DECEMBER BEAUTY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

This weekend, my (patient) husband and I drove my sweet mama up to my sister's home in Mt. Dora...in central FL. For the first day in a month, the skies were gloomy...no rain, just clouds and gray....and the colors of Florida were truly displayed against the soft backdrop...

We were greeted by this beautiful coyote...He was laying  right in the middle of the  drive into my sister's neighborhood. As our car approached, he balefully looked at us, stood, and slowly ambled under the fence and into the pasture, where he, once again, laid down.

The presence of the coyote did not faze these cows...they were just feet away from each other!

The grays of the skies and lake were a perfect backdrop for the colors of the leaves, the reeds in the lake, and the bouganvilla. This is Lake Harris...and the view from my sister's home.

Remember this turtle planter? With his "filling" dormant, you can see the patterns on his shell. Don't you love the aging on him?

A few examples of the ground covers on the slope down to the lake.

It's FALL/Winter! See the colored leaves?
Notice the waving Spanish moss? Most natives of the south do NOT remove the moss from the trees. We think it's beautiful...

Cypress "knees" in the lake

Bouganvilla....

Red and white impatiens...planted by my mama on one of her trips to  Mt. Dora.

These are tangerines...

This lone tree stands outside the pasture...down a rutted road, across from the orange grove. It's just there waiting for someone to find it...to share its bounty. This small tree (about 6 feet tall, and skinny...really small by grove standards) had HUNDREDS of tangerines. And I picked a basketful!!!

Some of the wildlife in a pond...look carefully, there are coots, ducks, an anhinga, an egret and a heron.

A pair of Sand Cranes...

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

Explore Central Florida... Tavares

Tavares... "America's Seaplane City"


Look what's new in Tavares... An airport for sea planes!

Nestled alongside Lake Dora is Tavares, the county seat of Lake County, in Florida. It's a cool little town just down the road from Mt. Dora (known for its quaint shopping and art/crafts/antique festivals).

Since my first visit to Tavares, a year ago, I have observed wonderful development of the lakeside area. There is a fabulous water park for the kids....complete with a "plane" that has propellers which shoot streams of water! And now, there is the new "airport" for sea planes. All along the waterfront, new, interesting restaurants are opening. The lake views from these restaurants are spectacular... especially the sunsets and sunrises! There are also some fabulous water festivals...sanctioned Jet Ski competitions, bass fishing contests, speed boat racing...and more. There is even a "Planes, Train and BBQ" competition! (Check with the official website for a list of events... www.tavares.org )




Here's a photo of the water park... Wouldn't you just love to play here!!! There's lots of shade in this park...provided by an abundance of oak trees. Picnic tables are also available.






Tavares is also known for it's natural beauty. The Dora Canal and other byways are wonderful places to canoe, kayak, or motor through. There is an abundance of wildlife just waiting to be enjoyed and photographed. Below, you will find some beautiful photos, borrowed from the Tavares website...






































These wildlife photos were taken by Pat Johnson, a resident of Tavares and an avid photographer. She has captured the beauty of natural Florida in these photos.



















This is one of my photos...taken in the late afternoon, along the shores of Lake Dora...just a short distance from the water district. I just love this drive... It's the lakeshore drive between Mt. Dora and Tavares.

This area is definitely worth a day trip...better yet, a weekend getaway. There are some wonderful B&Bs in the area...and it's only 40 minutes from the Big Mouse area of Orlando.

Get out and explore...
Jane

Be sure to visit Susan (http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com) to see all the fabulous Outdoor Wednesday links.

***** Quick side note: This weekend is the 2010 Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, FL.
It's held at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. For more information, go to
www.floridafolkfestival.com