Tag Archives: Florida

Key West Part Two

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Welcome to part two my Key West adventure!

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

I forgot to share with you all my little neighbor I had on the flight here.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

She was a bit of a yelper, but not too much of a bother. Overall, I would take her over a spider any day!!

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Oh and those sunsets at Mallory Square that I was talking about before? Snapped a few photos for you all to experience a little bit for yourself.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

On Wednesday my mom and I went out to Blue Heaven.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters Key West | Beautiful Disasters Key West | Beautiful Disasters Key West | Beautiful Disasters

It’s a very well-known restaurant around here, and is super cute! The food here is phenomenal, and I’m sure you could order anything on the menu and be happy. My mom ordered the  Snapper with angel hair pasta and cornbread, and I ordered the special: Wahoo fish with coconut rice, topped with asian slaw and cornbread.

My mom's dish at Blue Heaven-Snapper with Angel Hair Pasta

My mom’s dish at Blue Heaven-Snapper with Angel Hair Pasta and cornbread

My dish I ordered at Blue Heaven-Wahoo fish with coconut rice and Asian slaw

My dish I ordered at Blue Heaven-Wahoo fish with coconut rice and Asian slaw and cornbread

Roosters and chickens are common to see just running around everywhere here on Key West…I had a few little pals run across my feet unexpectedly! My yelp definitely entertained the surrounding diners, but eventually I got used to the little buddies running around my feet.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

Baby chick scurrying around my purse

Baby chick scurrying around my purse

For dessert at Blue Heaven we ordered their famous key lime pie that is topped with a huge, impressive mountain of meringue. It was delicious! I love meringue, but even for me it was a little much. I would kind of prefer whipped cream, but it was still a yummy pie.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

After feeling like we needed to be rolled out of Blue Heaven, we rolled ourselves on over to the southernmost point in the USA! Pretty cool to know you’re even more southern than Hawaii!!

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

After visiting the southernmost point, we walked along Duval street. Picture Bourbon St. in New Orleans and this is like a mini, scaled-down version of that.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

We decided to pop into a cute little bakery/candy shop, Mattheessen’s. Such a cute little place!! Everything looked amazing, and they’re cookies are bigger than your face (They’re a 1/2 lb. each)! You can even order their goodies on-line..kind of dangerous that I just found this out :o

Mattheessen's giant cookies

Mattheessen’s giant cookies

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We knew we had to take a raincheck, so we went back and my mom and I both got stuff from there on Thursday. I ordered the key lime sorbet, and my mom got the peanut butter peanut butter cup ice cream. Both were ah-mazing.

The peanut butter, peanut butter cup ice cream my mom ordered

The peanut butter, peanut butter cup ice cream my mom ordered

The key lime sorbet I ordered

The key lime sorbet I ordered

My mom also ordered one of the ginormous chocolate chip cookies that we intended on eating today for the airport and plane ride back… yeah, that didn’t work out. We ended up silently destroying that bad boy in the hotel room when we got back.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

On Thursday my mom and I decided to try renting and riding scooters.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

Whew! I was preeettty scared at first, but once you get the hang of it, they are so darn fun. It really makes you want to own one of your own!! I can definitely picture myself owning own of these babies some day, especially if I live somewhere warm.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

For dinner on Thursday, we went to Seven Fishes. It’s a cute little restaurant in the middle of a neighborhood that would be super easy to pass without knowing it’s there, but trust me, you do NOT want to miss this one! Lots of people around here know what Seven Fishes is and would rave about it to you just like I am about to. It’s a tiny little place that you really should call for a reservation for because it will fill up. They don’t open their doors till 6 PM, so you should be sure to get there on time or else you could lose your table (there are not many tables they can squeeze in there).

The grouper, angel hair pasta, veggies, and focaccia my mom ordered

The grouper, angel hair pasta, veggies, and focaccia my mom ordered

My mom ordered the grilled grouper with angel hair pasta and I ordered the grilled yellowtail snapper with rice. Both came with yummy sautéed veggies and their homemade mashed potato focaccia.  Everything was delicious…clearly, by the way we cleaned our plates.

The yellowtail snapper, rice, veggies, and focaccia I ordered

The yellowtail snapper, rice, veggies, and focaccia I ordered

I think I could live the rest of my life eating that homemade mashed potato focaccia. Oh my gosh..yum. I need to figure out how to make that amazing bread. I’ll probably be dreaming about that entire meal for months!

