Susan in FL

Good Morning! ...What a way to start a day, and what a day to start a foodblog. Today is very meaningful here at Casa del Burgess in sunny Florida. Though the timing of this blog happened by chance, I am happy to be sharing the day and the coming week with you. It is a date I treasure, perhaps even more than any holiday or my birthday. It is the anniversary of moving to Florida. Four years ago was settlement on the purchase of our Florida home and move-in day. It was the night of our first dinner here. Today is also Russ’s birthday! I’m an avid walker-slash-runner, and even though I don’t enjoy getting up before dark to do so, on some of my days off I take my walk in the morning at the beach to watch the sun rise. When I do, I don’t even drink coffee before I go. I save that for when I come back. Today's walk was short; I was eager to get home, to continue celebrating and start foodblogging. I love the state of Florida as much as I love the world of food. Welcome to this week’s foodblog and the celebrations: a birthday, an anniversary, a wine festival, a picnic, and more...

No offense to anybody associated with the show, but I thought it was pretty bad.

I'm in the market for a new digital SLR camera. Does anyone have the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, or know someone who does? I would love to hear about this camera from someone who takes food photos before I make a final decision.

Thanks for the tip, Robyn. I ordered it.

Thanks for the feedback on that software. ...Good enough for me! If we crash, at least we'll all go down together.

One of the best things about the weekends on eG is the posts on this breakfast thread. It all looks good. Megan, great food photo of the bagel! It looks so appetizing.

Has anybody heard of the Zinio software, to know if it's reputable in regard to privacy and security, etc.?

Steak Frites last night... Russ grilled strip steaks and made rosemary and garlic fries. He deep-fried the potatoes twice, letting them drain in a colander after each time, rather than placing them on papertowels. They turned out crispier than ever, and tasted so creamy and good inside, too. I made caramelized onions. I had this idea of "scaled-up cheesesteak on a plate." So my presentation was serving the steak on a bed of onions, topped with a piece of brie which melted on it just enough, and a big crouton propped against it, and fries alongside. Russ opted out of the caramelized onions and brie. He wanted to try the leftovers of our "butter dressing" from the night before, which we had refridgerated, turning it into a compound. I tasted his steak and it was sooooo good with that butter on it -- maybe even better than mine with the brie. Chufi, I was thinking of you when picturing the food... We ate late and it was completely dark by then. It's harder to show what "Dinner!" looks like without that beloved natural sunlight. The photo of Russ's turned out more illustrative than mine, too.

Oh my Megan and Patrick, both look gorgeous and delicious.

I wish I could! They look fabulous! ← You took the words out of my mouth!

It's warm dressing -- or is supposed to be, but by the time I finished shooting pictures it was room temp... white wine vinegar and finely chopped shallots reduced, with heavy cream whisked in and reduced, and finally with pieces of butter (an obscene amount ) whisked in.

Percy, thank you for posting those. Awesome! Last night dinner began at happy hour, in a restaurant named Chops by Martinis which has $1.00 martinis from 5:00 to 6:30! So my appetizer with a Cosmo and another-I-can't-remember-the-name-of-it martini was a small thin-crusted pizza (they called it flatbread on the menu) with lobster, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes, and fontina. Then we came home and I made us shrimp salads with butter dressing. The night before I fixed pasta with melon and prosciutto. The night before that I ate dinner with a friend at Chops by Martinis and had spring rolls, grilled marinated flank steak with an Asian ginger demi-glace & fried rice, and Baked Alaska.

Very fresh Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap... Finding that is an accomplishment in this locale.

I am so glad to know about that book. Thanks for mentioning it. Though many of the patients I work with have swallowing problems or other digestive problems that narrow the choices of tolerable foods, there are a significant number who can eat the variety that this book features. I'll suggest this to caregivers. In her post, Isabelle asked for recipes, so I imagine this book could be just what she is looking for. I'll probably get the book for myself, too. Fortunately I'm a cancer survivor, and I'm interested in tasty immune-boosting recipes. Again referencing my work as a Hospice counselor, I have found that ice cream might be the most popular food among cancer patients. Often it's one of only a few foods they still enjoy. Patients have told me that chemotherapy affected not only their appetite, but their taste buds and so many foods don't taste of anthing to them. I've learned from nurses that in many cases sweet and cold still remains appealling. Besides ice cream, I hear cold fruit requested a lot, and even though it's not high calorie, it might be something that sounds good... especially watermelon.

Just saw this... sorry I missed it yesterday.

Isabelle, I hope you don't mind my asking... and if you do mind, please just don't answer and I'll understand... Is the person undergoing treatment or just comfort measures? I was wondering at what point he/she is in the disease process because it could make a big difference in what kind of food/recipe we suggest besides high-calorie.

I'll let you know when I have it posted in RecipeGullet! Hopefully, that would be tomorrow.

You're welcome, Ann. That Cook-off thread is full of information, in good how-to detail. Your lamb shanks dish might not have the colors of the rainbow, but its goodness shows through and through! I want to reach out and taste it.

Robyn, thanks! I am looking forward to your post about their menu and what you had to eat and drink.

Thank you for the kind words! Most of all what I appreciate is having a place to share the joy of doing what I love, with others who love food as well. Your compliments do motivate me to continue efforts in photograhing food. Thanks, Dinner! thread friends!

So many great ideas here... anybody who visits this thread regularly can never run out of things to cook. Our recent highlights... Today a Panera Bread opened about a mile and a half from our house, and we planned dinner around that. Lots of fun this weekend was the eG Fresh Pasta Cook-off. The night before that we made seared fresh sea scallops with corn and cucumber salsa.

Ellen, is the entire event off, or Rockola's performance?

Good information, Bob. That's a great start for helping us choose. I wasn't expecting this to be an early date for planning New Year's; I am surprised that so many sites have not switched from 2004 yet. I'll keep my eyes open for that change. I like the sounds of the restaurants you linked, especially Rama. Thanks!

Yes. Seriously, most important is that it's good food -- We're not looking for a certain cuisine in particular (although I would be interested in knowing if there is a really good Thai or Vietnamese restaurant, for at least one meal during our stay). Elegant or casual is fine, although not black tie; fancy or not fancy; expense doesn't matter, although I really don't want to pay three or four hundred for a dinner for the two of us. If the food and drink are excellent and the service is good, we will be happy with anything from a brew pub to upscale dining with perhaps a prix fixe. On second thought, not anything requiring too dressy attire. My husband wouldn't be too happy with that. ...And not something too wild. We're in our 50's, and don't want to be in the middle of a bunch of noisy rocking twenty-somethings.

Is Bagna Cauda already in your repertoire? If not, and you're interested in seeing the recipe I use, let me know.