Curried Shrimp at the Mo Bay Grill in Sebastian, Florida. Our neighbor’s dish, but exactly what I’ll go back to have.

Visitors are rolling into Cocoa Beach now that the weather is so cold up north. Our buddy Sam Hargrave was next and gave us a reason to tour around a bit in the Sebastian Inlet area, where we went to pick up farmed oysters from Treasure Coast Shellfish. We also visited the Treasure Museum and found out about all the gold doubloons that have washed up on these beaches. We will keep our eyes open as we dig in the sand.

Next to the Treasure Museum was the Mo Bay Grill in Sebastian, and we shared some very tasty snacks. We will return for more dishes another time because the food, presentation, and service were excellent.

From the top: Conch Fritters, Sweet Plantain, Jerk Chicken Quesadilla, and Jamaican Patties made a delicious snack lunch.

Our next batch of visitors arrived from Wyoming, and they brought cold weather with them! The temps were in the 30’s here on the Space Coast, and many of the tropical plants suffered severe damage.

A bit chilly on the beach, but not for tough kiddos from Wyoming.

We were getting ready for Rose’s big birthday, and Kirk and I made a Key Lime Pie with real Key limes that we found at Publix. We toasted Mama with some Prosecco before she and Stephen went out for a night on the town and slurped down some Sebastian Inlet oysters at a happy hour. Too cold to be out in the Tiki Bar.

Rose and Stephen had a proper dinner at Koko Japanese pub in the heart of South Cocoa Beach and were wowed by the choices there.

They even went to Heidi’s Jazz Club after dinner and danced to the mellow sounds of Sybil Gage and her Merry Band of Catahoulas. Now that’s a good birthday!

The next day, Al, Mary, Coco, and Larissa arrived from Miami for the weekend. The festivities continued.

But the weekend was too short. They had to get back to Miami and work and school. And to listen for the Groundhog’s Prognostication the next morning. Force of habit, I awoke before dawn on Feb 2 and put on the live feed from Gobbler’s Knob and watched it with the kids. Surprise—six more weeks of winter!

My sister Mary visited us and dropped off some gingerbread cookie mix, so we fashioned some groundhog cookies for the occasion. It was a challenging task, but even the misshapen ones were very tasty.

The next day, we toured the Kennedy Space Center and saw where all those rocket ships are coming from. We even saw the Artemis in its launchpad, the ship that will be crewed to head toward the moon for the first time since 1972. Kirk enjoyed working at a simulator and designing and launching his own rocket and Iris most enjoyed the sight of the golden astronaut. Get those kids into Space Camp!

What we have found with our young visitors is that there is always a mealtime on the horizon. When they first get up, someone makes them First Breakfast, which is an omelette, pancakes, or a bagel with lox. That holds them over for about an hour until Second Breakfast. After that, there is Snack, which precedes Lunch. Sometimes there is a Second Lunch, but not usually. They are often out and about, busy and engaged. Any beach outing requires multiple snacks and drinks, and Kirk made the happy discovery that the beach wagon has a built-in table and the seagulls steer clear of it.

Here’s a recipe from yesterday’s Second Breakfast: homemade Fish Dip made from our pompano dinner, and some smoked kingfish from our favorite Seafood Atlantic market. It was easy to mix up in the Cuisinart, with minced onion, cream cheese, and a little bit of Remoulade. Try it out next time you have some leftover fish. It’s a great appetizer for Happy Hour—or Second Breakfast.

Cocoa Beach Fish Dip

Makes about 3 cups

2 cups leftover boneless fish (this one was pompano)

1 cup smoked Kingfish, flaked to remove the bones

half an onion or so, minced

8 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature

2 tablespoons Remoulade Sauce (or Tartar Sauce or mayo)

Spices—add your favorite, like Tony Chachere, Lemon Pepper, or a dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Flake the leftover fish and the smoked fish, making sure there are no bones. Mince and onion in the bowl of a food processor, and then add the fish and chunks of cream cheese. Pulse to combine, then add the Remoulade or other dressing and pulse until it’s as smooth as you like. Season to taste and serve with crackers and carrot and celery, or blueberries and oranges on the side to brighten the plate.

Chillin' with New Visitors