Hurricane Tuesday/Weekend Update

Just came into work for a few hours while we all wait for this hurricane & want to post a few more pictures from the wonderful weekend. I can promise tomorrow that I will have some yummy recipes because I plan on cooking tonight since I'll be home early. So, we will be back to our regularly scheduled food program. I also received my wonderful martini set & took quite a few photos of that last night while I made mojitos.

Another couple pics of Peanut. You can really see how small he is in
the pic above as I am holding the bowl for him to eat out of.

Below is one of my favorite beach bars, the Patio Bar & Grille in
Deerfield Beach, FL. This place just recently experienced a major makeover & it is beautiful. I loved it before when it was just a hole in the wall.

My new profile picture. Very appropo I think. I love the Blue Moon.

The 4 of us: Terry, Me, Tom & Tara. I would have fun with them in a cardboard box.

Me & Terry

Above: One of my all time favorite beach side lunches. Light & delicious & most importantly, leaves lotsa room for the drinks.

Below: I LOVED the way our drinks were served at our late night dinner. Anyone in the Boca area should visit Abe & Louie's Steakhouse. It was outstanding!

The appetizers were to die for. Stone Crab out of the shell served with a mustard sauce, and ahi tuna. We were all in heaven!

It's easy to see why I wasn't so disappointed we didn't make it to Islamorada. It was a weekend of best friends, delicious food, great cocktails (I never even mentioned Tom makes the best cappucinos), the salty air & the beautiful beach. Good times, good times!!!!!

Islamorada & French Fries

Hello, this is Stephanie, I can't come to the phone right now so please leave me a message & I'll get back to you just as soon as I come back from here...

Islamorada, FL is one of my favorite places because I always feel like I am in the Bahamas yet it's just a short drive away especially when the drive is broken up by stops to my best friend, Tara or my sister Lauren, who are also coming along with their guys. This weekend will be my 5th time there but just my 2nd time at the Full Moon party below & the 1st going as a couples weekend.

Islamorada means feeling laid back with a boat ride to the sandbar, visits to the tiki bar, breakfast on the water, seafood.......

Every Full Moon, Pierre's Restaurant (above) hosts a large beach party with multiple bonfires in the sand & many different specialty drinks available at indoor & outdoor bars. You can find couples as well as families relaxing on adirondack chairs, tropical colored tiki tables & stools, or on blankets, enjoying the Reggae band in the center of the beach, while DJ's maintain the dance & party vibe. There's also Brazilian Capoeira dancers, Bahamian Junkanoo Parade, a circus thru the beach (stilt walkers, fireblowers, acrobats, etc.), face painters, balloon artists, giant screen TV’s & fireworks.

I bought these red baskets at a restaurant supply store along with the waxed paper which I no longer have. They're perfect for hot dogs & french fries.

Just as I like to always have a cocktail while cooking, it's the same for when I am packing for a trip. So, last night while having my solo night & before watching the last bits of Serendipity, I put the iPod on high, poured a nice cold Blue Moon. Then, I noticed 2 lonely potatoes on the counter & felt the need to make french fries. It's been years since I've made french fries at home. French fries are my chocolate....if I could have them everyday I would. I'm almost regretful they came out so good because now I am going to want to do it again. So simple:

Potatoes, skin on
Vegetable Oil
Peanut Oil

Heat oil in a deep pan. I only put an inch or so of oil & since I ran out of veggie oil I added some peanut oil. I really think it contributed to the taste so next time I will purposely do the same. Cut the potatoes into uniform ¼ inch sticks. Place in oil & fry for 10 minutes, turning periodically. Drain on paper towel & sprinkle with sea salt, pepper & a tiny bit of garlic powder.

The good news is there was sooo much oil left in the pan so how much could have really gotten into the french fries ?

Happy Weekend All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Love.....

Fridays!!!!!!!!!!! So in the spirit of that, here are a few other things I love!


I am loving a new website I discovered called Picnik.com where you can upload one photo or even a bunch, & then have fun with them, adding rounded corners, text, or even make a sketch out of a photo. This is perfect for someone like me who doesn't "do" photo editing because I'm just not good with it but I do like to play. There's no software involved & it's free! Here are some of the little things I did with photos of people or things that I LOVE!


I had posted the above pic previously but I was able to "posterize" it & add some text.

Here, I was able to give it a polaroid effect. Tristan's cousins Adam & Jordan are coming into town this month from New York & we're really looking forward to seeing them. We try to get the kids on the phone every week or so. This was a few days ago....

Tammy & I met here for lunch a few days ago, a nice treat for both of us since we don't get to meet for lunch during the week. It meant a 2 hour lunch for me since it was further from the office!

 

The ambience was awesome: urbanesque, artsy, casual, colorful where they serve a light menu such as a tortilla filled with black & white beans w/ tomatoes, sweet corn, red onion, peppers feta, cilantro with a ginger dressing. They also serve a wide variety of organic beers & wine.

Everything they use is organic & locally grown. We split two tortillas as well as some tonics (not the vodka kind) where they mix herbs & berries for different effects such as increased energy or vitality.

We plan to go back at night sometime to listen to some music & sample their ecclectic menu of adult beverages. Click on the pics to see the text larger. I'm learnin'.

I wrote the other day about Starfruit which I LOVE, so I thought I would try Dragon Fruit. Ah, notlovingitsomuch!!!! I scooped out the inside, which has the consistency of a kiwi, but the taste is blander than I expected for such an exotic fruit. Pretty but not worth the price.

And I LOVE the weekends so I hope you & yours have a great one!!! I have some pork tenderloin creole brewin' in the crockpot right now for tonight's dinner so I will certainly share that on Monday. And although I don't usually post on Sundays, it's my best friend Jen's birthday so I will be combining an idea I have had for a while with a tribute to her.