“And the songbird is singing like she knows the score…”

Gigi camp has just concluded and Gigi is… exhausted!

The first Gigi camp occured when Wyatt was only 3 years old and I took him down for the Keys for what was to be a week-long camp. I quickly realized a full week with a three-year-old was way too ambitious and decided the new rule of thumb should be one day for each year of my grandson’s life. Thus, Gigi camp this year should have been only five days long, but I went the Full Monty and played camp counselor for a week!

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a lot to handle, but as it turns out, I hurt my knee and caught a cold, so I was not in my prime Super Gigi condition! But I soldiered through and had Wyatt from Sunday- where I had the family over for Spaghetti Sunday- through the following Sunday.

Gigi Camp is sacred. A period of time devoted soley to my grandson, with activities, field trips, art projects, French lessons and science experiments scheduled. During this week- my life as I know it- is put on hold. That means: no meetings, tennis matches, meditating, yoga, work-outs, long walks, happy hours, answering e-mails, reading the paper, Instagramming, writing reviews for Yelp, talking on the phone, journaling, blogging, writing or watching murder mysteries for me. I did watch Jeopardy with Wyatt, but I consider this educational, right?

If there was one activity we did more than any other, during this version of Gigi camp, it would have to be swimming. As any parent (or grandparent knows) this is the perfect activity for wearing an active child out, so they go sleep early and sleep well. We swam in my backyard pool, at Riviera’s pool (with lunch with Courtney and Liam), at the pool at the Sanctuary down in Key Largo and (most fun of all! ) out on the boat, in the bay. With noodles and water guns.

Field trips included: Pinecrest Gardens playground, the Library to get new books, Riviera Country Club for swimming with Liam and lunch and to Target, where Wyatt and I got t-shirts to tie-dye. Wyatt also got to pick out a toy, actually two- a voice changer and a Super Soaker water gun. The tie dye was my favorite art activity and Wyatt was totally hands-on. He picked the colors, designs and squirted the dye onto the t-shirts himself. At one point, he had a plastic dye tube in each hand and was free form squirting the dye over the shirt- very Jackson Pollack! After this, I put the t-shirts in a plastic container and into the microwave to “cook”. That’s right! These tie-dye shirts didn’t need to go into the washing machine, but set in the microwave. Kind of ingenious and a lot quicker than the washing machine method.

On Wednesday, I exchanged Wyatt for his little brother Phoenix (3 months old), so his parents could have a day alone with him. On that day, I made a Black Pepper Tofu dish from the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, NYT food writer and Vegetable guru. I’ve been trying to eat more plant-based meals and this one was delicious, but after frying tofu in oil and sauteeing it in butter, it didn’t seem like the HEALTHIEST meal. When Wyatt walked into my living room at 8 pm that night eating an ice cream Sundae, I asked his parents to take him for the night, as I didn’t want to deal with the sugar crash. I needed a good night’s sleep.

Because sleeping with Wyatt does not translate into restful slumber He sleeps between Zeke and I and, while he starts out vertical, he ends up horizontal, forming a cross bar to our vertical H. Zeke gets kicked in the head, I get squeezed to the edge of the bed, hanging on for dear life. It is not fun! Also, Wyatt is like a heat-seeking missile, so, by the morning, he has attached himself to me for snuggling. And, like Great Garbo- “I vant to be alone” when I sleep, I like to sleep unencombered by another life form. It should just be me and my weighted blanket, for prime snoozing. Serenity now!

Our meals were whatever was easy and quick. Every morning Wyatt had the same menu of Apple Juice and Milk in a sippy cup (I know it sounds disgusting, but he loves it) and Chocolate Chip pancakes with syrup, served on a breakfast tray in my bedroom. Yes, he is spoiled by his Gigi! Dinner was sushi one night, Spaghettios often and, my favorite meal of the week, grilled shrimp. Zeke found a recipe for a marinade in a magazine called Table from the Florida Keys and it was delicious. The marinade, shown below, hit all the right notes- sweet, salty and spicy- and you could really taste it on the skewered shrimp. I served it with rice, the Black Pepper tofu and sliced watermelon. Delicious!

