The Chubby Mermaid

The Blue Sirenia

The First Launch of our Canoe

Sparky and Spooky

Sirenia: An order of large aquatic plant eating animals that includes the Manatees and Dugong. They live chiefly in tropical coastal waters and are distinguished by paddle like forelimbs and a tail flipper replacing hind limbs.

Hence, the name we chose for our canoe.

It was while we were out that we came across so many Manatee. Some swimming underneath our canoe. We would like to think that they were Christening it for us.

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The Manatee are Also Known as Sea Cows

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This Pretty Mama Put on Quite a Show For Us

She Was Cleaning/Scratching Herself on This Palm Tree

This is Hospital Hole where Manatees come to clean themselves. There is a place just a few yards from where you see this Manatee that goes down 141 feet. It is a sulfur mine. It helps to keep the Manatees clean. But this mama was swimming underneath the palm tree, and over the palm tree, scratching herself. That palm was really shaking too!

The reason we know the manatee above was a female is because she had her baby with her.

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Gordon and I Enjoying Our Blue Sirenia

We are on the lookout for a Manatee boat sticker to place onto our canoe but haven’t found on we like yet.

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Vintage Weeki Wachee Postcards

Wishing You Were Here!

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It All Starts Right Here, Planning Our Vacation

My Visual Aids

Books, Vintage Postcards, Vintage Hair Barrett’s, My Viewmaster Reel and Slides of Weeki Wachee Mermaids

Planning Starts With Making Lists

My Red Clipboard

(I had this extra vintage mermaid boat sticker that I decided to place on my clipboard, just because. It does make me smile.) 🙂

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Now exactly what is it that I am leading up to with all this planning?

Here is a big clue!

But let’s keep reading….

I just want to immerse myself into everything Mermaid and Manatee…

Grapes and Mermaid Barrett’s

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My Mermaid Lunch

My Mermaid Ham Salad Sand

O.K., so this isn’t exactly a Mermaid Ham Salad Sandwich, but yet, it IS! 🙂

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My Recipe for my Favorite Ham Salad

I first start out with a 1 lb. pre-cooked Honey Ham.

Although it is fully cooked I still like to place it in a pan and put it in a 300F oven for about 25 minutes.

(Don’t ask, just move on…)

Even though it is sliced, I still chop it into small chunks when I take it out of the oven and I then place them into a bowl.

These are our Whole Homemade Dill Pickles. Here I am chopping up about 2 – 3 of them into small chunks and adding them to the bowl of chopped Ham.

Here I am chopping some Celery, probably half a cup.

Although you see the Spring Onions to the left, I don’t add them to my Ham Salad, I eat them alongside.

Time For Our Mustard’s

We did make these ourselves. Our Almost Yellow, and our Tarragon.

Click Here For: Pork, Sausage, and Mustard

(If you would like our mustard recipe’s.)

I added to my Ham Salad, just a tablespoon or two, or three…

I will say this, our Tarragon Mustard is a bit strong and perhaps not a mustard that children would be interested in.

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Now for the binder of this goodness.

A good Mayonnaise. Either Duke’s or Hellman’s.

You can use as much as you like. That is the beauty of making these kinds of salads.

(Although I don’t have the photos for it, I also added several twists and turns of Freshly Ground Black Pepper and about 10 shakes of Tabasco Sauce.)

I am also adding two Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped.

(Yes, I see the unpopular “green ring” but so what? I’m from the south and I like it.)

Ahh.. All Ready!

Time for Lunch

Doing a bit of reading in my books. I bought this one book second hand and between the pages I found this note. I think it is very cute. Sounds like a high school girl conversing with a friend that’s mad at her. 🙂

My Mermaid Ham Salad Sand Lunch

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On my way out the door to do some shopping….

I always take food with me.

Yet more of my Ham Salad from above.

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Brodie, Mackenzie, Julie, Gordon

But, before we get started if you would like to check out our other Weeki Wachee and Mermaid pages:

Click Here For: Kayaking in Florida With Julie and Gordon: Adventure, Food and Fun Blogging

AND,

Kayak Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida

AND,

Weeki Wachee Weekend For Christmas

AND,

Miranda The Mermaid Fish

AND,

My Mermaid Lagoon Christmas in the Nook

AND,

The Chubby Mermaid

AND,

A Mermaid Halloween

AND,

It’s A Mermaid Thing

It’s a Mermaid Thing…. 🙂

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The reason I am doing all this shopping and planning is because we are going to Spring Hill, Florida and Weeki Wachee, ‘Home of the Mermaids,’ for our family vacation in this August of 2021.

Florida is famous for it’s live Mermaids and has been since 1947. In it’s heyday people used to come from all over the world to try out to be a Mermaid. In order to qualify they had to actually be able to do a dive down 117 feet. Not an easy thing. I originally saw the Mermaids when I was a young girl and fell in love with them. I guess that fascination just never went away.

Reading With Lunch

If you would like to do some reading on the subject this is a good book, Images of America Weeki Wachee Springs, by: Maryan Pelland and Dan Pelland.

Elvis Even Visited The Mermaids

(Of course he did.) 🙂

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The Weeki Wachee Mermaids

Click Here For Weeki Wachee Information

Occasionally, Manatees have been known to get into the area where they perform the live shows. That’s why they also have people looking out for alligator’s, just in case.

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The Florida Manatee

and Old Florida Fire Roasted Salsa w/ Chips

Planning a vacation for me all starts with the idea and then it takes off from there. Usually way further than it needs to go, but then again that’s me! I’m usually having to make myself scale back with my ideas as I just tend to plan too much sometimes.

However, I wanted to share with you all the Vacation Planning, Packing, Preparations, and of course our Adventure, and the Memories we are creating right now.

Packing for our Vacation

(There is a suitcase underneath all of that I assure you. My fashion inspiration was to look as if Florida had thrown up all over me. I do believe that I achieved that one.) 🙂

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This was a much needed vacation for all of us especially in the age of Coronavirus. We needed a vacation but we wanted to do it safely and with some social distancing and this truly is the best idea for that. Veronica and Brian didn’t join us because they aren’t vaccinated and we don’t want to be the ones that may be responsible for their illness, just in case.

So, strap the Canoe on the roof of the car and let’s go!

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I’ve got Spooky and Sparky with Me! 🙂

Gordon will lead the way in his car.

Destination?

The Chubby Mermaid

We’ll See You There!

Julie and Gordon

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Here WE Go!

Let me just grab my purse and lunch, and shoes, of course.

It should just take us under 2 hours to get there depending on traffic.

Quit Whining Sparky, Your Fine.

Once you get off the highway it is a lovely drive out there.

I brought along a nice little lunch to snack on during the trip. We didn’t have time to eat before we left so we quickly made some sandwiches to nibble on in the car. Nothing too elaborate, just finger foods.

These small Hawaiian Tortillas, some Hawaiian Pineapple Ham, and our various Cheeses, Mustard’s, and even this Papaya Dressing. I thought it would be best to place the dressing into these small squeeze bottles instead of putting it on the sandwich ahead of time. I don’t like a soggy sandwich.

I believe I’ve got some Pepper Jack with my Hawaiian Ham.

Not to mention my favorite Tequila Mustard and even some Romaine Lettuce.

Ready to Pack Away

My Lunchbox on top of this Pile in my Passenger Seat

I’ve also got Grapes, Red and Green, Parmesan Goldfish Crackers, and some Asian Seeded Candies

I also brought along plenty of water in the car for me and the dogs.

