Around My Town

 

Summer is such a great time to experience the local ambiance that can be found in Florida. There are many beach communities and if you come on vacation, you most likely stick pretty close to that one favorite place you love to visit. We have visited many beach towns, each having a bit of a different vibe and exploring each one on its own is a great way to spend a few hours.

But, like the title of this post says, I wanted to share some photos from my beach town; Venice.  It has a walkable downtown with shops and restaurants, beautiful beaches, a jetty and is known for its many parks and lovely and award winning profusion of flowers downtown.  We don’t have high rise hotels on the beach, so there is not an overwhelming influx of tourists.  It has a historic, old Florida feel and the residents fight to keep it that way.  

Of course tourists are welcome and there is a vibrant events schedule that includes art fairs, a farmer’s market on Saturdays, concerts in the park and many festivals.

Currently, there are seahorse and mermaid statues scattered throughout downtown, all painted by local artists.  Each is unique and it’s fun to stroll the streets seeing how many you can see.  Read more about this public art project here.

If you do get to the gulf side of Florida and our southwest corner of paradise, Venice is well worth a day trip.

Finally, just a little blog housekeeping.  If receive posts via email, since Feedburner is no longer supported by Blogger, I have switched to a service called Follow It.  All my followers should have been seamlessly transferred over.  I will be also updating my blog design after ten years and at that time adding a link to sign up for this email feed service if you have not in the past and choose to now. I think a palm tree or two may be added to the design :-)

Individual Peach French Toast

 

Peaches are looking so delicious right now (ours are fresh from Georgia) and I keep drooling over all the recipes using them; in both savory and sweet ways.  I am especially intrigued by beautiful summer dishes like Tomato Peach and Burrata Salad or Pesto Peach Chicken in White Wine.  And this dessert - Brown Sugar Peach Shortcakes.

But, seeing some peaches in my fruit basket that needed using, led me to an old breakfast standby.  This recipe from 2016 uses apples, but easily adapts to peaches.  It comes together really quick, is cooked in the microwave and is perfectly sweet as is, but you could add a drizzle of maple syrup if you choose.

The best part, as with all the individual serving recipes I have made over the years, is the built in portion control when you count carbs like I do.

Happy Weekend! We are still watching Tropical Storm Fred, but it looks to be more of a rain event.  Hurricane season in Florida is wild  - Grace is next and coming this way too :-)

Life Lately

 

Since my knee is much improved after PT, I am back to volunteering with Venice Area Beautification.  It is very satisfying to feel part of a team that really makes a difference.  It’s hot and sweaty work, especially in the summer months, but I love getting my hands in the dirt.  And, because I love new Florida experiences, I am going for an interview next week to be part of the horticulture volunteer team at Historic Spanish Point.  

Its been a full year now that I have been ordering a couple of meals each month from the meal delivery service Hello Fresh and we love it.  Last night I made Brown Sugar Bourbon Chicken Salad and it was healthy and delicious. There is always something a bit unique in the recipes and this salad had roasted carrots that took it to another level. I honestly can’t think of one recipe we have not found to be good and I enjoy the new tastes and style of step by step cooking.

We are excited to be changing our kitchen island from Corian to natural quartz.  Yes, we have a new home, but the design decisions had to be made really fast and there have been a few things we have decided to upgrade.  I was happy to find exactly what I was looking for with a white background and warm neutral tones (not gray).  Also not big movement in the veins, but not too busy as well.  It should be installed in about 2 weeks and I will post a kitchen update.

The Olympics have been fun to watch and bring back so many memories of gymnastics meets for both girls and swim and dive meets for Megan.  I was just talking about how it is the sounds for me that put me right back there watching. The sound of the jumps on the balance beam, the tumbling landings on the mat and the spring of the diving board.  I love watching young people who work so hard, achieve their dream and especially under so much pressure.  The world may seem crazy, but there are also so many great young Americans who we can be proud of.

Happy Saturday!