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Friday, September 30, 2011

FRITTATAs

You know, it always amazes me how blogging opens doors for wonderful friendships...not only in written word, but in REAL LIFE. And it's really wonderful when the husbands/wives can share in the fun...


While in St. Augustine, MacDaddy and I had the wonderful privilege to share a meal with my dear friend, Mrs. Magpie (Sheila from Quintessential Magpie) and her husband. We met them at La Pentola...an absolutely wonderful restaurant in Old Town....for Sunday brunch. The menu was a mixture of Latin and Mediterranean cuisine...


As usual, I did not bring my camera with me, so no photos of the meal and the diners...

(restaurant photos courtesy of La Pentola website)


My meal was a chorizo frittata... one of the "comfort foods" from my childhood. Several times a week, my mother would make frittatas for lunch. Of course, she did not use the "special" ingredients used by the chef at La Pentola. She used the refrigerator...and all the leftovers from dinner the night before.


All those little bits of meats and veggies, plus a little sliced potato and onion, were sauteed in a pan with a little olive oil. Beaten eggs were added and the frittata was born.... It was always delicious (except when she added green peas. I didn't like them!)


Since we returned from our trip, I have been making frittatas for my lunch/brunch at least once a week. They're quick, easy, and oh, so good.  Here's how (and you DON'T need a "frittata pan"!)

BASIC FRITTATA
Ingredients***:
   1. a few pieces of thinly sliced potato
   2. a little chopped sweet onion
   3. 2-3 thin slices of deli ham, chopped
   4. salt and pepper to taste


In a small, slope-sided pan, saute the potato and onion in a little olive oil. (I find covering the pan for a couple of minutes helps the potato to thoroughly cook). Add the ham and saute until it's lightly browned on the edges. In a bowl, scramble 2-3 eggs, then pour over the ham mixture. Gently lift the edges to allow the wet egg to get to the bottom of the pan. When the egg is set, gently slide the frittata onto a plate, and flip it over, back into the pan. At this point, I cover it for a minute, to make sure it's thoroughly cooked. Slide it onto your serving plate...and enjoy.


***You can use any combination of meats, vegetables, cheeses...whatever you like. It makes a wonderful light lunch or dinner...even breakfast. (I especially love a combination of chorizo (a Spanish sausage) and diced avocado. I serve this with a little salsa and a dollop of sour cream.)


Enjoy!
Jane


Check out all the wonderful recipes at FOODIE FRIDAY!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

SIXTEEN!

16!


That's the number of pelicans in this row...










When our boys were little, we played a game...counting the number of pelicans in the long rows over the beach and condo. We all tried to be the FIRST to count...and to find the longest row.


Well...on our recent trip to St. Augustine, I overheard my son and his wife playing this "game". My heart swelled....he remembered!



Nine!


* I'm linking with OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY

Sunday, September 25, 2011

AND THE WINNER IS....


Number 22..... LISA of 
            MOORE MINUTES.




Congratulations, Lisa!  I know you will enjoy this cookbook. Send me your address and I'll get it mailed this week. (And I'll note some of our family favorite recipes, too.)




And for all the rest of you....keep watching. I'm going to have another contest soon...


Have a great Sunday!
Jane

Monday, September 19, 2011

DO YOU REMEMBER....

THAT MISSPELLED SIGN I BOUGHT?

I promised I'd share my "repurposed" project with you...
and here it is...

Whatcha think???
(note the newspaper print...it's an article about the cookbook I am giving away)

Don't forget: 
     50th Anniversary Edition Gasparilla Cookbook giveaway...

The drawing will be September 25.

 All you have to do is leave a comment... 
For an extra chance, become a follower.
If you tell others about my giveaway, you'll get another chance.

Just be sure to tell me... LEAVE A COMMENT!!!

Have a great week...
Jane



Friday, September 16, 2011

PRIZE PEACH COBBLER (and a giveaway)

My favorite cookbook is 50 years old! I read about it in the local paper today...