Hint: Because we had been doing a lot of cooking before we even left on this trip I had a messy kitchen with a lot of dirty dishes laying around that I didn’t have the energy to wash the night before. Therefore, I washed them all before we left and even ran the dishwasher as well. That way, when we came home we did so to a nice clean kitchen.

Also, be sure to turn your Air Conditioner setting to under 80 degrees. That way it won’t strain itself to run for no one in the house, and you will save a bit of money on the bill while you are gone. I wouldn’t turn it off completely. You don’t want to come home to a house that is around 90 degrees, now would you?

STOP YOUR MAIL: It’s a good idea to stop your mail a good 2 days before you actually leave on vacation. That way, you are there to witness that it did indeed stop so you know all is well where that is concerned. Then have the mail delivered to your house a good 1-2 days after you return.

Carry Out Your Trash: Nothing is worse that coming home from vacation only to be hit in the nose with the smell of garbage that was neglected to be taken out of the house before you left. So…..

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And Here We Are

Now Comes the Hard Part, UNLOADING!

Spooky did throw up A LOT! It was quite the clean up! Spooky and Sparky aren’t used to going anywhere and when they do they panic as they are rescue dogs that know when they get in a car it is generally to be taken somewhere else to be abandoned. 🙁

I love that directly across the road from us is wilderness and beyond that, the Spring.

I’ll Check out the House. Come on Up!

I Love It! It’s Perfect!

Nice Big Kitchen Table

I Like Our Bedroom, Nice and Roomy

Hiding Underneath the Kitchen Table

(Still Upset and Stressing Out.)

Our Master Bathroom

Driftwood Mermaid

(I told my daughter Veronica, the artist, that I would like for her to paint me a mermaid on a piece of driftwood just like this.)

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The Guest Bathroom

This will be for Brodie and Mackenzie

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I LOVE all the Mermaid and Manatee Touches Throughout

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Brodie and Mackenzie’s Room, and Hank

Love The T.V. Stand

Trying to get the Dogs Settled In

Because…..

Gordon Needs My Help With The Canoe

We just need to set it on to the Roller Cart and steer it to the back.

Look How Beautiful it is Back Here

Gordon Securing Our Canoe

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It’s Almost Time for Dinner and we Brought Something Special

But first….

Mermaid Tail Craft

This is something that I was excited to make.

I thought it very appropriate for our meal for tonight.

SUSHI MERMAID TAILS!

Gordon bought these for me.

They are Shrimp looking Lures. Red, Gold, and Neon Green.

It was simply a matter of removing the fishing hooks from them, cutting off their shrimp heads and legs, and inserting some mini skewers.

I didn’t want them to touch the sushi as they are coated in something a bit “fishy” and I didn’t want that on our food. So, I placed them in a few bites, but not so that they were touching anything. These were the closest that he could find to mermaid tails. Some don’t come with that fishy coating but we couldn’t find any of those.

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So Excited About This Excellent Dinner

(I decided to get out of my travel clothes and change into something a bit more comfortable in a Manatee Grey.)

Our Delectable Table

We’ve got a variety of Sushi, Dipping Sauces, View Master Reels of Vintage Mermaids at Weeki Wachee, and something special to drink. I knew that we would be too tired and busy to cook anything so we brought a nice dinner instead. Actually, we brought all of our food. I’ll get to that more later on.

Feasting on Fish, Salmon, Chicken, Shrimp, Crab and Rice

You Can See My Mermaid Tail Cocktail Picks Here

I brought the comfy grey throw from home.

Hey, you never know what the condition of a rental place may be so I always bring touches from home with me.

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Saving These For Another Time

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Next Morning

Manatee Coffee

Actually, it is just our Hawaiian Coffee with Sugar, Creamers, and Splenda that we brought from home and our new Manatee Mugs we bought for everyone as a souvenir.

Star Fruit

Our Banana Mer-Muffins For Breakfast

The morning before we left to come out to The Chubby Mermaid I baked these Banana Muffins to bring along with us to eat for breakfasts. I also bought a few Star Fruit to eat with them. And the Mermaid Cake Toppers are just that.

Beautiful Cake Toppers

(Recipe Down Below)

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We also brought with us Bear Naked Banana Nut Cereal and KIND Peanut Butter to be eaten with milk and berries, and my Banana Mer-Muffins.

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I LOVE These and want some for myself. 🙂

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Food and Water

Although we are happily eating, our dogs are not. They have launched some protest and are on a hunger strike. Gordon was worried that they would starve to death and I pointed out to him that I have never heard of a dog starving to death with a bowl full of food in front of him.

They Will Eat When They Get Hungry

(Right now they are just upset and worried.)

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The Christening, and The Launch

Christie Brinkley’s Bellissima 🙂

It was the closest thing we could get to it being appropriate and besides, it was in our bathtub. (Only someone that is a regular reader of our website will know what that means.)

Gordon Pretending to Break the Bottle

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Actually, we decided to drink it instead. We don’t waste alcohol. 🙂

And no, we did not drink so much of it that we were ‘drunk paddling’ down the spring.

The canoe belonged to Gordon’s parents and passed it down to Gordon.

(Well, for $100.00.) Not bad, huh?

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http://www.VisitMermaidCove.com

Time to get going on our Maiden Voyage.

Spooky and Sparky are ready!

Gordon Getting Us Underway

Gordon grew up in a boating family so he knows how to maneuver many kinds of boats. He also knows the knots associated with everything nautical. Plus, he was in the Navy for 20 years. His parents also at one time owned a Marina in Shallotte, North Carolina.

Pulling Away From The Chubby Mermaid

(Yes that is a Jet Ski that we are not allowed to use. Although I don’t know why they would need a “JET SKI” in an area where you are not allowed to make a wake?)

Spooky was so intrigued. She is our intelligent dog. She is so smart. Sparky is more of just a regular good ol’ dog. She is the alpha in any dog setting we have seen her in she is the leader and gets everyone in line. She is the family BITCH! Literally! 🙂

They are so cute here looking around. They did really well out in the canoe. It was an adventure for them.

They are still on their hunger strike though.

That is, until……

…I pulled out my lunch. Chicken Spring Rolls. They LOVE chicken! And seeing as how they haven’t been eating their food I gave them the chicken out of my spring rolls.

Goodbye Delicious Lunch!

You will see many interesting homes all along the waterway. This is extremely unique. I call it The Barbie Dream Swamp House. This is a perfect location though. It was all along here where we saw so many Manatees. Just think how nice it is to just walk down the steps to the water and wade around? Easy to climb into your canoe or kayaks. This is also along the main drag where the current will carry you very nicely downstream. And this house has a view of nothing but wilderness across from it. Another bonus. I just wish I had a granddaughter or at least a gay grandson that we could take here with us on a nice vacation. 🙂 A senior can dream….

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Late Afternoon Canoeing

Before we put the canoe away for the night we wanted to take her out for another run. The dogs had done really well and seem to love being in the canoe so we thought we would take her out for a few hours and then come back to The Chubby Mermaid to have dinner.

The Lazy Pirate

(Yet another unique house along the waterway.)

I love their bottle fence! We did speak to this woman who owns this house when she took her grandson out for a kayak ride and passed by our place. Her kayak had pedals and she didn’t need a paddle. She just used her legs as if she were on a riding bicycle. She was also able to steer that way as well. She flew by! It makes sense actually because for a woman all of our strength is in our legs, not our arms.

Down the Waterway

I made sure that I brought with us plenty of water, a water bowl, towels, snacks, and lots of cameras.

