A Labor Day Vacay Away

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labor Day Weekend

(Friday – Monday)

The Parrish Condo

Our Destination

On Our Way

(Julie, Sparky, Spooky and Gordon)

It’s The Florida Hillbillies!

Headed Toward Indian Shores, Florida

(In the rain.)  🙁

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ABBA, Of Course  🙂

Not till we get there…..

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2022

(Walking Into The Weekend)

Beach Access Path

Gordon, Ready for Some Beach Time

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We are the 2nd. Condo From The Top

(Notice the Turtle Nest, roped off in yellow?)

Turtle Nest, Top Right

Notice the black and white ‘box’ in the photo top left?
I love it!  It was built around trash cans to make them look nicer.

  I love it when they incorporate art into something as simple as this.

 

Gordon Setting Up Camp

Lovin’ My Sandy Toes

The sand in Florida is like white powder.

Brodie and Mackenzie Setting Up Their Camp

I love the Tent!

It never would have occurred to me to set up a small tent on the beach.

Mackenzie told us that the reason for the tent was because when her twin sister Susannah was going through Chemo for her Breast Cancer, her parents bought the tent so that she could be safely tucked away from the sun, as she wasn’t supposed to be in the sun.  The tent also had vents on the sides that could be rolled up and opened so that the breezes could blow right through, cooling her. 

The tent didn’t come with very good tent stakes, so Mackenzie’s parents went to Home Depot and bought better ones.  Smart!

Gordon All Alone  🙂

Mackenzie, Brodie, and Gordon Playing Water Frisbee

Gordon Finding Sharks Teeth

(He’s very good at it.  He can find the smallest shark’s tooth in the sand.  His advice is to look for small black triangles.)

Indian Shores is located along the Gulf Coast between St. Pete and Clearwater.

It is a very popular destination for Canadians and Europeans, especially The Dutch.)

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Our Condo ‘Yard.’

(When I say ‘our condo’ I am just referring to the fact that this is the condo we are staying in.  It isn’t “ours.”  But, the condo does belong to our son Brodie’s girlfriend’s aunt and uncle.)

Here, Gordon is doing the dog walking duty.

The Pool and Dog Walking Area

Mackenzie and Brodie in the Pool and Hot Tub

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Gordon and Myself on The Balcony

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Our Building Street View

(If you look closely you can see Gordon and myself on the back bedroom balcony.)

Every room/bathroom has a balcony.

  If you look closely in the distance in the photo top right, you will see the drawbridge up. 

That is how we enter Indian Shores.  Indian Shores is a barrier island.

Here Gordon is standing in front of our garage, and the doors to the lobby.

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I admit that my photos will not be in perfect order but, I do think I’ve done a good job of depicting our lovely Labor Day stay.

Refreshments From Home

(It would be a Labor Day Weekend without the Libations and Spirits, now would it?)

The Wine Fridge, Directly Underneath

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Mini Cuban’s For Lunch For Our Beachy Time

(I wish that I had photographed Gordon making these but I was quite busy at the time. 

Our homemade pickles are featured above, along with some Plantain Chips.)

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The Messy Kitchen

Brodie and Mackenzie had been staying out here off and on for awhile so the fridge was already full.

  Now add our goodies to it!

Julie’s Beach Juice  🙂

Veronica Down at the Beach

If you look very closely you will see me on the balcony, 2nd. from the top, taking photos of Veronica and the others on the beach.

Gordon Enjoying the View

(It is a beautiful view, too.)

Frozen Margarita Pops

Veronica, Enjoying Hers

Brian and Veronica, Mr. and Mrs. Kelleher

Goofing Around

A Flock of Seagulls

(I wish that I had gotten a good photo of the many birds that would fly right in front of our balcony.

They were just so close!  This photo was taken by Veronica.)

The Human Family  🙂

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The Canine Family

Sparky Loves the Shade, Spooky Loves the Sun

Hank and Spooky

All 4 of Them

That’s Buddy on the Left

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September 17, 2016

I took these photos in 2016 as I was coming over the bridge into Indian Shores.  The reason I took them is because of the building in the photo, on the left.  You can see it has been severely damaged.  It was actually hit by lightening.

The building top right, is Mackenzie’s aunt and uncle’s beach condo.  I never dreamed at the time I took this photo that we would be staying in it 6 years later.

The Condo’s Struck by Lightening

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Cute Little Family, Hank, Buddy, Mackenzie and Brodie

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Activity in the Kitchen

(Brodie Fixing Lunch, Gordon Making a Cocktail)

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Margarita’s All Around

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I’ll Take One!  🙂

So Will Veronica and Brian!

Such a Relaxing Day

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I love that Mackenzie’s Aunt and Uncle are in Art.

(I was tempted to tell Gordon to grab this painting and stick it in our car.  But then I realized that we don’t steal.  However, I do think about it.)  🙂

TRUE STORY:

Mackenzie’s uncle found a Da Vinci painting at a yard sale years ago.  I can not tell you how much he paid for it, but, let’s just say that I have that much in my wallet at all times.  When the man he bought it from found out it’s true value, he insisted that Mackenzie’s uncle say that he paid $10,000.00 for it, instead of what he actually paid.  Have you ever paid $10,000.00 at a yard sale before?

It took 5 years to authenticate the painting.  They agreed that it was a Da Vinci.  Mackenzie’s aunt and uncle then sold it to a collector for 81 million, who then turned around and sold it to an Arab Sheik for 450 million, making it the most expensive painting ever sold. 

That painting is Salvator Mundi:

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The Parrish Condo

The condo takes up the entire 3rd. floor.  Which is so nice and roomy. 

