I went to FL to visit friends and family for the first time since before the Pandemic. April in FL is typically magical with 75 degrees F and blue skies. That’s welcome after a long, unusually cold and wet winter in Seattle.

Relaxing by the river, around the pool or walking on the beach is pretty much all I want to do besides read. Of course, a little cooking in the evening for a casual dinner complements a lunch out at one of the many river side venues where you can be sure of fish taco, fish and chips, shrimp poorboy and more seafood. This is my vacation formula.

Friends from Seattle visited one week and I had to show them a few special things: an airboat ride on Blue Cypress Lake; the Seal Museum; the A.E. Bachus Museum and Gallery; and the McKee Botanical Gardens. The airboat ride with Captain Ken is a wildlife tour with so much to enjoy I think I’ll go every time I visit. The exhibits at the Seal Museum are a multi-media experience for all ages that highlight the hazards and the horror our military undergo in every conflict large or small. The artist A.E. Bachus painted the old Florida we never got to see. He trained and encouraged the black artists that became known as the Highwaymen. McKee is always serene and refreshing. There’s frequently an exciting special event to attend.

Click any photo to enlarge and click the arrow to progress through all the photos below.

The grand finale of the vacation was inviting a few people over for cocktails 6 to 8 PM—which is code for appetizers only and go home early. Diverse eaters plus kids require simple foods without too much spice. The centerpiece was marinated grilled pork tenderloins with a white sauce instead of the usual red. A very gifted griller helped me out with that recipe I read in a waiting room magazine. What made it simple and different was using nothing but pickle juice for the marinade and flavoring sour cream with a little pickle juice, lemon juice, chopped garlic and chives.

The second platter was store bought smoked salmon with the usual garnishes of mustard and capers. The third platter was celery topped with peanut butter. Deviled eggs were the fourth platter. One very small savory cheesecake caught the attention of several people. Our hostess pulled it out of the freezer for a bonus. The recipe appears below and is great party food. Optional crunch on the side came from peanuts and pretzels. All this is definitely kid friendly and pleased the adults too. Not photoed because it came out late when I was busy, was a favorite family recipe for Snowballs we know from our childhood that Nana made. Two vanilla wafers sandwiched with raspberry jam with whipped cream and grated coconut on top. Everybody helped so it was very little work for anyone. It was tons of fun for everyone!

Maytag Blue Cheese Pistachio Cheesecake

 Yield: One 6-inch cheesecake or 4 smaller cheesecakes. Serves 12

 This is a savory no-bake cheesecake. Serve with stone ground crackers as an appetizer or with field greens on the side as a first course.

 Crust:

1-1/2 cups crushed stone ground crackers

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 pound Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup shallot, quartered

1/4 cup parsley leaves

1/4 cup Madeira wine (or a sweet fortified wine)

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1 cup pistachios, chopped and toasted

Crust: Blend the crackers and first butter together. Press into bottom of prepared cheesecake pan. Place in freezer to set while you are making the filling.

Filling: In work bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade, process second butter, cream cheese, and 8 oz of the blue cheese, shallot, parsley, Madiera and white pepper until smooth, about 20 seconds.

Place about one-third of the mixture on top of the crust, sprinkle half of the remaining blue cheese, green onion and pistachios, then add another layer of filling mixture, repeat with the remaining blue cheese, green onion and pistachios. Finish off with the remaining filling mixture.

Wrap with plastic film, refrigerate for at least an hour to firm prior to unmolding.

Serve cold or room temperature with crackers. 

Recipe by George Geary CCP