Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound, Florida (Jupiter)
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ~ I Peter 5:8
We’re considering heading to Home Depot or the marine supply store to purchase supplies to convert our home into a house boat. It’s rained for the past two days, and cooler and overcast for several more. Makes us wonder if Florida really is the Sunshine State. 😊
But after today, it’s supposed to be really nice and sunny weather!
We stayed in until we left for Sandy and Eric’s about 2pm this afternoon. Poor Blaine was in desperate need of a walk and fresh air, but every time he got set to leave, it would start raining. Then it’d clear up, he’d get ready, and it would rain . . . and not just rain, but wind that blew that rain almost sideways. Finally he decided to just put on his raincoat and walk in the rain. I decided to stay inside, and dry.
We prepared dinner for everyone again tonight – Cuban pork and potatoes and I gave the Columbia 1905 salad we had in St. Augustine a whirl. It turned out excellent! With one notable exception. For some reason, I believed I needed a pound of ham. Turned out, the recipe only called for 1/2 cup. Who can fathom how my brain works! But those who were assembling it caught my mistake. Now we have a bunch of julienned pieces of ham leftover. 😊 No one thought to take pictures, but the recipes follow.
After dinner, we played a late-night game of golf.
It’s a card game they taught us, although it seemed vaguely familiar, so we think our friends Brad and Jeannine may have taught it to us once upon a time, just maybe with a different name? The object is to get the lowest score, hence the name. It was fun and required more luck than skill, so it’s perfect for playing while you socialize. And we did. And we laughed a lot! And we learned that although Eric was keeping score, Jessica is a math whiz!
Sandy creamed us all with barely any score at all. I personally think Jessica was feeding her the cards she needed just so she could worm her way into Sandy’s good graces. Does that sound like sour grapes to you? Maybe just a little. Haha! Blaine and I had astronomical scores compared to the others. Better luck next time. 😊
Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork Tenderloin:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons McCormick Gourmet™ Cuban Seasoning
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
I can never find the Cuban seasoning, but the person who shared the pork recipe was gracious enough to include a homemade version which is what I use. We prefer using a little less salt.
Makes 1 1/4 cup of mix:
4 tablespoons of kosher salt
6 tablespoons of granulated garlic
2 tablespoons oregano
4 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons dried lime zest
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Mix thoroughly.
Store in a lidded container for up to six months.
Cuban Crushed Potatoes:
12-16 new potatoes, unpeeled (or substitute canned ones)
4 strips bacon, chopped and crisped
1 C. green pepper, chopped
2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. black pepper (to taste)
1 ½ t. cumin
¾ C. green onion, chopped
½ C. sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
½ C. Monterrey Jack cheese (shredded)
If using raw potatoes, boil 15-20 minutes or until they’re fork tender. Drain. Meanwhile, crisp the bacon and remove the bacon, but not the oil. Add the green pepper and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute.
Lightly grease a baking sheet (a flat pan with raised edges). Arrange the cooked potatoes on the pan. Spray the bottom of a coffee cup or glass with Pam, and use it to smash the potatoes until they’re crushed and flattened in a thin layer. Crush – don’t mash. “They should look like you dropped them on the floor, NOT like you ran over them with your SUV!”
Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings to taste. Top with green pepper, onion and bacon. Evenly spread the cheese over the top.
Place under the broiler at the low setting. Heat until potatoes are re-heated and the cheese melts, or you can heat them up in the oven.Columbia Restaurant Recipe (straight from their website)
“One Of America’s Top 10 Best Salads” – USA Today
In the 1970s, this flavorful salad was the
Columbia’s answer to the ubiquitous salad bar. Created by waiter Tony Noriega
in the 1940s, it was adapted by the Columbia, eventually phasing out the use of
black olives and celery.
The Columbia kitchen designed a new dressing
that features Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and Parmesan cheese. [When the
president of Lea and Perrins heard that the Columbia was his biggest customer,
he investigated and ate a “1905” Salad®. He soon discovered the
salad’s delights for himself.]
Salad Ingredients
4 cups iceberg lettuce, broken into 1 ½” × 1 ½” pieces
1 ripe tomato, cut into eighths
½ cup baked ham, julienned 2″ × ⅛”
(may substitute turkey or shrimp)
½ cup Swiss cheese, julienne 2″ × ⅛”
½ cup pimiento-stuffed green Spanish olives
“1905” Dressing (see recipe below)
¼ cup Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins Worcestershire
Sauce®
1 lemon
Salad Preparation
Combine lettuce, tomato, ham, Swiss cheese and olives in a large salad
bowl. Before serving, add “1905” Dressing, Romano cheese, Worcestershire and
the juice of 1 lemon. Toss well and serve immediately. Makes 2 full salads or 4
side salads.
“1905” Dressing Ingredients
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
⅛ cup white wine vinegar (or substitute rice
vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad Dressing Preparation
Mix olive oil, garlic and oregano in a bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in vinegar, gradually beating to form an emulsion, and then season with salt and pepper. For best results, prepare 1 to 2 days in advance and refrigerate.