Mackenzie’s aunt and uncle have plans to renovate.  They hadn’t yet when we were staying here.  Most of the furnishing were from the previous owners.

The Breakfast Bar to the Kitchen

Understand, We Are On Vacation = Messy

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Living Room Left, Dining Area Right, Kitchen in the Back

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All My Buckets

I do so have a thing for bags, trays, buckets, and coolers.

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A Woman Modeling on the Beach

Another Beautiful Sunset

To the Left of us, To the Right of us

(That building at right is actually under construction.)

Here is a photo of what it will eventually look like.  Nice!

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Getting Ready For The Sunset

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Gordon and Julie  🙂

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Headed out the Following Day…

Love The Cute Lobby

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The Roomy Condo

Gordon Taking The Dogs Out

Gordon With Sparky and Spooky

Mackenzie Dog Walking Hank and Buddy, photo left.

Great Views!

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Day 3

Good Morning

Loving My Quiet Morning

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A Balcony Breakfast

On this particular morning Brodie ran and got breakfast at a local eatery.

The food looked delicious!  I’m sure it tasted it too!

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We however, brought breakfast from home:

Banana Nut Muffins, and Bear Naked Cereals with Milk 

I don’t like a heavy breakfast.

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AND,

Italian Roast Coffee

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Another Breakfast

Gordon and Brodie, Working Their Morning Magic

I love that my husband and son know how to cook very well.

Gordon Chopping Mushrooms

Brodie Making Eggs

The Guys Working Together

Wonder Whose This Is?

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I am Ready!

This is MY (Fantasy) Life!

All My Favorite Things in One Place

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The Beautiful Gulf of Mexico

Mackenzie and Brodie Relaxing w/ the Dogs

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The Italian ‘Looking’ Kitchen

I LOVE This Kitchen

The Italian Goodies I Brought From Home

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Our First Night’s Eatings:

Various Pizza’s and a Garden Salad

The Giant Swirl

(A.K.A. The Pube)  🙂

Wine, Pizza, and Salad

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Great Easy Dinner

Lovely Evening

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And Now For The Food:

Goat Cheese Spread w/ Roasted Garlic and Olives

Our Tomato and Zucchini Tarts

(Recipes Down Below)

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Gordon, Standing in this Beautiful Kitchen Ready to Start Cooking

First Up:

Our Seaweed Pasta Lobster Couscous Salad

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A Beautiful Roomy Kitchen

Beautiful Mackenzie Always Ready to Help in the Kitchen

Gordon and Brodie are Pro’s in the Kitchen

Veronica, Brodie, and Mackenzie  🙂

Sparky and Spooky

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Our Happy Lobster

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Our Tomato and Zucchini Tart, Along with our Italian Abalone

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Dinner of Goat Cheese with Garlic and Olives, and our Lobster Pasta Salad

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The Happy Lobster Still Hanging Around

Brian, Mackenzie, Veronica and Gordon, Helping Themselves

Gordon’s Plate

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Getting Ready for Sunset

Brian and Veronica

Brodie and Mackenzie

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Our Stoic Brian

Mackenzie, Brodie, Veronica, and Brian

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Inside, Looking Out

Spooky at Sunset

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Celebrating 11 Years of BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com

I debuted this website on July 6, 2011, Veronica’s birthday.

Here we are celebrating our 11th. Anniversary.  🙂

Vanilla Cupcakes with Candy Beach Glass and Sea Shell Chocolates

A Beautiful Sunset All for Us

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Night at the Beach

That’s Us!  All Lit Up!

We wanted to take a turn on the beach.  It was beautiful, as always.

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Sneaking One Last Cupcake Before Bedtime

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An Italian Breakfast (Our Way)

Al Fresco

Good Morning, Brodie

Good Morning, Hank

Rough Night, Hank?

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Breakfast With A View

(Recipe Down Below)

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Leaving a Gift for our Host and Hostess

(Mackenzie’s Aunt and Uncle)

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Time to Get Ready to Leave

Gordon Giving All The Dogs Treats

Last Doggie Bathroom Break

Love All The Beach Umbrellas

(As always, All recipes are down below.)

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Packing For The Trip

BEACH

Before Every Vacation We Go On, There Is Always A Bucket Full of Herbs To Take With…

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Our Vacation Foods

We are not the kind of people that eat out often.  We prefer to make our own food.  We do admit that it is more work.  All the food prep before a trip of ours, does take up a lot of time.  However, it does have it’s advantages.  We are controlling it.  The salt, the sugar, the fat, we know exactly what we are eating because we are the ones that created it.

It’s also a lot of fun to put together and plan a menu of foods for us to eat. 

Here, the theme is Italian.  🙂

After all, we were staying in the condo of someone who is in Art, and who purchased a Da Vinci at a yard sale.

My Marinated Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Basil, Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil

Just a Few of our Italian Goodies to Take With Us

This was fun to put together. 

All these jarred goodies and oils to add to the food we would be creating.

The trays above are Italian as well.

The Beautiful Pastas That Inspired Our Lobster Pasta Salad

(I thought the pasta on the left looked like seaweed.)

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Margarita’s On Our Minds

Julie’s Special Beachy Juice Treat

Beachy Barefoot Wines

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On The Way

Loading The Car

The Inside of the Car if FULL!

Therefore, We Attach The Grate

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On Our Way Through Torrential Rain and Flooding

We Tend To Have A Lot Of Flash Floods Here In Florida

Headed Straight Ahead, Actually

Draw Bridge Up Ahead

 

Welcome To Indian Shores

(Like I said, straight ahead.)

