Living In Florida

I just grilled the first fresh local sweet corn (from the local market stand, guaranteed to be the first of the Zellwood Florida harvest) of the season with steaks for dinner. Yum.

First grilled steaks of the season tonight for dinner with part of a bottle of red wine split between us. Yum.

Someone on my Facebook wall picked up an article about impeachment hearings starting against President Obama in March. I did a quick google search and discovered the source was Weekly World News (now only an online edition). Snopes also already had it covered.

I cooked for myself this evening - Scallops Picata with sauteed baby bella mushrooms over whole wheat noodles - it was wonderful

cooked for Terri and Tony tonight

they brought home blackberries from a local u-pick, and rejoined Sam's Club

Grilled Steaks
grilled corn for Terri and me
salad
Blackberry buckle with Vanilla ice-cream

bought recently Cuisinart 12 cup grind and brew; http://www.cuisinart.com/products/coffee_bar/dgb-625bc.html used this morning for the first time - WIN!

The new season offers the singing and dancing nuns of Sister Act, Cole Porter’s classic Anything Goes, feel-good romps with ’80s hits like Priscilla Queen of the Desert’s “I Will Survive” and Flashdance’s “Flashdance – What A Feeling,” the chilling return of Jekyll & Hyde, the poignant and spectacular drama War Horse, the exhilarating and evocative Traces and the all-singing, all-dancing celebration of the Gershwins in ’S Wonderful.

In addition to the eight-show series, the Straz Center will also present Green Day’s American Idiot and, based on the hugely popular movie, Elf The Musical, the “endearingly goofy” (USA Today) story of a man raised as an elf at the North Pole who goes in search of his human family. Plus, The Straz presents the triumphant return of Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, Wicked, the story of what happened before Dorothy dropped in on Oz. Season ticket holders will be able to add any or all of these three shows to their package.

I'm impressed, and will probably buy 2 tickets again, adding Wicked (which I've seen once, but would def pay to see again)

I'm actually cooking this year (mostly tomorrow, though I did a bit of prep today) Turkey breast, cranberry jelly, dressing, gravy, green beans with onions and mushrooms topped with fried onions, creamed onions with peanuts, and salad. Light on starches, since my friend is a diet-controlled diabetic. It'll be Tony's and my 31st wedding anniversary (we'll be celebrating it later, when we could actually get a reservation at Victoria and Albert (I've wanted to eat there for practically ever, but we never seem to have actually planned for it, and you have to plan for that). Other things on the agenda for the weekend include a trip to the Orlando auto show, and seeing the new muppet movie.

we had two fancy food and wine pairings out this week

first was Thursday night at a local restaurant "red wing" with pairings by the local distributor "southern Food and wines"

Reception wine
Seaglass Riesling

OK. not particularly memorable

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
With a Balsamic Spritz
Paired with Angove Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rose

not enough balsamic spritz on the salad, but an OK pairing

Butternut Squash Ravioli with an Amaretto Creme Sauce
Served with Joel Gott Chardonnay

the wine was too lemony for the sweetness in the squash Ravioli; I would order it another time with the Riesling served as the reception wine

Grilled Duck Breast with a Balsamic Cranberry reduction
Fresh Green Beans
Accompanied by Jargon Pinot Noir

the beans did not seem to go well with the rest, though the wine matched the duck well in my opinion

Cider Citrus Pork Tenderloin
Roasted Potato Medley
Served with Napa Cellars Merlot

good match

Baked Apple Cranberry Crisp
With Montevina Terra d'Oro Moscato

what's not to like about a Moscato?

good meal for the price; about $45 a person

tonight on the other hand...

Todd English's bluezoo
hosted by Todd English and Kathy Benzinger

(I must start by saying we went to the wine dinner at Benzinger Sat Labor Day weekend 2010 in Sonoma, and I found out about this opportunity there, and Kathy remembered me there from a previous wine tasting Tony and I had done at a previous Disney Food and Wine Festival)

(Kathy saw me as we were waiting in the bar seating area and remembered me)
reception: wines or blueberry vodka martinis(Tony, Terri and I all chose the martini) with various appetisers:
Buffalo chicken with blue cheese sauce(several sauces were in [plastic bulbs with the appetizers speared onto them)
scallops with truffled caviar in lemon garlic vinegrette (winner for me)
Bacon wrapped scallops with some sauce (bulb)
barbecue pork with pork rind(plated)
bay scallops with sauce (plated)
(wish I'd taken better notes - there were more apetizers)

amuse
crispy oyster...
rockefeller flavors
benzinger, "sangiocomo", chardonnay,
carneros

2 oyster bits(PEI oysters, fried) with a deconstructed rockefeller sauce

1st
hawaiian yellowfin tuna...
yuzu, daishi noodles, avocado
benzinger, "signaterra", "casey's block", sauvignon blanc,
mendocino county

3 small tuna blocks, avocado sauce dots, yuzu foam on tuna, 1 noodle

2nd
pumpkin agnolotti...
nantucket bay scallops, sage
benzinger, merlot, sonoma county

best served course up to that point, though the scallop and
truffled caviar appetizer was still in my memory - the tiny sauced slightly sweet pumpkin filled raviollis and tiny scallops were a surprisingly wonderful match for the lighter merlot

3rd
wild striped bass...
parsley root, crispy farro
benzinger, "signaterra"' "bella luna", pinot noir,
russian river valley

a heartier course, had other root vegetables in the veg portion, good match

4th
wagyu tenderloin...
artichoke and porcini ragout, macaire potato
benzinger, "signaterra"' 3 blocks, red blend
sonoma valley

what's not to like - great beef served at the right temp, mushrooms and potato casserole, and a red with it

(I think this is where Todd English arrived at our table at my request to get a chance to meet him)
5th
brilliat savarin...
acacia honey brulee, concord grape, brioche
benzinger, "tribute"' bordeaux blend,
sonoma mountain

cheese course

6th
"chocolate melange"
by Chef Laurent Branlard
"first press" cocktail

4 different chocolate presentations - a truffle, an ice cream, a homemade marshmallow with dark chocolate shavings, and a layered thing with chocolate sheets between chocolate creme - the "cocktail" was first press fresh grape juice from this year served in egg shaped solid ice eggs broken with a wooden hammer at table

My first edition of Cryoburn arrived today. I'm up to chapter 12...