Another Road Trip And A Special “Stop Over”

On The Road Again…

After a long trip on the road, what could be better than a deliciously prepared lunch with a dear friend?

Although we had some great meals during our whirlwind tour, it is always nice to enjoy a home cooked meal. AND, this was not just any old meal.

Picnic And Charcuterie Platter On The Road

We always try to break things up a bit on our trips with a night in the hotel enjoying a charcuterie platter. After a long day it is nice to not have to go anywhere, put your feet up and relax. Our hotel had a cabana area outside of the room with a beautiful view, so this was the perfect place for a nosh. We bring a few essentials including some Farchioni Olive Oil. It is so delicious with caprese salad and drizzled over some proscuitto.

Then, we made a special stop for a real meal. Wait until you see what we had for lunch.

The Piece de Resistance

Our stop over meal was incredible!

The “starter” was a meal in itself! This salad had so many yummy items and paired with a Nicolas Feuillatte Rose champagne it could not have been better. Freshly marinated artichokes – courtesy of our friend Jules in Carmel with a fruity drizzle of olive oil, fermented cucumbers and okra and butter lettuce salad with feta cheese. Also, offered was a selection of specialty salts to sprinkle on top. Yummmmmm!

THEN, the main course. Sambal Chicken with Jasmati Rice and corn on the cob from the farmer’s market. It was the perfect amount of spice. This was paired with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon.

Can you take more? Oh, there’s more…Dessert was a chocolate flan topped with chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream. The texture was very much like a flourless chocolate cake. I guess we did not take a picture before we devoured it. Trust me, it was a beautiful as it was delicious.

So now you see why we LOVE stopping to see our friend in Jacksonville. It is the perfect stop off point when returning home to Bluffton.

And Now – On To Memorial Day

Now that we are home and settled, it is time to think about how to celebrate Memorial Day. We need to all take time to celebrate our military men and women who sacrificed to give us the freedom that we enjoy in the country.

To celebrate this year, we are having our dear friends over for dinner here at Chez DeBastos. It is already so hot outside, so we opted to dine in and not have a typical barbecue. The cuter bandanas are the perfect item to create a casual look. The blue and white plates are from Ralph Lauren and the placemats are from Homegoods.

Even our breakfast table got a little patriotic touch. Some woven red placemats, a pot full of red geraniums and some navy and white napkins complete the “look”.

Today we enjoyed breakfast here that featured eggs with a side of burrata cheese, tomatoes and basil drizzled with lemon infused olive oil. The burrata was so creamy and delicious that we spread it on our toast.