New Year, Same Old Me

I never make resolutions, I just try to be the best me that I can.

The holiday season can be so hard for so many. The elders in my family have all passed on now, meaning my generation are now the elders. Growing up we would have large family gatherings with all the aunts and uncles and cousins and extended family. Now, we are more scattered, the cousins all having families of their own, and more miles and baggage between us.

For me there are a few things that hold the holidays together, and they are “old” traditions. On Christmas eve my daughter and I travel to her Godmother’s house to make tamales. By travel I mean drive 45 minutes, but in Los Angeles traffic it’s traveling. My daughter’s Godmother is my old friend and sorority sister (Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. baby!) She and her siblings were taught how to make traditional Mexican tamales by her elders, including her sassy aunt who is one of my favorite people. The elders grew up working in the California farm fields, picking produce. An incredibly hard job which migrant workers still do to feed America.

With life, a pandemic and other forgotten reasons probably involving a shitty job, it has been a few years since we were able to visit but this year we made it. I put my daughter to work spreading masa, along with her Godsister and her husband. I settled down on the couch with a glass of sparkling wine and just enjoyed being in that space, at that time, with that family. My friend’s older twin sibling were there, along with her husband and other family. I enjoy being part of their extended family.

The second tradition is on New Years Eve. I don’t go out to parties or events anymore. I spent many a year out in the streets and I’m good. No need to be out there anymore. My sister, daughter and I toast in the new year when the ball drops in Times Square, which is three hours before new years here in California. At 9 pm pacific standard time I pop the cork on some sparkling wine, open a bottle of sparkling cider for the kid, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! CNN’s Anderson and Andy are pretty tipsy by then so I feel just like I’m at a New Years Eve party.

The third is also on New Years Eve. My next door neighbor and I met when we were three years old, when my parents bought the house I still live in with my daughter. My brother from another mother, as I like to think of him, also still lives in the house he grew up in. New Years Eve happens to be his birthday, and every year I make him a pound cake that is an old family recipe. A cousin named Zephyr gave the recipe to my grandmother, who then gave it to my mother, who gave it to me. I’d like to think my daughter will one day continue to bake this cake, but right now gaming and anime are the focus of her entire being.

My mother started the tradition of baking this birthday cake many, many years ago and I do my best to keep the tradition going. Here’s the recipe for the cake, in case you would like to start a tradition of your own. Or just want to eat an incredibly decadent and delicious cake.

Lemon Glazed Pound Cake

1 lb butter, room temperature

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

4 cups cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (any fresh lemon juice will work)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 16 cup angel food/bundt cake style pan.

In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beat until incorporated. Add flour and milk alternately, ending with the flour. Add the extracts, beating well, making sure to scrape down bowl as needed.

Pour batter into prepared pan, bake for 1 1/2 hours until pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes, then remove cake from pan.

Mix glaze ingredients and pour over the cake while still hot.