Some entertainment outside of Mallory Square

Some entertainment outside of Mallory Square

The final installment of the Key West saga will be comin’ at ya on Monday, stay tuned!! :-)

Random Fact of the Day: Pepsi-Cola was originally called ‘Brad’s drink’.

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Key West- Part One

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Hello, hello, hello everyone! Reporting here from sunny[ish] Key West, Florida!!

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

My mom and I flew in here from blustery Chicago on Monday and are staying here till Friday. This is actually my third time in Key West, and I have to admit, I absolutely adore this quirky place.

Key West | Beautiful Disasters

It is full of a lot of crazy, usually drunk, strange people, but they make great entertainment for people-watching. Also, if you ever intend on going to Key West, you absolutely MUST go to Mallory Square one night. For one, Mallory Square has one the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Be sure you get there earlyish (like 10-15 minutes early) so you can get a nice viewing spot. Another fun thing with Mallory Square is that there is some quite unique entertainment there in the evenings. Street performers come and do their little stunts. They are a lot of talk trying to guilt you into giving them money and what not, but they’re certainly entertaining. My personal favorite one is the two guys in red pants who do a bunch of stunts, with juggling and gymnastics and end with a pretty cool finale on a ladder. Lastly, there is some fun art that vendors and local artists sell, like different types of jewelry, paintings, sculptures, and little tchotchkes. You really can’t go wrong with any of the food down here.

Bo's Fish Wagon Conch Fritters

Bo’s Fish Wagon Conch Fritters

Being from Chicago, where seafood is pretty darn expensive and good seafood is hard to come by, my mom and I certainly take advantage of all the seafood we can get our hands on.

Bo's Fish Wagon Grilled Mahi with Coleslaw

Bo’s Fish Wagon Grilled Mahi with Coleslaw

On Monday night, we went to Bo’s Fish Fish Wagon. My mom ordered what they’re famous for, a fried grouper sandwich. I ordered grilled mahi with coleslaw and key limeade (yum!!), and then we split they’re famous conch fritters. We loved everything! It was super casual, delicious, and a great welcome meal to Key West.

Bo's Fish Wagon Fried Grouper Sandwich

Bo’s Fish Wagon Fried Grouper Sandwich

Tuesday night we went to Alonzo’s Oyster Bar. I ordered the blackened grouper, which came with red potatoes and veggies. Dee-lish!! I love grouper, and it is what is local and known around here, so it was perfect for me. You can tell my  mom and I are related…she ordered the grilled grouper, same sides. Hers was delicious, as well! Sorry, didn’t get a chance to snap pictures, but I can assure you, it was fabulous!

More to come later :-)

Random Fact of the Day: Watermelons can cost up to $100 in Japan!

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Chocolate Almond Joy Cookies

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High school students often get a bad rep for being major procrastinators.  Printing off papers the passing period before class, coming up with a speech on the fly, glueing together random things for a project and calling it an A+ effort…you know how it is.

But I would just like to make one itty bitty observation that has really hit me hard this week.

High school teachers procrastinate until like the final day of every grading period to have their tests. They could at least spread out the tests throughout the week..but no. They must all have them today.

All of the big kahunas are today. AP stats is the one I am most scared for. I’ve literally said multiple prayers leading up to today’s test. May God be on my side!!!

To cope with my teachers’ major procrastination, I have made chocolate cookies studded with some cute little Almond Joy Pieces.  These are a little spin-off of my Reese’s Pieces cookies, just with a yummy slice and bake chocolate cookie dough that could not be any easier to make.

Keep your fingers crossed for me today!

Chocolate Almond Joy Cookies

1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cups flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

7 snack-sized almond joy pieces packages

  1. Beat butter with vanilla extract until creamy. Mix in sugars and salt. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Slowly mix in dry ingredients to butter mixture.
  2. Roll cookie dough into a log in plastic wrap (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Unwrap cookie dough log and cut into 1/2 inch thick cookies, place on cookie sheet evenly spaced apart. Press about 5 Almond Joy pieces into each cookie. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then place on wire rack to finish. Enjoy!

