Guacamole Saturdays

It is too hot to do much of anything during summer in Florida. So it has become our family ritual to spend weekends vegging by the pool with some icy cold beer and a batch of home-made guacamole. Going to college in San Diego, I became good friends with a girl named Brenda from Mexico. She was an amazing cook, and her guacamole was SO good! This is the recipe that she gave me all those years ago.

2 ripe (but not too soft!) Haas Avocados
Juice of 1 lime
1 small jalapeño, finely diced
1 tbs finely chopped red onion
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp course sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

Roughly mash avocados into a bowl. Squeeze in lime juice. Add salt, pepper, jalapeño, and onion. Mix together. Add in cilantro and then tomato. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips. Buen provecho!

Orchid

Snapped this gorgeous orchid blossoming on the patio. I love how the fuchsia petals are translucent in the sunlight.

Filet and White Asparagus with Hollandaise

A classic way to enjoy delicious white asparagus.

Pasta with White Asparagus, Prosciutto and Peas

White asparagus enjoys its own culinary season in many parts of Europe. In Germany, it's usually served with ham and covered with Hollandaise sauce. The Italians add it to risotto. In Spain it's often served chilled with mayonnaise. It can be a bit elusive here in the States, but I came across some at Whole Foods and decided to try it with pasta. I started by peeling the bitter skin off of the asparagus. Then I chopped it and sauteed it in butter with onions. Once that started to soften, I added prosciutto, a splash of white wine, spring peas and a scoop of creme fraiche. When that was all combined, I tossed in whole wheat pasta and some fresh ground pepper. With a glass of Italian white wine (we had a crisp Orvieto) it was a tasty summer dinner.

S. Ponte Vedra Beach

We just returned from renting a house on the beach with close friends of ours. There's nothing like spending carefree days playing in the sand and sipping cocktails by the sea, and then drifting off  to sleep to the sound of crashing waves. Simply paradise.

Bistro Aix

Bistro Aix in San Marco is, in my humble opinion, one of the best restaurants in North Florida. Even Emeril Lagasse chose to dine there recently when he was in town. There's always a lively, well-heeled crowd sipping specialty martinis at the glowing bar. The Mediterranean menu features steak-frites, grilled Ahi, wood-fired pizzas and creative pastas. Last night I chose seared hake served over polenta with sugar snap peas and a red pepper coulis. It was deliciously fresh and light; perfect on a hot summer night. Hint: stop by the bakery on the way out for a fresh loaf of their yummy bread (and a macaroon or two!).