Labor Day we had to go for our “free” Hot Dogs at Riviera. Emma and Guillermo, A.J. Wyatt and Phoenix joined us for the buffet of Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad and Chips and then A.J. took the boys swimming.

Dinner was an easy one of creamy Burrata, sliced Fresh Tomatoes (from Pennsylvania!) and Arugula with toasted garlic bread for dinner. We’d stopped to get tamales at our favorite tamale place in Homestead on the way home from the Keys on Monday, but alas, they were sold out. So, instead, we got Shredded Beef, fresh Corn Tortillas and salsa, which is what we ate for dinner Tuesday night. They weren’t tamales (my favorite!), but they were good. I served them with Spanish Rice and an Avocado Salad with corn and feta.

I used to belong to the Cookbook Book Club at Pinecrest Library, but it was suspended in the Pandemic, so lately they’ve been doing Virtual Events. This Thursday they had The Art of Charcuterie with Vegan author Ellen Kanner. While charcuterie is, by definition, meat, Kanner is vegan, so hers had different vegetables and a tahini dip. She also made a beautiful Foccacia, decorated with vegetables and a dessert board with S’ Mores and fruit. While I like the convenience of Virtual Events, nothing can replace in-person events. At our Cookbook Book Club we got to sample all the dishes the participants had made and talk about them. Hopefully, they will bring this fun group back into live events in the near future.

Friday I met friends at True Food Kitchen in the Falls for lunch. Since I’d already tried (and loved) the Turkey Burger, I got the seasonal soup (Butternut Squash) and the Edamame Dumplings. Both were delicious. My friends got a Chopped Salad with Shrimp and an Ancient Grain Bowl with sweet potatoes, avocado, charred onion with a pumpkin seed pesto. They both really enjoyed their dishes. The service was good and the place has a clean, fun vibe. When I return, I will definitely get the Edamame Dumplings again.

I was so excited to have my first Miami Spice of the season Friday night with friends I haven’t seen in a while at Michael’s Genuine. Alas, Foodie in Miami screwed up! Michael’s Genuine, newly remodeled and revamped, doesn’t offer Miami Spice on Fridays. Oh well- we still had a lovely night, with good conversation and food. Some of their signature dishes- Pig Ears anyone?- are still on the menu, but there are also new items. Prices, like everywhere else, have jumped, but that’s to be expected.

We ordered a bottle of Albarino wine, perfect for a hot night (and we were seated outside), which the waiter poured judiciously throughout our meal. I love when they do this, because the wine doesn’t get hot. Warm Sourdough Bread was ordered, with whipped butter and black salt, as well as Crispy Pigs Ears, which were thinly sliced and fried, for the table to share. They sound weird, but were good.

I got two appetizers- Prime Steak Tartare and Wood Roasted Octopus– for my meal. The tartare was chilled, came with an egg yolk on top and toasted bread on the side. The octopus was beautifully plated with cilantro sprigs and sliced radishes; while it wasn’t a big portion, it was delicious and perfectly cooked. We ended the night with a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Ice Cream we all shared (6 spoons please!), which was on the house because it took a while coming out. It was delicious, with refreshing, candied ginger topping the ice cream. Yum!

The next day, we went to our first U.M. game of the season. We got to go into the Black Parking Lot, that had a bunch of booths, a DJ, games to win prizes and free samples of food and drink. It was fun and then we went into an air-conditioned suite (thank the Lord) to watch U.M. beat Southern Miss. We met up with A.J. at halftime. She’d used our regular tickets to attend the game with Wyatt and Phoenix. We had to hurry home, because I had my Hy Vong pick-up at 5 p.m.

I drove over to the house where the pick-up was located, which is only a couple blocks from mine, and rang the doorbell. No answer. I called and texted the phone number. Still no answer. A van pulled up, with a woman in a headdress and a man carrying a small child. I assumed this to be the Afghan woman who is cooking with Tung and Kathy. Shortly after, the man emerged with a box filled with my order. The food came in paper boxes, which made it easy to heat up in the microwave, as per the instructions on the label. The sauces came on the side.

We started with the Papaya Salad. It was a huge portion, with jullienned green papayas, carrots, cilantro and peanuts. Next, the Barbeque Pork with Vermicelli Rice Noodles. It made me so happy to eat this! Besides being delicious, with complex flavors, it reminded me of eating at Hy Vong. Lastly, we sampled the Mantoo– Afghan Meat Dumplings. The meat in question was lamb and it came with garbanzo beans, a tomato sauce and fresh mint leaves. Very interesting and the dumpling skin was the most delicate I’ve ever tasted. We finished everything off but the salad, which I ate the next day for lunch. I will definitely order Hy Vong pick-up again. Zeke was already asking when the next pick-up date would be.