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The Garage

That’s Brodie, Letting Us In

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Settling In

Our Bedroom and Bathroom

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Our Soaker Tub/Shower

Our Bedroom

(I always bring lots of blankets for us and our dogs.)

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I Miss Buddy  🙁

Buddy was their temporary dog as Mackenzie was dog sitting because his owner was sick.

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Our Bedroom Balcony and The Construction Site Next To Us

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Hank, Headed Down the Hallway, Me photographing the Guest Bathroom

I was truly fascinated with the place. 

I thought it looked very Florida.

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3rd. Bedroom

Love The Ceiling

This Bedroom Faces Gulf Blvd.

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Facing The Bridge/Drawbridge As You Drive Over

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The Master Bathroom Shower

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Mona Lisa Over The Tub  🙂

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Meanwhile, Back at Home Leftovers

We Re-Worked and Re-Imagined Our Leftovers Into This Deliciousness

Spaghetti With Our Italian Abalone

(Roasted Pine Nuts)

Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, Pesto, etc.

Bread, and Fresh Herbs

Dessert (Leftover Cupcakes)

AND,

Our Da Vinci Pizza

Pasta With Spinach

(These Recipes Are Down Below)

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September 24, 2022

Vacay Part 2

This Was Our Trip BACK!

Still Beautiful!

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Me, In My Car, and Gordon Following Behind in a Moving Van

On Our Way Back To Indian Shores

We Can Better See The Condo Here

And, There It Is! 

(You can also see the construction site next to it.)

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Back To The Beach

Looking Through The Window, Out

A Beautiful Beach Day

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To The Left, and To The Right

Love The Reflection on the Condo Doors

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Back in the Kitchen

This Time, Great Panini Sandwiches

Our Kale Basil Pesto

Lots of Movement in the Kitchen

Gordon, Ready to Make the Panini’s

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Here you see the amazing Kale and Basil Pesto with some large tomatoes I pre-sliced.

I cut the Ciabatta bread in half as shown, and then spread some of the pesto on one side.

I bought some nicely sliced Turkey Breast meat from our deli and placed two slices on top of the pesto.  I then added some sliced Mozzarella Cheese and sliced Tomato.  The Basil, Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato are the very Italian combination called Comprassi.  On the other slice of bread add your favorite type of mustard.

Now, place the top slide of bread onto the sandwich.  Set this aside and prepare to make more if you are feeding a crowd like we are.

Here you see me making the other sandwiches using a round Sour Dough.

You can make these also with some nice ham to replace the Turkey Breast meat.

Here you can see the sandwiches on sheet pans to place in a 350”F oven, as we thought our Panini Press wasn’t working, It turned out it was the electrical socket that wasn’t working at the time.

In the oven they go until the bread is browned and the cheese begins to melt.  Once the family smells the pesto and bread cooking, they will come fast, ready to dig in.

We hope you enjoy the slight variation on a classic Italian sandwich.

(Kale/Basil Pesto Recipe Down Below)

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Brodie Playing With Hankie

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Now For The Reason We Are Really Here

Mackenzie’s Aunt and Uncle Gave Us Their Bedroom Suit

Gordon and Brodie Moving Everything Down to the Moving Van

The Bed

The Night Stands

Gordon in the Moving Van

Mackenzie’s Aunt and Uncle were so nice and generous to give us their furniture.  We heard that they were going to get rid of it and buy new things, we then asked them how much they wanted for it because we were interested in purchasing it?  They told us to just go ahead and take it all!  🙂

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Time For Lunch

How I would love to eat every meal out here.

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Happy Lunch!

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Recipe’s Start Right Here

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Julie’s Marinated Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Basil, Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil

(I really don’t know what else to call it?)

I love anything and everything that is like this.  There is just so much you can cook and create to accent this wonderful food.  I’ll show you as we go.  🙂

First:  Fresh Ingredients

(Wash Everything.)

The Amounts Are Up To YOU!

Lots of Roma Tomatoes

Green, Yellow, and Orange Bell Peppers

Large Portobello Mushrooms

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Basil Leaves

Fresh Lemon Juice

Lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Making Oven Dried Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

 

You First Want To Slice Your Tomatoes Into Long Sections

Line Several Baking Sheets with Parchment Paper

Placing the Roma Tomatoes onto Baking Sheets

(If you like you can add some Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.  I didn’t though.)

Place into a 250F Oven for 2 Hours, Then Check on Them. 

Then, Place Back Into the Oven for An Additional 2 Hours.

You can bake them for as long as you like.  I wanted these a little shriveled up and “dried.”

Now It’s Time For The Bell Peppers

You Want To Slice Them As So…

(Notice the one in the photo top right, is pregnant.)  🙂

Do To The Bell Peppers The Same Thing You Did To The Roma Tomatoes

Bake, Same As Above

300F Oven For 2 Hours Then Check Them, Then An Additional 2 Hours Until Ready

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They Do Shrink Up!

Looking Good!

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Now For The Large Portobello Mushrooms, Fresh Mozzarella, and Fresh Lemon Juice

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It’s Time To Jar

Ignore the Fresh Roma’s in the Photo’s

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Now It’s Time To Stack

You Will Need A Few Clean and Sterile Jars

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You Want To Slice Your Lemons In Half

Also, Slice Your Mozzarella Cheese, As So

Now, Add Some EVOO to the Bottom of the Jar…

Next, Start To Stack the Ingredients, Adding Lemon Juice and EVOO as You Go!

Don’t Forget The Fresh Basil!

Place a Prod into the Jar to Help Bubbles Escape

There You Go!

