Zeke is back to snoring! I guess the menthol shock to his tonsils worked temporarily but apparently they adjusted, and the buzz saw is back to work. One thing that did last a long time was my stomach flu, which I had for a full six days!

The food I ate during this time was pathetic. I thought of taking photos of it, but when I looked through the lens at a bowl of white rice, a slice of dry toast, a tub of white yogurt, I just couldn’t. It was white, white and white and boring! Friends encouraged me to take the time to reset, detox and get my life back on track, while losing a few pounds in the process.

I tried to enjoy childhood foods for their simplicity- chicken broth with rice, Cream of Wheat, mashed bananas- but honestly- it was awful. And after babying my digestive system each day, I expected my stomach to reward me the next morning by settling down to normal, but it took a long time! Patience is not a virtue I have much of.

During this time, I also discovered my eyesight is going. I already wear reading glasses, but I guess I need to up the magnification. I also discovered a weird ache in my forearms, emanating from my elbows that is rather painful. So, basically, I’m falling apart.

On the plus side, I finished my book for Book Club– The Year of Dangerous Days. On the minus side, I wasn’t able to attend the Book Club Meeting Tuesday, due to the stomach flu. I’d made a cute Pumpkin Cheese Ball to bring as a hostess gift. It’s just like a regular cheese ball, but you cover it in Everything Seasoning, wrap it in plastic wrap and tie with kitchen twine to make a pumpkin shape. The stem was from a bell pepper. We had it for an appetizer with crackers, Sunday night.

During my convalescence, I watched a movie trending on Netflix– The Luckiest Girl in the World with Mila Kunis. I thought it was very good, but it does deal with triggering subject matter (school shooting)- so it’s not for everyone.

New favorite Podcast is Smartless, with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. Bateman and Arnett were on Arrested Development together and Sean Hayes is best known for his stint on Will and Grace. These three dudes are hilarious together as they interview a surprise guest. Thanks to my sister Elise for this recommendation.

I do have things to look forward to on the horizon. The CSA from Empower Farms is going to start soon (fresh fruits and veggies), I’ve gotten my shipment from Scout and Cellar wines and Season 6 of The Crown begins November 9th. And, I’m going to visit Chris, Courtney and Liam for Halloween. Scooby Dooby Doo, here we come!

Luckily, my stomach recuperated in time for the U.M. Football game on Saturday. I went with A.J., Wyatt and Phoenix and, since the game was at 12:30, I brought a Tailgate lunch and drinks for us to share.

I made Fruit Kebabs (that I forgot at home!), Ritzy Chicken Fingers (with Ritz Cracker coating) and Maple Mustard, Pasta Salad and Monster Maple Cookies. I was on a bit of a Maple Kick, due to recipes in the Herald from a maple farm in a new cookbook, called Maple Syrup Recipes with Tips and Tales from Hurry Hill. The chicken fingers got a bit soggy in the commute, but the Maple Cookies were a keeper.

It was fun to have a bite to eat with the boys, before heading into the stadium. to watch UM play Duke. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes were losing when we left at halftime. We heard a huge ROAR as we walked to the car, when UM scored a TD in the third half, but we ended up losing miserably! I had no time to think about it because I had a wedding to attend at the old Centrust Building (now called the Miami Tower).

It was a perfect night for an outdoor wedding and the venue, overlooking Brickell and downtown Miami, was beautiful. The bride Lauren, our friend Brook’s daughter, looked absolutely stunning and you could see the joy on her face as she walked down the aisle. They both looked so happy, standing under the trellis! We had met Lauren and her fiance Chris, many times before and were delighted to share in their special day.

Sunday, Zeke smoked a beef brisket for dinner. He had to get up at 6 a.m. to start it and it involved basting the brisket with a mustard mixture, filling a little metal container with wood chips and making a liquid mixture to smoke the meat with. It basically had to be babysat all day, then it was removed, wrapped in Butcher Paper and put back in the smoker. Then, at a certain temp, removed and stored in a cooler. It was quite the process! Our backyard (and my newly washed hair) smelled like a campfire.

Emma and Gui came over for dinner and, let me tell you, that Smoked Beef Brisket was so juicy and delicious, it made whatever Zeke had to do to it, worth it. I served it with Mashed Potatoes, little Green Peas, Cucumber Salad, Corn Bread and Fruit Kebabs no one touched. Maple Cookies were once again dessert.