Random Fact of the Day: The state of Florida is bigger than England!

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Pumpkin Spice Scones with Maple Glaze

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Soooo it is the first week of October and I am TOTALLY ready for pumpkin recipes!

Come at me pumpkin and do your thang!

Pumpkin is great all year round, but something about the Fall time makes pumpkin taste like a billion times better. It really makes it feel like it is Fall and gives you that cozy feeling that you get after coming inside on a snowy day and warming up with a nice hot cup of hot chocolate. People who live in Florida, California, Texas, and such…act like you know what I am talking about here.

Anywho, my these scones are a great breakfast treat that is perfect for putting  on that winter layer of warmth! Ahem…I mean, they’re like super healthy and stuff.

Pumpkin Spice Scones with Maple Glaze

(Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures)

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted twice (or cake flour, unsifted)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 Tablespoons cold, cubed butter

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Cut in the cubed, cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, using a wooden spoon to mix it all together. The dough will be very crumbly. Turn the dough onto a floured countertop and knead with your hands until everything comes together. Pat dough into a circle about 1  inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles and place triangle onto prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
  4. Bake scones in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling before drizzling glaze over top.

Maple Glaze

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup powdered sugar

  1. Once scones are completely cooled, whisk together maple syrup and powdered sugar in a small bowl until combined. Drizzle glaze over top of scones and let dry/harden or enjoy right away! Enjoy :)

Random Fact of the Day: Camels have three eyelids to protect them from blowing sand.

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Week in Review (3/26-3/30)

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Ahh, what a relaxing week I had this week. So nice to take a break and spend the week in beautiful Florida for spring break!

Monday I shared with you guys my SRC post which featured Homemade salsa! Such a yummy and handy thing to have in the house. I’m so happy I made this and was so shocked at how easy it was! Once you have all the ingredients prepped, you are literally less than a minute away from fresh salsa. YUM

Tuesday I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine in Florida and started my day off with a nice run a little over 6 miles. Such a good feeling. Then…Then, I went up 14 flights of stairs. Yes, 14. FOURTEEN PEOPLE FOURTEEN! That’s insane! But you know what? It motivated me to where I ended up doing that the rest of the week.  FYI: It never got easier..

Wednesday I shared with you guys the sights of Ft. Lauderdale…this place sure has proven itself to be one ca-razy, unpredictable place!

Thursday was just another lovely day spent in sunny Florida. Ran. Laid out. Ate dinner. Repeat. Pretty much the same thing everyday, but hey, that’s how I like it! So nice getting a break from the busy school-soccer life and just veg out for a week.

Friday I showed you guys a post that I dug out from months ago! It actually made me a little proud of myself to see how far my photography has come. But the main reason I pulled this guy out was that I have been meaning to post it but it just kept slipping my mind and so it was just perfect timing to share it while I was out of town and soaking up the ray on spring break! :) Besides…you can never go wrong with any post that involves peanut butter!

Oh and another great thing that happened Friday? Well, we had our BEST, BEST, BEST meal of the week. We went to the Chart House, yes I do know it is kind of a chain. But ohmygawd after a week of on and off, kind of disappointing food, we had our BEST food that night.

We decided to try an appetizer, and we ordered the Oysters Rockefeller, which were fantastic. For the main course, I ordered grilled swordfish, and it was fantastic. It had the perfect char on it from the grill, but still was super moist and maintained it’s awesome fishy flakiness. There was delicious rice on the side as well as yummy green beans. Yes, yummy green beans, they do exist!

To finish off the meal, we ordered two lava cakes. (We always have a separate section reserved in our tummies for desserts!) The lava cake was awesome! Perfectly warm, and super chocolatey. It was topped with vanilla ice cream and bits of chocolate and chocolate sauce. I can not even put this dessert into words. I might try to recreate it, but if I fall short, I may just cry. It was so good. The whole meal was just the best possible way for us to end the week. I would not have changed a thing. Great food. Awesome service. Beautiful restaurant and view.

Best picture...now you can't tell me you don't want some of that!

Today I am sadly coming home. It’s such a bittersweet moment leaving lovely Florida. I’ll miss the beach, sun, and fish, but it sure will be nice to get back home and in the kitchen!

Random Fact of the Day: The average cough comes out of your mouth at 60 miles per hour.

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