Our Marinated Goodies and Some Oven-Dried Roma’s to Eat With Our Other Condo Foods

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Happy Birthday to BFIFWJ

I wanted to bring something a bit special to the condo for our Labor Day long weekend where I did honor our anniversary of our website.  I don’t eat many sweets so I don’t often think of some elaborate dessert.  I did however, want to make some cupcakes.  I love Vanilla!  So….

White Cake Mix

(Following Package Directions)

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Cupcakes Baking

Cupcakes Cooling

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Icing My Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

My Beach Glass Candy

Click Here For:  It’s a Mermaid Thing

You Can Get The Recipe By Clicking On The Link Above

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Celebrating 11 Years of BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com

Vanilla Cupcakes with Candy Beach Glass and Sea Shell Chocolates

Sneaking One Last Cupcake

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Our Breakfast Muffins

When it comes to breakfast, I like things ready made.

I love Muffins, Cereal, and Milk.

These Muffins are Perfect!

Here I added Milk to them.  Sometimes, all that is required is to add Water.

In addition to being very easy, they are also very tasty!

You can make a regular size cupcake/muffin, I however, love the mini’s.

Baking and Cooling

Perfect to take with us on our Vacay, as a breakfast or a snack.

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Roasting Garlic To Take With Us

This Roasted Garlic is for a Recipe We Will be Making

Roasting Garlic Is Easy!

You just need some oven safe dish, Cloves of Garlic, and butter or Olive Oil

Just place the Garlic Cloves into an oven safe dish, then slice butter and place over top, now cover with Aluminum Foil.

Place into a 400F Oven for 50 minutes.  Remove every 20 minutes or so to stir the Butter around and then place back into the oven.

When Done, Remove and Let Cool.

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Before We Left Home…

Lobsters

Stone Crab Claws

We did our shopping ahead of time.

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Goat Cheese Spread w/ Roasted Garlic and Olives

This is so delicious whether you top it with Olives or Tomatoes, or Mushrooms, etc.

Ingredients:

4-5, 10.5 oz. Goat Cheese, Softened

20-40 Roasted Garlic Cloves

4-6,  T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Sea Salt, to Taste

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to Taste

4-5 T. Milk

Fresh Thyme to Garnish

Any sort of Bread, Crackers, or Crostini

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Gordon is Ready to Get Started

This is a recipe that you can gear towards your own personal tastes.  If you don’t want to add 40 cloves of Garlic, then just add 10 or even less.  Use a Kosher Salt instead of a Sea Salt.  Give yourself permission to experiment!

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Pre-Heat Your Oven to 400F

You will need an Oven-Proof Casserole Dish

 

Drizzle a Bit of EVOO into the Casserole Dish.

In the photo top right, Gordon initially placed the Goat Cheeses into the Casserole Dish, but then remembered to remove them in order to mix in the Roasted Garlic Cloves and the Parmesan Cheese.  (When you are working in a different kitchen it can throw you off your game.)  🙂

This is the Roasted Garlic that We Brought From Home

Here Gordon ended up transferring the Goat Cheese into a measuring jug and added the Roasted Garlic Cloves. 

(Mixing bowls were kind of scarce.)

Here Gordon is Grating our Parmesan Cheese into the jug.

Adding Some Milk

Mixing together and Adding the Salt and Pepper

Add The Mixture To Your Casserole Dish

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Top With Some Olives

Top With Some Grated Parm

Drizzle With Some EVOO

Place in the 400F Oven for 20-25 Minutes

This is what it looks like after about 25 minutes.

Now you want to broil it for a minute or two to brown the top.

Look How Beautiful!

It’s Done!  Added Some Fresh Thyme.  🙂

(Our son-in-law Brian at first wasn’t going to eat any because he said he doesn’t like Goat Cheese.  However, once he saw us all digging into it he wanted to try some.  Now, he loves Goat Cheese!)

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The Bread

This bread we buy from the grocery store.  It is actually quite good! 

We do tend to jazz it up in some ways, occasionally, like now.

Here, we sliced the bread down almost to the bottom, but not quite.  Then, Gordon is pouring the melted butter from our Roasted Garlic on top of the bread. 

 

Looking Good!

Now, bake in a 350F Oven for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes, turn on the broiler to brown the top. 

It’ll be perfect!

Now, Let’s Thaw Out Our:

Julie’s Marinated Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Basil, Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil

The Bread is Sliced and on the Table with Seasoned EVOO Dipping Oils

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Our Tomato and Zucchini Tarts

So Excited to Cook in This Kitchen

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry

`1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Zucchini – Sliced thinly

~18-20 Romano Tomato Halves – slowly baked in a 200’F oven for about 2 hours.

Freshly Ground Pepper

5 Tbsp. Pesto

~8 Tbsp. Artichoke Tomato Bruschetta

~¼ Cup Asiago Romano Parmesan Cheese and or

~¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese Block

2-3 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

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Pictured are some of the cheeses you could use in this recipe….

The already sliced mixed cheese or the block of Parmesan cheese.

Be sure to slice your Zucchini thinly as shown.

The tomatoes, Julie oven-dried prior.

Here I am unraveling the Puff Pastry after it had thawed out some.

Drizzle some Olive Oil onto the baking sheet first.

Place your Puff Pastry on a sheet pan.

Add your Pesto on top of the pastry using a spoon so you can spread it around evenly.

Now, add your Artichoke Tomato Bruschetta to the pastry.

You are done with the pastry for now, so set it in the refrigerator to keep the pastry chilled.

This will ensure the Pastry Puffs when you bake it. Continue to slice your Zucchini thinly if you have not completed this task.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of a sheet pan and add your Zucchini slices as shown.

Then add a drizzle of Olive Oil over the slices and add some freshly Ground Pepper to them.

Place the Zucchini slices in a 300’F oven and roast them for about 15 min. or until cooked and slightly browned.

