liamsaunt

So, remember how I said I was going to leave and go to a famous beach since there were no ships in today? Yeah…that did not happen. I got a serious case of lazy-itis and just stayed at the resort. Breakfast in the condo. I did do some exploring, though. I went across the street to the public beach It was rocky, but pretty. All beaches in the Virgin Islands are actually public, but you have to access them by the water. No crossing over private land. The resort I am at provides public land access to the beach on either end. I actually think many of the St. Thomas resorts do. The St. John properties do not. I did some exploring and visual beach combing. It’s illegal to take shells, rocks, coral etc. You can pick stuff up but have to leave it. This is why I collect sea glass, it’s considered litter here. Cool sponge Hobie cats that you can take out from the resort beach. I would probably break a leg or something. For dinner we took a ferry over to Lovango Cay. Drinks menu Husband had a margarita and I had the Lovango breeze Specials and the regular menu I really wanted to try the triggerfish, but they are one of my favorites to see snorkeling, so I passed. Husband had no similar qualms. I got the Lovango tomatoes, which were delicious And he had the triggerfish bologna. I chose the mahi. The fish was delicious. The corn was a tad chewy. And he had the triggerfish main course. He said the triggerfish was kind of sweet. I gave him part of my mahi and he preferred that. I guess triggerfish are better as snorkeling companions. None of the desserts sounded super appealing to us, so we just split a dish of sorbet and each got an espresso. We got a scoop of blood orange and one of coconut lime. Now we know what the mystery light pink flavor was from last night’s meal. It was blood orange. The coconut lime one was our favorite Goodbye Lovango

Yes agreed! I thought that was really weird. He did not try them so no idea if they tasted better than they looked. There is some cooking equipment in the kitchen, including a knife block. I just checked and they are tramontina brand. I would guess they are beater knives. I have never found a good, sharp knife in a rental kitchen, which is why I always bring my own when I am planning on cooking. I do have one small knife with me from home this trip. I have not really poked around much in the kitchen yet, to be honest. Here is a tree growing outside my building. I was told it is called a sausage tree and that the “sausages” are not edible. We skipped breakfast and went for an early lunch on the hotel side of the property instead. Menus We had frozen lemonades, but only had a few sips, as it turned out they were just too sweet for our mood. Fish tacos (snapper) View We spent the rest of the day swimming, which was nice. For dinner, we went to Easterly, which is the sister restaurant of Longboard on St. John. Setting Drink menu Husband had the Waterlemon Cay, and I had the burnt palm from the designated driver section. We both really liked our drinks. Mine was not too sweet and had a very interesting flavor. Bread plate: focaccia with passionfruit butter Food menu We shared the smoked fish dip with plantain chips. Tasty I had the tuna salad. I wanted the greens. It was nicely seasoned. And husband had the wahoo. He really enjoyed it. Dessert We shared the tropical sorbets. They did not tell us what the flavors were, so from back to front we had sorbet that looks like watermelon or strawberry but was not, definitely mango, and….we are not sure! We are not sure was our least favorite because it was more creamy than icy, mango was my favorite, and husband preferred mystery light pink sorbet. There are no cruise ships in port tomorrow, so I think we are going to head over to one of the island’s famous beaches that we have never visited. One day later this week there will be 20,000 passengers in port!

