Vegetarians-Avert Your Eyes

I went to a pig roast. I carved the pig. The end.

No really, let me tell you about it, before Lisa sees me posting all these pictures...
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pigs. Honestly, I think they are cute, smart, fantastic animals, and I would own one or two if I had a farm. (to go with my goats)
I do, however, also respect their use as a food source. As I have mentioned before, I think bacon should be a deity, with me serving as high priestess. BBQ is an art form. I am a student of charcuterie. Sorry, I love me some pork products...

Lisa invited me to go to her brother's 50th birthday bash in Easton, PA, which just happened to also be a pig roast. I said an enthusiastic yes to that. I got to meet her wonderful family. One of her cousins has a boyfriend who is Filipino, and he and his family do traditional Filipino pig roasts. They arrived at Anthony's house around 6:30 last Saturday morning, and laid out a bbq pit in the yard. They had a pig that weighed about 65 pounds. They picked it up from a farm in Bucks County, cleaned and prepared, stuffed it with garlic and herbs, and sewed it up. A rotisserie set up was built for them at the local tech school so they had everything they needed. If I remember correctly, they said they brought about 150 pounds of charcoal briquettes for the day. The fire was built, and the heat moved into a ring around the perimeter of the pig on the spit. The motor started the piggy turning, the first beers were poured, and the long day of roasting began..

Well, we arrived around 3 in the afternoon. The pig was starting to look golden, but still had a few hours to go. I met the family, got myself a red cup of beer, and struck up a conversation with Pat and his brother Chris who were the pitmasters. I learned that traditional Filipino pig is rubbed with soy, and stuffed with lemongrass and taro, but since this group was pretty much 100 percent Italian, they did it with garlic and herbs. This is what it was looking like:

 

 

 

I know, I know, not the easiest thing to look at..

By about 5:30, it was time to remove our friend from the coals and let it sit for a bit before carving..

To go with the pork, the guys had brought a dish that looked like a pork lo mein (that's how they described it) and some lumpia, which are like a little beef and vegetable spring roll.

Somehow, I got roped into carving the pig. Luckily, Lisa had left for a few minutes to go pick up her father. She's not much for the meat eating, and certainly not much for watching her girlfriend dismember a pig...

Anyway, it was juicy, flavorful, wonderful...all those superlatives. It was great. The skin was crispy, the meat was succulent. It's not something you get to eat very often, so it was a nice treat. As much as I enjoyed my dinner, I much more enjoyed getting to meet Lisa's family. It's really nice to be around a large, close family. I feel honored and excited to be accepted into the Patti/Grossman clan.

 

Well, that's all for today. Time to start preparing for Thanksgivukkah. See y'all soon.

 

Who Knew?

According to HuffPost, today, October 3rd, is National Kale Day. Well, technically, it's the first Wednesday in October. I didn't get the memo. Thank goodness someone saw fit to post this valuable tidbit of information on the Facebook for me, or I would have missed it completely!

Actually, pretty much any day can be Kale Day in my world. And this is my favorite season in which to eat kale. Kale is one of those wonderful, healthy, versatile leafy greens that grows almost all year round. If you plant kale, there are two growing seasons, spring and fall. Or, just go to the store or farmer's market and buy it. Purple kale is considered more ornamental, green kale, more edible. You know, I think I've talked about kale before, but since I like it so much, you get to hear it again. Kale, my friends, has: more vitamin C than an orange, a ton of vitamin A, and contains alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 that's good for your brain, your heart, and can help reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes.

It's also easy to prepare in a myriad of ways. (love that word) You can use it as a side dish, simply sautéed with garlic, or mix it into brown rice, quinoa, risotto, pasta...One of my favorite ways to eat it is in soup. I make a wicked sausage, white bean and kale soup. You can do this with any kind of sausage, sweet or hot, pork or turkey. You can cut the sausage into pieces, or take it out of the casing. I start with the sausage, and let it sweat out a little of the fat, then add some diced onion and minced garlic. Then, chicken broth and a can of diced tomatoes, and a can or two of rinsed cannellini or navy beans. You can use fresh or dried herbs. I'm a big fan of thyme, but a little dried oregano is nice, too. And a bay leaf. Then add some chopped kale. It doesn't really have to simmer for too long, maybe 30-40 minutes. I also like to add a shot or two of hot sauce. You can reduce it to whatever consistency you like. Then, when serving, grate or shred some fresh parmesan or locatelli cheese on top and have a piece of crusty bread to dip in.