Wyatt and I drove down to the Keys Friday around lunchtime and, both of us exhausted, were couch potatoes, coloring and watching T.V. Zeke came later and we went to dinner at nearby Skipper’s (they have a great kid’s menu) and then back home to watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. A.J. and Phoenix came down Saturday to join us for their first time out on our boat- ‘Bout Time. We had lunch at Bayside Grille and took a little joy ride out in the bay afterwards. Unfortunately, Wyatt wanted to go “Faster, faster!” on the boat and with sweet, little Phoenix, we needed to go slower, slower.

Gigi Camp went out with a bang on Sunday, as we took the boat out for one last spin. We anchored, floated on noodles and went swimming in Buttonwood Bay. Wyatt brought all his water guns and we had a water gun fight, while listening to Sweet Home Alabama on the boat radio. We dried off, then we headed back to our unit, where Wyatt got his wish to go “Faster, faster!” Then, we drove back home from the Keys, where Wyatt fell asleep in the car (yea!). Shortly afterward (although none too soon) his Mom came to pick him up and Gigi camp came to an end. Wyatt gave me a little hug goodbye. A.J. gave me a BIG hug. “Thank you Mom!” she said.

I have to say, this is the best Gigi Camp ever.

Wyatt

Said one night before bed. When I asked him his favorite part of Gigi camp, he said “The apple juice and milk and the TV watching.”

“Really? What about the boat? And swimming in the ocean?” I asked.

“Oh yes. Totally the boat!” he answered.

And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before.

Fleetwood Mac

Spicy Cilantro Lime Marinade

Recipe by SergioCourse: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calorieskcal

For Seafood and Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup lime juice

• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

• 2 minced garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• 3 TBL brown sugar

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 TBL red pepper flakes

• 1/4 tsp cumin

Directions

• Mix all ingredients, then process in the blender or food processor for uniform consistency.
• Place shrimp, seafood or chicken and marinate 15 minutes to 1 hour. For seafood, less time because the lime juice may “cook” it prematurely.
• Grill according to the protein.
• Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

• If cilantro is not your thing, simply omit and create a spicy, lime, garlic marinade instead.

My house is getting really organized. I bought two drawer organizers for my kitchen drawers and organized my kitchen “junk drawer”. All my drawers had kind of turned into “junk” drawers, now they are neat and tidy. I ordered some grey velvet hangers from Amazon and am slowly phasing out the ugly plastic white ones, for the skinnier, more elegant grey ones in my bedroom closet.

I’ve begun weeding and pruning around the yard, a little bit every day. We had a gentleman named Peter come by yesterday and repair our coral rock wall, that had been damaged by a gumbo limbo tree. He also repaired another part of the wall that had started crumbling. Zeke’s been raking leaves every morning, after he comes home (earlier and earlier it seems) from work.

“Look how great our yard looks!” he proclaimed proudly, one day last week.

“But there’s no one here to see it,” I said, sadly.

It’s kind of ironic when our house and yard look so good that we can’t have anyone over, but as a friend pointed out, we are here to see it and enjoy it. And when would we ever have the kind of time for all these cleaning and organizing projects? I still have many more things to do on my to-do list, so much I think I would panic if the stay-at-home orders are relaxed. Of course, that would be a good problem to have.

The highlight of my week was definitely getting to see and babysit my grandson Wyatt. His Dad got food poisoning and was unable to watch him Tuesday, so Gigi stepped in to babysit so his Mom could work. He rode his bike and I walked beside him, as we went to see the stuffed animals on 76 street.

My daughter A.J. was organizing an event for Women Who Rock, benefitting Lotus Children, children with Autism who are staying at Lotus House. The event, Denim and Diamonds, was Friday night and the rehearsal was Wednesday night, which is why I was baby-sitting.

Another milestone, I finally got out of my yoga clothes and wore a dress twice this week. The first was for a Zoom meeting for the Coral Gables Community Foundation. We discussed what the foundation is doing to help the community- distributing meals with Threefold Cafe to workers and their families in the Gables who have lost their jobs- and other topics. It was nice to see everyone (even through the computer), but I have to say there was a weird vibe to the meeting. Serious and the unpredictablity and uncertainty of the future weighed heavily on all of us.