I think it would depend on the situation. In this instance, I just didn’t feel Ike dealing with complaining and then waiting for a new dish. It’s not really a kid friendly restaurant. I do know that they will make pasta with butter for kids if it is asked for. There are lots of options that are a better fit for families with kids on the island. We did start taking our niece and nephew there when they were in the 10-12 age range, but they looked at all the menus in advance and were able to find things that they wanted to try. I know it’s tough for people with ultra picky kids. We are now on St. Thomas. The seafood festival did not happen for us. It was supposed to start at 11, but they were still setting up at that time. We checked back an hour later, but it still was not going. Island time is a real thing! Unfortunately, we had a ferry to catch. Maybe next year. Here is our new view Our accommodation has a full kitchen. I am only planning on making breakfast in the condo, but they left a list of cooking equipment and spices you can request if you need them. There are grills to use also. We went to the Elysium resort next door for dinner at Caribbean Fish Market. Our table was not ready, so they sent us to the bar (and then forgot they sent us there…island time strikes again). I had the rose sparkling mocktail, which smelled good but tasted thin. This is a common mocktail problem that I am still trying to adjust to years after giving up alcohol! It might be a me problem. Husband had a gin and tonic. The dinner menu had lots of things that sounded worth trying. We opted to split the calamari. Not local, but fried calamari is hard to resist. I got the wahoo. It was delicious. I would have liked a little more wasabi sauce. It was a huge portion. I only ate a couple bites of the noodles. Husband got the stuffed lobster and it was massive. He did not even touch the potatoes or asparagus that came with it. Dessert We split the key lime pie. It did not taste of lime at all! The sorbet on it was excellent though and the whole thing worked somehow. It just didn’t taste like key lime pie. 😂 On the way out of dinner, we noticed this beached sailboat that we somehow missed on the way in. This is the second beached sailboat we have seen, and we have only been to three beaches! Strange.

The dry side, apparently. We have a running joke that it’s always raining on St. Thomas. There’s definitely a dry side of St. John so I guess it makes sense that there’s on one St. Thomas too. We spent the day at Trunk Bay. This time of year is peak visiting season, and every year it gets more crowded. Lots of people today We walked all the way to the end, where there were only about four other people, and no one in the water. We did not snorkel, but just swam for a few hours. My Apple watch measured the water temperature at 78-79 degrees. When we got back to the Westin I took a picture of the swimming area And then we headed in to town for dinner at La Tapa. Menu, basically the same as always Husband’s spicy blood orange margarita. This did not look like a blood orange drink to me. He was not a big fan. he had the smoked salmon bruschetta for a starter, which he enjoyed I had a special of cauliflower soup. It was really nice We both had fish entrees. My tuna looked pretty but was so salty I could not really eat it, and I love salt. Husband tried some and he agreed. Husband had the mahi mahi, which was bland. Maybe his taste buds got blasted by my salty tuna haha We decided to cut our losses and skip dessert. I guess it was an off night.

We are back in the VI. This trip is kind of different because it is a resort visit, and we are going to spend most of it on St. Thomas. We got what is essentially a free stay over there, so figured why not. For today and tomorrow, we are on St. John. We saved enough money on airfare by flying a connecting itinerary on a Thursday rather than a non stop on a Saturday to add on two nights at the Westin. The flight from Boston to San Juan was delayed, and then heavily turbulent for part of it, which was not great. We then had to run to catch our little Cessna to St. Thomas. We made it, our bags did not, but they brought them over on the next flight a few hours later, so it was fine. Here’s our trusty pilot And a view of Culebra on the way over We got to St. John late because of the bag delay, so just noshed on snacks in our condo and went to bed. Here’s the view from our condo. It’s not great, but we are leaving tomorrow so I don’t care. Breakfast menu Husband had an omelet And I had huevos rancheros We did a quick walk on the resort beach after breakfast. It’s probably the worst beach on St. John. The beach is man made, and there are many live aboard boats offshore. There is a roped off swimming area, but I would not go in the water here. This beached sailboat at the end of the bay looks like it has been there for a while We are having dinner tonight at old favorite La Tapa, and then tomorrow we are going to the Love City Seafood Festival before heading to St. Thomas for a week. I think the last time we stayed on St. Thomas was 2006, so it should be interesting.

Flour bakery's recipe for fluffy baked eggs on a sandwich with chipotle aioli, bacon, and arugula. Some fries baked in the bacon fat in the background.

Chicken satay with peanut sauce, coconut rice, and a cucumber salad

Spinach risotto two ways. Sister and I had ours topped with roasted mushrooms Niece, nephew and husband had theirs topped with sear roasted cowboy ribeye steak

Crunchy haddock with mango salsa and curried rice with carrots and raisins in it.

Linguini with clams

Thai red curry with vegetables: carrots, broccolini, green beans, bell peppers, spinach....basically everything I could find in my crisper drawer.