Bring extra water because the dogs might spill what you have in the bowl. Expect that.

I found these Manatee stickers online and I bought them specifically to adhere to my Water Bottles.

Let’s Get Back as the Sun is Starting to Set

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Gordon Securing the Canoe

I’m Headed Inside with the Dogs to Change and Clean up for Dinner

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Hitting Up The Bar 🙂

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Gordon’s Yumbo Gumbo and My Pickled Shrimp For Dinner

We Brought This From Home

Gordon Made it the Day Before We Left

It was my idea for Gordon to make a big pot of Gumbo for us to take with us. Something delicious that is already made that we just had to heat up on the stove top with some Rice.

We brought out a big pot of it because we wanted to give about half of it to Brodie and Mackenzie for them to take back home with them when we all left. We knew they would love it!

The reason that I wanted Gumbo is because it just reminds me of New Orleans and Bayou’s and Snakes, and Alligator’s, which is the kind of environment that we would be living in for the week.

We Just Heated it Up and Made Some Rice to go With It

(We did bring our Rice, and Rice Cooker.)

Easy, Easy, Easy

Yum!

Eating Outside on our Upper Deck Porch

Julie’s Pickled Shrimp

(Recipe Down Below)

Gordon’s Yumbo Gumbo

(Recipe Down Below)

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Day 3

Good Morning

Fruit, Mer-Muffins, Coffee, and Juice

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Every Morning Gordon Would Sit on the Dock and Manatee Watch

(Even Found a Trap)

There is a Manatee!

The Most Beautiful Spot Around

It Truly is Beautiful Here

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Today We Are Going Kayaking

The Chubby Mermaid has Plenty of Kayaks to Choose From

I Want This One

I Wanna Go Where The People Aren’t….

(The t-shirt was a gift from my daughter Veronica. She does know me quite well.) 🙂

Taking Some Kayak Snacks

(These Asian Seed and Peanut Snacks are Tasty and Healthy)

Time to Go! I’ll Grab the Paddles!

My Kayak is Ready

Hint: Take plenty of Water, some healthy Snacks, Towels, Hat, Sunscreen, and if you do have expensive camera’s then have a waterproof bag to place them in so they don’t get wet. I always have my camera bag at my feet and open so that I can shove my camera in it at a moment’s notice.

Here I am in front of The Chubby Mermaid.

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This was a special little corner where tons of Turtles congregated. If you see one on the surface there are 100 swimming underneath you. 🙂

Also, a great place to spot the Blue Heron’s.

We do envy everyone who lives along this spring. No matter if your home is a mansion or a shack. I do want to say this, all of these people are very like minded in their love and appreciation for the manatee. They are nature lovers that are very tolerant of alligators and snakes. That mindset and concern of nature are people that I would happily live around whether they live in a mansion or a shack.

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Spooky and Sparky Did Really Great With Gordon

Our Dogs Really Took to Water Life

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Spot the Gator

Although a bit hard to see, that is an alligator swimming by in front of my kayak. It was about 4 feet long judging by the head.

Alligator Wall Painting

There was one point where Sparky accidentally fell into the water. And another point where Spooky actually dove into the water and swam over to me. It was in the same spot where we saw the alligator. And we know how much they love to eat dogs.

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Headed Back to The Chubby Mermaid

What a Great Ride!

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Time For Lunch

It was just a matter of washing a ton of vegetables.

Fresh Vegetables and Dips

Edamame and Roasted Red Pepper Dips

I made these dips before we left for our vacation in order to make lunches a bit light, healthy and delicious, and so that kitchen time would be down to a minimum.

Let me see if I can remember everything here. Mini Colorful Tomatoes, Celery, Colorful Carrots, Hawaiian Peppers, Bell Peppers of Red, Green Yellow and Orange cut into slices, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Purple Cauliflower, Orange Cauliflower, and Snap Peas,

Grapes and Star Fruit

Key Limeade

Easy Enough Just Add The Limes

Grab a Plate and Let’s Eat!

I also have some Ranch Dressing for Dipping!

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Julie’s Antique Salad Dressing

This dressing recipe is over 100 years old.

I did add my up to date touches on it, but it is based on a very old recipe.

Notice the Long Grassy Chives? It reminded me of the Long Sea Grass the Manatees eat. That was my inspiration so I tried to spiral the “grass” all around the jars to look like the sea grass.

I wanted us to eat a lot of Vegetables and Salads and I knew that I wanted a special Salad Dressing.

Hence, this one. It was originally a Chive Dressing and I elaborated on it by also adding Wild Garlic, Hard Boiled Eggs, and Paprika, along with the Olive Oil and Vinegar. I’ll bring the recipe write-up and list it below.

You can never go wrong with lots of salad inspirations.

This is Gordon’s Salad w/ Chive and Wild Garlic and Egg Dressing

And of course our Salad Toppings and Croutons

Leftovers are Easy!

Placed into my Palm Tree and then into the Refrigerator.

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Chubby Gordeo, Chubby Gordeo, Wherefore Art Thou Chubby Gordeo..

Fore It is I, Chubby Julie Ann…

Staying at The Chubby Mermaid 🙂

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Light Dinner Tonight

Sauteing Some Butter, Garlic and Shrimp

Local Florida Dipping Sauces

Shrimp and Calamari

Gordon Digging In

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Happy 10 Year Birthday to BFIFWJ

http://www.BarefootInFloridaWithJulie.com

I started this website on July 6, 2011 and it has been 10 years since.

We wanted to do something special to celebrate our 10 years so here it is!

Julie Barefoot Cake

I have been Julie Barefoot my entire life. I have always hated shoes even when it was snowing. It was a no-brainer in coming up with the name for this website. It has been a nice journey in bringing to you our lives and ideas for living. Food, projects, inspiration…

We thank you for your interest in us and our website.

I don’t know if we have 10 more years in us, but, we do have a few more good years left.

And besides, I do so love cake. Perhaps that is the inspiration for me to keep on going. 🙂

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Day 4

I Brought Herbs From Home

Coffee Table Full of Inspiration and Ideas

(That we brought with us.)

The Cozy Living Room

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Manatee Coaster Craft

There are several of these coasters on the tables here and I love them! As someone who has done quite a few crafts in my day these are so perfect, appropriate, and easy to make. I don’t know if the owner made these or if they purchased them at a craft fair but I’ll tell you how they were made and you can make some yourself if you like. You don’t have to just do manatees you can do anything you want.

The tiles you can buy at stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s for very cheap. The felt circles you see on the back you can buy at a craft store and just hot glue them. They are used so that the coaster won’t scratch the surface of a table.

If you have a printer for your computer you can print out any photos that you like online, even some photos that you have taken yourself. You will also need some decoupage glue from a craft store as well.

Instructions for how to decoupage are probably written on the decoupage bottle but if not then I will tell you what to do next. You will need a paint brush to brush some of the glue onto the top of the tile and then quickly place your photo on the glue. It may start to bubble up some so you then brush some more of the glue on the top of the photo and then just let dry. That’s it!

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Another Great Mer-Morning

That is my tray I brought from home. My Mer-Muffins, Banana Nut Bear Naked Cereal, Berries, and Milk. Not to mention, Coffee, and one of my books.

‘And Then I Turned Into A Mermaid,’ By Laura Kirkpatrick

I happen to love Children’s and Adolescence Books.

Having a Quiet Breakfast and a Book Read on the Porch

Gordon Doing Some Spotting

He did spot a baby alligator right beside him. Wonder where the mother is?

