Susan in FL

That omelette does look heavenly. I haven't been posting on this thread since I haven't had many remarkable breakfasts for quite some time. On the few occasions I have eaten breakfast, it's been part of my new year's resolve, healthly ones like high fiber heart healthy cold cereal with skim milk. Not bad, but not too exciting for posting, either... Yesterday we had a remarkable brunch at a local restaurant -- remarkably bad. It was a buffet with mediocre breakfast food, no variety, and poor service for the drinks. The best part was when we left there and went to another place with an outdoor bar, where we had an excellent Bloody Mary, garnished with a lunch on sticks.

Did you catch the recipe for his Brooksie's Seafood Gumbo on the first page? I'm pretty sure there are other Mayhaw Man Gumbo recipes around eG somewhere... I will edit if I find any of them.

This is a fun topic!

Thanks, All. I feel better now.

...All that etouffee for the four of us, and there weren't enough leftovers to fill a pint container! Speaking of leftovers, what a great idea for chili. Thanks!

Good morning! We got down to 31, but no damage done. We're much like you with our exposures and proximity to the beach. I didn't cover any fruit trees, cabbage or pepper plants, or herbs, and they are all just fine. No freeze expected tonight, and 70's will be back by Wednesday.

I keep intending to toss leftover roasted cauliflower with pasta, but I've never had any left over! I'll have to try roasting two heads.

Smoked fish spread on Triscuits, left over from last night's dinner [recipe in post]. Last night when we had it as an appetizer, I said I liked it so much I could make a meal out of it. Tonight I did.

Ahhh, Beef O'Brady's Buffalo wings are my favorite in this area. Russ says they are second only to mine. What fun it is to be familiar with some of the places in an eG blog! Do you have a freeze warning tonight? We do. This afternoon it was beautiful, and pleasant enough to go to an outdoor bar for a Bloody Mary... Then this tonight. We covered our tomato plants, flowering plants, and some of the little palm trees.

We went out for a big brunch today, so we didn't want much dinner. We had leftovers from last night, chopped salad and this smoked fish spread.

Linda, glad to have you here. Please do post again when you have your gumbo or etouffee dinner... or when you are in your planning stages, as I did. This thread really has been helpful to me. It even provided conversation for dinner when we were discussing the differences in the dishes, which was the subject of this topic to begin with. I feel for you all up there. It was a beautiful day here -- we even had a drink after brunch at an outdoor bar -- but we have a freeze warning for tonight. It might get below 32 for 4 to 6 hours. We had to cover our tomato plants, flowering plants, and the more fragile palm trees.<--- I just love saying that.

Anna, that looks great. You cooked the pork to the perfect doneness! We have been disappointed in the flavor of pork tenderloin the past couple of times we've fixed it. Did you get it from a supermarket or a butcher shop?

It does look good and what a beautiful presentation. I'll direct you here to read about our Shrimp Etouffee dinner last night. I described it there, after all the help and support I got on that thread.

I wish this movie would show up in our area. I don't go often, but I've been on the lookout for this one. I hope I didn't miss it. Does anyone know... is it still playing in theatres?

Success! My mother-in-law was thrilled with her Shrimp Etouffee dinner. Everyone enjoyed it. I was pleased with how all the food turned out. It was Brook's recipe for Bess's Etouffee. The only modifications were three pounds of shrimp instead of two, and the addition of parsley, thyme, and one small tomato seeded and diced. It had barely a tiny hint of tomato, just right. French rolls and a big chopped salad were served with it. It was garnished with chopped scallions, and hot sauces and file were at the table. I used Jasmine rice. To nibble during the afternoon before dinner I made a smoked fish spread which was real tasty, for Triscuits, and a black bean and corn and stuff salsa for tortilla chips. Before and during dinner we had sparkling wine, Beaujolais-Villages, and beer. I made it easy on myself for dessert and offered store-bought Key lime pie, pecan pie, and cream puffs, and we drank coffee, Strega, and Just Desserts Original Chocolate Chip Cookie Cream Liqueur. I thought the foods before were good selections to precede this dinner, the smoked fish spread/dip especially. It is so easy and how it turns out depends on the quality of the smoked fish. This time it was smoked blue marlin. One of my seafood market guys smokes it and this was exceptionally good: About 10 ounces smoked fish 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves About 3 tablespoons bottled horseradish I must put in a plug for my mother-in-law. She is 83, and she is just so cool. Not that we are any spring chickens, but she can keep up with us, whatever we do together, if not out last us. It's a pleasure to be with her, and I'm glad she became a snowbird. (So is she with the weather that is up north right now!)

At my first wedding, back in the day when spending over $250.00 on the gown was considered extravagant and only those rehearsing were invited to the rehearsal dinner, our reception was a party with finger foods, an open bar, and a band. I was so disappointed not to eat, being too busy mingling. I had so carefully selected all the food from a caterer. I remember thinking at the time, if I do this again, I will eat. So the second time around, 20+ years ago, it was only 25 to 30 people, close friends and family... we had a big ol' Delmarva-style crab and beer feast.

Oh... Yum.

Well put!! I am enjoying this, too, and looking forward to the whole week. It's great getting a glimpse of Florida life on the "other coast." Diana, the Brancott Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite white wines that are readily available here. Blog on!

Definitely most delicious so far today was the coffee. We were out for the past two days and each of us kept forgetting to buy it. The tea I like to drink in the afternoon does not do the trick in the morning.

Thank you for the overview on the difference between gumbo and etouffee. The saga about my struggle with the recipe decision is over. I went shopping today, and included on my list was a can of cream of mushroom soup! I decided to make authentic Mayhaw Man etouffee tomorrow. In seriousness, no matter how much fun I've made on the subject of using canned cream-of soups, if it makes the dish taste good, that's what's important. However, I couldn't help but think of you Brooks when I was getting ready to grab it off the shelf and looked around to see if there was anyone I know within sight.

Excellent, all is well in the world again. Now back to cooking people!! ← Agreed. Appreciation for your apology, Flapjack. Tonight we had happy hours, with unremarkable food.

Thank you, Phifly! Carol Field is certainly a trusted authority on Italian food. I love many of her recipes. However, I'm sure you agree... It's not a point worth arguing with Sadistic.

So far today it was Lurpak butter and thyme honey between two slices of toast.

I prefer carnaroli to arborio, also, and have read it's preferred by many Italians. I can't remember the sources of that, but will look. I make all kinds of risottos and try different recipes -- sometimes use cream, sometimes don't, sometimes Parm-Reg, sometimes don't. To ask me my favorite would be one of those "which of your children do you love the most" questions. But one of my favorites is definitely Alberto Donna's recipe for white truffle risotto. I've had it at Galileo a few times, and we made it at home on the rare occasions when we were fortunate enough to afford a white truffle.

I wondered if the Floridian described in Soba's teaser was you! Glad to see you are blogging from our dream-come-true state. I'm looking forward to it.