I Can Eat One Potato Chip....

....but I absolutely cannot limit myself to just one spoonful of Double Dark Chocolate Gelato.  As I sit here on the lanai enjoying the beautiful breeze....down a bit from the windy conditions today....and listen to the boats slapping around in their berths while the palm trees sway in unison, I'm indulging in this decadent creation studded with dark chocolate chips.  This is almost perfect............except for these two fur faces, who I'm missing terribly!

Necessity Being the Mother of Invention

Every now and then I get the urge for Stacy's "Simply Naked" Pita Chips.  They satisty that urge to crunch and with the addition of sea salt, have just the right amount of flavor. 

While deciding on what to do with my Orange Roughy filets...rather, filet....for dinner tonight, I thought that "crunch" might be great on the fish.  So I crushed a few chips, dipped the filet in beaten egg, coated it with the crumbs, and sauteed in a little olive oil and butter.  When just about cooked through and nicely browned on both sides, I squeezed a slice of fresh lemon juice over the fish and poured about a tablespoon or two of Pinot Grigio to deglaze the pan. 

What to accompany said filets?  Oven baked sweet potato fries and sauteed Brussels sprouts with just a hint of butter and minced garlic.  The Roughy flaked beautifully...it remained moist, and the outside crunchy coating was a delicious and interesting contrast.

I ended the yummy meal with an oversized scoop of Haagen-Dazs Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle ice cream.  That's a post in itself.  Wow....is that ever a delicious flavor combination. 

Need to bake

Since I've been in Marco Island for the past couple of weeks, I've not picked up a measuring cup or spoon except when I visited Williams-Sonoma to browse.  I actually contemplated collecting some of my favorite baking tools to purchase in order to supplement this condo kitchen which is sufficiently stocked with saucepans, broiler pans, and few baking supplies, rudimentary as they are, but certainly no where near what I consider essentials in my own home kitchen.  However, if I wanted to juice a grapefruit or two, whip up a pitcher of frozen margaritas, or French press some coffee (my own bring-along), I could do so.  So, life is pretty good here, don't get me wrong. 

But, I do miss baking.  I derive great satisfaction from producing a successful result, but the process alone is therapeutic, as I've mentioned in the past.  Now that the weather is rising to Florida-like temperatures, I'll be spending more time sitting/walking in the sunshine and probably less thinking about baking. 

When I get home, however, I see a decadent chocolate cake in my future.  I've got a few girlfriends who I know won't turn down the invitation. 

One sure can't complain about the sunset.

Plum Sweets and Pinot Grigio

Dinner of champions, I say. 

Somehow, this seems an appropriate meal when one is contemplating life and the sunset in Southwest Florida.  It was a gorgeous day here, when for the past week, folks actually feared they'd see a snowflake or two.  People actually stared at my feet in bug-eyed disbelief as I sported flip-flops instead of closed-in shoes to beat the frigid 50ish temps.  I'm on vacation, darn it, and my toes are ready to be set free from the boots I was wearing in NJ on a regular basis.  I don't care how chilly it is. 

But, the Marco Island sun gods smiled down upon us today and gave us a day to toss those jackets and gloves aside while jockeying for a position by the pool where we could soak in those rays.  Mid-to upper 60's felt glorious.

Life is good. 

But, back to dinner.  Alright, truth be told, I did prepare a spinach salad with sliced avocado, cranberries, nuts, grape tomatoes, and crumbled blue cheese; all drizzled with olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar.  The Sunsweet Chocolate Covered Plum Sweets were dessert.  Along with another glass of Pinot Grigio.