Although we never captured a photo of the fish jumping up out of the water, they do! Quite a bit too! I believe they are Mullet. They can also put on quite the show for you. We loved watching them and hearing them as well.

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Food Craft of Gator Eyes

Forgive the hair, it’s still early and I haven’t gotten around to it yet. 🙂

Gator Eyes

This is pretty self explanatory. De-seeded Dates, Peanut Butter, Dried Banana Chip, and an Almond.

We also thought about removing the Date Seed and replacing it with an Almond so it looks as if you are eating the Date Seed which you don’t do. Regardless, they are a healthy Kayak/Canoe Snack.

Made Some To Take With Us

(And even brought some home with us when we left.)

These would have been perfect to take with us when we went canoeing down Hillsborough River in Thonotosassa, Florida earlier this year.

Click Here For: Canoeing Hillsborough River, Thonotosassa, Florida

If you would like to take a look…we saw about 35 Gators

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I’m Ready to Go!

I’m Launching

Gordon with Spooky and Sparky

Lots of Turtles Were Piggy Backing onto Each Other

There must have been about 20 swimming all around me.

Water Moccasin Swimming in Front of Me

Look at my View 🙂

We Did See a Bevy of Chubby Mermaids Pass By

(I’m not fat shaming anyone. I also refer to myself as a Chubby Mermaid.)

Spooky is Worried About Me

It is Time to Head Back

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Kayak, Canoe, and Boating People

I just wanted to say that boating people are very friendly people. The people that you pass by when in your boat will speak to you and acknowledge you. Larger boats tend to do that to smaller boats so that you know they see you and won’t run over you. It’s just their way of letting you know not to worry. There is just this friendliness on the water that we don’t seem to have on land. It was the most perfect social distancing vacation and lifestyle where you can be social and distanced all at the same time. It’s perfect!

Plus, the fact that we are all on water is an indication that we have something special in common. Not so in cars on land. Everyone needs a car to get around but water people are choosing to be on the water. It’s almost like a club of exclusive people without belonging to a club of exclusive people. 🙂

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Light Lunch for Me

I’m Making Room For The Great Dinner We Will Have

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Brodie, Mackenzie and Hank are Here!

The dogs loved being outside and together.

Sparky and Hank are good buds but Spooky being the alpha in the group does tend to get jealous and then can start some trouble.

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Something to seriously consider when you are around any body of water in Florida whether it be Fresh Water or Brackish Water. (Brackish Water is a mix of Fresh and Salt Water.) There are ALLIGATORS! And they love to eat DOGS!

We kept a very close eye on our dogs and wouldn’t let them go near the water.

This also applies to Children as well!

Spooky and Sparky are still on their hunger strike although they will eat treats. Hank will eat, and eat, and eat, until he explodes if you don’t take food away from him. 🙂 They adopted him from an environment where he didn’t always have food to eat and had to fight for what food he was given. They just give him his normal amount per day and everything else has to be locked up. He’s something of a rascal. And we adore him!

Brodie and Mackenzie

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Dinner Is Ready!

This is a Spanish Sofrito Tilapia with…

…Sofrito and Salsa Verde Rice with Herbs

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Julie’s Homemade Salsa Verde and Sofrito

(I made this ahead of time and brought it out to The Chubby Mermaid with us.)

We wanted to make something special for dinner for when Brodie and Mackenzie and Hank arrived. I wanted Tilapia seeing as how we have a spring full of them right outside the back porch. It was just a matter of Gordon and myself putting our heads together to decide on this particular recipe. I wanted something Spanish with our meal seeing as how Spain discovered Florida and even named it Florida. Florida means flowers.

It was the most perfect dinner!

I took this photo while we were eating and in looking at it now it really does depict our personalities. Brodie always into the food and wanting seconds. Mackenzie very sweet and nice and friendly. Gordon always running his mouth. And me taking a picture of it all with a camera that is always within reach. 🙂

My Dinner Plate

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After Dinner on our Beach

Gordon Making a Fire

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I Do Love a Good Campfire

Especially With Smores on the Agenda

When it came to Smores I wanted to do the same old traditional ones, but I also wanted to try something new. When I thought of marshmallows I remembered the ones that my kids grew up on in Hawaii, and that we all still eat occasionally. The Asian stores sell these marshmallows with jelly fillings of chocolate, blueberry, strawberry, orange, mango, pineapple, etc… So, we picked up a few bags of them.

I also thought that they would be great with some fruits as well.

I’ll get to that in a minute.

Our Table of Ingredients

Of course we brought along some Aluminum Foil.

I thought that instead of roasting marshmallows over an open fire that we could just put together little Smores bundles and place into the fire coals to melt that way.

Here is a Traditional Smores

(Graham Crackers, Chocolate, and Marshmallows)

This One is Experimental

I Call Them Fruity Smores

Graham Crackers, Chocolate Bar, Blueberry Jelly Stuffed Marshmallows,

with Fresh Blueberry’s and Blackberry’s

Just Wrap in Aluminum Foil…

…and then Place Around the Campfire

MAN, FOOD, FIRE!!!

I’m just going to sit here and enjoy myself. 🙂

Gordon and Brodie

When we brought them in and unwrapped them some looked pretty good and others were just too burnt. I do love the Fruity Smores and I am going to replicate them in order to give you a better idea because the photos that were taken were not that clear. The lighting wasn’t good.

However, I’ll bring that to this spot soon. And here they are: 🙂

FRUITY SMORES

Orange Wedges, Blackberries, Blueberries and Marshmallows

(The marshmallows we buy at the Asian supermarkets. They are jelly filled and delicious. Adding a different twist on these Smores.)

In Addition to the Fruit and Marshmallows we Have Graham Crackers and Hershey’s Chocolate.)

If you look closely you can see the Jelly inside the Marshmallows.

Just take some NON-STICK Aluminum Foil and place two Graham Crackers down flat. Then place some Hershey’s Chocolate, Marshmallows, and Fruit. Now wrap together and place onto a Baking Sheet.

Like So…..

Put into a 350F Oven for about 20 minutes or so.

This is why you want to use NON-STICK Aluminum Foil.

You can also turn the broiler on inside your oven to brown the marshmallows.

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Doing Some Broiling

These are the Strawberry Marshmallows with the Chocolate and Graham Crackers

They May Look Like a Mess But They are Delicious!

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Campfire Plantain Smores at Home in the Oven

(What we didn’t eat at The Chubby Mermaid, we brought home.)

All that is required here are some Plantains, Butter/Marjarine, and Brown Sugar.

Fried Plantains are Always a Hit!

You just want to saute around the pan while the sugar and butter all melt together caramelizing the Plantains until they are perfectly delicious. Probably about 20 minutes on a medium heat. Stirring constantly!

Although we didn’t get to make my Plantain Smores out at The Chubby Mermaid, we decided to make them at home.

I just knew this combination would be wonderful!

Graham Crackers, Chocolate, Marshmallows, and Fried Plantains

When you cut the Plantains on a diagonal they fit nicely inside the sandwich.

Because we don’t have a campfire at home I wrapped them in foil and placed them into a 300F oven for about 25 minutes. I wanted them warm and the chocolate and marshmallows melting. 🙂

Oven Smores with Plantains

Try it!

P.S. Use NON-STICK Aluminum Foil!

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Day 5, and 6

Good Morning!

Tocino Pork, Small Fried Eggs, Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, and Mustards

We wanted to make a hearty breakfast for Brodie and Mackenzie so we chose a favorite of ours. Tocino Pork and Egg Sandwiches. Easy to make, delicious to eat!

