Owners of Focaccia Sandwich & Bakery in Sarasota, FL.
Tom and I love food! So when we heard Chef Nick was catering private dinner parties at his restaurant we jumped at the chance! Nick doesn’t mess around! He and Danielle us high-quality ingredients and both have genuine love for food. It was a pleasure to have them host us.
The dinner menu was curated to perfection, the ambiance was lovely with gentle candlelight. This food was like nothing Sarasota has to offer at this time. Course after course, we were all blown away! If you have a special occasion coming up or just want a unique night out with friends I highly recommend a night at Focaccia Sandwich & Bakery.
I’ve had sleepless nights over our backsplash. What tile, what goes with the countertop I don’t love, but not replacing? Then it hit me I wanted a concrete look. So we went with micro-cement.
We used www.epodex.com and the best part was we applied the cement directly to the current tile backsplash!
It took us 4 days to complete which may seem long but life got in the way and we certainly wanted it to dry properly between coats (2 coats for us).
It’s warm, has texture, and is not overwhelming for a space.
2 cups whole milk, 3/4 heavy cream, 1/4 sugar (could substitute with maple syrup), and 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Bring that to a simmer (do not overheat the milk).
In the meantime add 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to blender. Pour warm milk mixture over chocolate chips and blend for a few seconds. when it looks nicely blended pour into molds and freeze overnight.
A little treat to welcome our guests at Four Palms. For my sister’s visit, I went a little kitschy with some quintessential items from our local surf shop. Florida Orange Bubble Gum in the mini carton (takes us back to our childhood vacationing in Melbourne Beach, FL), a Siesta Key koozie for those cold beverages, hydrating water, and animal crackers as a homage to Sarasota’s rich circus history.
We returned from Summer Vacation with a little souvenir! Let us call it a BIG surprise…shocking! Four Palms is getting a 5th palm, baby boy is arriving in Spring 2024. I’m not going to lie when I say Tom and I were happy and content with our two girls and had no plans of adding to our family, but the Universe had other plans. After 2 months of horrible morning sickness and anxiety, I have faith that everything will be OK.
With the new addition comes new challenges with our current space. Moving is non-negotiable as we love our neighborhood. Adding space is the only logical way forward. Tom works from home so a dedicated office is a must, along with a 4th bedroom. we’re in the very beginning phases of this new design adventure and I can’t wait to bring you along with us!
With our life-changing news of baby #3, we decided to stay home this Christmas just the 4 of us and enjoy a quiet time together. The house was cozy, and we ate a lot! I baked for weeks leading up to the big day mostly cookies (and I’m by no means a baker) total sugar cravings! The kids have enjoyed my slight sugar addiction, especially frozen cocoa!
We visited some of our favorite spots like Palma Coffee, Florence & the Spice Boys, and Wild Child (St. Pete) over break. Along with trying some new places like Tzeva located in Art Ovation and PigFish at Calusa Brewing their Fish Sandwich only served on Wednesday was out of this world paired with a side of malt vinegar and sea salt potatoes! If you follow me on Instagram you know my love for food and lots of stories of it!
So all in all though Christmas Vacation in Florida looked very different than our loud, crazy days back in NJ we made the best of this year and Facetime helps!
My mom always made candy cane cookies, can’t break tradition!
It’s called Vacationland for good reason! We go to unwind, take it easy, explore, read, paddle, swim, spend time with family, sea glass, and shell hunt. It’s simple, lacks frills and we wouldn’t have it any other way. The local island farmers market every Wednesday is our big day out, with fresh bread, cheeses, meat, and a few treats it sure does beat supermarket shopping! Our lobster is ordered fresh and picked up directly at the boat. My Uncle Mikey makes his famous island pizza every year. I’m not sure how he turns out 8 gourmet pies all with different topping all made from scratch, but he’s damn good at it! We sure do eat and drink well!
Tom and I are very fortunate to give our girls this life experience. It’s important for my girls to have the spirit and desire to explore, be one with nature! Get a scratch, and laugh with their cousins. Make memories!
Living our best life on island time!
Missing many key members, who will return to the island next year!
Welcome to your new home at Four Palms! Tom and I have always dreamed of owning a vintage car so when the opportunity presented itself we went for it! Coco is a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL. We found her in NJ and had her shipped down, looking forward to getting her road ready. Side note, we name all our cars…Coco joins Pepper and Manchego.
Simple and easy is how I roll especially when it comes to last-minute entertaining. Bonus this recipe is packed with flavor!
What you’ll need: classic hummus, cherry tomatoes, garlic, dill, cilantro, parsley, a lemon, salt, olive oil, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and gluten-free crackers (any delicious cracker will work).
I used premade organic classic hummus as the base (large container if serving a crowd).