Meanwhile, you can add your previously slow baked Romano Tomato halves to the puff pastry then place it back in the refrigerator.

Here you can see the baked Zucchini are done cooking and have a touch of color to them.

Place the Zucchini slices on top of the Puff Pasty as shown using as much or as little as you like.

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Now, grate your cheese over the top of the ingredients.

Lastly drizzle your Balsamic Vinegar to the top ingredients.

Place your Puff Pastry into a 350’F oven for about 15 minutes or until the pastry has risen and browned.

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Here in the next two pictures, you can see the great results.

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I’ll Have One of Those  🙂

(My beautiful lady at the bar.)

The Frozen Margarita’s

Ingredients:

3-4 Cups Ice

~3 Cups Margarita Mix

Lime Margarita Mix

Key Limes – from our tree

Sweetened Lime Juice – as needed to rim the glass with

Margarita Salt – as needed

(Not pictured, but a little bit of Sugar to sweeten.)

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You could also substitute or add these mixes below to create other great Margaritas.

Mango Margarita Mix

Passion Fruit Margarita Mix

This was a bit of a throw together recipe.

Here I have added the ice to the blender and now I am adding the Margarita mix and some Lime Juice.

Blend the mixture until smooth! Taste the mixture to see if it needs a little sugar, lime juice or sweetened lime juice by Rose’s.

Pour into a pitcher and repeat, depending on how many guests you are serving.

Here I am using Sweetened Lime juice to rim the glass so the salt will stick to the glass. Simply pour some juice onto a plate and dip your glass in it as shown. You could also cut a lime wedge and move it around the glass.

Now, dip your glass into the salt.

Here you can see the salt sticking to the glass. Repeat this step for all the glasses.

Salt doesn’t have to go all the way around the glass. Bartenders do that so it will make customers thirsty and keep drinking. Pour your Margarita Mix from the blender into the center of the glass.

Gordon, Veronica, and Brian at the Bar

Drinks are ready and here comes the family!

I love to make my family happy!

Try the other Margarita Mixes seen in the pictures to make other creative drinks. Enjoy!

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This Entire Salad Was The Inspiration of these Pastas

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Lobsters Brought From Home

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Picking lobster meat with my son Brodie!

The beautifully cooked lobster in its bright red shell.

Removing the claws and legs of the lobsters.

Picking the meat and cracking the shells to get at it.

On the left is the meat and the right are the shells.

Jonus Crab Claws

(At the bottom of this recipe you will see these same photos. 

These photos were just the teaser as to what is to come.)  🙂

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(We are making quite a bit as we love to spread the leftovers out to our children to take home. 

Hence, two bowls of Lobster Pasta Salad instead of just one.)

Ingredients:

1 Box Near East Brand Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous

Sea Coral Pasta

Ortolana Pasta

3 Lobsters – Cooked and meat removed

20 Jonus Crab Claws – Cooked and meat removed

2 Tbsp. Sea Salt – 1 Tbsp. each for the boiling water

1 Lg. Jar 14.5 oz. of Grilled Marinated Artichoke Hearts – drained

1 12 oz. Jar Artichoke Bruschetta

1 10 oz. Jar Artichoke Bruschetta

1 tsp. Anchovy Paste

1 Can Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

(Although Cranberry Beans would have been perfect here.)

1 Sm. Jar Cocktail Onions – drained

Black Pepper to taste

½ Cup Sweet Cherry Pepper Juice

Fancy Lettuce Leaves as Garnish (and to line the serving bowl.)

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Start by making the Couscous as directed by the package. 

(We love these beautiful large pearls.)

Now place your pasta’s in boiling water and add your sea salt.

Follow the package directions, or cook until just tender.

Do the same for the other pasta. Follow the directions or cook until just tender.

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Here I am draining the Grilled Artichoke Hearts.

I saved the oil as it tastes good and a little would be nice in this salad if the pastas become a bit dry.

Marinated Grilled Artichokes Draining

This jar held an Artichoke Bruschetta with some of the Bruschetta still left in the jar. 

The oil added will be a perfect dressing on anything really.  🙂

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Here the pasta has completed cooking.

I know this as it is mostly limp but still has a little texture to it.

Here I am placing the Artichoke hearts on a cutting board to give the artichoke a slight chop.

I am also draining the pasta.

Place the Artichoke Bruschetta into a bowl.

Then place the other Artichoke Bruschetta into another bowl.

I did this because we had a lot of ingredients and I wanted to be able to mix them properly.

Spreading out the ingredients will help me do this.  After all, we will be giving some to our kids to take home with them.  So, we are splitting the Lobster Pasta Salad.

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Place your pasta into the bowls of Bruschetta and mix well.

Do the same for the other pasta and bowl, and add your Couscous to the pasta.

Now add your Anchovy Paste to each pasta bowl.

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Mix the ingredients well.

I placed the Beans into a colander, ran water over them, and let them drain well.

Add the beans to each pasta bowl.

Add your freshly cracked black pepper to each bowl.

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Drain your Cocktail Onions.

Now add them to each bowl.

Looking great so far…

Mix the ingredients in each bowl.

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Here I am giving the Artichoke Hearts a slight chop as they are a little big if left whole.

Add them to each bowl.

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Now We Are To The Lobsters

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Here I am removing the tail from the lobster which were already cooked. Then in the next pic I am removing the rubber bands holding the claws shut. This was done when the lobsters were alive so if they fought, they wouldn’t hurt themselves or anyone else.

 

Removing the Meat From the Lobsters

Now add your Lobster and Jonus Crab Claw meat to the pastas.

