Lea’s Suitcase

Here it is boys and girls, i’m typing with one eye open after Lobster Diving all afternoon, sooo tired. Not only did Captain Washie take us out again, we found some other great Caribbean Sealife. I’ll let th pictures do the talking.

Snorkel and Spear Gear

Right Between the Eyes

Almost Drowned Catching 2 At One Time. They Are So Heavy.

3 Conch and a Bunch of Sea Biscuts

Captain Washie Cleaning Out the Conch.

Mad Ups

End of Story

My favorite time of the year is here… Epcot Food and Wine Festival! When was the last time you went to Epcot as an adult? Trust me, it’s way diffrent when you can have some drinks and food from around the world. Although its already started, the festival ends November 8th. When I get back to Orlando, you know I will be posting up there 2-3 times a week… yup, thats how much I love it. Seems like every year, I introduce a friend to Epcot and they get a yearly pass too. We even got to “hang out” with Starship and I danced with Expose. I am a nerd like that… Here are some pics from last year and some more INFO Come to think of it, the best part about the International Festival at Epcot is, I don’t even have to pack a Suitcase

OLE! in Mexico

French Escargot with Italian Wine in Italy

*all photos courtesy of Metha’s Flickr

So, for the last few months i’ve been nurturing, watering and sometimes staring in awe of my Fig tree. In the evenings, I lay on my swing and read a book next to this full of aroma tree… it smells like sweetness. It’s blooming so much right now, I cannot keep up with the fruit its producing. Soon enough, Roasted Fig Risotto!

After work today, Captain Washie is kind enough to take us Lobster Diving… I cannot wait, cause I have never been before.

Dinner the other night. Photo: Huy Doan

Out on the open Caribbean Sea, Huy and I went fishing yesterday… with Captain Washie. Lets just say, I was the first one to hook anything… but didn’t catch $h*t. Yup, 3 times I got hooked and lost all 3, all Barracuda’s. Anyways, it was fun and quite the arm workout… However, the last mile, before we got back to the dock, Huy caught his fish… and 8lbs Barracuda, thing was huge! The whole day i was hoping for a Mahi, Tuna or a Grouper, anything but ‘Cuda. We even follwed birds hoping to catch a Mahi, just wasn’t our day and the Greek fisherwoman in me wasn’t present either… perhaps next time, I’ll wear my Greek Sailor cap.

waiting for be hooked.

I think i've seen this move on some fishing show.

Huy reeling in his Barracuda. This fish is very strong and Capt Washie helping out.

His Prize Barracuda.

Ok, so apparently, you aren’t suppose to eat Barracuda. We have a few Lbs. of fish fillets and are still debating on eating them because of THIS some sort of Tropical Bacteria this fish carries.

Wow, I have become quite creative on this Island… tonights desert was made with Filo dough. Filo dough reminds me of cooking with my Yiayia and Mom when I was younger. Making greek desert aka Bakalva (which I still don’t eat because of my dislike of nuts). I took 4-5 layers of the dough, rolled it into Cigars and baked. Inbetween the layers, brush on some butter and into the oven for 10 minutes. Makes a great companion to any icecream

Filo dough imported, well from Tarpon Springs at least

Filo Cigars before baking. Make sure to not crackle the dough.

after baking

Ice Cream and Cigars

Don't Kiss the Cook, Clean-up Time....

Yesterday after a narrow search for Lobsters, we can across a local fisherman who was selling his fresh catch of the day for $5 each. Well, I couldn’t resist and I got 5. Last night we did the typicall grilled Lobster dinner but today was quite the surpise. Upon my return from work, Huy had made a fresh Spinach and Lobster Salad. Not many ingredients required, not fussy… except for:
Lobster Tail
Fresh Spinach
Onion
Cucumber
Cherry Tomatoes
Olive Oil (from Greece)
Balslamic Vineger
Salt
Pepper

Have you ever been stung by a Bee? Well, it hurts tons and Muhammad Ali wasn’t lying when he said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” A little tea tree oil, ice pack and Caladryl makes the itching go away temporaily. Sorry little bee lost it’s life to my arm, he was kinda cute.

The other night, I was kindly invited to attend a dinner party hosted by my friends Andy and Janelle. The best part is, it was at Andy’s parents house. They are from Cuba and cooked an authentic Cuban meal, one which I could never say no to. We shared photos of Old Havana and new photos, comparing the non-change. If you have never eaten at Black Bean Deli I suggest you take time out and do so on your next lunch break.

Salad, Yuca, Beans & Rice, Cuban bread, and Pork dinner. Followed by Chocolate Cake of course.

Lexi and I are booked to go back to the Bahamas Monday. Her plane ticket cost almost as much as mine; i’m not complaining because I love having her with me. I carry her on with me in her little bag. Luckily the flight is short so, she doesn’t have to be in the doggy case very long. A few years ago, an Airline “lost her” and we didnt find her until 12 hours later. So, I do not put her in cargo anymore. She loves going “on vacation”.