That looks so good. I have been craving fish chowder. I don't like the thick flour filled ones, and yours looks like just the right texture. Some recent dinners. Saturday was clean out the fridge stir fry with chicken, peppers, baby bok choy, etc. Saturday was build your own pasta night. Nephew had bolognese, niece had pumpkin, and my husband, sister and I had this roasted mushroom and arugula kind Yesterday was shawarma, using a new-to-us recipe for the chicken that had fresh mint, oregano, and sumac in the marinade with the lemon and garlic instead of the usual cumin, cayenne and cinnamon in our regular recipe.

Last night I made a recipe from the latest Milk Street magazine for Korean chicken and vegetable stew (dakdoritang). I am still trying to stay ahead of the glut of root vegetables I am getting from my CSA, and this recipe called for a decent amount of carrots (plus I added a couple extra ones). We all really enjoyed it. I still have a ton of carrots (and parsnips) though.

I am so glad to see that you decided to get back on the road again, and look forward to following along on your adventures. Your new rig is very impressive looking!

Tinga tacos. Tasty, but very messy. We use white cloth napkins to cut down on paper waste, and were joking that we need to buy red or orange napkins just for taco night. The napkins we have designated for use on taco night have permanent orange stains on them despite my best efforts in the laundry room.

Yes, the drawers are deep. If I could reach all seven of the shelves with ease it would be the perfect spice storage system. As it is, I still have a few spice stashes elsewhere--the baking stuff and double jars in the spare kitchen, and then a box of blended spice rubs that we mostly use for grilling in another location in the main kitchen.

A couple of recents. Corn chowder, using up some of the last of the summer's corn from the freezer Roasted chicken that was slathered with a mix of lemon curd, garlic, lots of red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper. Served with assorted roasted root vegetables that cooked in the same pan and mashed potatoes

Sorry, I just saw this now. I think my notifications are messed up. I store my spices in a tall cabinet next to my refrigerator. Here's what it looks like inside. The four bottom shelves are the spices. I cannot reach the tallest upper shelf, so I keep boxed stock up there when I have any in the house (not right now, as you can see). I have a gripper on a pole that I use to access that shelf. The other fixed shelves hold the bags of overflow spices that I use to keep the jars on the lower shelves full. The lowest upper shelf has a pullout tray affixed to the shelf. I just use a lightweight basket on the middle shelf, because I need to bring the whole basket down to be able to see what's inside (short people problems). The lower shelves all roll out and the jars are labeled on top and generally alphabetized so I can just look down and find what I need I don't bake very often, so the baking spices are all over in the second kitchen, in the spot where I stored all the spices during the renovation back in 2018.

Monday, chicken shawarma Tuesday, ziti with creamy broccoli sauce

Thanks, we made it. We connected in Charlotte and were the last Boston bound flight to get out, all the later ones were already cancelled when we arrived. The standby list for our flight was huge. The flight itself was basically fine. There was no cabin service and they asked us to keep our seatbelts on for the whole flight. It was a little bumpy at times, but not too bad. I have certainly been on bumpier flights. We really liked Little Exuma and will definitely return. There’s a lot of the island to still explore on a future visit.

The water is 72, which is not warm enough for me to swim comfortably. Hence all the beach walks. I brought a wetsuit and did get in a few times. The beaches are very sandy and it is safe to swim. The rocks are only on the sides. I just like the way they look so take lots of pictures of them. It was delicious! Very spicy, very lime-y. Today was more of the same. Breakfast at the house More beach walking on beaches you have already seen too many pictures of. Husband wanted to go back to Blu on the Water, so of course we did. Coconut shrimp appetizer. It was not sweet, which I appreciated. Husband had the grilled lobster and I had the seafood pasta We passed on dessert. One last beach walk Our airline has waivers in place for tomorrow and Sunday, but we are going to try and get home ahead of the storm. There are three more storms behind this one, and if our flights are on time, we should get in before it arrives. If we stay I think we would be stuck for an entire extra week. Fingers crossed. If you see me on the dinner thread on Sunday you will know I made it 😀