On Sunday, I had my Mom over for a Belated Birthday Dinner. She was in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for her actual (undisclosed) birthday. I set the table with my wedding china and the flatware setting of Newport Scroll my Mom has gifted me over the years. I got flowers at Trader Joes- daisies because that’s what my mom carried in her wedding bouquet- and put out a framed photo of her as a toddler in cowboy boots. Our first course was lobster-topped deviled eggs. We’d had them at a restaurant in Maui (it was their signature dish) and since I had two lobster tails in the freezer, I thought- why not? Surf-N-Turf Dinner.

Zeke helped me broil the lobster, which I chopped up and chilled. I made my Mom’s Deviled Egg recipe, topped them with lobster chunks and sprinkled them with Old Bay. An easy, yet impressive, appetizer. Since the U.S. Open Men’s Final Tennis Tournament was on, we went into the Family Room to watch it, bringing the Deviled Eggs with us. Zeke grilled the New York Strip Steaks (a tad too much) and I assembled the first course- a Romaine Salad with grapefruit wedges, avocado slices, feta cheese and a Dijon Viniagrette. It was a recipe from a catering company in L.A. and is one of their signature dishes. It was very good- a summery salad with delicious creamy avocado, refreshing grapefruit, some salty feta and. a punch of Dijon.

Dinner was New York Strip Steaks with Ina’s Coffee Rub, Baked Potatoes with butter, chives and sour cream and Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms. For dessert I served Lemon Delice, a pound cake frosted with Lemon Buttercream, and Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream. It was the perfect combo!

You’ve made this before.

My Mom said about the cake.

Yes, I had, more than thirty years ago for another Birthday Dinner for her. It’s a dessert that looks pretty, isn’t too sweet but is easy to put together because you use a store-bought pound cake. My Mother loved her Birthday Dinner. I think cooking for someone is an act of love and spending time with them, the best gift, for all involved. So Happy Birthday Mom! And many more…

Up Next: Lemon Delice

Everybody here’s in love with your car.

Dana

I though this was just a sales pitch (although the sale was already in the bag) but not so. The Saturday I went to pick my car up, a woman who came in to buy a B.M.W., saw my car and wanted the same exact one, down to the camel-colored leather seats. I might not have believed this, but she told me so herself.

I stopped for lunch on the way home at Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Que; I’d heard about it and figured I probably wouldn’t be getting back to Fort Lauderdale any time in the near future. Dana checked me out on driving my Countryman, which is different than my Mini. The car still seemed to be running as I exited it on the lot, but Dana assured me this was normal and it would turn off when I locked it. This is how, on the first day I had my car, I ended up leaving it running the whole time I was getting lunch! When I came out, I heard a car running and sure enough, it was mine. Blonde move! I got in and then I drove home in blinding rain.

I still haven’t gotten used to my Countryman.

It’s a four-door, vs. my two-door, is longer and higher than my old car. When I went to make a deposit at my bank I had to hang half-way out of the car, just to reach the deposit tube. Parallel parking in my old car used to be a breeze. Sometimes I would just pull in straight and wiggle myself into the spot. Not so with the Countryman, but having a back-up camera certainly helps and my phone is hands free. Wyatt doesn’t like it because it has no C.D. player to play his favorite Silly Songs C.D. and, instead of my convertible top, I have a Moon Roof. It still feels big to me though, but my son Christopher suggested I give it time, which I will.

In other old news, I had the last of my Birthday celebrations last week. My birthday was on Thanksgiving, making celebrating difficult and then there was the monkey wrench of Omnicron thrown into the fray, making it even more difficult to celebrate together. Friends from my Corona Virus Go Away text group (still going strong!) took Birthday girls out for a lunch at Riviera Country Club. Our table overlooked the Biltmore and, best of all, we were serenaded by a table of Spanish Tenors who sang Happy Birthday, Ava Maria, etc… accompanied by an electric violin. I went over to the table after lunch to ask if they were professionals. Yes, they were the Latin Tenors and they gave me their C.D. Unfortunately, my new car doesn’t play C.D.’s., so I passed it along to Anne.