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After Breakfast Gordon, Mackenzie and Brodie did some Kayaking

And Hank too!

Hank took to water life easy as well.

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We LOVED our Backyard Beach

Brodie and Gordon

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We didn’t really eat lunch because we had such a big breakfast and we were going to be eating a very big dinner tonight so I think we just did some light snacking. BUT, before we set out on our afternoon canoe/kayaking we decided to do something a little special.

KINKY SHOTS!

Another gift that I purchased for all of us was a Mermaid Tail Shot Glass. and some Kinky.

(I believe in souvenirs.)

But, something special that I got for everyone was a shot of Kinky. Kinky is a liquor that is flavored with Coconut, Pineapple and Lime. Although we aren’t “shot” people, we do like to occasionally sip a “shot” from a shot glass. We are sippers, not chuggers. Just sayin.’

It was our afternoon treat. 🙂

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Brodie and Mackenzie on the Upper Deck Porch

I bought all of us ‘Save The Chubby Mermaids’ T-shirts.

Yet another souvenir.

The Manatee’s are The Chubby Mermaids.

Family Photo, 2021, The Chubby Mermaid

A Cute Spontaneous Brodie and Mackenzie that I Captured

Brodie and Mackenzie on our Dock

Me, Sitting in The Blue Sirenia Ready to go!

Spooky and Sparky are Ready Too!

And Here We GO!

Love This Photo of Hank Watching Us

So, Exactly Where Are We Headed?

Downstream to The Upper Deck Restaurant for Take Out!

So Very Proud Of Hank 🙂

I just wanted to say that I realize I am not sitting correctly in the canoe. In calm waters Gordon does the paddling and I keep and eye on the dogs and taking photos. BUT, when it comes to rougher water then I am faced appropriately and doing a hell of a lot of paddling. There just aren’t photos to capture those times.

Mackenzie and Brodie are Becoming Kayak Experts

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Headed Down Stream

Down Stream is Easy, You Just Need to Steer and Allow the Current to Carry You

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We Did Try Passing the Dogs Back and Forth

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Cute Little Nose Coming Up For Air

It was while we were heading down stream that we saw so many manatee.

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My Little Brodie 🙂

The Upper Deck Restaurant

We called in our order a few hours ago.

Most people use the drive through with their cars, we used the drive through with our canoe and kayak. 🙂

We Brought Along an Empty Cooler

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Now It’s Time to Paddle Back Taking Our Appetite With Us

The reason there are not photos at this point is because I am having to help paddle back upstream. Not fun! It was a challenge going against the current all the way back but I was proud that we all did it! It was hard, but we did it!

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Our Upper Deck Dinner

This was a FEAST!

We don’t eat out often but when we do it is a treat!

Let me see if I can remember every delicious thing that we ordered.

Gator Tail for me, a must!

Smothered Grouper, Clams, Lobster Bisque, Fish Dip, Mahi with Fries, Shrimp Po’Boy, Steak Fajitas, Steak and Onion/Mushroom Gravy, Conch Fritters, etc.

Everyone was Stuffed, Everyone was Happy

I’d say that we earned this delicious dinner seeing as how we got the work out of paddling our way back upstream back to The Chubby Mermaid. 🙂

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Well, there you have it. Our summer vacation. It was the most social/anti-social vacation that we could have had. In this era of high contamination we found an excellent balance between the two. The best socially distanced vacation that anyone could have had. Interesting times does require some imagination and forethought. We are living in those times right now where some imagination can actually save your life.

Thank you for joining us on our best socially distanced vacation that we could have ever had. We hope that you had a good time too!

Stay Safe,

Julie and Gordon

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PREPARING FOR OUR VACATION:

Packing For The Trip

The Dogs

(We bought them life jackets for this trip.)

You would think we were packing for 3 small children.

As it is we keep bags packed throughout the year because with all the hurricane’s, tornadoes, flooding, fires, you just never know when you may have to grab what you can and then leave in a hurry. In our laundry room we keep things packed for the dogs that are mostly ‘grab and go.’

You really should treat your animals in the same way you treat your children. You need to think about their food, water, blankets, towels, and even toys and treats. Also things like their shampoo and any medications they may be taking such as their heart worm and flea and tick.

And don’t just pack a small amount of food for them, you need to pack enough food for each dog for a good 2 weeks to a month. I like that their dry dog food bag is resealable velcro and waterproof. Also, their moist food does not require a can opener but if yours does then throw a can opener into that travel bag as well.

Spooky loves to be wrapped up in blankets and I know that comforts her so we bring plenty of them. She also gets worried at new situations and tends to throw up so we have to consider that.

Sparky loves his toys. They seem to comfort him when he gets nervous and worried.

We also brought along plenty of Urine Pads just in case they have their accidents in new environments.

BRING PLENTY OF WATER

If you won’t drink that tap water from that vacation rental, then don’t expect them to either. We brought plenty of water for the week. We drank it, the dogs drank it, and we cooked with it.

We also brought every dog, Spooky, Sparky, and Hank a stuffed Manatee to play with.

Hey, we believe in souvenirs for the canine kids.

And That Pile is Just For The DOGS!

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FOOD

Making Food Ahead to Take With Us

We are the kind of people that actually like to bring food with us while we are on vacation. We do love to eat out every now and then, but that is when it is a treat. We don’t eat out on a regular basis. This may seem to be a lot of trouble to you but it isn’t to us. But bringing food with us for one week is why we took both cars with us on vacation.

We also stayed in a waterfront home with a full kitchen. I suppose that we could have just gone grocery shopping once we arrived, but why? In this era of food inflation our commissary on the base is very cheaply discounted for the military and retirees so we either have the choice of taking one car and spending lots of money at the local grocery stores or, buying food cheaply from home and taking it with us. So, we took it with us.

We didn’t just bring a bunch of food with us, we also prepared a lot of it ourselves before we even left. That meant that we had some great meals with hardly any cooking time.

I present to you our menu of foods we took with us out to The Chubby Mermaid that we made ahead of time and the recipes that go with them.

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Marinated Manchego and Stuffed Olives in Olive Oil, w/ Herbs

I initially wanted the small one for myself but I decided to give it to Mackenzie because she likes Manchego as much as I do. But I did take out one of the tall jars for Gordon and myself to snack on.

I LOVE MANCHEGO!

Letting It Come to Room Temperature

This was something delicious and fun to make. I love marinated cheese and I knew I would love this seeing as how I love Manchego. I also liked the fact that the recipe called for Olives and some of my Herbs.

This is all about eyeballing how much of this and that that you prefer.

I chopped the cheese into various lengths of chunks. I did NOT discard the rind! I wanted it in each jar if not just for the character and presentation of it all.

Simple Ingredients: Manchego Cheese cut into chunks, any kind of drained Olives, Fresh Herbs of Thyme and Rosemary, and plenty of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

You just place everything into jars and then cover with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

See How Pretty?

Now Just Place Into Your Refrigerator and Enjoy Whenever You Like

It will congeal so set it out a good half hour before you plan on eating them.

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Julie’s Pickled Shrimp

Aren’t They Beautiful?

Excellent with our Yumbo Gumbo

You can start to eat them after about 24-48 hours if you like. You don’t have to wait until the full pickling effects takes place, which is about 2 weeks kept in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients:

2 Pounds Medium Sized Shrimp, Shelled and Deveined

1 Bag of Crab and Shrimp Spice Boil

(The bag is 5 ounces but we only used about 3 ounces of it.)

4 t. of any Salt you desire.