Here I bought an extra frozen Lobster, so I just wanted to cook it a touch to warm it up making it a little easier to remove the meat.

Just Place it in a Pot with Water and Boil for a Few Minutes

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Here the our two large bowls of pasta…

the family likes leftovers to take home!

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I thought some of the juice from these Sweet Cherry Peppers would be good in the salads, so I added some to each bowl. These taste great.

Taste your pasta salad and add ingredients as needed to your liking.

Add the pasta to some large containers and place them in the refrigerator to chill for later use.

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Now, it is time to pick the Crab Claws.

This meat can be placed on the top of the salad for a nice garnish.

Crack the claws with a hammer or use your knife and cut them slightly to open the shells up.

Brodie and I working hard.

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Still getting the meat out of those claws.

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Here is a nice shot of the Lobster I just cooked. It will make a nice garnish as well.

Here are our scallop bowls we used for the salad. You can see we placed a variety of lettuce around the edge as an edible garnish. Simply add your pasta salad to the bowl, top with your Crab Claw meat and serve!

Cutie Sparky Waiting For Scraps  🙂

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Our Asian Abalone

Ingredients:

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3 Tbsp. Chopped Yellow Onion

4-5 Roasted Garlic Cloves

3 Heaping Tbsp. Black Been Garlic Sauce

1 Heaping Tbsp. Red Curry Paste

2 Tbsp. Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp. Black Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Sweet Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil

16 Abalone – thawed

Water as needed – to thin the sauce

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This recipe is different from the other Asian styled Abalone that we have made in the past.
We like to switch things up some and try different things when cooking. With either recipe, they turned out amazing.

Start by slicing, then chopping your onion to a small dice.

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Here you can see the nice dice of Onion.

Turn your Wok on to medium heat and add your Olive Oil.

When heated to temperature add your Onions.

Here are the Abalone we used in this recipe.

They were packaged nicely as you can see.

Remove them from the packaging and place them in a bowl.

Here you can see the meat of the Abalone is stuck to the beautiful shell.

Pry the meat away from the shell using your fingers as they aren’t stuck too securely.

Give them all a good rinse with fresh water and then set them on your cutting board.

Using a sharp knife cut about 1/3 to ½ the way into the abalone making a square pattern on the top of the abalone. This is done by scoring the meat making ¾ inch slices apart from each other. Do this for all the abalone.

Here you can see the sliced abalone ready for the next step.

The onions are slightly cooked so now add your roasted garlic.

Here are the sauces mentioned in the ingredients.

These are the beautiful Abalone shells.

Just give them a good washing and use them later on in this recipe.

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Now you can see the Onions are cooking nicely.

Now add your Black Been Garlic Sauce to the Wok.

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Then add your Red Curry Paste

Now add your Oyster Sauce to the Wok.

All the ingredients are looking good.

Use a rubber spatula and mix the ingredients.

Now add your Sweet Soy Sauce then your Brown Sugar.

And stir the ingredients well again.

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Let this mixture cook for about 5 min.

Then add your Abalone to the Wok as shown.

Use your spatula to mix the ingredients together.

Here I am adding a touch of Sesame Oil to the Wok. This will give the dish some great flavor.

Cook the Abalone for about 8-10 min. then remove them and place them back into their cleaned shells.

Here is the amazing leftover sauce.

Spoon some of the leftover sauce onto the Abalone.

They make a great presentation.

Almost Time to dig in!

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Here is Mackenzie helping out in the kitchen as I can always use a hand.

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Here are the Asian Abalone again with some nice bread on the side!

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Our Italian Abalone

Ingredients:

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

3-4 Tbsp. Chopped Yellow Onion

8 Roasted Garlic Cloves

1 small bottle Clam Juice

½ Can of Original V8 Juice

1 Can Red Clam Sauce

2 Tbsp. Tomato Pesto Sauce

16 Abalone – thawed

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Start by adding your Olive Oil to the Wok. I am not sure how many Italian dishes you have ever cooked in a Wok, but it works great for this recipe. Heat the Wok and oil to medium High heat.

Using some of the sliced onion from the previous recipe, add them to the Wok when at temperature.

Saute the onions in the Wok for a few minutes.

Then add your Roasted Garlic to the onions.

Let the onions cook until softened … about 8 min. or so. Now, add your Clam Juice to the Wok.

Then your V8 Juice.

Let this cook for a bit before adding the next ingredients.

After about 10 min. add your Red Clam Sauce… this will give the sauce some great flavor.

The Tomato Pesto… this was a great find and ingredient.

Now, add your Tomato Pesto. I really liked this as it had a strong tomato flavor.

Just look at that sauce… it is a thing of beauty.

Let it cook down some, about another 5 min. Be sure to give it a good stir as well.

Here I have already prepared the Abalone and scored the tops with a sharp knife.

Add your Abalone to the Sauce.

Stir the Abalone into the sauce and let them cook for about 8 min.

Remove the Abalone when done and place them back into their shells for another great presentations.

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Dinner is Served!

Here you can see both types of cooked Abalone… both done in a Wok!

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Remember Our:

Julie’s Marinated Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Basil, Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil?

An Italian Breakfast (Our Way)

We are very good at re-working Leftovers  🙂

This was the best Breakfast!

Gordon and I Shared This Great Meal

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Our Ingredients:

Eggs

Butter

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Salt

Our Leftover Marinated Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella…

Our Leftover Pesto

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Because our Tomatoes and Bell Peppers, etc. are already marinated in EVOO, Gordon did add some Butter to our Saucepan.

 

Place Some of Your Jarred Ingredients into the Saucepan

Now, Start Adding Some Eggs

Like So…

Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Cover For a Few Minutes While the Eggs and Veggies Cook

 

When Done….