The chair of the Gala, which was to be “La Vie en Rose”, a Paris-themed gala at the Biltmore Hotel, poo-pooed the idea that the gala would not go on in October. But the rest of us were silent, because really, who knows?

Things that we’ve lost.

And it dawned on me around the same time, that there will more than likely be no UM football games to attend this Fall. My husband and I are season ticket holders and really look forward to going to the games and tailgating with friends and family. Now, that doesn’t seem likely; and that makes me really sad. Going to UM football games and supporting the ‘Canes is part of what makes us, us.

Also, my Pinecrest Garden Club, which meets the second Tuesday of the month in the Hibiscus Room of Pinecrest Gardens, doesn’t seem likely to reconvene in September. Many of our members are elderly and we normally have around seventy people crammed into the room, eating, drinking and chatting in close knit groups, all things that don’t seem advisable until a vaccine is available. I’ve been sending photo cards to the members with a quote from Emily Dickinson, as a way to keep in touch.

So, the second time I donned a dress was Friday night for the Denim and Diamonds fundraiser my daughter was the event planner for. I put on a denim dress and my diamond earrings for the occasion. No one saw me but my familia, but that’s ok. The event was held on Facebook Live and many people joined in the fun, via Zoom. My nephews, Mike and James Gerrard, played their guitars from their living room and sang two songs; I was also able to see my sister Elise watching with her boyfriend. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, check out TheLotusChildren.org.

Dinners this week consisted of a Vegetable Lasagna on Sunday (with bread, roasted garlic and salad). The inspiration came from a lasagna I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was made with one layer red sauce, then lasagna noodles, one layer of ricotta and spinach, then noodles, one layer of pureed sweet potatoes, then noodles and another layer of ricotta and spinach, and topped with mozzarella and parmesan. Since it made a lot, I shared some with my sisters Kelley and Elise and my neighbor Maggie.

One day, we just ate leftovers, Thursday we had Chicken and Vegetable Tikka Masala my sister Elise made, which I served with white rice. Friday, I had Wyatt, so we just had pasta. My enthusiasm for cooking interesting meals is waning. I made two pizzas on Saturday, made with a two-ingredient Pizza Dough that doesn’t require any yeast. Yeast has been a hot commodity in the pandemic.

Our take-out this week was from Root and Bone in South Miami. The Family Supper consisted of one fried chicken, biscuits, Mac and Cheese, coleslaw and corn for $40. It was all delicious and pick-up was curbside and easy. I also ordered Ribs, fried green tomatoes, sweet potato croquettes and a watermelon salad, all yummy, although the salad was a little wilted. I highly recommend Root and Bone‘s Family Supper. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

You know how they always ask chefs what their last meal would be? I asked Lauren and Zeke last night, where the first place they would want to eat when restaurants open again. Lauren said Hillstone, where she likes to meet a friend to get the Spinach Artichoke Dip and get a glass of wine. Zeke said Capital Grille to get a dry aged steak, with sides and a nice bottle of wine. He really is a meat and potatoes guy. I think I would like a nice seafood dinner, somewhere in the Keys, on the water. With music and the perfect margarita.

We finished two puzzles this week (well, it was really Zeke) and watching McMillions. We liked McMillions, but it’s no Tiger King. We also started watching a corny show- Listen to Your Heart on ABC, part of the Bachelor franchise, to sate our Monday night Bachelor withdrawals. I finished reading the book for my Book Club, Blood, Bones & Butter. It’s written by Gabrielle Hamilton, the chef and owner of a popular Soho restaurant named Prune. She wrote an article about closing her restaurant in the pandemic and what the future holds for Prune. Read about it (or listen to it on the Daily) at www.nytimes.com>closing-prune-restaurant-covid.

Emma just took her last exam and is set to graduate from F.S.U. this Saturday; Lauren’s in the middle of finals online at UM Law School. Other good news: our tenants in our Keys condo are finally leaving! They stayed an extra month, due to the pandemic and we’ve been dying to go down to our “little slice” of paradise.