Really, I would have made this to take a picture of on this October evening, but it's 80 degrees here. You'll be seeing lots of soup in the coming months, as soon as it starts to chill out.

Go buy kale. You can even get it all cleaned and chopped in packages. Enjoy, and we'll be back here again soon, gang.

Another Beautiful Dish

Once again, I have rooted through the cabinets and refrigerator, added some fresh produce, and created magic. Well, if not magic, dinner. Trying to keep things on the light side (light on the calories AND the wallet) keeps me on my creative toes. Nicole and I are trying to eat a little healthier, and this just fit the bill.

I keep bags of dried beans in the cabinet, and have been meaning to use some, so the other night, I soaked about a third of a bag of navy beans. If you are using dried beans, the first thing you do is sort through them, because sometimes there are small stones or pieces of dirt. Then, rinse them under cold water and put them in a container, fill with twice the amount of water to beans, and leave them to soak overnight, or for a few hours. Then, drain them, put them in a pot with fresh water, maybe a bay leaf or bouquet garni (look it up, lol) and bring them to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cook until the beans are soft, but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Next, I had some corn, still from the farm. I cooked it lightly, then stripped the kernels from the cob. There are still good tomatoes around, so I happened to have some grape tomatoes, which I cut in half lengthwise. Some peeled and diced cucumber, some chopped romaine lettuce, and now it's starting to look like a salad. (Yes, I know that totally wasn't a sentence, but I'm tired, so get over it)

I had bought a couple boneless chicken breasts, and I marinated them in Italian dressing. Don't be too proud to use Italian dressing from the bottle, just watch the sodium in the really cheapo brands. I would have grilled the chicken, but it was pouring right at dinnertime, so I seared them in a pan instead. I let them cool a little and then diced them and put everything in a big mixing bowl and added some more Italian dressing, a little fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes, because Nicole is on a hot pepper kick. Nicole, by the way, is my daughter. Did you not know that? Shame on you. Here's Nicole:

 She is my turtle.
No, seriously, she is my beautiful daughter and I love her like crazy, even though she is a terrible sloppy mess.

Oh, ok, I know, you want to see dinner. Here you go:

Nice, huh?
Ok, time to give the dog a bath. My life is one nonstop party.
Bye now..

 

Sheryl Crow, Honky Tonks and Tennessee BBQ

I went to Nashville, Tennessee last weekend. Yep, just like that. Actually, I got very lucky. My girlfriend, Lisa, entered a contest through Facebook to win a trip to Nashville to meet Sheryl Crow and have a preview of her new album at her house. Meeting Sheryl Crow has been number 1 one Lisa's bucket list for as long as she can remember.

She won the grand prize.

At first, she didn't believe it was true. She thought the email was a hoax. She thought the guy calling from Warner Records was a fake. I mean, wouldn't you? But it wasn't a fake out. It was real. Round trip airfare to Nashville, two nights in the Hermitage Hotel, one of the nicest hotels in the whole country, a ride to Sheryl Crow's house and a chance to meet her and hear her music. It would be a gigantic understatement to say that she was floating on a cloud as we boarded the airplane and headed off to Tennessee.

Before I talk about food, let me just show you a couple of pictures of the Hermitage, and our room.

 

Not too shabby, huh? Downstairs in the hotel was their restaurant, The Capitol Grille, which is not associated with the chain of the same name. We didn't get a chance to eat there, but the hotel runs not one, but two of their own farms, where they do everything from grow their own produce to raise their own grass fed cattle and other animals. On the next trip, I will definitely have dinner. We did have room service breakfast, and they do make a mean bowl of Irish oats with fruit!