(We used our specialty New Zealand Pacific Sea Salt)

2 Lemons, Cut Lengthwise

8 Cups of Water

2-3 T. Mustard of your choice.

(We used my Oriental Hot Mustard)

3 T. Spicy, Grainy Mustard, we used Boar’s Head

2 Cups Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Lime Juice

1 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

3 t. Red and White Peppercorns

You can also use Black Peppercorns

(Use a total of 3 whether they be all white or all red, or a combination of both.)

2 t. Fennel Seeds

1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 t. Chinese Pepper Flakes

(If you don’t have any Chinese Pepper Flakes you can just use 1 t. of Red Pepper Flakes.)

6 Garlic Cloves, Sliced Lengthwise

6 ROASTED Garlic Cloves, Optional

4 Bay Leaves

2 Medium Sized Sweet Onions, Chopped into Half Moons

Rainbow Carrots, Peeled, We used about 5-6

2 Limes, Thinly Sliced into Rounds

1 Lemon, Thinly Sliced into Rounds

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You will also need a few jars with lids to house the pickled shrimp.

Let’s Get Started!!

You need a large pot, like so.

Pour approximately 3 ounces of your Crab and Shrimp Boil into the pot.

Next, Add Your Salt

Slice your two lemons into lengths and place into the pot.

Add 8 Cups of Water

Bring Almost to a Boil

Add Your Shrimp

Lemon and Shrimp 🙂

Turn off Your Heat so as Not to Overcook the Shrimp

Let it Sit and Marinate For Awhile

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Meanwhile….

Add Water to Your Oriental Hot Mustard and Mix Together

(You can find this mustard at your local Asian food supermarkets.)

In a Medium Sauce Pan Add Your Vegetable Oil and Lime Juice

You Want to Bring This to a Boil

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Ready Your Red Wine Vinegar

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Now, Dump Your Shrimp and Lemons Into a Colander to Drain

Reserve All Those Little Bits of Flavor

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Add Your Red Wine Vinegar to the Sauce Pan

Now Add Your Mustard’s….

Peppercorns…..

Fennel Seeds….

Add Red Pepper and Chinese Pepper Flakes…

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Now Add Your Garlic Chopped into Lengths

And Just a Bit More of Your Salt For Flavor

Whisk Together and Then Add Your Bay Leaves

Chop Your Onions into Half Moons

Place Your Carrots Whole Into the Sauce Pan

Now Add All of Your Chopped Onion

Now Place Your Shrimp and Goodie Flavors Into a Large Baggie

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When The Sauce Comes to a Boil, Reduce Heat and Simmer

We Had Some Roasted Garlic in our Refrigerator That We Decided to Add Here

Just Letting Things Simmer Away….

We Allowed the Mixture To Cool

We Then Poured it Over the Shrimp in the Baggie

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I Then Added the Lime and Lemon Slices

I Kept Them in the Bag for 24 Hours Marinating and Massaging Periodically.

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I Then Added The Shrimp to These Jars and Placed Into the Refrigerator

You can start eating them immediately.

They are quite delicious!

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Star Fruit

Our Banana Mer-Muffins For Breakfast

The morning before we left to come out to The Chubby Mermaid I baked these Banana Muffins to bring along with us to eat for breakfast. I also bought a few Star Fruit to eat with them. And the Mermaid Cake Toppers are just that.

Beautiful Cake Toppers

Ingredients:

4-5 Very Ripe Bananas

(I keep old Bananas in the freezer for just this purpose. If you do the same then let them thaw first.)

2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed in Cup (I used Splenda Brown Sugar)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 t. Salt

1 t. Baking Soda

1 T. Baking Powder

2 t. Ground Allspice

1/3 Cup Whole Milk, or 1% Milk

1/3 Cup Buttermilk

1/3 Cup Ricotta Cheese

1 Large Egg

1 Egg White from an Egg

2 T. Canola Oil

1 t. Vanilla Extract

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You Will Need Your Mixer For This

Allowing My Bananas to Thaw

Get Out a Large Mixing Bowl

Add Your All Purpose Flour, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Ground Allspice.

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Adding All The Dry Ingredients

Whisk All The Dry Ingredients Together

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And Now For The Wet Ingredients

(Ignore the sushi in the photo top left.)

In the bowl to your mixer place your Bananas and Buttermilk.

Mix until combined.

Like so.

Adding The 1% Milk and the Ricotta Cheese

Adding My Egg and Egg white

Now Add the Canola Oil and Vanilla Extract

Mix All The Wet Ingredients Together Until Blended

You Can Use A Whisk For This

Then Add The Wet to The Dry and Mix

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Cupcake Tins and Pam Cooking Spray

(Spray each tin with the cooking oil spray.)

I chose these tins because I wanted something a little bit wider than a regular cupcake one. Plus they are sturdier than the flimsy cupcake cups and I wanted them to travel well.

Pre-Heat Your Oven to 375F.

FILL TO THE RIM!

I ran out of my sturdy tins and had to scavenge around for the extras.

Bake For About 20 Minutes

Cupcakes are done when you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.

Allowing To Cool on the Rack

Once cooled I placed them into a large airtight container and then into the refrigerator to take with us.

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Gordon’s Yumbo Gumbo

Perfect With a Bowl of Rice

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This is Going to be Soooooo Good!

Assembling The Ingredients

File Powder was hard to find in our local stores so we ordered this online.

Ingredients:

~2 Lbs. Chicken – De-boned Breast and Thighs

~ 1 Qt. Vegetable Stock

1/2 Qt. Water

~ 1 Lb. Okra – cut into 1 inch slices

4 Tbsp. Butter

4 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour

1 Medium Yellow Onion – Diced

1 Medium Sweet Onion – Diced

1/2 Red Bell Pepper – Diced

1/2 Green Bell Pepper – Diced

2 Celery Stalks – Diced

3 Garlic Cloves – Sliced

3 Andouille Sausage – Sliced on a bias

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Cans Diced Tomatoes

2 Bay Leafs

1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme

2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 1/2 T. File Powder

Hawaiian Sea Salt to taste

Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

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Rinse your chicken to remove any excess blood, bones and such. Then remove any excess fat with your knife. Place the chicken breasts and thighs into a pot of cool water, top with a lid and bring the water to an almost boil.

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Meanwhile, slice your okra tops off then slice the rest into 1 inch sections as shown.

After about 10 minutes of cooking, the chicken should be just cooked. Remember, it will finish cooking in the main pot with the other ingredients. Remove the chicken from the pot and place in a bowl for later use. Reserve the water.

Okra and the Chicken Water Broth

Now, place your cut okra into the pot and cook for about 5 min. on medium-low heat.

Here you can see I used the same bowl the cut okra was in to let the chicken rest.

Still Removing The Chicken From The Pot

Here is all the cooked chicken.

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Place your butter into a cast iron skillet on medium heat to melt.

Here you can see I placed the lid on the pot cooking the okra.

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Make sure in these next steps you use a spatula that can get into the corners of your pan.

Making The Rue

Place the same amount of flour into the pan as butter so as to make what looks like wet sand when the two are mixed together.

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Here you can see the wet sand look of the combined butter and flour. Continue to stir the ingredients together as they slowly cook over medium heat.

As the rue cooks it will begin to change colors. Now it is a pale tan and has a good deal of thickening ability when used to make a sauce or stew.

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As the color gets darker the flour takes on a nutty flavor but looses its thickening power.

Here the rue is cooked down to a medium dark tan and perfect for the gumbo.

Remove the pan from the heat and place the rue into another bowl to use later.

