Family Vacation pt.1

We arrived in Murrell’s Inlet, SC late Sunday afternoon. My husband went to the store and I stayed at the house while the little one napped. I baked up some Rosemary-Romano Shortbread*, and whipped up a batch of Juicy Gin’s*, so when G came home from the store, we could have a little cocktail hour. (Thankfully I had 2 very old airplane bottles in my overnight bag…liquor stores are closed on Sundays in SC!). Dinner was a Shrimp Boil, which we ate while watching the Golden Globes. We awoke this Monday morning to a warm sun and chilly breeze. G made some incredible french toast out of the Challah I brought from home and we ate it on the patio while we watched the waves roll in and the boats roll out. A late morning beach stroll with a 2 year old isn’t complete, we discovered, until he face-plants into the surf, resulting in a dripping wet and incredibly sandy little man. Later in the day, after a 4 hour toddler nap and mommy-daddy beers on the patio, we drove to the fish market and picked up some grouper cheeks so G could flex his muscles in the kitchen, yet again, by way of fish tacos. Falafel chips with cranberry salsa and clementine margaritas rounded off the evening. Damn, this vacation thing feels good.

*Rosemary-Romano Shortbread–
2 cups AP flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp fresh minced rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
2 sticks soft butter
-Pulse everything in a food processor until combined.
-Form the dough into log shape (2 in wide) and wrap in plastic, chill til firm.
-Slice into disks and bake 375* for 12-14 min.

*Juicy Gin-that’s what I’ve decided to name these yummy drinks, made out of the fruit I brought from home in fear they would spoil by the time we returned…
-Mix equal parts fresh grapefruit juice, lime, lemon and clementine juices with a little bit of superfine sugar.
-Add desired amount of gin and served over ice.
-Repeat.
More tomorrow…