Look at this!!! Look at this pie

 We hosted Isabelle for dinner on Friday evening.  Nice evening - small steak, lobster tail, prosciutto wrapped asparagus and for dessert, of course, Key Lime Pie.  Change of pie from Publix though! We had the pie from the Key Lime Pie which while baked and cheesecakey was still light - like a soufle.  And very lime forward per Isabelle, very tart.  Top marks from all of us.

We spent the evening in the pool just chatting and it was nice.

The next day she sent this pic of a key lime pie.  Look at it!!

I'm not normally a fan of blue food.  But my God this is stunning!

Sundaying the right way!

The day started off with Bill (neighbour), Patrick and I sitting out the front of our house on three adirondack chairs.  Having the chats, and each ignoring a chore that each needed to do. 

For lunch we had chick fil-A...there is not a chick fil-A on the island I hear you say?! Bill and a friend had driven to Miami the day before and brought a whole bunch back with them.  Kindly gave us two.  Mmmm!

It has been so long since I spent some time at the beach and today was the right day to rectify it.  I went to the Southernmost beach and I am delighted to report they have installed a ton of new bike racks in the pocket park at the entrance.  It was a joy to cycle to and park in. And of course the beach was just fab!

Thunderstorms were predicted late afternoon, early evening so we zipped out to check the crab traps around 3pm.  We landed 5! Delighted with that.

And then this evening dinner was steak and cheesy (Israeli) cous cous. Oh and just a small matter of KEY LIME PIE for dessert.

Just a perfect day

You made me forget myself

I thought I was someone else

Someone good

Oh, it's such a perfect day

I'm glad I spent it with you

Oh, such a perfect day

You just keep me hanging on

You just keep me hanging on

You're going to reap just what you sow

You're going to reap just what you sow

You're going to reap just what you sow

You're going to reap just what you sow

Freezing February

 

It's cold.

I've no idea of temperatures etc (going from Celsius to Fahrenheit, I'm totally at a loss), I just know that I am dying with the cold.  And I do not have the right clothes for this weather.  This morning I went to work wearing my work dress over a pair of lounge pants, with a hoody and a fleece.  In work they said I looked like an Eskimo. I said I would take that, better than how Patrick described me while heading off "you look like a crazy female spiderman"...whatever that means lol! 

The good news is that it never really stays cold for long in Key West. And it is the Superbowl this weekend! We have been invited a party which will be fun.  We've been asked to bring dessert so, guess what we will bring?! Key Lime Pie :) The weather is supposed to be lovely (warmer again!) and our friends have a really big house with a really, really big yard and pool etc so it will be a perfectly safe gathering - they are putting a big screen outside so the party will be outside.

We have the best neighbours!

I came home to THIS!  A gift dropped over to us by our lovely neighbours. How unbelievably sweet of them.

Isn't the branding and the box just adorable?! And of course you know how much I love Key Lime Pie!

Yep.  Their branding is just perfect!

Slice to meet you :)

A big key lime pie and oh my gosh chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick, I've always wanted to try that!!

Ummm!  Well excuse me, Mr Two Bars of Chocolate hiding behind the pie on a stick!

So! Tonight we shared the pie on a stick and it was fab! And we had some of the chocolate too.  The pie we are keeping for the weekend and I will be sure to report back how it is...particularly compared to my favourite - the Publix pie!

Key Lime Pie Little v Large

Key Lime Pie. 

I used to be a chocolate dessert person until I moved to Key West.  It was a given, whatever chocolate dessert was on the menu Amy was getting it.  No debate whatsoever.

But then Key Lime Pie came into my life. Sweet, tart, delicious, creamy. biscuity key lime pie. Oh God, be still my beating heart.

So what's a person to do? You see my conundrum right?  No matter how much I try say it's Vitamin C, at the end of the day I can't be eating a big old slice of the pie every day right? 

Well, good news, Publix supermarket has you covered my friend.  I present to you the MINI key lime pie!

The DL: 

> 4 slices per pie

> $5.99 

Compared with the original pie: 

> 8 slices per pie

> $8.99

Yes at $8.99 for 8 slices the bigger one is better value, and I like value (winky face). But what that really translates into is this. You have people over for dinner, you serve the mini pie, everyone oohs and ahs and enjoys pie. End of. You have people over for dinner, you serve the mini pie, everyone oohs and ahs and enjoys pie.  For the next TWO nights, you and your partner eat key lime pie for dessert.  That's fine the first time, the second time too, and the third...but after that...well you live in Key West, I know it pains to admit it but you simply know it's not sustainable. Enter stage left, the Publix mini key lime pie.

Key Lime Pie party!

I really wish I blogged this right after the event as it would really capture the joy I felt with life at that exact moment in time!

Last week I hosted a cute little event in work - a key lime pie get together!

It all started when I realized how many birthdays were occurring in November.  Mine is the 12th, the GM of the hotel is the 22nd.  When I was telling this to Jordan, our food and bev manager, he told me that his birthday was the 23rd.  And that it was his 30th!  Well that was that, I decided on the spot I would do something to mark the occasion.

I started pulling together a list of some of the things  we had to celebrate.  It ended up something like this.

And on the day our table looked like THIS!

It was a really lovely get together.  Nice to have all departments take a little break and socialize together, making a change from us just working (to keep our little hotel going and all our guests happy during their stays with us) alongside each other.

The boss made a nice speech - using my list as a prompt and then talking about the good stuff, and the challenges, we have as a business coming up soon and in the new year.  It was a good inspirational talk as all good leaders do!  Nice one Abe :) And then he made special mention, sniffle, to me and the event I had organized.  Some really really nice words, sniffle sniffle, I'm not really the most emotional person but jeepers I nearly cried that day.  I muttered back something along the lines of "well I love all you guys, ...and I just love this job ...and coming in to work every day" (a) most un-Irish of me...I am bad about talking about how I feel and (b) so so so true.  I do love my job.

Sunday, (things) Doneday

Do you remember the times I could write in full sentences? 

Indeed, in paragraphs even. 

Sigh, good times... :)

Well, the fact of the matter is it is just so hot I have very little time in between dips in the pool to cool down, to get a blog down on paper.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Below is a summary of some of the things I got done yesterday.  Plus some photos to help you through..

First up was a lovely brunch which I blogged about yesterday. Lovely soft, moist, scrambled eggs and Irish cheese, with the most delicious grilled salmon fillet. 

After that nice food we hopped in the car and went off and bought something really exciting!

Snorkel gear!!

So the plan is to use this for snorkeling at the beach - rather than having to hire the gear at $30 a pop we now have our own!  Sure we're practically making money ;) 

Ahahahahhahaa 

...that's something very Irish (and silly) to say lol :)

When we came home we tried out the gear in the swimming pool.  The good news is that it is really really good stuff and works absolutely perfect.  The not so good news is one of us (winky face) needs a few more practice sessions in the pool before getting out in the ocean.  

Clue. It's NOT the person who may just have been a mermaid in HER past life :)

Wow!  How great do these steps/decking look after a freshening up of paint?!

Have I mentioned we are hosting a Canada Day pool party in a week?! We are in preparation mode (food and drink planning) and getting the garden and pool looking good for this.

For dinner we went to Pincher's crab shack.  Not somewhere I'd necessarily choose outright, but I had a gift certificate for it so off we went.  It was very enjoyable in the end...two for one drinks yay, above pictured is the appetizer of cheese and lobster dip, and then lovely crab cakes for the main.  I do love crab cakes it must be said.

And then! At home that evening we finished with a slice of Key Lime pie!!!