50 years ago, a group of women in Tampa's Junior League were looking for a way to raise money to help with their civic projects. They decided to write a cookbook. Little did they know that this book would become iconic...a staple gift for a young (or old ) bride, a housewarming gift, a tourist souvenir... Even Jackie Kennedy Onasis bought a copy at the Florida Pavilion at the 1964 Worlds' Fair. Her photo, carrying the cookbook, spurred nationwide sales of the cookbook!


What I love about this cookbook, is the glimpse it gives to the way of life in Tampa during the early 1960s.  Each chapter is prefaced with beautiful stories of family, food, and the culture of the day. An example of this is the story telling of the manner in which Cuban bread was delivered...
"Long ago, when the 20th Century was still young, Cuban bread was delivered in a horse-drawn bakery wagon, and the deliveryman, swinging the loaf of bread like a bat, would impale it on a nail hammered to the side of the customer's house.
Another favorite example of the times is "Here in Tampa we women look forward to the Fall of the year when our men go forth in the morning as hunters, and return in the dusk as providers....There is something primitively satisfying in receiving from your man food for the table."
Throughout the book, recipe contributors are identified by their MARRIED names...such as Mrs. Joe Black. There is also a wonderful mixture of  Spanish, Italian, Greek, Cuban, and Southern recipes found in its pages, reflecting the diversity of Tampa...and Florida. I especially love the recipes from favorite restaurants of my childhood...places that closed many, many years ago.

 The artwork throughout the book is quite special. It was done by a local celebrity...Lamar Sparkman. His drawings were found in the pages of the Tampa Tribune, for years. This is one of his drawings of the pirate, Jose Gaspar, and his (decorated for the Gasparilla festival) pirate ship.






(You can read more about this festival at: http://artfullygraced.blogspot.com/2010/01/pirates-are-coming.html )

OK....why am I telling you about this cookbook...besides the fact that I love it so much that my copy is beginning to fall apart (It is 35 years old...)? 


On September 25, I am going to give away a 50th Anniversary edition to one lucky winner. Here's how you enter...
   1.  Leave me a comment.
   2.  Become a follower of Artfully Graced
   3. Tell others about this giveaway.


Here's one of my favorite recipes from the cookbook...


Prize Peach Cobbler  
from Mrs. Julian Lane (Frances and her husband, Sen. Julian Lane, were very dear family friends. I have used her cobbler recipe for 35 years...and ALWAYS receive raves!)

3/4 cup flour                            
Less than 1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups fresh sliced peaches
1 cup sugar


Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix with 1 cup sugar; slowly stir in milk to make batter. Melt butter in 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan. Pour batter over melted butter. Do not stir. Carefully spoon over this the peaches and sugar, mixed thoroughly. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serves 6. Delicious hot or cold. Serve with cream, if desired.
***I have cut the sugar in half... 3/4 cup in the batter, and 1/4 cup in the peaches. I also use the batter recipe with different fruits or fruit mixtures, such as blueberry and peaches, together. Yum!

I am linking with Foodie Friday

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Ahhhhhhhh........


What a wonderful couple of weeks...
This was the view through our bedroom window...what a way to begin a vacation!
Just steps from our patio...the boardwalk to the sea. 
Each morning, we were greeted with a different sky scene...always beautiful...always a gift!
We were even treated with TWO complete rainbows...an incredible sight!
The beach was really crowded....
And the waves were PERFECT for surfing and body-surfing.
(See the shrimp boat trawling behind the waves? We ate fresh shrimp 
almost every day!)

There are not a lot of shells on this beach...but those I found were GORGEOUS!
Sunsets were colorful over the marsh...
On our last morning...the sea was saying goodbye until next time...
I really hated to leave!


I came back refreshed and inspired.
Now it's time to paint!



“The waves of the sea, Help me get back to me.”
--Jill Davis


Jane

I am posting with Outdoor Wednesday.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

GUESS WHERE...

I'M GOING.....
Internet service can be a bit sketchy, so I'll probably not see you for a couple of weeks. But I'll be thinking of you...well, maybe not. I'll be busy swimming, walking, sketching, reading, snoozing, hanging out with my hubby, exploring, shooting photos...You get the idea.
I'll see you in a couple of weeks...


Have a wonderful holiday weekend.....and WEAR SUNSCREEN!
Jane