Party for One

This morning I helped another mom decorate Josie's classroom door for Red Ribbon Week......Eat Right, Be Bright! Very cute. It felt good to help. It also felt good to get back in my car at 8:40 and not be obligated to stay. I finally got the 'balance' memo. And I'm glad that I read it this time. So I decided to take myself out....a little party for one, so to speak, to enjoy this gorgeous breezy autumn day in Key West. First, I sat in the window at Bad Boy Burrito and enjoyed a killer breakfast burrito filled with scrambled egg, chorizo and spicy pico de gallo. The friendly woman at the counter suggested a limeade to drink. So good....tart and fresh and perfect with the spicy food. I watched all the Parrotheads walking to Camille's for lunch. I know they are visiting town for the annual Meeting of the Minds event....they had their passes on lanyards around their necks. I also chatted with my server. I wish I would have asked her name because we covered all the new business openings on the island and rated our various spa experiences here. She was great! Next I went a few doors up the street to Isle Style. I had a fabulous pedicure from Marcella, plus more fun conversation. While she meticulously removed the barnacles from my neglected feet, we talked kids, schools, Halloween costumes, New York, organic produce, GMOs, cooking and our shared obsession with making soup. I left with lovely smooth feet and shimmery pale pink toes. She typed my blog address into her phone. And then I practically skipped home because I so enjoyed my breakfast, my spa time and making some new island friends.

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

So here is my latest soup creation, and it's a good one! Chop two onions and sweat them in oil along with some chopped pickled jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper. After the onion is soft, add a large bag of frozen corn to the pot, along with chicken stock to just cover. Bring to a boil. Scrub a handful of red-skinned potatoes, quarter them, and add to the pot. I also added a half can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies that were left in the refrigerator from Sunday's huevos rancheros. Add more stock to cover and bring to a simmer. Taste to check seasoning. I pulled the meat from a rotisserie chicken....the 'mojo' version from Publix is one of my staples for soups, salads, enchiladas, etc. The girls ate most of the breast meat, but I chopped everything else and added it to the pot. Add more stock to cover, if needed. Turn the heat up to bring the soup to a boil. Add two heaping tablespoons of flour to a half-cup measuring cup, add water to fill, and whisk together with a fork to combine and to remove any lumps (do it over the sink!). When the soup is at a full boil, add the flour/water mixture (or slurry, if you want to get technical) and stir well to combine. This will thicken the broth....now the soup will have a more chowder-y mouth feel. Lower the heat back to simmer and stir as it thickens. This next step is completely optional, but since I was cleaning out the fridge while I was cooking last evening, I added the two half packages of shredded Cheddar from the deli drawer. Oh, and I crumbled three pieces of crisp cooked bacon left from the weekend. John would tell you the last two additions made the chowder so good, but it would be plenty tasty without them. To serve, I crushed up some tortilla chips to add some crunch. A friend (hey, Jasmine!) asked if she could do this in the crock pot. Yes, but with just a few changes. I would start with raw chicken breasts, cut into chunks and seasoned. Add the frozen corn, potatoes, Rotel tomatoes with juice, and onion, plus chicken stock to cover by a few inches. Cook on low. You may need to add more stock when you get home, and you may need to turn it up to high and add a slurry to thicken. Stir in cheese and bacon, if using, and top servings with the crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy. :)

Spider Lilies

The tropical spider lily is one of my favorite plants here in Key West because there is just so much going on in one place! First off, they can be HUGE, with giant, wide green leaves and purple striations that look so impressive in a garden landscape. This is a different variety than the general spider lily, which is found throughout the South. This is a behemoth of a plant! The leaves are green year round, but in summer the plant starts really showing off. They produce a large purple fruit....see the photo below. Kinda cool, right? If the fruit isn't removed eventually it will go to seed and make more spider lilies. Then come the flowers. Large and definitely 'spidery' with a heady, strong fragrance that just screams tropical island. There are some very impressive examples of the tropical spider lily at the West Martello Museum (you know, where Robert the Doll lives), in the middle green area, between the garden entrances to the museum. I photographed this plant last week at Coconut Beach resort in Old Town.

