Even Squirrels Relax in the Slow Country!

Fripp is truly a magical place.

This squirrel relaxes in the tree outside our kitchen window.

Just like a child. They can sleep anywhere.

Happy Birthday Joe Moody!

Happy 55th Birthday Joe!

McKensie, Pam and Samatha say Happy Birthday!


The Moody Family
Pam, McKensie, and Joe

Pam enjoys a Fripp Island feast!
Beer and Fried Chicken!
Yum! Yum!


Irene and Rick Simons celebrate with Joe!


Kaye gives Joe his birthday card and "gurr" broom.

Happy birthday Joe

55 looks pretty good!

Joe's family from KY join the celebration at the "Point"

Summer Fruit Season!

Now that summer is here it is time to prepare those summer fruit cobblers. Blackberries are always a summertime favorite. Here is a recipe for a simple fruit cobbler that is sure to be a great finale to any summer supper. Don't forget to make it a la mode!

Easy Fruit Cobbler

2/3 cup of Sugar

2/3 cup Self Rising Flour

2/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 Tbsp butter

2 1/2 cups of fruit

Melt butter and pour in to a baking dish. Mix sugar, flour, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and pour over melted butter. Pour fruit evenly over batter mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. All to rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from oven to allow cobbler to set. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Yum! Yum!

Sand Sculpture Contest on the Beach

Part of the Independence Day celebrations on Fripp Island is a sand sculpture contest on the beach. Here is my vote for the best sculpture.

"Elvis and the Shark"

Happy Independence Day!

I hope that everyone had an opportunity to spend the day with family and friends on this our nation's most important holiday. We spent the day on the beach with our "Beach People" friends. The beach was packed with people as Saturday was change over day so I think we had a lot of people who stayed the day and others who arrived early. Late in the afternoon the tide began to encroach upon our tent giving sufficient reason to pack it all in and head to the house. We had invited our friends Rick and Irene Simmons and their son Richard over for a light supper and to watch the fireworks from our rooftop crow's nest. We were enjoying dinner so that we didn't advance as quickly as we had anticpated, so we had to pause dinner to watch the fireworks show. The moon was nearly full and the moonlight reflecting on the ocean was quite beautiful. We have the highest vantage point on the southern end of the island and can rest comfortably in our chairs while watching the fireworks over the driving range of the Ocean Creek golf course. After the fireworks we came back in the house for a dessert of grilled peaches, brie, and a wafer cookie. That was accompanied by Rick's homemade Limoncello http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limoncello.

A very nice ending to a great day.

Our National Anthem

I picked up this video from YouTube of the "Cactus Cuties" singing the national anthem. If you haven't heard them perform click on the link to see their performance on the 700 Club on July 4, 2008. They are fantastic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PItHw8a7MIQ&NR=1

Preparing for Independence Day!

We are all dressed up for the Independence Day Weekend and here on Fripp the island is alive with vacationers and families of residents. It is easy to tell the visitors. They blatantly break the rules. Under aged kids driving golf carts, golf cart drivers not using hand signals to make turns, feeding the deer, speeding, driving on the golf course after hours, and drinking and driving. It is a big revenue weekend for the Fripp Island police force. All that aside the "Beach People" are planning a big day on the beach for Saturday with friends and their families. One of our friends, John and Teresa, have 17 children and grandchildren coming to their house. WOW! Our contribution will be our highly desired Pimento Cheese for the beach on Saturday and yes I will share the recipe. Enjoy.

Pimento Cheese

8 oz of Sharp Cheddar Cheese

8 oz of Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2 cups of Dukes Mayo

1 - 4 oz jar of diced Pimento drained

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake

Grate cheeses using a box grater. Do not buy pre-shreaded cheese. We've tried it and the texture just doesn't work.

Mix with remaining ingredients and store overnight so flavors can develop.

Feel free to add additional onion and red pepper flakes should you like a bigger kick to your cheese or additional mayo should you like your cheese spread wetter.

On Saturday night we have invited our friends Rick, Irene, and Richard over for a light supper and to watch the fireworks from the roof top deck. As promised here is the menu.

Menu

Watermelon Salad with Feta, Walnuts and a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Crab Meat

Steamed Shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning

Grilled Peaches with Honey, Brie, and a Waffle Cookie

Enjoy your weekend!

Fanstastic Dessert Wine

I took Kaye to the Dataw Island Club to celebrate her birthday. I requested our favorite waiter Carlos. Regardless of where I have traveled throughout the U.S., I have found no waiter better than Carlos. He makes every meal special. From his conversation, to his knowledge of wine and food, he is top notch. For dessert we had a slice of Bailey's Cheesecake and Carlos surprised us with glass of Hopler Nobel Reserve 2001. While I have never been a real fan of desert wines, this was phenomenal. We called our local Wine Purveyor (Bill's in Beaufort) and while Jean was very familiar with Hopler she didn't have it. She did offer to call Carlos to find out who the distributor was and order us a bottle. We wanted it for this weekend. We are having a light supper on Independence Day with our friends Rick and Irene (Pinkney Simmons Gallery) after a day on the beach. I will post the menu in my next post.

Hopler Noble Reserve (Cuvee) 2001 90 Points - Wine Spectator The Noble Reserve betrays at once the tenor of this dessert wine. The name itself is derived from the „noble and sweet“ character of the wine, whereas "reserve“ signifies a selection which the winemaker has especially held back, to allow a slow and gentle maturing. Suggested food: This wine is finely ripe and goes well with goose liver, pâté, fruit and sweets. Paired with spicy food, it subdues burning sensations. Perfect on its own, for dessert, for breakfast, or as an aperitif.

Wine Maker's Comments:

2001 NOBLE RESERVE, AUSTRIA
Analysis:
Grape Variety: Cuvee
Appelation: Neusiedlersee
Classification: Trockenbeerenauslese
Residual Sugar: 204g/l
Total Acid: 9.4g/l
Alcohol: 9.1vol%
Winemaker´s comments:
The Noble Reserve betrays at once the tenor of this dessert wine. The name
itself is derived from the „noble and sweet“ character of the wine, whereas
„reserve“ signifies a selection which the winemaker has especially held back, to
allow a slow and gentle maturing. This wine is finely ripe and goes well with
goose liver, pâté, fruit and sweets. Paired with spicy food, it subdues burning
sensations. Perfect on its own, for dessert, for breakfast, or as an aperitif.
Noble Reserve 2001 received 90 points from the Wine Spectator. At the
International Wine Challenge 2003 Noble Reserve was awarded the Bronze
Medaille.