thanksgiving

although this year thanksgiving took a bit of a beating, things finally turned out very nice. we didn't have to do any running around except to get to my mom's house in hackensack, and nothing after that except back home. at times, thanksgiving for me has meant pace yourself at house #1 so you can eat again at house #2, and digest along the way. i was spared that, and hopefully for all years to come, by deciding that if our families can manage to share the holiday, then so can we. my mom in the past has done a more latin styled thanksgiving by making the guest of honor in a fricassee instead of roasted. frankly i prefer it in the former fashion as opposed to the latter, it's more juicy and infinitely more flavorful. this year it was a more traditional bird with all the trimmings; sweet potatoes, string bean casserole; except for the rice of course. cubans have rice with everything. my grandfather used to have rice with his spaghetti. you read it right. he would just spoon some rice into his pasta with marinara sauce and slurp it up. i never tried it 'cause at that age i was into being grossed out by things like that; but now, who knows. the evening went well though, my brother behaved himself, he and i spent alot of time making fun of my uncle's side of the family (especially melissa my cousin and her daughter victoria) just because they weren't there and it pisses off my mom. don't you just love family dynamics?! we used to spend our holidays all together before my uncle (who is my mom's brother) and his family high-tailed it outta new york for the hurricane-drenched shores of miami. the story was that they were running to a better, more affordable life in warmer weather. my take is that they were running away from my cousin mark's crazy bitch girl friend who fucked him up so bad that he had to go into therapy (she actually came into the apartment one day and stole everything that wasn't nailed down-and i mean EVERYTHING!!), and my other cousin melissa's druggie boyfriend who got her pregnant and is a fucked-up psycho. but that's just my opinion. anyway, all went well right down to finding the perfect parking spot when we got back into the city. i hope you all had a great one, or at least survived it with a minimum of extra sessions with your shrink. just remember, the big one is just around the corner...AAAIIUUUUGGHHHHHH!!!!!
GEORGE WINSTON (to relax some)

notes from a wineaholic/midnight margaritas

about 10 years ago or so, in a fit of adulation after reading "practical magic" by Alice Hoffman, i adopted the practice of having margaritas at midnight. this was back when i was doing alot of drinking (wink-wink), and it didn't happen every midnight. just the ones i was awake for and in the company of those willing to imbibe. did i forget to mention that i'm a night owl and most of my friends don't need to have their arms twisted to force a cocktail down their throats, thus all the drinking. i remember my brother Mike, who had been living in florida, had come back to new york and had no place to stay and so was living with me. my apartment looked like a tent city but we were having a good time. midnight margaritas and scrabble. sometimes it was just the margaritas. i like to use a frozen mix (yes i prefer my margaritas frozen) made by Bacardi. you fill the blender with lots of ice, add the full container of the margarita mix, half (more or less, wink-wink) of the container filled with tequila, and a few splashes of cointreau, or the orange flavored liquor of your choice. give the blender a good whir, garnish with a lime and there you are, delish. today being cinco de mayo i was reminded of all those midnight margaritas and the fun i've had sharing my tradition with my friends. it isn't midnight yet, but i figured if i waited 'til midnight then it wouldn't be cinco the mayo anymore and besides i'm not so strict with my rules for drinking. are there rules for drinking? there should definitely be some for tequila. i have alot of respect for the nectar of the agave. my worst hangover story involves tequila shots with beer chasers. i think most people have a "tequila story" too. well, anyway. happy cinco de mayo everyone.


AGAVE


TEQUILA


VIVA MEXICO!