PhotoHunt ~ Planter

The PhotoHunt for this weekend is 'Planter'.

When we were in the Cathedral di Amalfi . . . we happened upon these planters.

Seriously ~
These guys are planting new flowers inside the cloister.

Check for all the other Planter Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt

Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Traveling ~ and eating at Fisher's

A Quick Trip virtually back to the beach.
This is a new restaurant in Orange Beach that promises to be the hottest thing on the Gulf Coast ~ Fisher's

It is a bright spot at the Orange Beach Marina.

The decor is bright and fresh. The food is fresh and mostly local seafood. They have their own herb garden for fresh basil and mint. (which I have from a inside kitchen source)

It's where all the cute young chicks hang out . . .

. . . and I can't wait to go back!


Update ~~~ it happens that I am NOW related to the newest Chef at Fishers. I'll be going back again, and again.

I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Really?

The PhotoHunt for today is Really ~
Which could take on several meanings . . .

As in Really ? ? ?

Really !!!

This as I was sitting at an outdoor cafe in Rome.
Really ~ Check for all the other  Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all ~
Sandi

Boston Butt ~ in a Crock Pot.

While we were at the beach for the 4th of July, we had bigger plans than spending time in the kitchen . . .
Like dancing to the band at Cobalt ~

This is Holly's recipe for Boston Butt in the crock-pot.
Luckily, we had a huge red crock pot in the condo. This was just what we needed while watching the fireworks off our balcony.

Pulled Pork with Chipolte
1 Tbls olive oil
2 onions, cut into chunks
2 Tbls chili powder
1 Tbls ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tps cayenne pepper
12 oz beer, preferably lager
3/4 C ketchup
3/4 C cider vinegar
1/2 C whole-grain mustard
2 Tbls tomato paste
1/2 - 1 canned chipolte pepper in adobo sauce
(Note: Look for the small cans in the Mexican or Italian foods section. Chipolte chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapenos packed with a flavorful sauce. This gives the meat a hot but smokey flavor! )
1 5-pound bone-in Boston Butt

Preparation:
* Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and very soft, about 20 minutes.
*Add the dry ingredients and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 minute. Add beer, ketchup vinegar, mustard tomato paste, and chipolte pepper: bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, 10 minutes.
*Cook on High for the first 2 hours, turn to low and continue cooking until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Baste with sauce as you like.

*When done, transfer the pork to a large bowl and let cool. Pour the sauce into a large glass bowl and refrigerate until the fat and sauce separate. Skim off the fat. Remove the bone and the remaining pieces of fat from the meat. Pull the pork apart into long shreds using two forks.
*Add the hot sauce to the meat or serve it on the side. Serve it with some yummy cole slaw and fresh corn on the cob from the market.

I sold my 30 year old crock pot in a garage sale years ago . . .
I wonder if it's time to invest in a new one?
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Traveling to 'The Gulf'

I mentioned that we were spending the 4th on the gulf with family.

and of course while on the gulf . . . we have to go to The Gulf . It is a great restaurant that I have posted on before. We love the beachy atmosphere.

It was the perfect day for chillin' under the umbrella's

and of course, posing for a family photo (minus one who was still working)

There was a lot of chasing little miss Hope

and more precious memories at the beach.

Isn't that what holidays are all about?
The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays.

I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Flamboyant

The PhotoHunt for today is Flamboyant

I thought of the murals painted by 'il Sodoma' Giovanni Bazzi at the Monestary Monte Oliveto in 1498. He was quite the flamboyant artist . . . as depicted in this self portrait.

The 17 murals tell the story of St. Benedict, and the building of the monestary from a dream.

With each mural there is another story of how he was in a constant battle with the church for his payment (yes . . . even in the 15th century) In the painting above, you only see two hands in a group of 12 men . . . he was paid for painting the faces.

The painting below shows the rectory at the monestary, one friar is stealing bread from the plate of another and a fighting black cat and mangy dog.

Look closely at the panels between the huge frescos . . . they are filled with elaborate cartoons of devils, angels, and Sodoma's favorite pets.

He is one of my favorite Italian artists ~ 'Flamboyant' . . . Especially from the 15th century.

Check for all the other Flamboyant Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Traveling for the 4th ~

We were lucky enough to spend the 4th of July on the Gulf.

I love sitting in the shade of an umbrella and hearing the jets from the Naval Base fly over.
and watching the grandbaby play in the pool . . .
a little LuLu time . . .
and spending time with my whole family . . .

That is something to be proud of.

I will post photos as soon as I'm able to get to it . . .
first comes work and washing the sand out of my drawers.

I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~> Go

The PhotoHunt for this weekend is ~ Go ~

As we sat at a trattoria in Amalfi . . . we see this little family come out and hop on their motorbike.
Check out the little boy standing on the front, mom with the high heels and tight jeans. They hopped on ~ and off they Go.

Allorah . . . Only in Italy.

Go check for all the other  Go Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ From the Sea

The Cooking Light Supper club is cooking 'From the Sea' this month. I knew I wanted to use some Fresh Gulf Shrimp . . . so I found This Recipe on Cooking Light for Rosemary Shrimp Skewers.
It helps to have a Rosemary bush like this (yes, those are Christmas lights ~ and they are Southern for 'landscape lighting')
Admit ~ you envy the rosemary, if not the landscaping.

Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 3/4 pound)
6 (6-inch) rosemary sprigs
Cooking spray
Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation (according to Cooking Light)
Combine first 6 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.
Working with 1 rosemary sprig at a time, hold leafy end of sprig in 1 hand. Strip leaves off sprig with other hand, leaving 1/2 inch of leaves attached to leafy end of sprig. Repeat procedure with remaining rosemary sprigs to make 6 rosemary skewers.

Thread 3 shrimp onto each rosemary skewer. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat both sides of shrimp skewers with cooking spray.
Arrange 3 skewers on pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining skewers.
Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

I did mine on the grill, and got a mess of them done at once ~
Believe me . . . they disappeared quickly.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our feast from the sea.
Jerry has made a batch of Margaritas with sea salt on the rim
Val is grilling some Baja Style Rock Lobsters
Susan is bringing Coconut Crab and Shrimp Salad
Sara is bringing a Vegetable Temaki

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Siena ~ il Palio

Have you ever heard of il Palio?
This is the horse race that is held in Siena, Italy two times a year . . . for the past nearly 500 years. July 2nd is the day of the BIG race.

When I say BIG, I mean really BIG to the Sienese.
The Campo is blocked off and 10 horses representing the 17 contradas are raced bareback in front of screaming crowds.

Last year the winner was the Wave (represented by the Dolphin) with the colors of blue and white . . .
I'll get back to why that is so important.

 

A true Sienese knows where each contrada begins and ends. People are born and married into these little communities.

To wander the back streets of Siena is to be on a perpetual scavenger hunt ~
There are markings of each contrada, if you know what you are looking for.

The Goose, the Tortoise . . .

The Valley of the ram is represented by the rhinoceros.

The Tower here shows the elephant.

Evan this bar on the Campo is named il Palio . . . it's BIG!

Our friend Antonella has so many fun stories about the antics from year to year. They take this very seriously.
Which get's me back to the color of the winning Contrada last year ~ blue and white ~ the same color as the flag of the new Pope.
Could it be that there was divine intervention?

It depends on who you ask.
I will be watching for news this evening of who wins the Palio ~ surely ESPN will have a camera in the crowd.


I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi