Keep your Feet in the Street

I have been loving this photo sine I took it in Venice in July 2008. I was sitting on the ground, waiting in line for the Basilica San Marco to open, early in the morning. When I saw this woman's footwear, paired with her Disney bag, I just had to snap a quick shot. Finally, it's useful.

Pecans are a big deal here in the South. They grow all over Tallahassee; our friends the Watkins have a beautiful grove of pecan trees on their land in Monticello. These, I bought at the Farmers market, yesterday.

This recipe is a slight variation on an Ina Garten one that my friend Cecelia often makes with cashews. I decided to mix the nuts half and half. I used about 2 cups each of cashews and pecans.

Savory Smokey Nuts

Roast the nuts in a shallow baking dish at 375 for about 12 minutes--until they just begin to take on a little color.

Meanwhile in a large bowl combine:

1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Toss the hot nuts with the above mixture.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Watch out! They are totally addictive.

I took the easy route for goat cheese. The best thing is that we can buy, at New Leaf Market, the fabulous, luxurious, fresh and tasty goat cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy in nearby Thomasville Georgia. All I did was buy a ready made pizza crust (like Boboli) and spread the goat cheese on it-- then baked it like it says on the back of the package. After it was warm, I put a bunch of arugala on top, cut it into appropriately bite sized pieces and there you go. Here's an appetizer even Rachel Ray would love:

I don't know what the name of this sport is, especially in Italian but this shot was taken in Lerici, Liguria, Italy, June 2008.

We sat there for quite a while just watching, the sport, the marina, the view--aaaah--Italy.

I just couldn't decide between these two.
First from Outz's--the same place with the toilet fountain.

And then this one from Genoa, Italy: