pan is good for eggs and other delicate items you don’t want to stick and I like the idea of the steamer basket. So, there’s room in my kitchen for both Kumbaya pans. One’s a Mac Truck, the other a Maserati.

Inspired by a Cooks Illustrated Instagram post, I made Soba Noodles with Chicken (leftover from the night before), veggies (also leftover) and edamame in a peanut sauce. Trader Joe’s sells a tasty, Spicy Peanut Sauce should you not want to make your own. Soba noodles, a tradition Japanese noodle, are made from buckwheat flour, so are healthier than noodles made with white flour. They need to be soaked before cooking, They are low glycemic, high in B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals and contain all 8 amino acids.

Friday I had my first Miami Spice of the Season at TUR Kitchen (see previous post) and Saturday, out on the boat, enjoyed a Publix Italian Sub. Delicious! We were going to meet friends Doug and Heidi at Lorelie, but rain and lightening threatened, so we headed the other way to Gilberts, for a stiff drink and to listen to the band- Cutler Stew.

Sunday, I watched Wyatt and Phoenix for A.J., who is now the new Event Planner and Wedding Coordinator for Patch of Heaven Sanctuary in the Redlands. Dinner was Spaghetti Sunday with pasta, sausage, meatballs, sauteed peas, salad, garlic bread and Eggplant Parm that Emma made. I was planning on making Lemon Sorbet, but with watching the kids, Phoenix bonking his head, etc…, it didn’t happen.

Good news for Miami and Coral Gables!

Bon Appetit has a list of Best New Restaurants and three South Florida Restaurants- Los Felix, Paradis Book + Bread and Sunny’s Steakhouse– made the list. The New York Times Food Section announced their Restaurant List 2022 and two Coral Gables restaurants- Zitz Sum and Mamey– made the list. I’ve been to (and enjoyed) both these restaurants. Congrats to Chefs Pablo Zitzmann and Nivel Patel on this honor!

Did you watch The Emmys? I was so surprised to see Abbot Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph in the audience. Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, she was much more glammed-up (and younger looking), than the maternal character she plays on the show, which I love. She won and wow! She belted out a song (Endangered Species) acapella that captivated the audience; her speech following, was equally inspirational.

To anyone who has ever had a dream … and thought your dream wouldn’t come true. This is what believing looks like.

Sheryl Lee Ralph

The Emmys gave me a whole new list of things to add to my “Must See” TV (or streaming) list, starting with White Lotus, which won a lot of awards. Also- Succession, Ozark, Ted Lasso, Only Murders in the Building, Killing Eve, The Morning Show, Yellowjackets, Hacks, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Dopesick, The Staircase, Pam and Tommy and Maid. Some of these I had heard of, some I’d started watching, but others, I had not.

I also read a good suggestion regarding streaming services in a AARP newsletter. They suggested to subscribe to just one or two streaming services, binge-watch the series you’re interested in, and then cancel. Right now I have six services and that’s just crazy.

Equally crazy, I’m bookmarking yummy-looking Fall Dishes like Chicken Enchiladas, Baked Vidalia Onions, Hasselback Sausages, Butter Pecan Cookies and S’more Donuts from Instagram to sample soon, in this “Fall” Season. Fall also calls to mind anything Apple– crisp, cold apples, Apple Martinis, Apple Cider, Apple-Glazed Donuts, Apple Strudel, Apple Fritters and Apple Crumble. I love apples!

It may be 88 degrees outside, with 90% humidity here in Miami but I want my Fall, darnit! Just like Sheryl Lee Ralph, if I can believe it, it can happen. Even Fall in Miami.

Up Next: Overnight Oats

“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