We’ve taken more than a week to putter across 250 miles of Florida’s panhandle coastline; we could have easily taken longer….
Its residents may feel like the region is the “Forgotten Coast” – it’s the only part of Florida in the Central time zone (instead of Eastern Standard Time) and is said to be the most conservative part of the state – but I kind of hope it stays forgotten because it’s lovely just the way it is.
Being “forgotten” or overlooked isn’t as romantic sounding as the “Emerald Coast,” but it beats the other nicknames we’ve heard for this area, including “Redneck Riviera” and “L.A.,” as in Lower Alabama.
Before we turn our noses south toward Tampa-St. Petersburg and beyond, here are some of our favorite images from Easter Week along the northern-most perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico.
Scenes from downtown Pensacola:
Georges cooking up a storm in Mike and Margaret’s lovely kitchen in Gulf Breeze:
Keven on the Gulf Coast National Seashore between Pensacola and Navarre beaches:
At St. Joseph Peninsula State Park:
At St. George Island State Park, with and without the magnificent Great Blue Herons:
We spent an entire afternoon at our St. George campsite watching a Cardinal, Spotted Towhee and Gray Catbird take turns nibbling – and fighting one another off – G’s discarded apple core. (The latter two were more camera shy than the former….)
And finally, a selfie: We couldn’t be happier.
Postcards from the Perimeter 
Late reply, but I did a double take of the picture and comment about dinner at Mike and Margaret’s home in Gulf Breeze. Jane and I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen of OUR friends Mike and Margaret in Gulf Breeze. Different couple obviously. So happy that you got to enjoy the greatness of the “Forgotten Coast”.
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Too funny. I wonder how many Mike-and-Margarets there are in Gulf Breeze…!
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PS: How is Austin?
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Thank you for the recipe! Will try it out soon. A “Postcards…” cookbook would be wonderful! Thanks again!
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I agree with the idea of a Postcards Cookbook! Love the picture of the cardinal, one of the few I can identify!! Love them.
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Thank you, Ann and Linda! I shared the recipe for beurre blanc in the recent post about five-star dining from a two-burner stove. It’s the foundation of so much of what G does in the kitchen – I hope yuo enjoy. We’re still noodling ways to execute a collection of Postcards recipes. It’s a great idea and we’re having fun conjuring ways to proceed….
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Thank you! Will make this soon. A “Postcards” cookbook would be wonderful! Thanks again!
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Love the pics of the pretty birds as well as the love birds! Carry on!
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You probably don’t have time, but it would be a real treat if you posted some of Georges’s recipes as they are mentioned in your post! The pork loin, apples, cabbage…etc. from a previous post sounded so good! However, I guess they are proprietary! 🙂
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Ha! Thank you. Will try to remember to do that from time to time. The challenge is that Georges measures nothing. It’s all in his head. So providing much direction beyond the general ingredients is difficult…
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Perhaps we should publish a Postcards from the Perimeter cookbook!
From Georges:
Ingredients for 4 people:
Two pork tenderloins
4 slices of smoked bacon
One Apple
One small white cabbage
16 fingerling potatoes
Some cream (half cup plus?)
A bit of Dijon mustard (2 soupspoons?)
Juice from half a lemon
Half cup of dry white wine
One big onion, chopped
One cup celery, chopped
Sauté bacon until crisp. Set aside, saving the fat in saute pan. Sauté the pork tenderloin in half the bacon fat. Don’t make them overdone.
Sauté the white cabbage in the other half of the bacon fat the onion and celery.
Remove pork from pan, keep the tenderloin warm.
Boil the potatoes.
When the cabbage is translucent, which is almost done, add Apple slices. Cover to keep warm.
Deglaze the pan the pork was in with lemon juice and dry white wine.
When liquid is reduced to one third, add cream. One big boil. Add mustard with whisk.
When everything is silky smooth, adjust seasoning to taste. Cut tenderloin to half-inch slices.
Put cabbage-Apple in middle of plate. Place pork slices lined up on top of cabbage-Apple. Pour the sauce around the cabbage and pork.
Serve on hot plates.
Bon apetit!
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