Mountains to Sea...

Last night we joined our dear friends and fellow food lovers, Donna and Heidi, for a seafood extravaganza. They brought back beautiful scallops and red snapper from their most recent trip to Florida, generously sharing them with us. We were led on a lovely trip to the sea with each forkful. The evening concluded with a nod to Heidi's native Austria, tasting an assortment of schnapps from various villages and distillers. Among them, an arugula bitters and forest berry distillation. What a treat!

Here are some photos from along the way:

In the green bottles are an aged balsamic vinegar and blood orange olive oil their friend brought back from Italy, which graced the salad. The drawer of spices was worth photographing. Included was a bit of homemade garlic powder I had given them crafted by a friend of mine up north (it's my new favorite thing in the kitchen, worth sharing with fellow cooks). The scallops were sweet and perfectly executed with a little butter and white wine, as was all the rest. Stories of Austrian farm villages, wine country and food markets made us feel as though we had taken a tasty and colorful journey across the ocean. Good company is the finest nourishment of all!