My other Birthday meal was dinner at my friends Martha and Luis’s home. She bought Wagyu Filet Mignons from Josh’s Premium Meats, which she served with a shallot wine sauce, oven-Roasted Potato wedges and a Spinach Salad. Luis cooked the steaks perfectly in a cast iron skillet with garlic, rosemary and butter. They were delicious! I made Fudgy Brownies and Rum-Raisin Ice Cream (Ina recipe) for dessert. I added a little extra rum to the ice cream, which turned out to be a mistake, as the alcohol prevents the ice cream from freezing properly. It was still good, however!

Josh’s Premium Meats is just one of several Premium Meat Markets that have opened recently in Miami. The first one we tried was Meat and Bone, with has great customer service and can be easily ordered online. They have three physical stores and the steaks we ordered for Father’s Day came in a cute red cooler and were delicious.

Lomelo’s is another Premium Meat Market, located near Shorty’s BBQ at 9810 South Dixie Highway. (Shorty’s B-B-Q, by the way, has been sold and its future is unknown.) They offer THREE different kinds of Wagyu Beef! The original Japanese A5 (most expensive), Australian and American. They also offer sustainable seafood, pork, wine and specialty boxes. They have online ordering and same day pick-up or delivery.

Josh’s Premium Meats is located in South Miami, at the old Gardener’s Market location. Besides the Wagyu beef, they offer cheeses, sausages, caviar and lots of interesting condiments. They deliver seven days a week, but don’t have online ordering yet.

We had possible renters for our condo in Key Largo, so I trekked down there to show them our unit. They decided against renting and Zeke and I were both kind of glad, so I guess we really don’t want to rent. We have gone down the last three weekends, with the intention of going out on the boat, but it has yet to happen.

The first time, we arrived on a Friday around 4 p.m., just as the Maintence Man/Valet Boat Person, was leaving. He told Zeke he didn’t feel well, so Zeke took three big steps back. Sure enough, he had Covid and consequently, didn’t work that whole weekend. Since our boat is in the boatyard, we need someone to splash us in the water. Valet Boat Service sounds great until the Valet Boat Splasher gets ill and doesn’t come to work.

The next weekend, we were definitely going out on the boat, that was until Zeke got asked by brother-in-law John to go fishing. No worries, I had plenty of things to do around the house- reading, writing, walking, thrift-shopping, lunch out and binge-watching Downton Abbey. Zeke interrupted my leisurely-planned Saturday by arriving home early. We ate the Blackfin tuna they caught as sashimi appetizers with our stone crab dinner Saturday night at John and Kelley’s house in the Keys. It was also dinner, coated in sesame seeds and seared, Sunday night with soy sauce and wasabi. Macaroni and Cheese and Roasted Delicata Squash rounded out the menu.

The next weekend, we were absolutely, postively going out on the boat, come hell or high water. Zeke arrived Friday and had the boat put into the water. We walked out onto the deck at sunset, ‘Bout Time tied up and floating in the bay water that was smooth as glass. The sunset was destined to be a spectacular one and the Full Moon was still up in the sky.

This looks like a perfect night to take the boat out for a sunset cruise.

I said.

Zeke didn’t take my not-so-subtle hint and we started chit-chatting with other Sanctuary residents at Happy Hour, while sipping our respective white wine and margarita. Lo and behold, someone else asked him to go fishing the next day. Without a glance in my direction, Zeke happily agreed. They called it “gentleman fishing”, going out late and not staying out all day, so Zeke promised me we’d take the boat out after he got back.

He didn’t get back until 4 ‘o clock! And, at 5 it was predicted to rain. So, that was that.

I had to get back Sunday for a Vision Board Workshop at 1. At this point, after the last two years, I feel a Vision Board should just be a giant question mark, because who the hell knows what’ going to happen this year of 2022. Instead of inspirational quotes, like “hang in there”, it should just say WTF???? But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, and try I did.

Kelley served the Pioneer Woman’s Beef Chili, with cheese, sour cream and scallions for lunch; my sister Elise and Mom were there to create their visions of the coming year. Even Grace and Wyatt made a vision board, although theirs was mostly toys they wanted, cut out and pasted on the poster board Kelley provided. Phoenix provided baby entertainment and got passed around to hold. That night at home, we made our first fire of the year, as it was quite chilly.

My philosophy for this year is: if it’s cold, light your fireplace (because you don’t know when it’s going to get cold again!), if you’re hungry for Bar-B-Q, eat at Shorty’s because it’s sold and may eventually be gone forever, and if your wife says “it’s a perfect night to take the boat out for a sunset cruise”, do it, because if you don’t, you’ll have to hear about it forever.