 

 

Thursday evening, they sent a huge tour bus to pick us up (about a dozen of us) and take us to Sheryl Crow's house. She lives on the outskirts of Nashville, up a long driveway. We had to leave our phones in the bus, so I don't have any pictures of the whole experience. I think the main purpose was to keep anyone from possibly recording any of the music, since the album wasn't released yet. Anyway, we were escorted into the "barn." Um, yeah. Barn. Granted, the horse stables were in the back, so technically it was still a barn. In the front area, there was a beautiful sitting area with the huge fireplace and a bar. Waiting for us was a choice of beer, wine, bourbon, or Sheryl's signature watermelon margarita. That was all kinds of yummy. Later, I had a bourbon and soda. I mean, when in Rome...there were also stationary and passed hors' d'oeuvres, all very good. We got to wander in the back and say hi to the horses (or hey, if you're looking for a bad pun). She has about 6 or 7. After about an hour of mingling, meeting record company people, and other winners of various contests, we were ushered upstairs to what she has made into an intimate concert venue and recording studio. The walls are lined (I mean lined!) with her guitars, both acoustic and electric. We were in the front row, about 5 feet away from her. Lisa was one of only two grand prize winners! There were about 40 people there, I guess, most from the recording industry. She was introduced and sat with a guy who asked questions about the songs on the new album. We listened to some of them from the recording, saw two videos, and got to hear her and the band play 3 or 4 others. It was amazing. Buy the album, she is a great country singer.

 

When she was finished talking and playing, we were ushered back downstairs, where there was a fresh round of new food choices and plenty more to drink. They had set up a photo screen and meeting area in the stables, and Lisa and I were the first to go in and meet Sheryl. She is so very nice. And so very tiny! After all the meeting and photos, she came out and mingled, drinking a longneck beer. Gotta love how real she is..

 

 

When we got back to the hotel, there was a gift left for Lisa from Southern Living and the Hermitage, who were co sponsors of the contest. A book on the history of the hotel and it's 100th anniversary, a small batch bottle of Jack Daniels made especially for the hotel, and two packs of heirloom tomato seeds from the farm. So cool.

 

 

How can you possibly top that night? Friday we had no plans, so walked around downtown Nashville. It's pretty small, so you can walk just about anywhere. We didn't really have the money to go into any of the museums, but we wandered around and saw the Ryman Auditorium (where the Grand Old Opry was originally staged), the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Capitol building, Printer's Alley (which reminds me of Bourbon Street), and then down to Broadway, which is really the main drag. It's where the shops, bars, restaurants and honky tonks are. I love that name, honky tonk. Just a small, often grubby little bar with a stage, where at any time of day, there is live music. We bought some souvenirs, some cowboy boots, and noticed a sign saying that Keith Urban would be playing, FREE, in three different honky tonks that evening. Well, hell, there's tonight's activity! So we went back, rested, and then headed back to Broadway. We made some friends on Thursday who recommended we eat at Jack's BBQ, the best in town. Lisa is not a big meat eater, but very sweetly indulged my need to eat barbecue. To eat a Jack's, you begin by standing in line. For you Philly folk, it is similar to Jim's steaks- stand in line, order, get food, pay, then find a table. As we were standing in line, we heard the two people behind us talking about possibly going across the street to eat at another BBQ place. So, I, being the shy person I am, turned around and asked them which they thought was better for us touristas to eat. They agreed we should stay in line at Jack's, no questions asked. Anyway, we struck up a conversation. Lisa Manning is one of the DJ's for a local radio station, and was going to be escorting Keith from one venue to the next, through the cattle chute they had set up on the street. She introduced us to her boyfriend, Charlie Daniels, Jr. As in Charlie Daniels. As in mad fiddle player and country star. Yep, the hits just keep on coming for us! We all sat together for dinner, and talked about life in Nashville and all that. This is Jack's BBQ:

I had the pulled pork. The brisket looked great, but I was really in the mood for the pork.

