It’s Monday.

Oh, is it ever Monday.

It’s also November. It is absolutely shocking.

Shocking that umm, what everyone is calling the holidays.

Really?

It’s the full first week of November and we are calling it–now–the holidays?!

Yeah, well further inspection of calendar tells me that–that folks may be right. 

As it is a little over two weeks–ahem 16 days–till Thanksgiving.

Yeah it is that real. In a just two weeks kind of real. 

It is in this moment that I realize I have not done a dang thing to organize, plan, source–NOTHING for this annual feast. I also in that exact moment found myself staring blankly into a bowl of Meyer lemons.

Maybe it was the dentist office visit this morning that has me in a haze of freshly cleaned gums and filled teeth.

Maybe all I could think was clean and soft. As in, I need something clean and refreshing that I can possibly gum/chew. 

It’s a Monday and there was a dentist involved. 

Ouch. 

Being from the South one of the lucks of the draw in this whole Fall/Winter deal is citrus. While we may not have real seasons we do however have: satsumas, meyer lemons, navel oranges, tangerines (personal favorite), grapefruit, kumquats… well I think y'all get the picture. There’s nothing better than Satsuma mimosas or margaritas for that matter. There’s also nothing better than just picked Meyer lemons. So dang sweet you can nearly eat them raw–if you could chew. They have a polite acidity (and a lot of juice) that make them perfect for baking or limoncello (which is next on the list). 

While your face may throb and it may be 80 dang degrees outside in November remember the best things in life are the simplest. Always use cast iron, always eat from just outside your backdoor, and never forget important dates. You know like your mother’s birthday and well, Thanksgiving. 

Meyer lemon Kumquat Cake

(Slightly adapted from JTB) 

Yield: one delicious 10 inch skillet cake

Prep: 30 mins

Preheat oven to 375.

While the oven is pre-heating take your 10 inch cast iron skillet along with 2 TBSP bacon fat and place into the oven for a few minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and coat with melted bacon fat.  You can hold up the skillet at a 70 degree angle move it around until well coated or simply use a paper towel for a quick few swipes. 

Squeeze juice from 2 meyer lemons. Set aside.

(This may work out to be damn near a ½ cup)

Slice1 pint of kumquats. Reserve sliced kumquats in separate bowl. 

Chop 2 ounces of crystalized ginger and 1 ounce of fresh.  

Next, take 2 eggs and 6 TBSP of butter and place on the stove to help warm up to room temp. In a large bowl, combine the following 1 ½ cups AP flour, ¾ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp salt. Whisk together. 

Now break out your electric mixer and take your room temperature butter and eggs. Beat butter and sugar for about 3 minutes–until lighter in texture and pale. Now add in one egg. Beat for 1 minute. Add in second egg, beat for one minute. Now you can add in one ounce of dark spiced rum and fresh ginger.  

With the mixer still on low, add in about a 1/3 of the flour mix.

Add ¼ cup lemon juice. Next add in a ¼ cup of whole milk. 

Add in 1/3 of the flour mix. Add ¼ cup lemon juice. Add flour mix and then milk.  

Once it is just combined sprinkle in the crystalized ginger. Mix for 20 seconds. 

Pour batter into your well greased cast iron skillet. Take your sliced kumquats and sprinkle them over top of mixture. Put that bad boy into the oven for 25 minutes. Once time is up remove the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. While it is cooling drizzle honey over top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.