Today was very chill. We really are not doing too much this visit, just relaxing Breakfast, basically the same as yesterday Beach walking, same as yesterday We did have to venture back to town today to buy ice. One disadvantage to staying on Little Exuma is that there are no stores. At all. So if you need anything you have to drive back to Georgetown. (A one lane bridge connects Little Exuma to the main island—you have to stop and make sure no one is coming the other way before driving on to it). All we needed was ice, so to make something more of a 40 minute trip each way, we decided to stop by Sonia’s, a well regarded local food stand, and get some takeout. The menu Sonia's stand We ordered the conch salad, the chicken wings (husband wanted, I don’t like them), and the sautéed shrimp. It’s all made to order, but we thought to bring a cooler for the ice, so husband went and bought that after we ordered. I think the food took about 40 minutes to come out. Conch salad (it was almost a quart, we could not eat it all) spicy wings sauteed shrimp, which came with seasoned rice, sweet potatoes, and slaw And a post dinner walk on two deserted beaches as well. We are supposed to fly home Saturday, but we will see if Mother Nature decides to keep us here for a few days longer…

I think term “cracked” refers to the fact that the conch is sliced and pounded to make it somewhat tender, then deep fried. At least, that’s my understanding! This version was topped with stewed onions. It was just OK to be honest. The tartar sauce was too sweet and the conch was a bit greasy. The shrimp was the best dish. Breakfast was a slice of the coconut bread I picked up yesterday, with yogurt, fruit, and iced coffee Then it was beach walking time for me. When we got hungry, we decided to drive over to Tropic Breeze, another casual place pretty close to the house The view from our table It was very windy today and some sargassum came up on their beach The menu was very small, and I forgot to take a picture of it. We just ordered what the server recommended anyway. Margarita for husband Fried lobster chunks. I actually ate some of this and enjoyed it. I guess I don’t dislike lobster anymore haha Husband’s surf and turf burger, topped with lobster, served with garlic fries and fried grouper with plantains and rice for me. The portion was huge and it was really good, so I brought half of this home to possibly eat tomorrow We got home in time to get in two laps up and down “our” beach under the stars before it got too dark. I think I need to find something not fried for dinner tomorrow 😀

Breakfast at the house. Not too exciting. Those are vegan “eggs” I brought from home. Basically they are mung beans soaked and pulverized with spices and stuff. I like regular eggs too but these are pretty tasty for what they are. A yellow crowned night heron was hanging out on the beach in front of the house all day Went walking on three different beaches today, all beautiful, all deserted We drove down the road for an early dinner at Santanna’s Bar and Grill Very casual The menu Shrimp app Cracked conch Grouper Husband’s margarita I also went to Mommy’s Bakery next door to see what was on offer, and picked up a loaf of coconut bread for breakfast. We got back to the house in time for a beach walk before sunset

Today was pretty lazy. We went into town (about a 40 minute drive each way) to buy some fruit and pick up a couple of bottles of wine for my husband. The lady at the wine shop randomly announced she was giving him a 50% discount. Not sure why, but he’ ll take it. The prices for wine are about the same as at home. The grocery prices are not that much more than home too, maybe $1-2 more per item, which isn’t too bad. There is a 10% VAT on top of all purchases. The rest of my afternoon was spent alternating between sitting on the house deck and walking on the beach. (I dipped my foot in the pool, but am not sure if I am going to end up swimming in it. I am a wimp when it comes to water temps) We went to dinner at Blu on the Water, one of the closest restaurants to our house. Probably a 15 minute drive. We were seated in a screened porch area, so the photos of the view did not come out, but it’s on a cliff above the water, and very lovely. Here’s the menu Husband had a margarita, and I had club soda with lime We shared the seafood fritters to start. There was not a ton of seafood in them, but the batter had a nice flavor, and I did get one big chunk of conch. Husband had the seafood risotto, which he enjoyed very much. It had lobster, grouper, and shrimp. And I had the grilled grouper. They brought out some of their jerk sauce on the side for me to try And then we shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert