Week #8: Florida, USA

 A West Indian manatee and her calf.

Well, it took about two months but the pin finally landed in the United States, square in the middle of Florida. We're primed for a gorgeous week, weather wise, with the first few days at least in the 50s and 60s, so we might even dig out the grill!

I discovered that Florida has very few official state foods - only two that I could find, in fact. The state fruit? Oranges, of course! And, the state pie? You guessed it - key lime pie, one of my absolute faves.

Recently, we had dinner with friends who made an amazing vegan key lime pie. Even the "whipped cream" was non-dairy, and it all was delicious. I've asked for the recipe, so hopefully I'll be able to share it with you - stay tuned for that!

When considering other foods that evoke Florida, you certainly can't overlook the fresh, abundant seafood that's fished and harvested off its shores. So, I made a call over to Two Cousins in Latham, one of my favorite fishmongers, and they happened to have, among other items, Florida red snapper, so I'm going to dive right in (pun intended) with my first Florida dinner tonight!

Meantime, I've been researching other dinner recipes that feature oranges - I'm thinking pasta - but I may also need to do a little baking this week, too... Oranges and breakfast are an ideal match, so perhaps some muffins?

I'm also attempting to track down another ingredient that would give my third dinner a distinct Florida bite. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get some! You won't want to miss it...