Floridays

Jimmy Buffett and friends in Key West, back in the day

Have I mentioned yet how much I love Florida? I love waking up in the morning to the cool, soft air. Stepping outside and feeling the humidity not at an obtrusive state, but comforting and enveloping. The birds are alive and active, not yet feeling the drowsy heat of the day.

This weekend, I finally felt like I was in the Real Florida. And Real Florida is something different to everyone. To me, it has kind of a Key West, rough edge to it. Florida isn't glitz and glamor, high rises, shopping and beach resorts (although that's all here). Whenever I pictured Aunt Kim and Aunt Stace living in Florida, before I ever really came here, I pictured honky tonk bars, pool tables, Bud Light, Jimmy Buffett looking guys with mustaches, sporting jeans with flip flops and old faded t-shirts and a cowboy hat. I pictured redneck fishermen heading out on the Gulf at the wee hours of the morning, with beer and cigarettes and muscle t's. I pictured mosquitoes, and cockroaches and gators in the ditches. And I really wasn't too far off.

Since the week of Easter is traditionally a madhouse down in Southwest Florida, we decided to escape the crowds. Everyone, it seemed, was out in full force, shopping, touristing, beaching, etc. I assume it's Spring Break for the majority of the country, and they seem to be all Spring Breaking here. We headed East on Highway 41 into the Everglades, searching for adventure.

We drove about 30 miles east of Naples, into Everglades National Park. It was incredible how civilization dropped off. It went from a four lane, highly trafficked metropolis to stretches as far as you could see of marsh grass, mangroves, spindly palms and pine trees. We arrived at Wooten's Airboat Tours and checked in with Captn Billy Ray. Since the Muirheads are repeat customers, we got free tickets to tour the gator zoo. We wandered upon cages and pens of gators of all sizes. They had key deer and raccoons and even two panthers. Panthers are elusive and endangered down here in Florida. Your chances of seeing them in the wild are slim to none, and here they were, in cages right in front of us. It was sad to see these beautiful animals in captivity, but since their numbers are so small I supposed it good to have a few on reserve just in case.

Round and rugged, Captn Bobby took us out in the marshes. He had a camo mesh hat, gator stomping boots and Costa sunglasses. Those airboats are crazy contraptions. They draw nothing, and are propelled by large fans on the back, therefore they can scoot right over grass, mud and just inches of water. The deepest water we were in was about 1 ft.

After our airboat ride, we had worked up quite a thirst. So we drove about 20 minutes to the small town of Goodland. Goodland is frequented by snowbirds in the winter, but it's like no other part of Southwest Florida. Its water based community and backwoods feel make it a favorite for bikers and ex-hippies. We happened to stumble upon a Sunday afternoon ritual. Starting at around noon, Stan's Idle Hour Restaurant sets up tents and picnic tables to prepare for the crowds. We arrived around 3pm and the place was jumpin'. A live band played on the stage that backed up to the back bay. People of all ages were dressed up with funky hats and sunglasses, dancing to the live music with beers in their hands. It seemed that friends of Stan's took turns playing their favorite songs on stage, kind of an open mic. A guy who had to have been in his 70's with white hair, a straw cowboy hat and a Hawaiian shirt got up and sang..."My girlfriend's got a beeper and I've got Viagra."

There were cruisers sporting Crocs, fishermen with tournament t-shirts, golfers and country club goers with Polo's and trendy teenagers. After the crowd started to dwindle, we moved on to the Old Marco Lodge for a bite to eat. There are three eating establishments in Goodland, and apparently everyone was done eating and drinking for the day because we had the place to ourselves. Another band was playing on deck and we had the best view in the house, right on the edge of the deck, overhanging the water with endless views of the back bay and mangroves. Dave got a crabcake sandwich, Mike and I got the grouper sandwich and Karen got a lobster tail. Nothing better than a fish sandwich. Mmmmm. Apparently they had Red Hook on draft but I couldnt get a straight answer out of the waitress where it was actually from. It seemed odd to find Woodinville's Red Hook on draft out in the backwoods of Florida, when we can't even find it at the grocery store down here.

Since I havent posted a recipe in a while, you are more than due. I haven't really been cooking with my schedule the way it is! But I have done this one before. It's rather time consuming, but it is SO worth it because it turns out restaurant style goodness, rich and delicious. The secret is the roux. In a lot of recipes, the roux is light colored and a mix of flour with butter or oil. In good gumbo, the roux is traditionally cooked until it is deep brown, making a lovely rich and nutty flavor. You must NEVER leave your roux unattended and it must be stirred constantly. This recipe is from Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home Cookbook. This recipe serves 10-12 people, so chop it down if you aren't feeding a crowd.

New Orleans Seafood Gumbo

Recipe from Nordstrom's Entertaining at Home

Serves 10-12

1 1/2 cups canola oil

3 cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp olive oil

2 red bell peppers, seeded, deribbed and chopped

2 green bell peppers, seeded, deribbed and chopped

3 yellow onions, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

2 cans (49 oz each) chicken broth

4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice

1 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 in slices

2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp Tabasco

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb fresh cooked crab meat

2 1/2-3 cups steamed white rice

In a heavy 4 quart saucepan over low heat, warm the canola oil. Gradually add the flour while stirring constantly to create a smooth mixture. Continue to cook the roux, stirring constantly, until it is a rich brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (turn up heat to med-low if needed). Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a heavy 6 to 8 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the red and green bell peppers, onions, and celery, and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and fish stock, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the sausage, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, thyme, garlic, bay leaves and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Add the cooled roux by spoonfuls to the soup, whisking vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming. Cook until the soup thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and discard them. Stir in the Tabasco sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the shrimp and simmer just until cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes, depending on their size. Add the crabmeat and stir to combine and heat through.

Ladle the gumbo into soup bowls and place 1/4 cup of the rice in the center of each serving. Serve immediately.