Zeke and I are doing well. We’ve gotten into a pretty good system. He cleans the kitchen, I do the laundry. He cooks one night a week, we get take-out one night and I cook the other five. It’s starting to get a little dangerous though, because he’s getting used to this situation (me as hausfrau) and likes the fact we’re saving money by eating in and not having a housekeeper. He said:

“I like the way you fold the laundry. I don’t think we even need Isa anymore.”

Ugh, yes we do! My housekeeper texted me last week. I was hoping it was to tell me she was coming back, but she was just checking in. Hopefully, when restrictions loosen up, she will back at our house.

When Zeke and I first started walking together, we talked about which of the kids we thought would disregard the social distancing rules, and come home and give us the dreaded coronavirus. We had different theories of who the most likely suspect would be. Living in the pandemic is like being in an Agatha Christie murder mystery, where we sit around the living room and look at each other suspiciously. Emma has even turned the tables on us and said: “How do we know where you guys have been? You’re probably going to give it to us.” And every time someone goes to the grocery store (I’m still Instacarting), my heart drops. Twenty-four Publix grocery stores have employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

One thing about being in such close quarters with your spouse are the smells. Normally, we aren’t together 24/7, but now that we are… I had a friend who insisted separate bathrooms were the key to a happy marriage; I now know what’s she’s talking about. I now also know one month is the amount of time it takes for a toilet ring to develop. And Zeke has this habit of taking his socks off, and leaving them wherever he happens to be that is really starting to get on my nerves.

I saw a meme with a husband and wife on the couch where she says: “You’re breathing too hard” and I get it. It especially bothers me when he comes into the family room after dinner, with a glass full of ice cream and I hear the clink, clink, clink of the spoon hitting the glass. For some reason, it reminds me of my ex-husband and really bugs the s**t out of me. He knows this and persists on doing it. I just have to leave the room. Deep breaths.

And, even with all the ice-cream eating and wine drinking, Zeke’s lost seven pounds. Another reason to want to kill him.

On the day we had Wyatt, he biked, swam, took a bath, ate dinner and was still up around 9, with no nap. He was exhausted, but refused to sleep. I gave him apple juice and milk (his drink of choice) in his sippy cup, let him watch one of “his shows”,(which are inane) but then turned on ours (McMillions) and he was furious. He started crying. I told him he could either watch our show or go to bed.

“I don’t ever want to be in this family ever again!” he said.

I feel you baby, but our family is all we’ve got right now. We may even eye each other suspiciously, but at the end of the day, we all go to bed under one roof. Luckily, after his outburst, he promptly went to sleep.

So, here’s the Two Ingredient Pizza Dough from the Food Network. One of the ingredients is Greek Yogurt. The recipe called for full fat, but I only had 2% and it turned out fine. I made one with Fig Jam, carmelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese, the other with marinara sauce, mozzarella, basil and parmesan cheese. These were all things I had in the fridge. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use an upside down cookie sheet. The hardest part of this recipe, is you have to knead the dough for eight minutes, but I find it’s good therapy and we can all use some therapy right now.

Two-Ingredient Pizza Dough Food Network Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• Pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella, for topping

Directions:

• 1 Put a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• 2 Put the flour and yogurt in a large bowl and mix with a fork until a shaggy dough forms. (The dough may appear dry and crumbly at first, but it will come together as you mix it.) Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic, about 8 minutes, dusting with more flour if neccessary. If the dough feels too dry, add water, a tablespoon at a time and continue kneading until it is soft and pliable. Divide the dough in half, roll into balls and then use a rolling pin to roll out into two 10-inch pizzas. Dust the back of another inverted baking sheet or pizza stone with more flour and place a circle of dough on top.
• 3 Top the dough round with sauce and shredded cheese as desired, leaving a half-inch bare border around the edge. Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet, top as desired and put the sheet in the oven to bake. Cook until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a large spatula, transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let sit 5 minutes.

We are all human beings. We all have a role to play and together is the only way we will make it out the other side. Be kind, be present, be well.

Micheal Beltrane, chef at Ariete, Taurus. Chugs

Up next: Fun Kitchen projects and How to Shop Safely at the Grocery Store