Bob, The Cruise Director

My friend Bob, is known within his circle of friends as the Julie, the Cruise Director, due to his efforts to organize social activities for his friends. Last Sunday was such an event as about 15 of us descended on Estelas on Davis Islands to celebrate Mike B's birthday. We had good food, great fun, and I had a Margarita or two. Very tasty they were. Thank you Mr. Cruise Director, nice work.

It has been a while

It has been a week since my last post, so I have some catching up to do.

1. Can anyone tell me why my laptop keyboard is causing me so much difficulty in typing? Here's the deal. As I type the cursor jumps to other places in my text, which obviously leads to some very strange sentences. Plus it is very annoying, and makes typing very tedious. This post could take an hour to type. UGH!

2. My last CT scan identified some additional lesions. Without going into detail, I had a biopsy on Friday, and will have the results in a week, and I expect to begin a treatment program in early October.

3. Pub Grub: We have a new Irish Pub in Saint Petersburg, Paddy Burkes, which has some good pub grub, although a little non-traditional. My friend Karen and I went for lunch yesterday, and I had the "Pig Farmer" sandwich, which was ham, caramelized apples, and goat cheese on a pretzel roll. It was very tasty. Being a big sports fan, Karen opted for the Baseball Burger; Angus beef, Irish Cheddar, Irish bacon, and chutney. She said it was a winner. Obviously, there are a number of good beers to wash down the food.

4. A return to Argentina: For dinner last night, I brought out an Argentine cookbook, which my family gave to me for my birthday. It is "Seven Fires, Grilling the Argentine Way" by Francis Mallmann, a Restaurateur and TV star chef. While I do not have a grill, a cast iron skillet works great. We started dinner with an appetizer of Fresh Figs, Mozzarella, Thyme, and Olive Oil paired with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The entree was "Flipped-and-Flapped Lamb with Mustard, Oregano, and Lemon Zest" It is Mallman's take on the French classic of "Gigot a la moutarde" (Leg of Lamb with Mustard). Slices of leg of lamb are pounded to about 1/2 inch thickness, coated with mustard, oregano, and lemon zest (he uses lemon confit, which I did not bother to make), then seared a few minutes on each side. The smell from the pan as the mustard and oregano were charring was wonderful, only to be exceeded by the flavor of the finished dish. Accompanying the lamb was a side of "Caramelized Endives with Vinegar" (a combination of sweetness from the sugar used to caramelize the endive, and a tartness from the red wine vinegar). and a "Patagonian Potato Galette", a disc of thinly sliced potatoes sauteed in clarified butter. This was the only misstep of the evening, as I over cooked the too thinly sliced potatoes. Next time, I will slice the potatoes a little thicker and be more careful with my cooking time. The entree was pared with an Argentine Malbec. It was another very nice dinner from the kitchen of Bistro 523.

That is all I'm saying.

J & J

So, Saturday afternoon, we went to Baywalk to see Julie & Julia. It was a great movie, especially for a foodie. I had just re-read Julia's "My Life in France" so had that side of the story down pat. Although I knew about the Julie side of the story, I had not read her book, nor knew a lot of the details. If you haven't seen it, do so. And plan on a really nice meal after the movie; you will be hungry. Boeuf Bourguignon anyone?

Flight Video

For the travelers out there, check out this creative flight safety video from Thomson Airways (<-- click here); yes a real airline.

Made in Spain

One of my favorite chefs is Jose Andres, whose PBS show, "Made in Spain" is part travelogue and part cooking lesson. His high level of excitement about the different regions of Spain and the foods from each region inspired me to pick up one of his cookbooks. So, last night, Frank and I prepared two "astonishing" (to quote Jose, but I can't type his pronunciation, it is more like "astoooonisshin") dishes from his show/cookbook. The salad was a Drunken Goat Cheese and Tomato Salad <-- click for recipe. The tomatoes are deconstructed with the beefsteak tomatoes being grated into a thin sauce; the plum tomatoes carefully separated into seed filets (seeds pockets) and diced flesh. These components are combined on the plate with olives, drunken goat cheese, and a light oil and vinegar dressing. Jammy (yummy) as Jose would say. For the entree we prepared pan-seared New York strip steaks, finished with a garlic, shallot, thyme, cream and Spanish blue cheese sauce. The recipe called for Picon cheese, which was not available at Whole Foods, so we opted for a Valdeon blue, which was wonderful.

That's all I'm saying !

Weekend Update

Gym Report: I am still going to the gym three days a week. My personal trainer sessions are going to once a week instead of two, not that I feel more comfortable on the various machines. I went this morning, and spent some time on the elliptical and then some weight machine work. For me, that is an accomplishment.

Food, Glorious Food, Part 1: I hosted the occasional meeting of the Book Club on Friday evening. My book pick was Julia Child's "My Life in France" which was the basis for part of the movie "Julie and Julia". I did not attempt to cook from her "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", but prepared Baked Tilapia with calamata olives, grape tomatoes, oregano, and feta cheese; smashed Yukon gold potatoes (Franks contribution), and Oven Roasted Mixed Vegetables. We had a nice evening and a good discussion.

Food, Glorious Food, Part 2: Paul and Libby (see the link in My Blog List for Paul and Libby's World of Travel) invited Frank and me to their home for a lovely dinner last evening. We started the evening with a selection of appetizers; including my favorite (difficult choice) of crostini, with fig preserves, ricotta cheese and prosciutto and a very nice rose wine which they purchased in Malta during their Mediterranean cruise earlier this year. Dinner was a very tasty beef and pork lasagna paired nicely with a Seghesio Zinfandel. For dessert Paul prepared an espresso panna cotta served appropriately in coffee mugs with a dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate. The presentation was only exceeded by the tastiness of the panna cotta. Everything was perfect... thanks Paul and Libby.