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While the rue is cooking, quickly dice your onions.

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Place the rue into a large pot and turn to medium high heat.

(You could forgo placing the rue into a mixing bowl and just place it directly into the pot you will be making your gumbo in. We didn’t think that far ahead as the cooking was going on.) 🙂

Here you can see the great color to the rue.

Add your diced onions to the rue.

Mix the onions in well.

Slice your bell peppers…

and celery stalks into long wedges.

Then dice them as shown.

Add the diced celery to the pot and stir.

Now slice your red bell peppers into dice sections.

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Do the same with the green bell pepper.

Now, slice your garlic as shown.

Add the garlic and bell peppers to the pot when done.

Mix them together as shown.

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Continue to slice your bell peppers as needed.

Cook the mixture until the onions, celery and bell peppers are softened.

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Meanwhile, prepare your Andouille sausage for slicing.

Now, that the vegetable mixture is tender, add your chicken and okra water to the pot.

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Stir all the ingredients together.

Slice your Andouille sausage on a bias as shown and place them and your olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.

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It’s Coming Together Nicely

The Chicken, and the Sausage Cooking

Add your diced tomatoes to the gumbo pot.

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Slice and shred your chicken into thin sections as shown.

Cook the sausage until nicely browned.

When finished, remove the sausage and place into gumbo pot and turn the heat down to low.

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Now, place your cut and shredded chicken into the pot.

Add your Bay leaves to the gumbo.

Thinly chop your fresh basil.

We use a variety of basil types as you can see the purple leaves.

Remove the thyme leaves from the stem by starting at the top of the stem and working your way down.

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Now, add your chili powder…

cayenne pepper…

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Now add your pepper and Hawaiian Sea salt to taste.

Taste the mixture and adjust your seasonings as needed.

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FILE POWDER

Add your File Powder to the pot which will help to thicken the gumbo and add some earthy flavor.

The gumbo is now complete… I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Have it over some rice or eat it as it. You may want to add your favorite hot sauce as well!

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SALAD and VEGGIES

I suppose this is a mini equivalent to a Salad Bar.

I wanted it to be healthy and tasty and easy. The hardest part about all of this was washing and chopping all the vegetables.

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Cilantro and Spring Onions Drying

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In deciding that we would be eating lots of Salads and Fresh Veggies I knew that I wanted some really nice dipping sauces.

We have in the past made this excellent Edamame Dip.

It’s delicious and healthy too.

Ingredients:

3, 16 oz. Frozen Edamame, THAWED

Hawaiian Sea Salt (for boiling water)

3 Spring Onions

Fresh Cilantro about 1/2 Cup or more

2 Whole Cloves of Garlic

4 T. Water

2 T. Canola Oil

Juice of Two Limes

Zest of Two Limes

1 T. Honey

Salt, About 1 Teaspoon

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

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Some of Our Fresh Ingredients

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The Edamame is in the frozen section of your grocery store.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, about 8 cups of water.

And add your Hawaiian Salt or any that you so desire.

Boil the Edamame according to package directions.

Then Drain Into a Colander

This is the HARD PART!

You want to pop all those beans out of their husks and into a bowl.

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Now, take out your blender and place all the Edamame beans, Spring Onions, Garlic Cloves, and Cilantro in.

Add the Zest of Two Limes and the Juices

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Now you want to add the rest of your ingredients and then pulse until you have a nice paste. If you like it a bit more pliable then add some more water.

When it is to your liking then place into a container that is easy for dipping.

I love a sprinkling of Chili Powder on top of this dip.

I think it enhances the flavor.

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Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Edamame Dip

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A neighbor who used to live next door to us, Lesia, made this for us a few times and she gave us the recipe. It is an excellent dip! We thank her for this recipe. She since moved from our neighborhood several years ago and I learned that she has died as of this past March, 2021. Thank you Lesia for the recipe. RIP.

Lesia’s Red Pepper Dip

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Roasted Red Pepper Spread

This is an excellent dip for pita chips, or a spread for crackers, or as a dipping sauce for shrimp. Also great eaten with our fresh veggie bar.

This recipe makes a little over 2 cups.

Ingredients:

15 oz. jar of Roasted Red Bell Peppers, drained

¾ Tbsp Cumin

½ Tbsp Turmeric (To help fight off Cancer)

½ Tbsp Smoked or Regular Paprika

½ Med. Onion chopped, (Red Onion would also add to the color)

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

3 to 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice

3 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 packages 8 oz. light or reg. Cream Cheese (softened)

In a blender first mix all the ingredients except the cream cheese until just combined. Then add the cream cheese and blend until smooth.

When done top with a sprinkling of paprika or chopped scallions!

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Getting out all of my ingredients and allowing my Cream Cheese to come to room temperature.

Placing My Ingredients Into a Blender

Onion, and Lemon

Everything Into the Blender, Now Puree Until Smooth

Place Into Dipping Containers and Refrigerate

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Julie’s Chives, Wild Garlic and Egg Dressing

This dressing is over 100 years old. I came across it from a hoard of old antique recipe books my mother-in-law gave us when they downsized and moved into an independent living apartment. The original recipe was just for a Chive Salad Dressing. I wanted to expand on that and include our Wild Garlic that we have growing in our backyard as well as our abundance of Chives.

Ingredients:

Abundance of Chives

7 Shoots of Wild Garlic

Red Wine Vinegar

Hard Boiled Egg

Olive Oil

Paprika

Salt

Granulated Sugar

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All Ingredients are up to Taste

The first thing I did was to wash all of my Chives and Wild Garlic.

When dry, I placed many Chives all around these jars to look as if they were the Sea Grass that Manatee’s eat.

Now, we are going to make this to as much volume as you desire.

Here is the recipe:

3 T. Olive Oil

1 T. Vinegar

1 t. Minced Chives

1 t. Minced Wild Garlic

1 Hard Boiled Egg, Chopped

Sprinkling of Paprika

1 t. Salt

Sugar to Taste

Oil and Vinegar

Hard Boiled Egg, Chopped

Oil and Vinegar Blended and Chopped Chives

Adding Some Hawaiian Sea Salt and Paprika

Chopped Wild Garlic

Sugar To Taste

I Added The Hard Boiled Egg, Chopped, to the Jars

You can double, triple, quadruple, etc. this recipe to make as much as you like. But again, this is also up to taste. Perhaps you don’t want that much sugar? Or Hard Boiled Egg? Or Paprika? Just experiment and then taste until you have achieved your desired effect.

It does tend to congeal a bit in the refrigerator so set it out a good 30 minutes before ready to eat.

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Our Spanish Sofrito/Salsa Verde Tilapia and Sofrito/Salsa Verde Rice

(The Chubby Mermaid had the most attractive pottery dinnerware. It would be something I would chose for us at our house. And after eating off these for a week I just might try and find us a set for our kitchen.)

In order to lessen the cooking time I made my Salsa Verde and Sofrito at home and just brought it with us. The recipes are below this one.

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Our Spanish Sofrito/Salsa Verde Tilapia and Sofrito/Salsa Verde Rice

Ingredients:

7 Tilapia fillets – Thawed if previously frozen

3-4 Tbsp. Sweet Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

~ 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Sauce Ingredients:

1 Cup Dry White Wine (your favorite Chardonnay)

2 Cups Salsa Verde (Julie’s Homemade)

1 Cup Sofrito (Julie’s Homemade)

~10 Large Pepper Stuffed Olives – sliced in half

1/2 Cup Old Florida Chunky Salsa

1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika

1/2 Tbsp. Cayenne Pepper

2 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro – Chopped

2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley – Chopped

2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil – Chopped

(The herbs we brought from home.)

