Well, you somehow made it through Thanksgiving without committing a felony. Yes, I realize that I’m taking a leap of faith by assuming that’s the case with anyone who may be reading this, especially if “you” turn out to be one of the occasional “commenters” who somehow dredge up a musing from two or three years ago and leave a “review” in Arabic or Cyrillic. Don’t think I don’t notice who my real fans are–and aren’t.
I also acknowledge that, more than ever, for those who are still fortunate enough to have the option to dine with family, doing so comes with its own risks, including the increased desire to potentially commit said felony. In a world that’s as seemingly and inexorablly politically divided, the simple act of breaking bread and not bones is a delicate path to navigate. Plenty of clickbait was out there to digest along with your meal yesterday that ranged from compromise to incendiary. USA TODAY’s Rex Huppke chose to take the confrontational route in an opinion piece he dropped Wednesday that provoked his readers with this sub-head:
Ask MAGA Thanksgiving guests this: How is your life better?…I get the desire to set disagreements aside for the holidays. I understand the importance of family. But at this moment, I reject avoiding a subject that envelops virtually every aspect of our lives.
Maybe you had someone like that at your meal. Or maybe you took the higher road that BUZZFEED’s Lily Grossinger represented in her “guide”:
This may not be combative enough for some, but my husband and I — the only Democrats in our extended family — plan to just focus on the love and gratitude of the season. We’re doing so much better than most right now, and we have a lot to be grateful for.”
Regardless of where you may personally sit on this issue, you probably all would have benefitted if you had decided to include a few dishes from the cookbook and prolific mind of a clearly talented woman who prefers you address her by her provocative choice of public persona. Per the biography on her website:
Danielle Russell, known professionally as Edible Dee – The Happy Chef, is a trailblazing cannabis chef, formulator, and consultant who has been innovating in the medicinal edibles space since 2006. A true industry veteran, Dee has helped shape the evolution of cannabis cuisine through her hands-on work, published works, and powerful voice in advocacy and education.
In 2013, she published her first cannabis cookbook, The Happy Chef Expert Cannabis Cookbook, in collaboration with hip-hop icon and cannabis activist B-Real of Cypress Hill. The cookbook was released alongside his album The Prescription and featured an exclusive unreleased track available as a free download—merging culinary art with cannabis culture and music.
Dee made history in 2015 by serving as Executive Chef of Nevada’s first state-licensed medical marijuana production kitchen in Las Vegas, following the legalization of medical cannabis. A year later, she joined a medical cannabis research company, where she led formulation and lab design, further advancing product development for the therapeutic cannabis space. Her influence extends beyond the lab. Dee has hosted a live cannabis cooking show in Las Vegas and appeared on a number of acclaimed platforms including Netflix’s “Cooking on High,” Snoop Dogg’s MERRYJANE “Smoke in the Kitchen,” and BReal.TV. She is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at global cannabis conferences, lending her voice and knowledge to destigmatize cannabis and educate on its health benefits.
And now, just in time for this more stressful than ever holiday season, she’s just released her latest work, titled FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT and creatively themed with a motif that, if you’re of a certain age, might evoke the classic Jefferson Airplane song GO ASK ALICE (“One pill makes you larger…and one pill makes you small”). Her Amazon blurb only begins to scratch the surface of what she’s serving up:
Welcome to Wonderland, where every dish has a story and every page leads you deeper into the deliciously twisted world of Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, Red Queen, and more!…From the “Eat Me’s” to “Drink Me’s”, Head’s Will Roll Cake’s, and 2 Spoons Milkshakes – each recipe is introduced by your favorite Wonderland characters, adding a dash of happiness, magic, and a sprinkle of madness. Let the Mad Hatter show you how to throw the ultimate tea party or follow the Caterpillar’s instructions for magically infused treats (legal, of course!).
I’m an admitted fan of “Edi”‘s, as she self-references herself, initially because of her past associations with some pretty amazing people who have changed my life in ways that medical cannabis alone never could. Ironically, I have a history with other people who indulged in these passions, so much so that for a period of time we turned my garage into a gerry-rigged grow house with the full legally allowed limit of 12 plants (including clones and babies). Many didn’t make it to full budhood, so the resulting shake from that which was unsmokable would be infused into “cannabutter” that served as the main ingredient in one of the few holiday dishes that ever attempted to be cooked in our kitchen–an uninspired “blueberry loaf” that inevitably would come out stale and would require reheating and a ton of regular butter for me to be able to digest. How I wish I had made the acquaitance of Miss Russell and her one-time friends then. Both my stomach and my livelihood would have benefitted greatly.
What one discovers in perusing her recipes and the whimsical presentation she envelopes them is that “Edi” is very much her own person, fiercely independent and unapologetic about the way she lives, loves and creates. Don’t make the same mistake I once did by comparing her to anyone else, even if her eyes are unquestionably as compelling as that person’s. Her appreciation and encylopedic knowledge of food independent of infusing would fit in any Cordon Bleu academy or Michelin restaurant. And unlike those from my past, she clearly knows the proper amounts of each ingredient to create something not just digestible but downright indulgent. And with much less painful after-effects than tryptophan produces.
I took full advantage of her generous holiday week offer to her social media followers to make the Kindle edition of FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT downloadable for free; should you choose to go that route, more power to you. You’ll then discover as I did that she’s a damn cool person who lives her best life in multiple venues and languages. In many ways similar to the person who changed my life, but in so many other ways far more expert and compassionate.
As a gesture of gratitude both for “Edi’s” classiness and those that connected me to her, should your current financial situation be slightly better than mine I’d like to propose that you choose the route of investing a couple of shekels on a physical edition. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the incremental income; after all, I know her ingredients aren’t cheap. And if you do choose to experiment with some of what she’s serving up to get you through Christmas consider it a small price to pay for being able to better tolerate your relatives. I’m especially hoping that someone can convince Rex Huppke to pony up.
Until next time…