Salty Piece of Land

During our Florida Road Trip, we looked at lots, houses, and other salty pieces of land for sale. For quite some time, the Coast has been calling!

A lot for sale in St. Joe Beach on the corner of Cortez and Americus caught our attention.  From the front of the lot, we viewed the ocean.  Just a brief one-block jaunt down Cortez took us to St. Joe Beach.

By the end of September 2010, we were Gulf County property owners.  Back home, to celebrate the purchase, we cooked shrimp skewers, our nod to the Coast and the fabulous seafood available in the Gulf of Mexico.  We toasted the land closing with a LandShark!

Shrimp Skewers

• 1 lb peeled shrimp; onion, cut into large pieces
• bell pepper, cut into large pieces
• olive oil
• Old Bay seasoning

Thread shrimp, onion, and bell pepper onto skewer.  Season.  Grill.

Grits

• 1 c stone ground grits
• 3 c shrimp stock (boil water with shrimp peelings)
• 1 c milk
• 2 T butter
• salt
• pepper

Prepare grits with shrimp stock and milk.  Season with butter, salt, and pepper.

Gravy

• 2 T butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c shrimp stock
• 2-3 T flour
• salt
• pepper

Stir 1-2 T flour into warm shrimp stock.  Melt butter in pan with garlic; brown lightly.  Add stock/flour mixture to pan.  Add additional water if needed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add milk.  Continue stirring until desired thickness.

Serve grilled shrimp, onions, and bell pepper over grits with gravy.  Delicious!

Florida Road Trip

September 2010

After enjoying our May trip to the beach, we found ourselves again on Florida's Forgotten Coastline in late summer.  We started our drive with a yummy lunch at Spring Creek Restaurant in Wakulla County.  

Spring Creek Restaurant

If you haven't visited this Old Florida favorite for a delicious meal of fried mullet, you are truly missing out!  Other dishes are tasty too, but the husband finds it hard to enjoy anything else when fresh mullet is available.  :)



Spring Creek, an Old Florida fish camp

We passed westward through St. Marks, Panacea, Alligator Point, Carrabelle, and other places along the coast .



St. Marks

We played on the beautiful beaches of St. George Island.



St. George Island Golden Sunset

We eventually wound up at St. Joe Beach.  The weather was fantastic.  We caught lots of fish, but we were the ones who were hooked!



Grilled pompano - we caught lots of them!

First Taste of the St. Joe Coast

May 2010

When we celebrated our 12th anniversary in 2010, the husband and I traveled to Port St. Joe, Florida, for a weekend getaway.  What an enjoyable weekend!  

We stayed at the Port Inn, built in 1909.  One hundred years ago, in the days before air conditioning, the inn with its broad veranda and stately columns was a favorite getaway for those seeking a quiet retreat near the cooling breezes of Saint Joseph Bay.  Beautiful and perfect for us too! 


On Saturday, we drove to Apalachicola for their annual home and garden tour.  We strolled the streets and enjoyed touring green gardens and beautiful interiors.  Our lunch afterwards at Trinity Episcopal Church tasted delicious!  Mmmm....their shrimp salad was our favorite! 



Mulberry trees grow throughout Apalachicola.

Saturday afternoon, we basked in the warm sun at breezy St. Joe Beach.  We enjoyed our weekend on the Forgotten Coast and knew we would visit again!



Yes, when we travel, we always take our fishing poles!

Crabby!

Tour of Homes Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

• 4 lb shrimp, in shell
• 2 c mayonnaise
• 2 T white wine
• 1 t black pepper
• 3/4 c red onion, finely chopped
• 8 oz shell pasta, small
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 t salt
• 1/3 c fresh dill, chopped
• 3/4 c celery, finely chopped

Directions:  Boil shrimp in water with salt, brown cider vinegar, and worcestershire sauce.  Chill quickly over ice.  Peel and devein shrimp; cut into bite size pieces.  Boil pasta in separate pan of water with salt and oil.  Cool quickly.  Combine mayo, mustard, wine, salt, pepper, and dill for dressing.  Mix with shrimp and pasta.  Add onion and celery.  Adjust seasoning to taste.