Road Trippin'

I got back from a visit to Florida a couple weeks ago. I have a bunch of family trickled down that way, so I tagged along with some of my craziest most beloved and entertaining cousins, and we had a blast. After a train ride to DC and a 13-hour bout in the car, we arrived in paradise, aka Port Orange. If only I could wake up and start every day with a run on the beach instead of the treadmill. And then casually have an ocean-side lunch. Perhaps a bit of surfing to follow. I would seriously consider moving there if I could, but I can't, and I'll explain why later.

Of course, the food was awesome. We tried a few Mexican spots (Tia Cori's-$1.50 tacos!), got our fill of gator, and did a little bar hopping. One place that had us coming back was Our Deck Down Under, where you can't tell who works there and who's just a regular because everyone is friends with everyone. The clam strips seem to be their claim to fame, but everything we tried was right on the money. The seafood was all very fresh and cooked by someone who knows a thing or two. The variety of sides (Hush puppies, anyone? Slaw?) and portion sizes definitely made you feel like you got your money's worth. And dessert--I have a love for Key Lime Pie, and they didn't have to do much arm-twisting to get me to try theirs. The thing I love about it is the tartness. Any dessert is sweet, but the fresh key lime juice is what makes this kind of pie stand out, and in my opinion, it needs to be loud and abundant. They served the pie very chilled, which was a refreshing surprise, I just would have liked a little more of that coveted lime juice in their version. But in all honesty, what do I know, I'm just from New Jersey.

Fried oysters, blackened scallops and hush puppies

We had a great time catching up and enjoying the surroundings. I even got offered a shoulder to sleep on during the plane ride home. Could be creepy, but I thought of it as a kind gesture (then fought to stay awake the rest of the flight). This post would have been more appropriate posted a week or so ago, but a few cool changes have come about recently and have temporarily sucked my attention away.

Cool Change #1: I'm now a contributor on HonestCooking.com, an online food magazine. I'll be writing about and sharing recipes (mainly desserts) all happily paired with a beer. Be sure to stop over there, even if you're not interested at all in more of my nonsense work. They've got a lot of new and useful info!

Cool Change #2: I'm moving to England! It's been real, America. You will always have my heart, but I gotta set sails and check out somewhere new for a while. I'll be in Manchester working through the church. I couldn't be more excited to give up everything I know to serve God in a new setting. I won't head out until September, which is good because I'm not sure how to pack everything and I think it'll take me that long to figure out. 

I hope you have some cool things going on too. If not, the weather has been pretty amazing lately. Though I really hope you have more to look forward to than the weather. Have a wonderful day!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.