Sissie's Juicy Fruit Sangria

When it's hot, you want something zippy, ice cold and sweet. This Sangria did the trick on Easter Sunday. It was refreshing and the alcoholic tang made you forget about how hot it was outside, except to occasionally slur out "Gee, is it ever HOT!"

It also inspired us to sing this song:



Juicy Fruit Sangria

1 1/2 cups cubed, fresh melon (honeydew, canteloup, watermelon)
3 fuji apples, diced
2 bananas, sliced in half and then into half moon pieces
2 peaches, diced
1 basket strawberries, washed and quartered



Put fruit in a bowl and top with a bottle of your favorite inexpensive champagne. Add 1/2 cup of vodka. Mix with hands to gently coat all fruit. Cover bowl and refridgerate overnight.



Add 4 cups pineapple juice, 1 bottle champagne and the fruit mixture to a pitcher. Stir.

Divide into 6 glasses and enjoy with friends!

Donna & Finley - Cudjoe Key, FL

It was Easter Sunday in the Florida Keys. Finley & Donna live on Cudjoe Key. This small island has two theories swirling around the origins of its name. Possibly named for the Joewood tree, a native species which is also known as cudjoewood. Writer John Viele of Summerland Key believes that Cudjoe, a very common West African name, was the name of a runaway or freed black who lived on the island at some point prior to an 1849 Census Survey.

Walking into Finley & Donna's house, is like entering a tropical and peaceful paradise. There are 50 year old Bottle Brush trees and Royal Palms swaying in the breeze. And everyone at some point took full advantage of the hammock in the shade.




Finley is a salty fisherman with connections for any seafood (conch, island lobster, black grouper, key west pinks) you could possibly want from all over the island. Donna is a kindred earth mother who calms folks down at the dental practice where she works. Together they'd organized a real easter egg hunt and old-fashioned lobster grill down (think: ho down but with meats and seafood) for their daughter Elissa and her son Preston who also live on the island. My entire family was present as well.






We taught them how to play MASH and assured them that sangria, red wine and Budweiser pair perfectly with twice baked potatoes, salad, fish dip and lobster.

Families that allow you to seamlessly incorporate into their fold are the absolute best kind of family. We ate, drank, laughed and were generally very merry until food coma and the late afternoon sun set in. And then it was ALL we could do to drag ourselves out to watch the sunset. Sunset watching in the Florida Keys is a sport and art form unto itself.



Grilled Lemongrass Lobster
Wash 6 fresh lobster tails and allow to drain in a cool place.
Grasping a pair of scissors, cut into the shell towards the tail in the center of the lobster tail.
Scoop homemade lemongrass sauce into the lobster and arrange on a platter.



Lemongrass Sauce
4 TBLSP melted butter
1/2 C bread crumbs
2 TBLSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSLP grated/zested lemon grass puree

Combine in a bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the tails with the sauce mixture, really coating the insides of the tails. If there is remaining sauce mixture use your fingers to stuff the mixture into the split shells.


Meanwhile heat an outdoor grille to what Finley calls "Super Hot" and is probably at 300 - 325 degrees. This is South Florida, so a hot grille feels "Super Hot" with the heat of the day.



Place lobster tails, open side, down and flash sear for less than a minute to a minute depending on temperature. Flip the tails over, onto their shells. Allow them to grille in their own juices for 5-6 minutes. The shells will not turn pink/red if you are using Florida Lobsters.

South Carolina Low Country - Haint Paint

Does haint blue paint chase away evil spirits?




Historically, Haint Blue was a color most commonly used on homes in the southern United States. Slaves thought this hue warded off evil spirits,known as Haints. Other cultures around the world are also known to use this color for its believed protective properties.




This hue of blue is said to ward off mosquitos.....and evil spirits. Legend has it that Haint spirits won't cross over water. Because Haint Blue Paint has a water appearance it was used on the doors and ceilings to ward off these evil spirits.

Fascinating, non?

Kindness

Sometimes the thrown open armful of welcome, kindness and friendship is so amazingly overwhelming.

Life, Love & Lobster

Our Spring Road Trip Begins in a few days. Stay tuned for Recipes and People, Families and Food from Key West Florida to Manhattan, New York. Savannah, Georgia to Washington D.C. Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Brooklyn.

xoxo, Team Sip.Snap.Savor

CoconutBreadville

Local Favorite, Pepe's, offered up this recipe for delicious, moist coconut bread in honor of a Local Favorite - Richard who passed away this last week.

His wife, Charlie created the recipe.


1/2 C. Butter, Softened
1 C. White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 TSP Coconut Extract
1 C. Shredded Coconut
1 C. Sour Cream
2 C. Flour (All-Purpose)
1 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Baking Powder

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and extract, then sour cream. Add the coconut. Fold in flour, baking soda and powder. Turn into lightly greased loaf pan.
Bake 350 Degrees for about 45 minutes or until done.

Makes 1 Loaf (9-10 slices).

Eat Easy

Ryan, of Homunculus in Brooklyn is reserving a spot for us at his underground dinner program in his loft. We are SO excited.



Check out his blog, here.

A Brooklyn Eat-Easy in the industrial lofts of Bushwick. Homunculus prepares an elaborate, opulent and affordable dinner for all those in search of great food and delightful company. Home-cooked and home-served for an intimate meal with refined service.