Bahama Village

This small island, home to around 25,000, is divided up into sections. Old Town is the area most visitors know. Within Old Town is the Meadows, a lovely area of historic homes. We live in Midtown West, a short bike ride to Old Town. There's also Casa Marina, New Town, and Key Haven. To me, the neighborhood here that really FEELS like a neighborhood is Bahama Village. The narrow streets, tiny Conch houses, and shady courtyards that lie adjacent to Petronia Street have charm and history. This area was settled by immigrants from the Bahamas, and it is one of the oldest African-American communities in Florida. When I go there for lunch or shopping I always find lots of photo ops. Yesterday I met my friend Dee Dee for lunch at La Creperie. She is their biggest fan! I think I finally get her crepe love after enjoying one filled with spinach, mushrooms, chicken and bechamel....so good!! And then I got to share one of my faves with her. In all her years of traveling to Key West, Dee Dee had never been to Besame Mucho! Dios Mio! Of course, she loved it.....such a great shop. I found the most awesome earrings. Engraved with 'Dance when you're broken open, dance when you're perfectly free' from Rumi, with tiny sapphires. That little shop is just filled with unique treasures.

Bad Boy Burrito

This morning we were kind of 'off'....one kid hated ALL her shirts and the other was pouting over nothing. I forgot to fill their water bottles, but we got to school on time! Next I had an eye exam. Hoping it would be fairly quick since I didn't eat breakfast during our morning drama....of course, there was a scheduling back up so it took all morning. When I left the parking lot I was beyond hungry, plus I wanted to venture out and try something new, so I headed to Bad Boy Burrito on Simonton Street. It's been on my list for a long time. Funky little store front, a few stools in the window, loud music, a cool vibe...that's what you'll find. Think of how you would place an order at Chipotle, because that is how you do it here, but with WAY better choices, including local fish, shrimp and ceviche. Today I went old school. Kobe beef, pico de gallo, pickled onion, cabbage, crema, and cojita along with the rice and black beans they automatically add. Just $8, too. Big but not behemoth, crunchy, fresh and flavorful....can't wait to go back and try everything else. Drama shwama, my burrito saved the day. :)

Honeycrisp Apples

If you have never had a honeycrisp apple, you need to go out and buy some. Like right now. I promise it will be the most crisp, sweet and juicy apple you have ever eaten....it is the most apple-y of the apple varieties, at least that I have found. In Maryland, I would watch the signs at my favorite orchard for them to arrive each fall. I got my parents hooked on them, too. Honeycrisp is a relatively new variety but it has become very popular. Of course, we don't have local apples here in Key West, except for a tropical fruit called a sugar apple, which I still need to try. But we get Honeycrisp apples now through Thanksgiving from other states. We are about done with our second batch from Publix....so good! I miss my frequent trips to Catoctin Mountain Orchard in Maryland and to Hinish Orchard while visiting my family in Pennsylvania, but I'm glad I can enjoy a favorite taste of autumn so far south.

Patio Pets

So I've mentioned we have iguanas, plus tons of geckos, butterflies, frogs, dragonflies, cool orb spiders, and even a few fruit rats (more like mice than REAL rats). We had one land crab a while ago. Those are funny....a big clanky thing walking around. And, of course, we have scorpions and big spiders, but since I don't know where they are, I pretend they don't exist. But with all our tropical wildlife, we've never actually bonded with any of it.....until Franklin. At first we would see a turtle when we opened the front door to leave for school in the morning. Lots of squealing from the girls, and it would be gone when I got back. Then it started coming out on the patio when we were out there in the evening, so John named him after the show on Nick Jr. (If you have kids, you know the one....'Hey, it's Franklin, coming over to play....'). Not too long ago Franklin started gently tapping my foot with his nose, making himself comfortable in John's flip flops and letting the girls be around without going into his shell. If John or I walk outside with some food, there he is! I swear this turtle is just waiting for his own plate. We googled and found that Franklin is a Florida Box Turtle. They live on land and eat bugs and plants. People have kept them as pets, and that makes sense since the little guy certainly does seem to like us. :)

Mari, Josie, and Franklin in John's shoe.

White Bean & Sausage Soup

I love to make soup. Everything goes in one pot, and you can use up all those leftover bits crowding the refrigerator. And leftover soup is even better! It always tastes better the second day. I make soup once a week, maybe every other week, and I make every soup pretty much the same way. I chop up onion, celery and carrot and saute in olive or canola oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Yesterday I added a pound of bulk sausage and cooked it along with the veggies. Here is the most important step for flavor - after the sausage is cooked through deglaze the pan with a few inches of chicken stock and boil for several minutes. This step creates that long simmered flavor without the extra time. Next I added three cans of small white beans (I drained and rinsed them first). Then more chicken stock to cover by a few inches and bring it to the boil. I added more salt and pepper and a tablespoon of chicken base. Simmer until the beans start to break down slightly and thicken the broth. Another great thing about making soup is that you can 'stretch it' for more guests by just throwing some more stuff in the pot....which is what I will have to do this evening. Last night when I was cleaning up I accidentally dropped the soup pot, sending a shower of beans all over the place. I didn't lose all of it, but boy did Murphy have a nice feast. :)