Road Trip – Palm Coast

Posted on June 27, 2011 by jacqui722

 

Mom & Lorraine Breakfast at the Golden CorralNoelle & LaceyView from our dinner table at the South Beach GrillLacey & Noelle wrote their names in the sandWaiting for dinnerNoelle & Auntie Jacqui

After a long 4 hour drive up the East coast of Florida, we arrived in Palm Coast around 10:30pm. We are staying with dear friends of my Mom, Gene and Lorraine.
Woke up refreshed and ready to do some shopping at the St. Augustine Outlet mall. Mom and I love Cold Water Creek and there were wonderful bargains to be had there. We stopped for breakfast at Golden Corral.  What a place!  Never saw so much food in my life.  It was good to see they have a lot of fruit, so all was not lost…

After Breakfast we headed to the Outlet mall where we visited a wonderful Cold Water Creek outlet store filled with great bargains.  A few more stores and little more shopping and then home.

For dinner we went to a great seafood place right on the beach – gorgeous!  It was called South Beach Grill, even though it wasn’t anywhere near South Beach.

Tomorrow starts the real road trip…

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Morning Events…CRAZY

Posted on June 24, 2011 by jacqui722

Event of this morning: Got up at 6am and started packing so I could be ready for departure at 4pm. I took Mark’s Toyota Hybrid (much better choice for a Road Trip for gas mileage) to work and he took my white Sebring convertible. Shortly after I arrived at work, I get a frantic call from Mark. “I just got in a car accident! Your car is totaled! I’m going to the hospital because I have chest pains from the air bags deploying!”
OMG. This is the day I’m leaving for a 3 week road trip…anyway, Mark is OK and plans have not changed. Except I’m going to need a new car when I get home. Luckily it was the other driver’s fault- he pulled out in front of him. Poor Mark, he’s shaken up and they are giving him an MRI just to be sure he’s OK. Poor Honey!

So now I’m staring at the clock…waiting to hear – well something about when Mark will be released. Jill and Adam are going to pick him up from the hospital if he gets released after we leave. CRAZY.

Saying a little prayer right now that Mark is totally OK. Stay posted for the next update.

Packing at 6am

Countdown on my computer at work

waiting....

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Packing like a Mad Woman

Posted on June 24, 2011 by jacqui722

This is one of the places I'm going- Beautiful

This is where I live- Beautiful!

Tomorrow my long-awaited vacation begins. After a grueling year of people-pleasing in my stressful job of Social & Entertainment Director of a country club community, I’m finally going to get some “me-time”. My ‘Girl’s Road Trip” starts tomorrow afternoon at the stroke of 4pm, when I will walk out of the clubhouse, stop to pick up my daughter, mother & niece and hit the road. I wonder what adventures lie ahead?

Back to packing!

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Road Trip!

Posted on June 22, 2011 by jacqui722

1 Mother, age 74. 1 daughter, almost 21, 1 eleven year old niece and me heading North with stops in St. Augustine, Virginia, Amish country, PA and my home town in CT.  I am starting to pack for Friday afternoon’s departure.  I’m so excited to be  doing a travel blog for the first time!  Hurry up Friday….I AM READY.

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The Daniel Fast

Posted on April 6, 2011 by jacqui722

It’s almost Easter and most members of my church are doing some form of the Daniel Fast in the 21 days before Easter. Mark and I, after much discussion, decided to jump on the bandwagon. Loving God, we made a promise to each other and God to give it our all.

We started out with a modified version, giving up sugar and meat. After a day or two we added wine and yeast and now once we run out of our yogurt and other dairy products those too will be eliminated. Mark has been studying his bible diligently and I am rereading Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. In loving God, we are giving some of our favorite things to eat, which is amazing and humbling all at the same time. I’m glad we made the decision to do this, and I have pulled out my favorite old vegetarian cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook.

I lost my original copy that I bought when I was in high school, but luckily one of my dearest friends bought me a new copy a couple of years ago.  She knew I had loved that cookbook and took the time to find me a new copy…of course, that’s what dear friends are for (thank you Helen!).  The cookbook reminds me of the 70’s, when being vegetarian was really cool.  Anyway, I pulled out the cookbook and fell in, remembering all the great recipes I had made.  Here was the original Hummus and Tabouli recipes I modified to my liking.  The favorite stir fry sauces and vegetable stews.  And the orange poppyseed cake Helen and I had tasted many years ago at a party we were invited to at our friend Joe’s house.  A girl there brought it for dessert and we were excited to find out she used the Moosewood Cookbook’s recipe. Of course, I had to give it a try myself, and made that cake lots of times for different occasions, but it never tasted quite as good as at that party so many years ago.