First, cut your cherry tomatoes in half and place them on a roasting sheet with peeled garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast until tomatoes look slightly deflated with a nice golden stickiness to them. Have your hummus in a shallow bowl or plate smoothed out to about an inch of thickness? Place your tomatoes and garlic over top (if garlic isn’t your thing you can of course omit it). Have your herbs all finely chopped and sprinkle all that goodness over top. Squeeze 1//2 lemon and a little bit more salt (I love and use Crucial Four). Boom!
There was no option, but to transform this fireplace in time for the holiday and our 1st Christmas at Four Palms! My sister and her crew are visiting for the 1st time this December and not to mention Santa needs a beautiful fireplace to come down! My lovely husband worked his magic as I dictated what I envisioned. So here it is! I’m overall very happy with it. What do you think?
Fun fact, the previous marble mantel weighed 4,000 lbs when weighed by the recycling center.
My mom started making these Mushroom Crustades in the 90s and after she passed I carried on the tradition.
What’s so great about these tasty little bites is you can make them ahead and freeze.
I start with the cups.
You’ll need 24 slices of Very Thin Pepperidge Farm white bread, crust cut and rolled thin. Then cut each piece into fours, set aside.
Mushroom Filling:
4 Tablespoons Butter
3 green onions well chopped
8 oz chopped white mushrooms (I use food processor on “chop” setting for a few pulses)
2 tablespoons flour
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
Chives for garnish
Preheat Oven 350
Chop mushrooms super fine of use food process (only a few pulses)
Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and finely chopped green onion cook for 4-5 minutes (keep stirring don’t burn them). Add mushrooms and cook until water from shrooms has cooked off about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add flour, once combined return to heat and add heavy cream. Heat to boiling while stirring the entire time. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
While the mixture is cooling in the skillet I bake the cups. You’ll need a small muffin tray(s) for this. To make life easier I now spray the tins with avocado oil, press squares into each cup, and back until the edges are golden.
Once all cups are baked transfer all cups to a baking sheet and fill each with mushroom mixture. I then place the sheet in the freezer for 10 – 20 minutes. Once frozen store in containers or plastic zip bags until you’re ready to serve.
This will take some getting used to! Today’s October temperature is 85 degrees! Gone are the days of cozy Fall sweaters at least for me. So how does one add Fall Fashion to your wardrobe in warm/hot climates? I have a few thoughts. Tank tops are still a must and high-waisted jeans are a current favorite of mine. I paired this look with some awesome camel-colored clogs I found at Anthropologie. The jeans were on clearance at Target for $20! Matched the clogs to a vintage belt that was my mom’s and out the door I went for a Pumpkin Picnic with my Maisie!
There’s really no fuss here…a simple trip to the grocery store this time of year you’ll find gourds, small pumpkins, eucalyptus, or magnolia. I like that this tablescape is low profile so you can see your guests as you dine. I broke out vintage dishes because if you’ve got em flaunt em! Fill in with unscented cream candles and there you have it!
Though the weather is still hot hot hot here in Sarasota, the need for some Fall decor is a must no matter the climate! My favorite may be the warm twinkling littles at night in both The Lounge and Living Room. The girls love the bats!
Yes, please to cheese! The Artisan Cheese Company in the Rosemary District.is a great little spot. I recommend pairing your board with a crisp Rose or Sauvignon Blanc. I’d say it’s the perfect little spot for a lunch date.
One of my favorite places in Sarasota is Selby Gardens. It’s pure magic! When we have visitors The Selby is always on the list of “must sees” and now that they have The Green Orchid by Micheal’s on East you can indulge in a beautiful lunch after a morning of strolling the gardens. One thing you must understand is thereis nothing mundane about these gardens. My husband and kids love a visit! Side note, if you live in Sarasota, Lights in Bloom at Christmas time is unreal (I’ll do a follow-up post on that magic). So take my word for it and make it a point to visit this very special place.
Now to nerd out a bit…The Green Orchid by Michael’s on East is the world’s first net-positive energy restaurant. In addition, the restaurant uses organic produce from the rooftop garden as ingredients in their drinks and dishes…dreamy!
With Baby Bowden due any moment it was important for us to celebrate our Hadley turning 10 without going overboard. We kept it sweet and pretty. Flowers, finger foods, and fun! Sometimes ya just gotta keep it simple for your own sanity!
It’s the little things, a quiet morning with a cup of coffee. Tom is at dropoff with the girls and I get a moment at the house all to myself! Soon Baby “B” will be here and life will look a whole lot different. Breathe.
Long story short we had to tear up the flooring in 1/2 the house due to a horrible install so we did a little revamp of the girl’s room. New porcelain tile, fresh paint, and dismantled the bunks! I repurposed the top bunks and wallpapered the foot and headboards. I think the end result is adorable! Fresh and clean!
