Our Savannah and Tybee Island Vacation! (Part One)

"Mr. Cozy" and I just got back from the best vacation together!  With him in medical school we don't have very much quality time together at all.  Most of the time he is intensely studying whenever he is at home, or reading, or just plain exhausted from the long days he has to put in at the hospital.  He is nearing the end to his third year of medical school!  (Yay...the end is getting closer!!!)  Thankfully, he knew that he was going to have the second week in May off, so back in the cold winter we jumped at the opportunity to plan a warm weather trip together--just the two of us!  This was the first week- long vacation that just us two have had together since our honeymoon, 6 1/2 years ago!  Needless to say, this was very much anticipated!

I told Mr. Cozy to surprise me with a destination for our special trip.  He did just that, and in early April he revealed to me that he was taking me to a place we have always wanted to go...Savannah, GA!!!  We are in love with anything old world and historical and any place that is beautiful and boast of yummy cuisine.  Savannah is just what the doctor ordered!  Knowing that I also love the beach, he found out about this sweet little island just off the coast of Savannah, Tybee Island.  It is a relaxed, (non tourist-y) island with a quaint little town that had a beautiful, picturesque beach that included a pier and lighthouse!  Perfect!  My vacation surprise was even more than I'd dreamed!  (Yes, I have a husband that is pretty much wonderful at giving surprises.  That was one of the things I prayed for in my husband, thank you God!)

So, I want to share some of our trip with you all!

Whenever we got off the interstate into Historic Savannah, we were nearly speechless at what we found.

Everything we saw looked like a movie set.  Street after clean street of impecably restored historic homes, buildings and shops that were bursting with character and charm, in a backdrop of lush victorian gardens and majestic live oak trees canopying the streets and squares with their low lying crooked branches and waterfalls of spanish moss!  Okay, so this is my kind of city!!!  Horse drawn carriages and trollys everywhere.  Flowers and hanging baskets lining the sidewalks and front proches.  Talk about a city of romance... we've been in Paris, France and Savannah is a city to rival even the City of Lights!  (This is a Southern gal talkin' here!)

This is the beautiful Mercer House.  The setting of the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and real life home of Jim Williams.  We toured through it and saw all of the incredible art, and antiques he left behind.  One man who owned so much history.  His home was like a museum! 

Here is the magnificent fountain which serves as the center piece of  beautiful Forsyth Park.

It was getting hot and humid on our walk around the city!  Just the perfect time to cool off in the shade of a square.

We stayed in the beautiful historic Azalea Inn.  Once again, I flat as though we were stepping into a movie set that took place in the turn of the last century.  The decor and furnishings were impeccable.     Breakfast was no less than amazing--we especially loved the watermelon benedict.

The garden and pool in the back--gorgeous!

Here he comes through the garden gate.

This was the parlor. 

The morning light spilling in was so inviting.

The Staircase up to the second floor and our room.

The dining room--stunning!--hand painted murals of historical painting all around the room.

(Here is in our room.) Huge windows...in fact the one on the right works as a door out to the private balcony. It looks like we've already plopped down on the comfy bed!

Our first meal in Savannah was in the City Market at Anne's. 

We sat outside on the patio area on this beautiful afternoon-- we were starving after our long trip there-- and gobbled up our wonderful pepperoni pizza and greek salad. This wasn't just any salad and pizza.

The fresh greek salad came in a crunchy tortilla bowl included things like kalamata olives and big chunks of feta cheese and served with homemade greek vinegarette.  So good!

If you look closely, you can see that there are two very thin, crispy crusts with cheese in the middle with sauce and more cheese on top.  The "crusts" were tortillas!  What a great idea...it tasted just like an extra cheesy thin crust pizza with pepperonis.

Dinner at The Pink House was one of the highlights of our trip!

This restarant in a building built in the 18th century, that simply oozes with elegance, romance and perfect food!  We climbed the spiral staircase up to the second floor to the room our table was in.  It was painted in a deep shade of "Savannah black" (more like eggplant), and we sat at a two top bistro table covered in white linens and a candle, next to two huge, floor to ceiling windows.  In fact, every room was glowing from candles and soft lighting, wall sconces.  Romantic!  I couldn't have been happier with our restaurant choice.

(As you see here, we were the last ones to leave this room for the night.)

Here I am with a nearly empty plate of food!
(I was encouraging my husband to quickly take the picture since we had to use a flash.)