Emma and Gui almost bought a little house recently but backed out of it and now Emma kind of regrets it. She still drives by and wonders if she made the right decision. She really loved that little house, but was stressed with all it paperwork and commitment it entailed.

Zeke and I are watching Bachelor in Paradise (horrible, I know), but they take a bunch of girls and guys, stick them on an island and see what happens. Some of them get together, some of them regroup with other people, but they always talk about their “connection“. Like “my connection to so and so is more than it is to this other person”, which is how they choose who they want to be with.

When you think about it, life is all about connections. Whether it’s to a house, a neighborhood, a city, a state or a country, we want that feeling of something that clicks. And, of course, with people- whether it’s a realtor, a partner, a friend, classmates, teachers, workmates, teammates, spouses. Someone could look perfect on paper and then you meet them and… no chemistry.

In this age of Zoom and Social Media and Internet, E-mail, Voice Mail, text, the only way to test a connection needs to be in person, no phoning it in. Like a guy at the UM game said last week: “There’s something about this team that just isn’t clicking.” It’s indefinable, this secret sauce that makes people, teams, gel or not. It can’t be manufactured or faked. It’s got to be real.

Speaking of which, the one and only, very real and hilarious Leslie Jordan passed away Monday from a car accident. He was truly one-of-a-kind and such a bright light in the middle of the Pandemic with his hilarious Instagram posts. “Hello there fellow Hunker-Downers!” he said, in his Southern drawl. Remember when we were all fellow Hunker-Downers?

Luckily, we are no longer! We are out and about, connecting, gathering, mingling, traveling, socializing with people we “click with” and enjoying life. It only takes something like a little stomach bug to knock you off your feet to make you appreciate how wonderful normal life really is.

Invisible threads are the strongest ties.

Friedrich Nietsche

Up Next: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Maple Cookies

Last week, I lost two pairs of sunglasses. A pair of aviators, that were a Christmas present from my husband, and a pair of Wayfare-esque ones. I’m not sure where they came from. I could blame it on age, but honestly, I’ve always been somewhat forgetful and tend to lose things.

When they used a quote in the yearbook from my Cheerleading Squad to represent me, it was “Gina- did you forget anything?” because I was always forgetting something- pop-poms, my athletic letter, saddle shoes. I think I even forgot my bloomers once!

The Canes and the Dolphins lost last week, not a good week for Miami Football. Our tailgate for the UM game was successful, however. We had sausages and hot dogs with sauteed onions and Cole Slaw. Emma and Gui brought Argentinian Sausages, I brought Bratwurst and Kelley brought Hebrew National Hot Dogs. It was a “bring your own sausage” tailgate, or, as I called it, a Sausage Party.

Orange and green veggies (get my theme?) were appetizers with Three Layer Hummus and Pita Crackers. Pumpkin Cupcakes with orange frosting and green sprinkles were our dessert. Wyatt helped me make them when I picked him up from school Friday. I just used Yellow cake mix, but substituted some of the oil for pumpkin puree and added about a tablespoon of Pumpkin Spice. They were good! We decorated some for Halloween as well.

I like Tailgating, but it’s quite an effort to get the tent up, table and chairs out and set up, food spread out and drinks poured. Then, grilling the food, serving it, letting the grill cool down and packing it all up. By that time, it’s time to head into the stadium. Do I sound old?

We should’ve gotten their earlier, because I missed the team coming out of the smoke at the beginning- one of my favorite parts of the game. And, depending on the game, it’s sometimes absolutely my favorite part of the game. Not this game- it was exciting, but we just couldn’t pull it out in the end.

Going to UM football games always reminds me of my Dad, Butch Rice, who loved UM Football. He was a Dolphins season ticket holder, but gave up his tickets when they moved to Joe Robbie (now Hard Rock) stadium and transferred his football passion onto the University of Miami. He attended games at the old Orange Bowl, now they’re at Hard Rock. He died 20 years ago last week. While I knew October sixth rang a bell, I’d forgotten why until my sister Kelley reminded me.

We met for lunch at Amal, a Modern Lebanese restaurant in Coconut Grove. I’ve been dying to try it and had heard good things about it from friends and on Instagram. We toasted my Dad at lunch (we had fancy drinks, my Dad would’ve had a Coors Light) and had a lovely, Middle Eastern Mezze lunch. *Amal restaurant review coming in future Foodie in Miami.