It’s a marvelous night for a Moondance.

Van Morrison

Up Next: Christie’s Caesar Salad

Construction has begun on the site of my neighbor Maggie’s former house, now an empty lot. The trudge of machinery, the beep, beep, beep of trucks backing up, the loud bangs when they hit something has already started, soon to be followed by pounding, crashing and clunking of a new house being built.

Get used to it, because it going to be like this for the next nine months.

said Zeke.

Nine months, like having a baby, but I’m going to be through the agony of building, not the ecstasy of birth. It should be done around next July. Ugh… Thank God for my noise-cancelling headphones!

Speaking of due dates, my new Mini, a four-door Countryman to accommodate all three grandsons, should arrive sometime in December. The first one I ordered (a regular four-door Countryman) wasn’t going to be built until next year- “Maybe March, but we just don’t know, according to Mini, so I just bit the bullet and bought the Mini with the S engine, faster, but more expensive.

Why would you want to buy anything but an S anyway?

said the Mini Salesman, spoken like a true salesman.

The Amazon Holiday Kids Gift Book List came in the mail this week and I put it aside for Wyatt to scour over the toy selections. The first time he saw the catalogue, when he was just three, he called it his favorite “book” and insisted on taking it to Pre-School to “read”. This time when I picked him up from school, I handed him the catalogue and he got to work with a Black Sharpie.

Santa can’t bring you everything, so pick carefully.

I told him.

Despite my advise, he circled (and starred) a lot of items, including ones he already had, simply because they were a different color or version. He wanted a Baby Yoda (even though I already got him one last Christmas), because this one was eating a Macaron. He wants a remote-controlled Tarantula to scare his Mom, a Smart Watch, Gumball Maker and everything on the Hot Wheels and Tonka page. He also wants some classic toys- Operation game, Play Doh and a Spirograph- that his Gigi can get on board with. Most of all, he wants a Nintendo Switch. I don’t even know what that is.

As he was working on the Amazon catalogue, I started working on dinner, a Bobby Flay dish called Winning Chicken Sammie. You marinate chicken thighs in a ginger/garlic/oil mixture and then I made two sauces- a Red pepper Tahini and Mint Yogurt Sauce to go on the Pita Bread Sandwich. There were also pickled shallots involved, luckily I already had some pickled onions in the fridge. By the time it came time to grill the chicken, and I read there was also a rub to make, I gave up and used a rub I already had on hand. It was a good sandwich, but too complicated for my likes!

I took Wyatt around to see some of the Halloween decorations in my neighborhood and then we came home and made Caramel Apples from a kit. They didn’t quite work (I am not good at candy-making!), the Caramel was more like a light coating, but he had fun. He ate his favorite Spaghettios for dinner, while we ate our Pita Bread Sandwiches with oven-roasted sweet potatoes, which we dipped in the Mint Yogurt Sauce from the sandwich.

The next night, I felt like steak and Zeke said he’d just read a recipe for a 4-ingredient Flank Steak Marinade. Few ingredient recipes are all the rage right now. I’ve seen them for 2-ingredient pizza dough, 3-ingredient pumpkin bread and, at the end of this article they mentioned a 2-ingredient marinade for chicken breasts, 3-ingredient marinade for salmon and a 4-ingredient marinade for sheet pan tofu.

I think people who are busy and tired at the end of the day, are sick of complicated recipes. It’s frustrating when you start to cook something and don’t have half the spices you need and, let’s face it, when are you really going to use cardamom again? It will linger in your spice drawer for YEARS. I have two other recipes for Flank Steak Marinades, one with eight ingredients, one with ten, but this 4-ingredient one was so easy and good, I will probably just keep using it (assuming I have Guinness Beer on hand). The orange zest gives it a citrusy zing, the molasses a little sweetness, the chipotle powder a bit of a kick and the beer, a depth of flavor. Life can be difficult; cooking dinner shouldn’t be.