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Ready to Get Started in The Chubby Mermaid Kitchen

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Place the thawed fillets on a sheet pan and liberally coat with the sweet paprika.

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Turn the fillets over and coat the other side as shown.

Now add your salt and pepper to taste.

Spanish Olives

Slice your pepper stuffed olives in half.

Place the sliced olives in a bowl for later use.

These black olives are for the Sofrito Rice recipe.

Slice them also in half as shown.

Place the black olives in a bowl for later use.

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We Brought our Rice, and Rice Cooker With Us

For your Sofrito/Salsa Verde Rice recipe, add about 2 cups of rice to your rice maker’s pot. Rinse the rice about 3 times or until the water is clear. This is done by placing a few cups of water into your rice bowl and using your hand to stir the rice for about 45 seconds. You will begin to see the milky white starch to come off the rice. Pour the water out of the bowl and fill the bowl back again with a few cups of water and repeat the previous steps until the water is clear. Remove the remaining water from the rice.

Add the vegetable broth until it is about one inch above the rice. One inch is about one knuckle above the rice.

You can place your finger inside to make that determination.

Close the lid and turn the rice maker on as shown.

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Meanwhile….

Sofrito/Salsa Verde Rice Ingredients:

2 Cups Rice

~ 2 Cups Vegetable Broth – or until the broth is one inch above the rice.

1 Small bag of Frozen Peas and Carrots

~ 30 Pitted Black Olives – sliced in half

1 Cup Sofrito (Julie’s Homemade)

1/2 Cup Salsa Verde (Julie’s Homemade)

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Back to the Tilapia

Add your olive oil to a large cast iron skillet and turn on to medium high heat.

Oyster Bay New Zealand Pinot Gris

Here is the wine I will use to de-glaze the pan after the tilapia is cooked. Also pictured are the fresh herbs from our garden we will use for the tilapia.

Letting the pan get hot on the Stove Top

(We did bring this from home.)

Adding some of the Tilapia fillets to the pan. Just sear the fillets for about 2 min. on each side as they will continue to cook while in the sauce.

Pictured are the olives and both of Julie’s homemade Sofrito and Salsa Verde… which were both so good!

Once the fillets are cooked, place them back onto the sheet pan which I used to hold the fillets for seasoning.

Here are the last of the fillets.

See all those bits in the pan? They are pure flavor!

Liberally add your white wine to the pan or about 1 Cup of wine.

Adding the wine to the pan will de-glaze the pan or lift up any pieces of fish that were stuck to the pan or what is called fond. Using your spatula, move the wine around the pan scraping up the fond.

Let the wine cook for about 2 minutes and continue to stir the mixture.

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For the Sofrito Rice recipe, I cooked the frozen peas and carrots in a sauce pan with a little bit of boiling water and when done, I drained off the water.

Now, add the cooked peas and carrots to a larger pot as shown above.

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Back to the Tilapia, add your sliced green olives to the wine and fond.

Saute the olives in the wine.

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For the Sofrito Rice, add about 1 Cup of Sofrito to the peas and carrots.

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Now add your sliced black olives to the pot.

Here you see the olives cooking in the wine and I am stirring the Sofrito Rice ingredients.

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Once the olives have cooked for a few minutes in the wine, add a cup of Sofrito to the pan.

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Now, add 2 Cups of your Salsa Verde to the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium and let the Tilapia sauce simmer and reduce.

NOTE: It was at this point that we decided to add some Salsa Verde to our Peas and Carrots. Photo not shown.

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Add your Cayenne to the Tilapia pan sauce.

Now add your Smoked Paprika and stir all the ingredients together well.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed.

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We had these green beans as a nice side dish to our meal. These taste a lot like Julie’s Grandmothers. Not everything needs to be homemade from scratch. Bring along some cans to add to your homemade vacation meals.

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Here on the left is the rice mixture and on the right is the Tilapia Sauce.

Here I added about 1/2 Cup of this Old Florida Chunky Salsa to the Tilapia Sauce.

As the Tilapia Sauce reduces, I will chop the fresh herbs.

Be sure to stir the sauce occasionally so it won’t burn.

Here on the right the Tilapia Sauce has reduced to my liking, so turn off the heat.

I then added the cooked Tilapia fillets to the sauce and then will continue to cook over the hot sauce. You can nestle the thicker fillets in the sauce. I also poured the left over juices from the fillets into the skillet.

Add your cooked rice to the peas, carrots, and other ingredients and fold together.

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Beautiful, Rustic, and Delicious

Add your freshly chopped herbs to the rice.

Both of these recipes were really good and will be a staple to our family favorites.

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Cilantro Galore and Spring Onions Going in These Next Two Recipes

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Julie’s Salsa Verde

(Gordon wanted to drink this, he thought it was that good.) 🙂

Ingredients:

1 28 Ounce Can of Whole Tomatillos (Costena Brand)

1-2 Jalapeno Peppers, Deseeded

3 Spring Onions

1 Bunch of Cilantro

1/2 Cup of Sugar

1 t. Garlic Salt

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This was so easy and fast. I was thrilled to find this can of whole Tomatillos. I was dreading having to use fresh ones. They are just so sticky and you have to remove that husk from them which sometimes takes a bit of work.

You just throw everything in the blender and zap it until it’s ready.

Couldn’t be simpler! Just place into jars and keep refrigerated.

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Julie’s Sofrito

(Sofrito is Puerto Rican)

Ingredients:

4 Cubanelle Peppers, Deseeded

2 Medium Sized Spanish Onions

(I have 3 pictured because one looked a little bad. I probably used about 2 1/2 Onions though.)

4 Plum Tomatoes (I used Roma, they are similar.)

1 Large Red Bell Pepper

2-3 Spring Onions

12 Large Garlic Cloves, or 18 Regular Ones

1 Bunch Cilantro

4-6 Culantro Leaves

Hawaiian Sea Salt, or any you so desire.

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Yet another very easy recipe.

If you cannot find Culantro in your usual super markets then you can at the local Asian and Spanish grocery stores.

My Culantro Herb Plant

Just Chop Everything and Place into Your Blender

You of course want to deseed your peppers and remove the stems.

Blending the Onions and Peppers

Deseeding the Red Bell Pepper and Chopping it and the Tomatoes

In Go the Tomatoes and Red Bell Pepper

Next, Add the Green Stuff

Garlic Cloves and Hawaiian Sea Salt

Then Add The Culantro

Place into jars and keep refrigerated.

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The Blue Sirenia

This canoe belonged to Gordon’s parents. They were downsizing and moving into an independent living apartment and were getting rid of quite a few things. We got the canoe! This is very exciting for us as we love water life here in Florida and we are thrilled to own it.

The first thing that Gordon did was to clean it up and removing all the old boating stickers that were on it.

We also had to decide the name for it.

We first thought of the Julie A.

That was more of a joke because Gordon’s parents second boat they named the Sari J, after Gordon’s mother Sarajane.

Gordon’s father Milton was on some game show in the early 60’s called Say When. (We believe that was the name of it.)

He was on there for almost 2 weeks and won quite a bit. One thing he won was a boat, a small outboard, that was their first boat. The Sari J. was their second boat, a 16 foot Thunderbird.

When we were trying to think of names for our canoe we were thinking about doing something that would be in line with that. However, we then thought of doing something to honor our love of Florida, the Manatees, the Mermaids, etc.