 

 After dinner, they went off to check up on Keith's progress, and Lisa and I ensconced ourselves along the cattle chute. Let me tell you, people in Nashville know how to wait patiently for something. No pushing, shoving, cursing, rudeness of any sort. The security guards were nice. The cops were nice. In fact, one cop leaned over to me as he was making an opening in the chute right next to where I was standing and said, "Keep an eye out, Steven Tyler is coming through here any minute now." Really. Steven Tyler. AND Keith Urban. Right in front of me.

 

Well, Keith was spectacular. He just moseyed down the cattle chute, saying  hi and waving and smiling. The crowd was really respectful. He is beautiful.

 That's Keith with Lisa Manning, our new friend

 Yes, that's Steven Tyler thrashing about



Isn't he pretty?

 

Saturday was pretty uneventful. We stayed in the hotel room until we had to check out, wearing those soft, incredible bathrobes. Then, the long trip home..

 

So let's recap, shall we? A flight to Nashville, a 5 diamond hotel, Sheryl Crow and her band, AT HER HOUSE, great BBQ, new friends, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler (who, by the way, is just as small and freaky looking in person) and a mini vacation with my love. Not so bad for two girls who don't have two dimes to rub together. But sometimes, great things DO happen to good people.

 



Go "Fig"ure

Yep, once again I got lost in the day to day routine and didn't take the time to blog. I am lame. Sorry. I really want to get into writing a couple times a week, so you all fall so deeply in love with my writing that you mount a campaign to see my work in some magazine or paper. I'm ready to become a writer, folks...

Ok, so let's talk about one of the nicest treats the end of summer brings. Figs. Down in Rock Hall, MD, there are a few really big fig trees. At the end of August, the Halin family all comes together at Silly Manor (that's Dad and Linda's house) for some relaxation and scotch drinking. Once during the visit, to escape the menagerie of kids and dogs, the womenfolk go fig picking. Right down the street from dad's house is an enormous fig tree, and Linda has a friend who has another big tree.

Picking figs is something that pretty much requires a hazmat suit, but it's usually a blazing hot summer day, so we are wearing shorts and tshirts. Fig trees are full of bugs. The fruit is a tasty treat for all kinds of flying, creeping, biting and stinging things. The reward is worth the discomfort. Also, the riper figs tend to be up higher, so someone has to climb into and up the tree. That's often the smallest person. Me. Yay. Wait, let's get back to stinging things. Ever heard the one about the wasp and the fig? Um..there's no punch line. It's a true story. There is a certain type of wasp called a "fig wasp." You see, the fig needs someone to pollinate it, and the wasp needs a place to live and make babies. I know, it sounds gross, but hang on, it's going to be ok.

The fig is basically an inside out flower, so to get it pollinated, it needs something to carry the pollen inside it. At the bottom of the fruit is an opening, called an ostiole. The female wasp, who has pollen on her from another fig, flies over and crawls up the ostiole. On her way in, she loses her wings and antennae. (It's a narrow little tunnel.) Her goal is to lay eggs. Now, there are two different kinds of figs on every tree. There are male figs, called Caprifigs, and female figs, called Edible Figs. If the wasp gets into a caprifig, it is suited for egg laying, and that's what she does. Those larvae develop into male and female wasps. The males never get wings, and just spend their lives digging tunnels for the female wasps to get out, loaded with pollen and in search of another fig. If the female gets into an edible fig, she won't be able to lay eggs, and will die, but not before pollinating the inside, which will develop seeds. I know, you are totally skeeved by now, aren't you? And wondering if the crunchy inside of your figs and prosciutto or Newton cookie is really dead wasp?
IT'S NOT. Y'see, this is where the symbiosis, or mutualism, comes into play again. As the pollinated fig grows, it emits an enzyme called ficin which completely digests the wasp. Seriously. All gone. No more wasp. Oh, and if you are really worried about eating bugs, you better just stop eating all commercially processed food. Just sayin...

Now, let's get back to our figs, after we've picked them. We are lucky in our family, because Lisa (my sister-in-law) is not only a talented author and potter, she also loves to put up jams and preserves. She makes a kickin' fig jam. So let's talk about it, shall we?

As I mentioned, first we pick the figs.