So, in giving up something for God I have gained something from Him- the gift of fond memories, tied up in that favorite cookbook.  And for that I am truly grateful.  Amen!

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It’s January…Can I keep this going?

Posted on January 24, 2011 by jacqui722

I’m a busy gal. I work a salaried, full time-plus job as a Social Director/Event Planner/Clubhouse Manager/Entertainment Booker/Graphic Artist Marketer at a Country club type community. I also free lance as a choreographer and dance teacher.
I’m tired. Sometimes I wonder how long I can keep this up. Time will tell.

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Grilled Cabbage on the BBQ…not for the faint hearted!

Posted on December 5, 2010 by jacqui722

From May to November, living in the tropics of Florida is hot, I mean REALLY hot…90+ weather for 6 months straight. Then, come November, exactly opposite from the rest of the US, the weather changes. It is known here in South Florida as “the good weather” or “Season” because of the multitudes of “Snowbirds” (people who fly South for the Winter) clogging our streets, malls and restaurants.
Tonight we are dining outside on the lanai, taking advantage of the 70 degree evening. Grilled cabbage is wonderful- even though my husband would never touch it- and this is the recipe as told to me by a friendly guy in line behind me at my favorite farmers market, Bedners.

1 small head of cabbage
1/4 stick butter
salt and pepper
Cut out the core of the cabbage, keeping it intact. Push the 1/4 stick of butter in the cavity left by the core, add salt and pepper all over, wrap in foil and grill for about 25 minutes over moderately high heat. Yummy, yummy, YUMMY!

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Chilean Sea Bass in parchment with Garlic-Ginger sauce

Posted on August 29, 2010 by jacqui722

My 20 year old daughter is growing up before my eyes and isn’t home that much for dinner, especially on a Saturday night when her boyfriend wins out over family dinner time (surprise, surprise).  So, it was a nice romantic dinner night for Mark & myself.  I decided to make something a little special for us to enjoy together.  This is what I came up with.  I served it with roasted potatoes and a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Oh, and with the lights dimmed and a little candle light.

Chilean Sea Bass in parchment with Garlic-Ginger Sauce (for 2)

2 fillets (Sea Bass, Tilapia, Mahi Mahi or your fav white fish)

Toss together:

5 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced thinly

5 button Mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 large Shallot, sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

Sauce:

3 Tbs honey

2 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbs Rice Vinegar

Preheat oven to 375.  Sprinkle the fillet with salt & pepper to taste.  Take 2 large squares of parchment paper, fold in each half and place a fillet just to the Right of the fold.  Pile the mushroom mixture on top of the fillet and pour 1/2 of the sauce over top.  Fold up the parchment into a packet and place packets on a baking sheet.  Bake 14-16 minutes.

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Missing Connecticut

Posted on August 18, 2010 by jacqui722

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Waiting for a Fall that will never come…to South Florida!

Posted on August 18, 2010 by jacqui722

These days I am missing my hometown in Connecticut. Right around this time of year, there would be an extra little chill at night after the sometimes sweltering days of Indian Summer, and one knew the autumn days would be arriving quite soon. Here in Florida, it’s still 90 degrees during the day, and around 85 at night- no relief in sight.

So I decided last weekend to put some Fall in the air by throwing together a quick, light & easy pumpkin & butternut squash soup. It put a delicious aroma in the air, better than any Yankee Candle could hope to imitate. Here’s my little recipe that lifted my spirits.

Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup
1 can organic Butternut Squash
1 can organic pumpkin
1 large can or box of organic chicken broth
2 apples, pealed & chopped
1 leak, chopped
1 TBS Olive Oil
3 TBS maple syrup
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
Salt to taste
1/4 cup of white wine (whatever you’re drinking)

Saute the leeks & apple in the olive oil until soft. Add the wine and cook for a few more minutes. Add the Chicken broth, pumpkin, squash, spices & maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool a bit then add to a blender or food processor (or immersion blender). You can add a little half and half if you want a creamier version.

Now, doesn’t that smell like fall?

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