Our Maine Vacation ’23

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!
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Hello Coco!

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.

Date night never looked so good!

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Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Herbs over Hummus

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!

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How it started. How it’s going.

We have a pool!

The process was long and frustrating at times, but we made it through! From signing the contract to completion took roughly 11 months. It’s a straightforward design. We opted for a rectangular shape with a sun shelf at one end and a bench with jets at the other. We had the pebble finish diamond cut for a smooth finish especially nice on the sunshelf…no bathing suit snags! The tile is beautiful blue glass and matches the pool color to perfection. I didn’t want to a tile color or pattern I would regret in time. As for the pavers, they’re shell-tumbled limestone and the best thing about these is they remain cool in the hot Florida heat, they’re amazing! Burning your feet on concrete pavers to get to your pool is no good! Cheers to the completion of our first major project at Four Palms!

Jump in the water’s fine!

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Fireplace Redo! Who doesn’t love a Before & After?

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.

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Mushroom Croustades – Homage to Mary Margaret (mom)

A family favorite with our crew!

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.

CHEERS!

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Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese

Bonus…this appetizer is super easy to make!

Start with pitted dates (I prefer smaller dates over larger ones).

Stuff each date with whipped goat cheese (either whip with a small amount of water in a food processor or by hand)

Once stuffed wrap each with 1/2 piece of bacon and secure shut with a toothpick.

Bake at 350 until the bacon has a nice crunchy bite to it.

I finished with hot honey for a little extra flavor. mikeshothoney.com

Enjoy!

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Fall Fashion in Florida.

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!

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Simple Autumn Tablescape

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!

Happy Dining!

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It’s Fall in Florida and The Lounge at Four Palms is Ready!

This will be our first Fall in Sarasota! To be honest, I’m struggling slightly since the temps are still in the high 80s, non the less I thought I’d get in the spirit with a little decor. Little white pumpkins and gourds are where it’s at! I’m not one for having bins filled with decorations to store every year so the eco-friendly decor is win-win! My girls thought we needed to add some fun so orange lights happened…not my fav color, but it adds warmth to the bar at night while we relax and enjoy the space.

Cheers & Happy Fall!

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