Now simply plate the Eggs, and add some Pesto.

It was Perfect!  As Always!

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Getting Ready To Leave

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Headed Home

(Not carrying home as much as we brought with us.  Kids are helping lug things back.)

What a Wonderful Time We Had  🙂

Julie, Gordon, Sparky, and Spooky

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Meanwhile, Back at Home Leftovers

Spaghetti and Tagliatelle Pastas with our leftover Italian Abalone, along with our other leftover ingredients. 

Including some nice Roma Tomatoes

Toasted Some Pine Nuts, and Added Some Fresh Herbs

Our Leftover Olive Medley’s, Roasted Garlic, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Pesto

Perfect with our Leftover Breads

Dessert

Our Leftover Beach Glass Cupcakes

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Leftovers Ready to be Re-Made

Ingredients:

Pastas – Spaghetti and Tagliatelle

Roasted Garlic

An Olive Medley (Various Olives)

Jars of Leftover Pesto’s, Bruschetta’s, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Peppers, and Sauces

Italian Bread Crumbs

The Oil From a Marinated Artichoke Jar

Cheeses – Such as Shaved Asiago Parmesan, as well as blocks of Asiago and Parmesan

Italian Loaf (we never got to)

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There is also a small bag of Orecchiette in the photo above that we didn’t use here.

(That is the pretty colorful pasta seen in the baggie above.)

Look at that Roasted Garlic!  🙂

Cooking the Spaghetti Pasta

(Just make according to package directions.)

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Go Ahead And Heat You Leftover Italian Abolone in a Low Oven

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Spaghetti Pasta is Ready!  Drain.

Place the Spaghetti Pasta into a Mixing Bowl and add your Italian Bread Crumbs.

Also, Some of our Leftover Olive Oil from our Grilled and Marinated Artichoke Hearts.

You can see in the photo below, Gordon pouring it into an Artichoke Bruschetta jar.

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Now It’s Time To Add Some of Our Grated Asiago and Parmesan

Mix Together

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Heating Up The Garlic Alfredo Sauce on the Stove Top, Medium Heat

Toasting the Pine Nuts

Just place them in a saute pan on a medium heat,  no oil needed.

  Toss them so that they don’t burn.  You just want them a little browned.

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Cooking a Few Tagliatelle Nests According to Package Directions

Drain, and then add to a Mixing Bowl.

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Repeating the Same Steps as With the Spaghetti Pasta

Italian Bread Crumbs, Leftover Oil from our Grilled and Roasted Artichoke Hearts, and now some of the Garlic Alfredo Sauce.

Mix Together

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Now, We Are Assembling These Great Leftovers

Spaghetti covers the bottom of the large bowl above, followed by Gordon creating nests on top of the Spaghetti Pasta.

Like So….

Now, Adding the Leftovers to the Nests

(Roasted Garlic, Pesto, Pepperoncini Stuffed with Cream Cheese, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olive Medley.)

Also, the Italian Abalone.  And a Sprinkling of Toasted Pine Nuts.  Also, a good Grating of some Cheese.

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Toasting Our Bread

Buttered, and Going into the Oven

(I first like to place the bread into a 350F oven for about 8 minutes or so.  Then, I turn the broiler on until the bread is as brown as I want it.)

Here, Gordon is Spreading some of our Leftover Pesto on a few Slices, and Adding a Roma Tomato on Top.

Next, Some of the Pasta Nests and some Shaved Asiago Parmesan Cheese.

Top With Some Fresh Basil

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And There You Have It!

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Who Would Have Thought That Any Of This Was Just Leftovers?

Buon Appetito!

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Our Da Vinci Pizza, Et All

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Actually, We Have A Few Great Recipes Here

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My, Julie’s, Marinated Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Basil, Lemon Juice, and Olive Oil

Gonna Make Another Great Pizza

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More Great Ingredients

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry

Italian Pasta Sauce

From our Refrigerator Jar:  Fresh Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Basil, Oregano, all packed in Good Olive Oil

6 or more Roasted Garlic Cloves – we always have some in the refrig.. a must have in our house!

Garlic Salt as needed

~15 Basil leaves – used after the pizza has been cooked

~10 Tbsp. Pesto – dolloped around the pizza when done

Dashes of Paprika

Fresh Spinach Leaves

Fresh Herbs, such as Basil

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For the Pasta Meal:

A Baguette

Butter as needed

Garlic Salt as needed

Asiago and Parmesan Cheeses, Grated

Fat Free Skim Milk

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For the Pasta

1 Tbsp. Sea Salt – for the pasta water

Milk as per the directions for the sauce

Sauce packet

I added some butter to the sauce to make it a little rich in flavor. Use your whisk to incorporate the butter into the sauce. – or, choose yourself

2 Tbsp. butter

~ 2 Handfuls of fresh Spinach

½ – ¾ Cup Marinated Artichoke Oil from before

½ Cup Italian Cheeses (Parmesan, Romano etc.) – Grated

Garnish with fresh Basil Leaves

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Here I have pulled the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw a little before unraveling it.

Place it on your sheet pan as shown.

Here is our nice Italian Pasta Sauce we used…

Spread it liberally all over the top of the Puff Pastry

Add the ingredients to your pizza.

Pictured are our jarred Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Basil, and Oregano.   I Julie, love the blob of Mozzarella in the jar.

Roasted Garlic… a staple in our kitchen.

Here I am crushing the Roasted Garlic with a fork to make it easier to place about the pizza.

Now add your Garlic Salt

Place your Puff Pastry Pizza into a 400’F oven for about 15-18 min or until fully cooked.