Winner, winner Chicken Dinner

Last Tuesday was National Taco Day, but I actually had a craving for Roast Chicken, so that’s what we had. I served it with Stovetop Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. I guess I was feeling Thanksgiving vibes. Sometimes, you just crave something and Publix Rotisserie Chicken saved the day; it’s an Empty Nester’s best friend. I used the leftovers to make my favorite Chicken Noodle Soup later in the week.

I went to Trader Joe’s this week for Tailgate supplies. While many people complain of not being able to find parking, I’ve never had an issue with it. The place was packed, however (don’t go at lunchtime) and they had an issue with their freezer sections, so there were whole sections missing food items. They didn’t have my little Hold the Cone Ice Cream treats. I did get my Mini San Marzano tomatoes; they are $2.99 at Trader Joe’s vs. $4 at Publix. I also got Pumpkin Ravioli, which I love!

For lunch on Tuesday I made a delicious salad with Trader Joe’s Dill Pickle (trending) Falafels, pickled red onion, pickled beets, lettuce, sliced avocado, shaved carrots and feta cheese. I whipped up a quick tahini dressing with tahini, lemon & beet juice (made it pink) and olive oil. It was delicious and the Falafels took the place of croutons, for crunch.

Zeke had brought a favorite bartender fresh tamales from Homestead and, in return, his Mom made us Cheese and Pork Tamales. She said to serve them with sour cream and Queso Fresca, which is what we did Friday night for dinner. I used my new Always Pan to steam them, which was super easy. They were delicious.

Sunday was a rainy all day, but the highlight was getting to see the grandkids- Wyatt and Phoenix. I went with their family to Spirit in Sunset Place (now a Ghost Town) to look for costumes. Unfortunately, they were out of Spiderman for Wyatt. Justin bought a Mullet wig and I got a red skirt for my costume. I watched the kids, while Justin and A.J. looked for a new couch in Restoration Hardware and Z Gallerie, but Z Gallerie is now gone.

Zeke used his electric smoker to smoke a fat Rib Eye Steak, Chicken Thighs, Argentinian Sausage and Baked Beans. I made Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Copycat Coleslaw (from Parade magazine) and Corn on the Cob (Wyatt’s favorite) as sides. Whipped Ricotta Herb Spread with Grilled Bread and veggies was our appetizer.

It was all good- the smoked sausage and baked beans were my favorites- but after all that cooking (outside in the rain, no less), we sat down to eat at 6 and by 6:15, we were all done. It kind of felt like Thanksgiving! A.J. decided suddenly, they needed to leave to go buy a couch before the store closed at 7. So, a short but sweet visit. I was left with a quiet, empty house… and the dishes.

I’m going to visit Chris and Courtney for Halloween in Tallahassee, later this month. Last year, the theme was Peter Pan (with Liam as Hook), this year its Scooby Doo, with Liam as Scooby. I’m Velma (very controversial). I have my wig, glasses, red skirt, now all I need is the orange turtleneck.

Hungry Post, a Foodie blog, went in search of the Best Croquettas in Miami. These are where they found the top three: 1) Tinta Y Cafe (Coral Gables) 2) Islas Canarias 3) Versailles. I’ve tried Versailles croquettas (delicious!), attempted to make Islas Canarias’s croqettas (complicated). I guess that means I need to try Tinta Y Cafe’s croquettas, since they were voted #1. A Book Club friend also recently recommended Tinta Y Cafe on Ponce de Leon, calling it a “hidden gem.” Foodie in Miami is all about Hidden Gems, so count me in!

Nothing to report on watching shows. I’m still plowing through Parks and Rec on Peacock Plus. My sister Elise recommended Blonde and Emma recommended Dahmer on Netflix. I started watching Dahmer, but when Zeke left me to go upstairs, I turned it off. A series about notorious, cannibalistic, serial killer Jeffery Dahmer is not something I want to watch alone.

I recently ended a relationship that wasn’t working for me. While I can’t say it felt particularly good– I don’t like confrontation- it did feel right, if you know what I mean. Speaking my truth, sticking up for myself and all that jazz. It’s only taken sixty-something years to get to this point.

People give the worst advice about lost things. Retrace your steps. Pray to St. Anthony. Think about where you last saw it. But that doesn’t apply to the things that matter. Those are right in front of you, except they can’t be found by looking for them. Only by looking at everything else.

Kristin Lepionka, The Last Place You Look

Wishing you a good week, with lots of delicious eating and not too many spooky surprises.

Up Next: The Best Chicken Noodle Soup