Shakky Chic

We stayed here when we were kids.

the same staircase that bore the weight of countless children's feet is still there - daring the most courageous of beach goers to scale the worn wooden planks without flipflops. The steps sagged even then; full of splintery splinters, they were a gauntlet of sorts even when we first stayed at the cottages, in the summer of 1960.,

At the beach, rules were simple; we could go wherever, do whatever, as long as we could walk to it on the beach.

In 1960, my grandmother liked Kennedy becaue he was a good Catholic boy. (Wow! Did the campaign machine even work then!) My uncles hated him - loathed him - because of civil rights. Aside from those two memorable points, from my six year old perspective, the summer of 1960 was constant play, endless swims, a freckled nose that was coated with layers of zinc oxide, playing endless games of mermaid in the surf with my sister, and walking and walking and walking.

My Florida

As familiar as the back of my hand......

Where it started - the old Tiki

Crystal River

Go Buy Some Farm Eggs!



This is the farm where I get my eggs.

I was inspired to write about eggs because of my own love affair with them -  further reinforced by the play Debbie took me to for my brithday (celebrated with aforementioned cake): To Master the Art. It was based on Julia's book, My Life in France, and paralleled the movie Julie & Julia in some places. Nevertheless,  it was just as fresh and unexpected as Julia herself.
Anyway, there was a scene where Chef Brugnard prepares an egg carefully and lovingly, extolling the infinite qualities of the humble egg. I know how he feels; each morning I carefully and lovingly make my one egg and truly savour each and every bite.
It hasn't always been so. I had been used to supermarket eggs, which now I think are flalvourless protoplasm. I now buy my eggs at this wonderful Mennonite farm down the road.

The Roadside Stand

A Familiar Scene in Our Area

Opening up that carton (recycled by many loyal egg-buyers over the year) is like the proverbial box of chocolates: I know I'm going to see every shade of 'eggshell' on the spectrum as well as shapes that definitely challenge the "egg-shaped" concept.

Their taste is so rich and deep that I've been thinking of dishes to make so I can feature them.

I'll be posting my favourite dishes that include eggs. And speaking of Julia and eggs, we must make mayonnaise! I just made a big batch this morning. Thanks to Julia slaving over all of those recipes for mayonnaise, we now have a fool-proof recipe.

If you've got Julia Child's Kitchen, go to the 'Mayonnaise' section to the directions for mayo made in a food-processor. It's heavenly.



How You Get the Birthday Cake You Want

This is a bit late, but I felt I had to post anyway. I recently celebrated a birthday. I decided I just wanted a quiet dinner with a good bottle of champagne - no hoopla, no hand-clapping restaurant chanting. One thing about me - birthday cakes are very, very important. I'm picky - I have a vision in my mind of what my birthday cake should look like, and I'm always pleased when someone gives me any kind of cake - but I secretly want one that looks like this:
I made it  -and I agree: I really should take a Wilton class if I'm planning on inflicting further cakes on the population.
Hope your Halloween was super-scary and fun - ours was very quiet and we were forced to consume all of the candy ourselves.