 

Well, that's a pretty butterfly and some unripe figs, but it's pretty. Then, Lisa cuts them and puts them in a stainless bowl, and macerates them in a little sugar. That will help pull the natural syrup out of the fruit.

 

This is what they look like after they sit overnight. Then she puts them in a heavy bottom pot, adds the zest and juice of a lemon, some balsamic vinegar, and some fresh black pepper. She added the pepper to give it a little zing. You can find the exact recipe and methodology on HER blog, ljcbluemuse.blogspot.com. She is a canning whiz and has a lot of recipes posted.

 

She puts the fig jam up in small jars. It is amazing with just about anything: on toast, on a cheese plate with sharp and stinky cheeses and salami, as a condiment for roast pork or duck.

 



 

 



Summer is coming to an end. My son has started his freshman year at Temple University, and my daughter is anxiously (NOT) awaiting her first day of school. I will hang on to the last of the warm days, corn, tomatoes, peaches, and the sweet sound of cicadas singing me to sleep. I will miss my favorite season, but have already started thinking about the fall foods that are just around the corner.

And on a chilly night to come, I can open a bottle of wine, put out some cheese and meats and crackers, and crack open a jar of Lisa's fig jam. I'll close my eyes, and see sunset on the bay, Linda's beautiful zinnias, and the hummingbirds at the nectar feeder. And start counting the days until next summer.

Living With My Own Personal Sequester

As I believe I may have previously mentioned, I live life on a much smaller budget than I used to. Some of you may feel that the economy is coming back to life, but let me tell you, from the standpoint of a restaurant person, that ain't the case. The food service industry has not rebounded, and even where it may be improving, budgets and plans were revised, and chef's salaries were the first thing on the chopping block. There are so many of us that are making less money then we did 10 years ago. So, good people, if any of you have connections in the print or tv media, get me out there! I want to write, I want to cook...I want to sing! (Who got the Holy Grail reference there?)

Ugh..I'm so off topic already! The whole point of today's entry is to talk about this amazing dinner for two I made, spending only about $8.00. Again, it was a combination of staples from the pantry and the fridge, combined with some fresh seasonal vegetables. Here's what I had:

A can of Alaskan Salmon
A box of Cappellini pasta
A bunch of asparagus
A beautiful summer tomato
A sweet onion
Fresh basil
Sriracha hot sauce
Garlic
Olive oil
A lemon
A little canned chicken broth
A bottle of dry vermouth (used only for cooking, not martinis)
Locatelli cheese

Of course I could have used fresh fish, or seafood, etc., but the point was, I could make a tasty dinner on a budget. First thing I did was open and drain the salmon. For those of you who have never used canned salmon, it's not like tuna. It's a little more...rustic, shall we say. It's like they steamed a whole fish and jammed it into cans. There's skin and bones. The bones are actually so soft you can mush them up, but I pick them out. I clean the skin out, and the darker meat, too. It comes right off. I also wear gloves doing this, because it's a little stinky. But it's actually quality salmon, with a nice color.
I chopped up the onion, tomato, asparagus and garlic. Heated a little olive oil in a pan, and when it was hot, threw all the vegetables in. Tossed them around for a minute until they started to cook, then hit it with the lemon juice, the hot sauce, a splash of vermouth and the stock. By the way, I used vermouth because I didn't have any white wine in the house, but I do cook with vermouth when I am making seafood, so either one would be fine. (that was a very poorly constructed sentence, but deal with it.)
Oh yeah, pot of water boiling on the stove. Angel hair doesn't take very long to cook.
Back to the sauce..now I added the salmon and tossed it gently around. Seasoned with some kosher salt and ground black pepper, and ripped up the basil leaves and threw them in. Don't add fresh basil to the sauce to early, or it will turn black.
I put the cooked pasta into a bowl, and spooned the sauce over top. The biggest indulgence of the dish was the good Locatelli. I buy a chunk and grate it fresh when I need it. It lasts a very long time in the cheese drawer, and people, believe me, LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO EAT CHEAP CHEESE. Treat yourself. Stay away from that green can in the pasta aisle. Seriously, is it really cheese?
Let's take a look, shall we?

