Did you have a great Independence Day?

We’re here in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, enjoying the amazing views, sounds, smells and ambiance. That crazy oil spill didn’t keep us away and we’re so glad we made the decision to come.

Here’s what it looked like yesterday . . .

It is uncrowded — a tragedy for these parts, especially at this time of year. And our stretch of beach is tarball-free . . . so far.

I did have a little bit of tar on one leg after a particularly rough playtime in the ocean with my youngest son. I’m not sure where it came from because it wasn’t visible. But it was just a little and they had special wipes at the pier that got it off in a jiffy.

What’s a little tar among friends?

We decided to taste a little of the local fare here so we can help support the area during this rough time. We tried a local steak house and nibbled on ribeyes and lobster. Mmmmmm.

But it wasn’t  as good as the delivery I have coming later this week will be. I’ll be cooking some faves in our home away from home and I can’t wait.

We’ve decided that we are going to have a great time spending quality time with our kids and enjoying great food in an amazing place — one of this country’s jewels. So check back for more on what we’re cooking on our trip to the Gulf Coast!

Er, I mean, what a difference a year makes.

Last year at this time, I was preparing to go on a road trip to Florida where we spent a week with family celebrating the holidays.

You can read about our adventures here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

I’m telling ya, there was lots of good food to be had. Like this . . .

Beef tenderloin tips. Good stuff.

But this year, there will be no road trip. There’s a little thing called a recession going on. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it.

But after saving up for a very long time for last year’s beachside holiday adventure, it seemed out of the question this year. And indeed it is.

We had our food shipped to our door in Florida last year. And what a treat it was to have good, quality food right there at our fingertips. We KNEW the meat would be fabulous. And it was.

I hate playing a guessing game with the meat at the local supermarket in a town I’m not too familiar with. Heck, I don’t like it in towns I AM familiar with. So, we ordered what we wanted and it all came to us when we needed it. Like magic.

The good thing is, I can get that same quality anywhere I am in the country. So now that I’m home for the holidays this year, I’m having it delivered to my house. Um, which is not beachside in Florida. Boo.

We’re going to have a turkey, ham and all the trimmings on Christmas Day — and steaks! on Christmas Eve. And I will not be standing in line at the supermarket with the rest of humanity for it all.

Merry Christmas to me!!!

And happy holidays to you. The countdown at our house has begun . . .

Remember how I wasn’t sure if my photos would do the cute little mini steakburgers justice? You know, the ones I grilled at the beach?

Well, check this out . . .

I think they turned out all right!!!

The combination of the gorgeous slider and the beautiful beachy sunlight made this a PERFECT meal. And photo. This was just taken on a white plate out on the balcony.

I was pretty sure I couldn’t mess up the grilling on these little guys. And I was right about that. I whipped out my George Foreman Lean Mean Grillin’ Machine and our little condo was filled with such an amazing smell. All I did was salt and pepper them. That’s it! The kids played as these babies sizzled and everyone kept asking, “Are they ready yet?”

They had been delivered to my door the day before and it was so nice to not have to hunt through the local supermarket’s selection of beef. We’ve been to this resort town before and it’s often iffy at best.

My kids loved how small and cute the sliders were. We bought Hawaiian rolls, sliced them in half and we had the perfect little buns for our mini steakburgers.

What a treat to have these little guys delivered to us halfway across the country!

Seriously, one of our absolute favorite aspects of a vacation is cooking great meals at night. We take the time to savor the experience of cooking and eating.

These sliders were so fun and flavorful. And to me, that’s what life’s about.