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As if there wasn’t enough bread….

For the next recipe simply cut slices deep into your bread of choice.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place your bread on top.

Then smother the bread with some butter as shown. Then add your Garlic Salt.

Place your bread when ready into a 400’F oven for about 10 min.

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To make your pasta… add some sea salt to a large pot of water…and turn the heat on high.

Adding Our Sea Salt to the Water

As per the directions on the package, I am measuring out the milk and then pouring it into a large pan. I rarely ever make a sauce from a package, but this one looked good.

In goes the packet of seasonings.

I used a whisk to incorporate the ingredients into the milk which is on Medium heat.

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Checking on the Pizza… we are having a blow out… simply use a fork and pop the bubble.

Here you can see the bread is nicely heated and the butter has fully melted. We garnished the top of the bread with some paprika.

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When your water is boiling… add your pasta.

Here you can see the sauce and the pasta cooking at the same time.

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I added some butter to the sauce to make it a little rich in flavor.

Use your whisk to incorporate the butter into the sauce.

Orecchiette Pasta

Here we are making more pasta for this dish.

The sauce is simmering nicely and becoming thick.

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The Puff Pastry Pizza is out of the oven and ready for the garnish of Basil and pesto. You don’t add Basil to the pizza while cooking as it will turn the Basil dark brown and not look very appetizing.

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The second pasta is boiling… let it cook as directed by the package or until it still has a little bite to it.

When ready, scoop out the pasta as shown.

Let the pasta drain slightly then add it to the sauce.

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Now, add your fresh Spinach to the mixture. Here I am also adding some of the oil we had left over from a jar of Grilled Marinated Artichoke Hearts. This will give the pasta some great flavor.

Mix the spinach into the pasta and grate in your favorite Italian cheese.

Mix well and taste.

Here I obviously wanted more cheese.

Serve by placing the pasta onto a large platter and garnish with some grated cheese and a sprig of Basil.

What an amazing meal!

We hope you enjoy these great Italian recipes!

 

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Thank you for joining us on our vacation. 

We hope you had as nice of a time as we did.  A vacation isn’t just about the destination. 

It’s also about the food and memories being created in the process.

We hope your Labor Day was Memorable!

Julie and Gordon, Veronica and Brian, Brodie and Mackenzie, Spooky and Sparky, and Hank and Buddy

CIAO!

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One Last Recipe:  Well…  🙂

Our Kale/Basil Pesto…

..a spin on Tradition!

Makes about 5 Cups of Pesto

(Ignore the Tomatoes, they crashed the photo.)  🙂

Ingredients:

2 Large Bunches of Fresh Kale Leaves – stems removed
1 Large Bunch of Fresh Basil
5-6 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
~1 ¼ Cups Olive Oil as needed
~1 ¼ Cups Roasted Walnuts
~1 Cup Parmesan Cheese – shredded
2-3 Tbsp. Basil Pesto – not really needed we just had extra
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

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Here we are roasting way more walnuts than are needed for this recipe. When you roast nuts, it brings
out the oils of the nuts making them taste much better. Simply place your nuts on a sheet pan in a
350”F oven for about 5-8 min. or until you begin to smell the nuts. When done remove the nuts from
the sheet pan to stop the cooking process.

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Here I am adding the fresh Basil to the blender.

Now, add your fresh kale being sure to remove the thick stem. To do, just run you fingers down the leaf
starting at the larger part of the stem and the leaf will simply pull right off.

Add your fresh garlic.

Here I am adding the olive oil in stages. This first addition will get the ingredients to move.

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Then, add your walnuts to the blender and grate your Parmesan Cheese.

Add a touch more Olive Oil also.

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Blend these ingredients to mainly chop up the walnuts.

Here I am adding some Basil Pesto we bought. I though it couldn’t hurt to put it with the fresh
ingredients. This Basil Pesto isn’t needed though.

I am still adding some of the pesto and some Olive Oil for good measure.

Taste the mixture.

Add your Black Pepper and I believe I added another garlic clove… it couldn’t hurt.

Now add your sea salt and again more cheese as I thought it needed it.

Blend for a bit….

Adding more olive oil to make the mixture move a bit more. Taste and adjust the ingredients as needed.

Place in a sealable container and use at will.

This will go great on pasta, small toast, as an ingredient on
a pizza etc.
Please try this variation of Pesto… we think you will really enjoy it!

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Actually, This is the Final Recipe:

A Delicious Pesto Pasta  🙂

This is the Pesto from above, just reworked into another recipe.

A Delicious Spaghetti Pasta with Black Olives and Kale/Basil Pesto, with Cheese

Don’t Forget The Bread

(Just simple buttered loaf bread with garlic salt and paprika, grilled under a hot coil.)

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Adding Black Olives to the Pesto

Reworking Our Leftovers

Our Leftover Roasted Garlic

Here Gordon is Adding Some to a Sauce Pan

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Meanwhile….

Start Cooking Some Spaghetti Pasta until Al Dente

Here Gordon is Adding our Leftover Pesto to the Pot

Now For the Black Olives

Al Dente, Drain the Pasta Water

Add the Al Dente Pasta to a Bowl or Pot, like we did Here

Stir Together and Grate Some Parmesan into the Pot

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Here Gordon is Adding More Cheese and some Italian Bread Crumbs

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As Always, More Cheese!

And There You Have IT!

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Buon Appetito!

Julie and Gordon

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To View Our Other Italian Website Pages:

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00Whann Way Father’s Day

Pizza, Pizza

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Grillin’ Italian

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A Labor Day Vacay Away

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Modern Day Mona (Lisa) Halloween

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Even More Italian (Just For You)

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Quickie Italian