 

It was really good. Trust me. So there you have it, gourmet food without the gourmet price. It can be done.

If you have any other ideas on how to eat well on the cheap, let me know. I'd love to hear. Until then, enjoy the summer days,  my friends. Eat produce. Dine al fresco. It will all be gone in the wink of any eye...

Beautiful Swimmers

It's been so long since last we met..and for that, I apologize. After decompression and re-entry from Mustique, I fell back into the workday drudgery. I also had no money to buy fun things with which to cook. And...and....as my friend Christie would say, "blah blah yadda yadda big chunks of ham." Meaning...quitcher bitchin.
Anyhoo, I'm back. In the past month or so, I have been down to Rock Hall, MD twice to visit with the parents. For those of you who don't know, my dad and Linda live right smack on the Chesapeake Bay in a wonderful house called Silly Manor. They have been there for quite a while now. It is paradise on earth. Here's the house:

They work very hard on their gardens, which are as pretty as any English Cottage anywhere. What the hell, here are some more pictures:

 

 

 

 

Ok, so now you get the idea. Anyway, whenever anyone shows up there, Linda always makes sure there is fantastic food, and plenty of it. She is a really good cook. Her soups, salads, ribs...pretty much everything she makes is great. And dad opens a mean bottle of wine! This is the time of year, however, that one dinner per visit must be hard shelled crabs. And that, my friends, is the subject of tonight's diatribe-er, blog entry.

 

CALLINECTUS SAPIDUS. The Beautiful Swimmer. The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab. What a work of nature. And just darn yummy in any form. During the growth cycle, they molt, at which point they are called soft shells. These can be cooked (sautéed, deep fried) and eaten whole, because they have shed their shell and have only a very soft "skin." The meat of the hardshell crab can be used in any number of ways, most popularly in crabcakes. I don't usually eat crabcakes, because most restaurants or recipes add fillers like peppers or onions, which I think completely cover the taste of the crab. I have an amazing recipe for crabcakes, which I will share at a later date. Right now, we're going to discuss the ritual of picking and eating crabs. The proverbial Crabfeast. During summer on the Bay, this includes local sweet corn and tomatoes. Oh, and beer.

 

Let's talk a bit more about the crabs. Crabbing on the Bay is a time honored tradition. The Chesapeake Waterman is one of the hardest working souls around. Finding the crabs, catching the crabs..it is an art form. Long days, hard work, sometimes very little reward. Crab population fluctuates wildly from year to year, for many reasons. Could be the weather patterns. The pollution in the Bay. Over fishing at the wrong time of year. And then there are the natural predators. The three big seafood populations we most commonly associate with the Chesapeake Bay are crabs, oyster, and striped bass. And..they all eat each other. So, sometimes when the oyster supply is low, it's because the crabs are abundant and eating the spats. And the stripers eat the young crabs, so that has an effect on the crab population. The crabs, well they eat everything, including each other.

 

 

The best crabs for eating are the males. The females are usually (hopefully) thrown back to keep the population up. There are different sizes, but the best are the #1 males, or the jumbos. If you have a stove and a pot big enough, you can cook them yourself, steaming them with some crab boil seasoning. We usually get them cooked, to avoid that crazy process of jamming angry live crabs into a pot of steaming water. Dad orders them from Chester River Seafood. River crabs tend to be the bigger crabs, as they have more hiding places in the river shallows to grow bigger and feed undisturbed by the boat traffic in the bay itself. Prices obviously vary from year to year. This seems so far to be a pretty good season.

 

So let's get into this. First, you need a table, lined with brown paper or newspaper. That way, when the carnage is over, you just fold the whole mess up and throw it away. Each person needs either a nutcracker or a crab mallet, and some people like small knives to get into the shells. A big roll of paper towels should be handy. This is a messy, but worthwhile, undertaking. Don't get dressed up.

