I hope everyone had a relaxing and memorable Father’s Day.

I tried to relieve Zeke of some of the cooking duties, so had pre-seasoned the filet and T-Bone steaks the night before with Ina’s Spicy Coffee Rub. The longer they stay in the rub, the tastier they are. I made Green Goddess Twice-Baked Potato earlier in the day (inspired by a cooking show we’d seen), topped with cheddar cheese, so they just needed to be popped into the oven to heat through. The Green Goddess dressing was made with Greek Yogurt, fresh herbs and scallions, buttermilk, a little butter and salt and pepper, so it was healthier than the normal twice-baked potatoes. I served extra Green Goddess dressing on the side.

Emma and Guillermo came over with our “granddog” Lucy Sunday night. To start, we grilled bratwurst sausages, which Zeke’s Dad Mort used to do for cookouts at his house. I served these with three mustards- a creamy and coarse dijon and an Oatmeal Stout mustard we picked up in California. I love picking up different mustards in places where we travel. We used to have Lavender mustard from Oregon and Walnut mustard from France, but we’ve used them all up. Now we’re down to one kind, so it must be time for a trip!

Guillermo insisted on making a Key Lime Pie for Zeke, the first pie he’s ever baked. We were impressed! To go with the steak, I served a Bernaise sauce, Boiled Asparagus and grilled Garlic Bread. I made Sauteed Mushrooms with Shallots, but forgot them in the microwave, where I’d put them to re-heat! Zeke grilled the steaks on his charcoal grill and they turned out great. The Key Lime pie was wonderful as well.

Saturday, we had our #bestdayever on our boat ‘Bout Time! We usually explore the Key’s waterways on our own, so it was a treat to go out with John and Kelley, Doug and Heidi and Jim and Christian (on Doug’s boat) Friday and Saturday. We met for drinks at Postcard Inn Friday night, followed by a sunset cruise (although there wasn’t much of a sunset).

Saturday, we picked up John and Kelley and headed to Alligator Reef Lighthouse where we all met up. We anchored in the gin-clear, aqua water, swam, floated on noodles, drank, ate and just hung out, listening to music. It was the first time most of our friends had been on ‘Bout Time and we were excited to show off our two-year old baby!

I made Italian subs for lunch with Boars Head meat and I have this advice if you take a picnic lunch on the boat.

• Don’t get sub bread with poppy seeds unless you want little black seeds scattered all over the boat deck.
• Don’t pack olive oil/vinegar mix for the subs in a squeeze bottle because it will stain your tablecloth and leave everything inside the cooler greasy.
• Don’t forget a small garbage bag!

I always forget a garbage bag. And, we were all so hungry, I forgot to take a photo of the spread of food! I did get one of my sub.

I packed the add-ons to the Italian subs- sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, pickles, jalapenos- on the side, so the sub wouldn’t get soggy (who wants a soggy sub?) and had Wavy Lays potato chips and grapes as sides. Sliced red pepper and cucumbers were the appetizers, to go with red pepper hummus, which I picked up at Publix. Kelley brought Lemon Chicken Wings and fruit kebabs to add to the picnic. Don’t forget your plates, napkins and a knife in case you need to cut something in half and I like to put condiments on the side, so people can add what they like.

Eating Out

We had a wonderful day on Saturday and then made the journey back to The Sanctuary for a dinner of leftover Dialova Pizza from the night before (Italian Pizza Company). Sunday, on Father’s Day, we stopped at Shipwrecks on the way home for lunch. Zeke got an ice-cold Florida Keys Brewing Company Iguana Bait beer and a Mahi Reuben with Onion Rings; I got my Coconut Shrimp fix, with coleslaw. Service, not usually their strong point, was actually very good. This is one of those dollar bills on the ceiling, marine junk all about, on-the-water, wooden shacks that Jimmy Buffet sings about. They have live music on the weekends. It is very Keys-y, local and has reliably good food.

Tuesday Zeke and I checked out one of the restaurants that won a Michelin Bib Gourmand award- Lung Yai Thai Tapas on 8th Street. My hairdresser Jackie and Lauren had told me about this place, so when it won the Bib Gourmand, I knew I had to visit! Walking down Calle Ocho is like being in a whole different world, to start with. We sat outside, on the street and the menu was a QR code.

Our server was very helpful, making suggestions off the menu which included Snacks, Noodles, Curries and Salads. This is Thai Street Food and at Lung Yai and once you place your order, you can’t add anything, so we wanted to make sure we ordered enough. We got two appetizers- Steamed Shrimp Dumplings ($6) and Crispy Spring Rolls ($6), a Papaya Salad, ($11), Pad See Ewe (a noodle dish with beef) ($11) and Crispy Duck Basil ($21).

Our favorites were the Papaya Salad (Som Tam), the Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls with dipping sauce and the Steamed Dumplings. I would definitely come back- it’s worth the trip- and I’d try to leave room for ice cream at Azucar, the wonderful Cuban Ice Cream Shop on 8th Street. I want to try some more of the Bib Gourmand recommended restaurants and may try to organize lunches out, for other interested Foodies in Miami.

Thursday I picked up Wyatt from Vacation Bible School, where he excitedly regaled me with the story of Adam and Eve, the two misbehaving mortals kicked out of Eden. He told me Adam and Eve were told by God specifically not to eat the berries off the Tree of Knowledge, but they didn’t listen, ate the berries and died. Not quite the story I remember, but he seems to enjoy Vacation Bible School. We went to Riviera to swim and eat lunch. After going down the slide by himself multiple times, he talked me into going down myself, so I tried it and it was fun! Sixty two years old and still a kid at heart.

And now it’s officially Summer- time to be a kid again, learn some new stuff, go down slides, float in the water on noodles with friends, grill out, eat ice cream, try new restaurants, sip cold drinks and enjoy life in general.

At the Bama Breeze You can drink some beer down there Or get a laugh down there Pass another year down there

Jimmy Buffet

Up Next: My Garden first day of Summer