4-Ingredient Flank Steak Marinade

Recipe by MicrosoftCourse: EntreeCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

30 minutes to overnight

30

minutes

10

minutes

Calories

298

kcal

Don’t forget to save the leftover orange to make a quick citrus vinaigrette. The finished steak pairs well with a simple salad of avocado, bitter greens (like arugula), pickled red onions and pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (11.2 ounces) of Guinness Draught Beer

• Zest of one orange

• 2 tablespoon of molasses

• 1 1 pound flank steak, generously salted

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the Guinness, orange zest, chipolte chili powder and molasses. Mix until combined.
• Pour the marinade in a bowl with a cover or a large resealable plastic bag, followed by the flank steak. Make sure the steak is completely covered by the marinade, then place it in the refrigerator. Allow the steak to marinate for at least 30 minutes (overnight is preferable).
• When you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the marinade and place in a greased cast-iron skillet. Set your oven broiler to high, then place the skillet in the oven. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, flip the steak and broil for another 4 to 6 minutes. (We grilled our steak, FYI and let it rest 10 minutes before slicing it.)
• The steak is done when the edges are charred and a little crispy. Cut against the grain and serve immediately.

Notes

• I did make the orange vinaigrette with the juice from the orange I zested. I served the steak with the salad, a baked potato and garlic bread.

We went down to the Keys Saturday, for a quick trip and a ride on the boat. We took it out a bit, anchored and swam. Zeke got delicious sub sandwiches from Avenue Subs for lunch, and it was the perfect Boat Food, but next time I would get the lettuce and tomato on the side, as it made the bottom of the roll soggy. We came home to watch the UM game (sad!) and then Zeke surprised me with Stone Crabs from Key Largo Fisheries for an appetizer before we went out to dinner. They were tender, sweet and delicious, dipped in the mustard sauce. Stone Crab season started October 15th and ends May 1st, so get them while you can!

The Keys are a little quiet right now, many restaurants are closed before “the season” begins. The calm before the storm. It’s a Full Moon Tonight, time to Recoup, Recover and Recharge. Full Moons rule completions and turning points, so be clear about what you want to manifest. For me, I’m manifesting Easy Dinners for the future.

Lighten up while you still can Don’t even try to understand Just find a place to make your stand And take it easy.

The Eagles

While I haven’t been to Hillstone’s in ages, (even before the Pandemic, I couldn’t stand the crowds), I do miss this salad. I tried to re-create it at home, but it never tasted exactly right until I found this recipe online at La Dolce Vita, written by Fred Bollaci, known as the Healthy Gourmet. I had leftover steak and a beautiful Mallika mango from my tree (one of only 3 I’ve had this year), so I had most of the makings for this salad.

I didn’t have ramen or lo mein noodles, so subbed angel hair pasta and didn’t have arugula or watercress (although I love both!) so subbed Romaine and spinach. Don’t skip the herbs, however, as they really add another, fresh, dimension to this salad. If you’re not a steak-lover, this salad would also work great with leftover pork or chicken. This is the perfect salad for Miami Foodies this summer. The temperatures have been brutal, so who wants to heat up the kitchen? Even my meat and potatoes husband Zeke, enjoyed this sweet, savory and spicy salad for dinner. I hope you will too.

Houston’s Thai Steak and Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Steak

1 1/2 inch ginger, peeled, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1/4 olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 pound filet mignon steaks, 1 inch thick

Kosher salt

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup hot chili paste (I used sriracha)

1/4 cup peanut oil

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Salad and Assembly

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 large mango, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 bunch arugula, leaves torn

1/2 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

2 medium carrots, finely shredded

2 scallions, chopped

2 cups finely shredded savoy cabbage

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cut into 1 inch piences

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

1/4 cup torn mint leaves

1/4 cup crumbled toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes (I skipped this)

1/4 cup finely chopped, salted, roasted peanuts, plus more for serving

Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation:

Steak

Whisk ginger, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisking constantly, gradually add olive oil, then sesame oil. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and add steaks. Close bag, pressing air out and turn steak to coat. Chill at least 6 hours and up to 12.

Prepare grill for medium heat. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. Season lightly with salt. Grill, turning every 2 minutes, until lightly charred all over and the temperature in the thickest part reads 12o, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before cutting into 1″ pieces.

Dressing

Whisk lime juice, chili paste, peanut oil, fish sauce, sugar, honey and garlic in a small bowl to combine. Taste and season with salt if desired.

Salad and Assembly

Cook noodles in a small pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with oil in a large bowl. Add mango, arugula, watercress, carrots, scallions, cabbage, tomatoes and dressing and toss to coat. Add steak, avocado, cilantro, basil, mint, coconut flakes and 1/4 cup peanuts. Gently toss to combine. Top with additional peanuts and sere with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Divide salad among plates, piling as high as possible. Top with additional peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe by Hillstone Restaurant Group

Up Next: Foods to Always Have in the Freezer, Mango Mania.