November: Apples, Cinnamon and Gratitude

A drought warning was declared for New York City for the first time in two decades and it has been unusually warm for weeks. Novembers in New York are significantly less frigid now, but everyone is still fighting the urge to play Mariah Carey and jokes about pumpkin spice lattes abound. There’s no fighting the holiday hum. Everything seems to go in warped speed after November 1st, until I catch my breath on December 31st and hope for the best in the coming year. This time, I wanted to enjoy these moments worth remembering while they happen. One of my dearest friends offered to host a Friendsgiving at her place which was an amazing opportunity to spend time with my girlfriends. I’ve made it a goal to make more time to see my friends, all of them — especially those that have been in my life for so many years. Twenty years of friendship, baby! I love these girls like family. But first up, was Thanksgiving with my family.

Navel orange zest

It was only the four of us this year, as my sister and brother-in-law would be celebrating from their home in Colorado this year. However small and intimate our dinner, we never miss an opportunity to make something special for each other. We decided to skip the turkey and roast a chicken marinated in citrus and herbs instead, a swap all of us agreed with and preferred.

For sides my mom and dad made plátano con queso, mashed papas criollas (or Andean potatoes), and I made toasted almond green beans, Korean sweet potatoes in spicy brown butter pistachio sauce, navel orange and cranberry sauce, and a cucumber, tomato and shaved carrot salad in French vinaigrette.

Korean batata in spicy brown butter pistachio sauce

Puff pastry pull apart bread

Gathered pan drippings for intensely delicious gravy

Mi platíco

Cranberry sauce

Our table

I also experimented with a savory twist on a puff pastry recipe I frequently go-to and was pleasantly surprised with how well it complimented everything on our plate. Everything but the bagel seasoning has been such an excellent contribution to society.

For dessert I made an apple streusel loaf with a vanilla glaze that’s good enough to put on everything. As much as I tried to fool myself into thinking the recipe was simple, it took all of the mixing bowls I had and a lot of triple checking for accuracy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the step by step crawl toward apple and cinnamon-flavored perfection. I was so thrilled to be able to share it with my loved ones.

Preparing ingredients for the apple streusel loaf and glaze

Apple streusel loaf with vanilla glaze topping

Friendsgiving got postponed to the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which meant a lot of us were still unsure of what to make or bring but I don’t think anything could stop us from having fun together, especially when we realize how much we still share in common so many years later. Cracking up like we did in the middle of that lunchroom cafeteria, we had to take a moment and reflect on how beautiful it is to still know each other, and still love each other too. Our host did a spectacular job as host, her home is gorgeous and filled with so much warmth.

Charcuterie, olives, cheese, crackers and positivity

Such a beautiful tablescape

Pastries, chocolate covered strawberries and grapes, pineapple and orange, homemade coquito

Admiring everyone’s shoes on my way out

We munched on delightful charcuterie, cheeses and fruit, patisserie and chocolate covered fruit. Drank seltzer in abundance, as well as homemade coquito and wine. These are the girls that I grew up with, we became women together - seeing ourselves succeed and struggle throughout different points in our lives but always rooting for each other. I admire these girls more than they will ever know.