 

 

 

Ok, grab a crab. On the belly, you can see what looks like a pull tab. (They really make it easy for you to eat them.) Pull the tab, then pull the top (carapace) off. Clean out the guts (unless you like them) and the gills, and break the body in half, then in half again. Take off the claws and put aside, unless you want to eat them first. Now, you just sort of peel away at some of the inner softer shell and reveal big old chunks of meat. Take the time to pop open all the little swimming legs, there are little bits of meat in there, too. Then use the mallet or the cracker to open the claws and extract the meat. Repeat until you are too full to move, or all the crabs are gone. Stop occasionally for a swig from your beer, to eat a piece of corn or jam a slice of tomato in your face. You may stab yourself once or twice with a piece of shell, just lick the crab spice out and power on. You'll find the cuts again later when  you rinse off. Here's some family hard at work:

 

And then, it's all over. You will be full, happy, a little overloaded on sodium, and smell like Old Bay. Clean up, rinse off, and relax. Start planning the next crabfeast. I know mine will be at the end of the month, when my brother and his clan venture down from Boston to Silly Manor. Until then, I will go on a search for softshells, and cook up some beauties for the next blog. I leave you with a picture of the table after the work is done..



Peace, my friends. See you all soon.





 



And the Eat Goes On..

Day six on the island...Monica and Crissy have to leave us today. We started up and at em early for another hike, this time around the northern tip of the island. Jan, our competent guide, saxophone player, and all around island rep, took us on an amazing walk with some spectacular views. There are places you just can't drive to, you have to see by foot. Sometimes it feels like you are literally at the end of the earth, with the fields of cacti and rock formations with quartz and granite. Here are some of the views:

 



 

We also saw the beach where Tommy Hilfiger, Mick Jagger and Bryan Adams have their villas. No, I'm not putting a picture of them up, that's not kosher here in Mustique.

 

We got back for our usual wonderful breakfast. Today, with our fruit, we had French Toast and bacon. I am amazed at the amount of food I can pack away when it's being prepared for me..We then took Monica and Crissy to the airport, and waited until their slightly less itty bitty plane took off for Barbados. Then, it was time to hit the beach again. We went back to Endeavour Bay, the Cotton House beach. Sat and baked on the chairs a bit, did a little swimming...then the rain arrived. In full force. We ran to the beach bar, where we had planned to have lunch anyway. They battened down the hatches (well, the tent sides) and we settled in with some pina coladas and rum punches. Lunch was very good. I had a tuna "burger", a slab of grilled tuna on a Hawaiian type roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and a spicy tartar sauce. Mmmm...some other choices were a panzanella salad, and a grilled veg plate with shrimp. And then more punch. Why not, on a rainy day in paradise? We returned to White Cedars, and pretty much lazed around for the rest of the afternoon. Showers and cocktails were next. We needed to put a dent in all of the booze we had purchased. So we did. Dinner was at 7:30, as always. Another masterpiece. We began with a small dish of a marinated salad of cucumber, tomato, lettuce, avocado and anchovies with a Caesar type dressing. The entree this evening was a Marinated Steak with potato gratin, broccoli and creamy cauliflower. Somehow I am surviving this onslaught of dairy without feeling bad..Dessert- amaretto crème caramel. Yum.

 

Then we fell into bed..

And now it is Friday. Our last full day of vacation. In this wonderful place called Mustique. It's raining off and on. Mostly on. We don't really care, though. We get out between squalls to see things for the last time. This morning, after breakfast (yep, fruit, eggs, bacon, and toast) we went back to Lovell Bay to the village to see if we could catch the fish market in full swing. Apparently, there is no such thing as full swing. As a boat comes in, the fish is cleaned and put away. We basically just saw the people hanging around, waiting for another boat. The fruit stand was full, though and that was pretty. I'm including one last picture of the teeming metropolis that is the main shopping area of Mustique.

 

 

 

We got back to catch a few rays, before lunch. Our last lunch made by Chef Junior. Sigh...today was a salad with all the usual wonderful stuff, plus some baby asparagus. The main course was grilled fish kebabs, with tuna, mahi, peppers, onions and tomatoes. They were perfect. Full and happy, we are now sitting in the great room digesting. In a few minutes we are heading down one last time to Macaroni Beach to walk the rocks and maybe grab a swim.

 



 





See you after dinner, folks...