Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween from Sanibel Island

We departed from West Palm Beach on Saturday afternoon and are spending the week with friends on Sanibel Island located on Florida's Gulf Coast. [Recaps of days with Nanny and Grampy on the Atlantic Coast to come!]
Happy Halloween
Love,
Sexy Fireman, Vintage Mermaid, Luigi, Ninga Turtle, Beer Wench, Black Dynamite & Chilean Miner
Last night was a sh*tshow to say the least so tonight we're taking it easy. You know - a few beers in the pool and hot tub kind of easy. Tween Waters Inn on Captiva Island hosts a huge beach bash every year.
Told you it was nuts.
Tree lady walked around on stilts all night. Impressive!
Some fun costumes....
My people!
There are a lot more where those came from, it was such a great party! Here are a few scenes from the beach day 1:What did you do and dress up as for Halloween?!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Cousins x Boca Raton

Hello friends! Vacation thus far has provided more time to blog than I expected! This is a good thing as it has been all about relaxation as opposed to "go-go-go". Plus, I love to keep ya'll up to date on the happenings. (Ok ya'll isnt really a Florida thing, but it's Southern so just go with it.) I am currently sipping a Yuengling Lager at Nan & Gramps over looking Pelican Bay on the Intercoastal.Not bad right? We are having a ridiculously good time so far. On our first night we headed to Aunt Cheryl's house in Boca Raton where she cooked up an incredible Italian feast of caprese salad, a chicken, broccoli, sun dried tomato ziti dish and tiramisu. I was so excited to meet the newest edition to the family, my cousin Carly's son baby Jett Joseph. He is actually almost 1, but this is my first time meeting him! How stinkin' cute? He is a bundle of joy, the absolute best. After dinner Carly and Cassie took Adam and I bar hopping in Deerfield Beach. Carly, Cassie and younger sis Cayla spent every summer with us growing up on Cape Cod (usually 2 or 3 weeks in July, sometimes longer) and we visited them most winters down in Boca. It has been 3 years since we were last together at the family reunion in North Carolina, which is obviously way to long! Fun fun night. Love my fam!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

First Homemade Pizza

Presenting the first official Pizza I've ever made on my own using none other than the recipe and techniques I learned at King Arthur Flour. Those classes at the Baking School paid off tremendously and even thought I was nervous as I set out to create my dough, I was confident in my ability at the same time. (That's right, I was nervously confident.)
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
-2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
-1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
-3/4 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2- 3/4 cups warm water
1) In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients
2) Stir in the olive oil
3) Stir in the water, adding the last few tablespoons slowly to see if they are needed.
4) Turn the shaggy mass onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and shiny.
5) Rise the dough in an oil covered bowl until doubled in bulk
6) Turn out the risen dough into a floured surface to shape the pizza.
7) Add your toppings and cook i a 450 degree oven for 12 minutes
I find it incredibly tough to shape a round pizza. Since my pan is round, I let that aid in my endeavor and molded the dough around the pan. I added whatever ingredients I had in the fridge that seemed suitable: Garlic tomato sauce, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, onion, and some fresh basil from my plant.Basil is supposed to be added after the pizza cooks. It becomes crispy in the oven and looses its freshness. I remembered this the second after I sprinkled it on. I could always top it with fresh basil once it came out of the oven. Adam and I both thought the pizza came out pretty awesome for my first try. The actual crust was crispy, the pizza dough itself soft and slightly chewy. A crispier crust could obviously be achieved by placing the pizza directly on the oven rack, but I enjoyed the consistency of this one. I could have gone a little heavier on the sauce but overall it was flavorful and cheesy. I love ricotta cheese on pizza.
I have also been busy sorting through my summer wardrobe and perfecting my packing skills. As you read this, by now I've touched down in the Sunshine State!! I am vacationing in various parts of Florida spending quality time with family and friends. My absence is not permanent and I will return with lots of fun recaps!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Port Tasting | Federal Wine & Spirits

This past Saturday Cathy of Red White Boston invited me to attend a Port tasting at Federal Wine & Spirits.My invitation stemmed from responding to a mini contest in Friday's edition of the Red White Boston daily email "Why You Drink What You Do" in 15 words or less. My response: Sophisticated and classy meets I love the madness associated with a dirty vodka martini evening, won me a spot.
{Circa 2008 @ Delux}

Since I am always looking to expand my wine knowledge combined with the facts that 
a) I had no Saturday plans 
b) I live close by and 
c) I have walked by Federal many times but have never wandered inside! 
I headed towards downtown for the 2:30 tasting time. The exterior of the liquor store is currently undergoing construction, but if you can see the little black circle in the bottom of the shot, that's were I was headed!
It is located adjacent to the Old State House.
Unsure of what to expect, I entered under the construction façade into a tiny hole in the wall jam packed with wine bottles.
The staff who were extremely welcoming noted my interest in the building and and explained to me the hand painted tiles on the wall date back to the 1800's and came over from the Netherlands - specifically the dutch village of Delft. The green tiles as seen above the door in the tiny vestibule are extremely rare.
I love how there are bottles just tucked into the crevices of the walls.
I felt like I was on a mini adventure as I wandered to the cellar and around tiny hallways filled with boxes and boxes of wine and liquor.
Our host Peter had a number of Ports for us to taste, all varying in age and complexity.
We began with a 9 year old Quinta de la Rosa Finest Reserve.
He explained this was similar to your basic table wine, a less complex port to start. Next, we tasted three vintage Burmesters, the first an LVB (Late Vintage Bottle) Porto aged five years (a baby compared) in oak vats in order to preserve the deep color and fresh fruit flavors. The second was a 2001 which moved up in complexity and tasted little drier than the previous. The third was a real treat - a 21 year old vintage Colheita Porto. Aged in small oak casks since 1989, the result, as you can imagine, is a different character all together. Tawny in color with an intense aroma, this extremely complex wine with delicate flavors goes down smooth and lingers on the palate. A crowd favorite, we all gladly accepted second and third tastes. Peter told stories and offered advice as he poured, such as how to choose wine as a gift for someone: ask how old they are, where they grew up, and what they're having for dinner. Solid. We learned that certain grape varieties are an endangered species. The Pugnitello is a dying vine that was actually found in an Italian woman's backyard and brought back to a normal existence. Oh yes, all sorts of fascinating stories were told as I enjoyed these sweet - but not traditionally sweet (the English made them sweet, Peter explained) Port wines in the basement of what was once an Old Belgian Chocolate store and is now the cellar at Federal Wine & Spirits.
29 State Street
Boston, MA 02109