From the Medical desk: I have another CAT scan scheduled for September 1, so stay tuned for the results. I am expecting another tumor-free report.

That's all I'm saying.

Well almost all as I must acknowledge (after a year of using it) that I stole the closing line from one of my favorite St. Petersburg Times columnists, Ernest Hooper.

H.O.T.

Yes it is hot in Saint Petersburg, FL, as in very warm temperatures. But, today, I re-started my volunteer efforts with a trip to the Ronald McDonald House in St. Pete. So why is that HOT, you ask? Because I volunteer through an organization called HandsOn Tampa (got it now?...). It is a great organization as you can pick and choose where and when you volunteer. Tonight, four of us prepared Shepherds Pie and a mixed salad for the residents of RMH. It was good fun, and nice to feel I was helping others again.

Nashville - Part Two

Here are a few photographs from the recent trip to Nashville

The slave quarters at the Carter House

The Pantheon

Ditto

A New Toy

A few months ago, I purchased a new cell phone, a Nokia E71x, at my local AT&T Wireless store. It was a nice little smartphone at a really good price and received decent reviews. But, I quickly learned that I did not like the phone, for various reasons, including a very short battery life, and dropping my email connection repeatedly throughout the day, (requiring a reboot of the phone to reconnect). I was well past the 30-day grace period when I approached AT&T to switch phones. The local store advised me that a discounted phone was out of the question since I was past the grace period. So, not one to give up, I emailed customer support, asking for an exception. The next day I received the standard reply quoting contract issues and why I do not qualify for discount pricing. Again, not giving up, I tried again, asking that the situation be reviewed by a manager, and mentioning that if an exception could not be made, to let me know what my cancelation penalty would be... ha !. Well, that got their attention, as the next day, I received a nice email informing me that I had been approved for an exception, and the next steps to make it happen. Bottom line --> within four days, I had my new iPhone (yes, I have gone over to the dark side).

I was pleased that AT&T saw the light.

Second, I LOVE my new iPhone. It is the most intuitive phone I have ever purchased. I resisted getting one earlier, mainly because they were so popular, and I did not want to be a lemming following the crowd. The only real problem I have found with the iPhone is that it is way too much fun. I have to force myself to put it down.

That's all I'm saying !

A Dash to Nashville

This past weekend, Frank and I made a quick dash to Nashville, TN (actually Franklin, TN) to visit our friends, Brian and Sarah. We were joined by John and Carol from Mount Dora, FL. First, I must thank Brian and Sarah for a wonderful weekend. They are gracious hosts, who provided superior accommodations in their lovely home. Traditional Home magazine needs to feature the home in a future issue, and Wine Spectator should review their wine collection. We enjoyed some fantastic wines out of Brian and Sarah's cellar. We dined at good restaurants:

• Restaurant Zola: good food, unfortunately not so good service. I had a very nice paella filled with shrimp, scallops and fish, however it was blamed for the slow service, with no apologies offered.
• Margot Cafe and Bar: Sunday brunch. This was a wonderful brunch, and made up for the service issues we had the night before at Zola. The Bellini's were great, and my poached eggs with sausage gravy over Tuscan bread was perfect. The eggs were gooey, and the gravy was not heavy and did not overpower the dish.
• Bistro Sarah: (Home cooking on Sunday evening): Sarah and Carol prepared a very nice, healthy, and tasty dinner on Sunday evening. We enjoyed, a lot of wine (more on that later), cheeses and crackers, olives, etc; scallops with a tomato and onion relish (delish!) and a side of roasted asparagus. Everything was superb :-)
• Boxwood Bistro: With Sarah and Brian off to work on Monday, Carol, John, Frank, and I ventured out for a little sightseeing followed by lunch at Boxwood Bistro in Franklin. The restaurant is located adjacent to The Factory at Franklin, the prior home of the Franklin Stove factory. I consumed a full portion of shrimp and grits, which was very good, albeit a bit too salty for my taste. Frank enjoyed Pulled Pork Sliders, served with Tennessee style barbecue sauce. Very good, said he.

With a limited amount of time available to us for sightseeing, we did manage to hit some key sights.

• We visited downtown Franklin, a charming old and vibrant downtown, with cute shops and restaurants.
• Pantheon, a replica of the one in Athens, Greece, although in much better shape. (Pictures to follow). This building sits in the middle of a nice park near Vanderbilt University
• Cheekwood Arts and Gardens: This was a lovely old mansion in the middle of 100 lush rolling acres of gardens, ponds, and meandering paths. The mansion houses the art museum, and gardens include a small Japanese garden as well as a sculpture trail. For fans of Dale Chihuly, I noticed on the Cheekwood website, that there will be a Chihuly exhibit in the museum and gardens next year, (May 25 - October 31, 2010). This may require a return visit.
• On Monday, we visited Carter House, the site of the Battle of Franklin in 1864. To quote the website: "The Battle of Franklin has been called "the bloodiest five hours of the American Civil War."". The pre-tour movie provided a good history of the events leading up to and including the battle. The tour of the grounds, and the home added to our understanding of the significance of the battle. I am not a Civil War buff, but this was a very interesting experience lead by a excellent docent.

Wine: Knowing that we like our wine, Brian and Sarah opened their 450+/- bottle collection for our choosing. I wish I could remember everything we enjoyed, but made note of the following three superior wines from our Sunday evening at home.

• Marquis Phillips S2 Cabernet - only one word to describe this wine... WOW!
• Mollydooker Enchanted Path. ... and another Wow, so close to the S2 but not quite.
• Peter Michael Ma Belle-Fille Chardonnay - an excellent dry white, very nice.

This was a very quick, but very enjoyable weekend getaway.

That's my story, and I am sticking too it.