(Unfortunately, we didn't take any good pictures of our the food. *Sad face*)  

We started off by sharing a bowl of their signature She-Crab soup!  This is unbelievably creamy and flavorful!  We've never had anything like it.

For an entrée, 

I got the tender, braised pork shank with a pineapple glaze and melt in your mouth collard greens and gooey baked macaroni and cheese. 

Mr. Cozy and I shared a mouth watering dessert that was so creative and beautiful. A praline shaped into a little basket filled with mango sorbet and raspberries and blackberries garnished with chantilly cream and a mint leaf!

                                              What a perfect way to end a perfect meal!

 For breakfast at the Azalea Inn we had a delicious Watermelon Benedict!

There is no egg in this, actually. It includes a lovely stack of watermelon and kiwi on homemade granola with a dollop of yogurt.  Garnished with mint.

We were also served a cheese covered chicken and broccoli quiche.  

Amazing!  

Served with skillet potatoes.

This is why we love B&B's!

Of course we had to go to Paula Dean's restaurant, The Lady & Sons!

Paula has a lovely gift shop filled with all of her cookware, cookbooks, home decor and more.

We bought a bag of Captain Micheal's Praline's & Cream coffee (her husband) and we are very impressed!  It has a nice rich, but smooth taste with just undertones of pralines and cream!  So good!

The restaurant's atmosphere was warm and homey.  We were seated on the top floor and had a table right by the window, which made for a nice view.

Of course, we came for the good ole Southern cookin'! 

We especially loved the Luzianne sweet tea that was perfectly sweet and garnished with lemon and a large sprig of mint!  I pushed it down and muddled it in the tea with my spoon--Yum.

We got the buffet, and had more than enough good food to eat! 

Everyone is served a "hoecake" (fried cornbread) and a delicious cheddar biscuit when they're first seated.

Fried Chicken, baked chicken, collard greens, mac 'n' cheese, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas and sweet potatoes filled my plate.  Dessert was chocolate gooey butter cake.  (My ooey gooey butter cake is her recipe.)

Yes, I did come here to eat! 

Later that afternoon, we had to go to Leopold's Ice Cream!  He has been on Paula Deen's show, and comes highly recommended in Southern Living, April '11, for the best homemade ice cream!

I got a double scoop: butter pecan and lemon custard.  

Mr. Cozy got a double scoop of the lemon custard.

WOW, the lemon was especially good.  So creamy!

Aren't the classic ice cream dishes adorable?

This place is a must if you visit Savannah, especially on a hot day.

After more strolling around and taking pictures in Savannah's gorgeous historic district, we make our way out of Savannah, into true low-country, through miles of beautiful palms and marshes, to the happy island.  Tybee Island - our new home away from home!  

Seabiscuit Cottage, here we come!!!

But that is for my next blog...so much more to share!

Delicious Thyme & Lemon Pork Loin Chops with a Tomato & Balsamic Reduction

This is just a simply fresh and delicious recipe.  I kinda came up with this on the fly, and it turned out very yummy!  You can definitely substitute skinless, boneless chicken breasts if you have that.  I am still using that huge pkg. of discounted thin pork loin chops that I bought and froze a couple of weeks ago.   It begins with a simple "marinade" if you want to call rubbing a few things on the pork and allowing it to sit for 30 min.- 1 hr.  Pan searing the meat to get all crispy on the edges and removing it, only to add grape tomatoes, thyme, a bit of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and all the pan juices that followed the meat to the aluminum foil.  Pour this balsamic tomato sauce over the pork and Voila!-- easy, gorgeous, and so good to eat!  The marriage of the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar balance each other well in taste and color!  This was a fun dish to make.

I think I actually began to make this just for an excuse for me to use my brand new, beautifully shiny, All-Clad French Skillet!!  It was fun to cook with such a nice piece of cookware (this is my first All-Clad) and I must say that it definitely served me well-- I'm hooked!  I got the recent deal at William's Sonoma for the 9 and 11 in. French Skillet.  Well, actually Mr. Cozy is the one who told me I should get it--yes, he knows that kitchen treasures are my favorite!

I served this with just whatever I had on hand.  (You have to realize that I made this meal right after getting back from vacation, and I wanted the challenge to use whatever ingredients I already happened to have!)  Fresh roasted corn and hot whole wheat rolls rounded out the meal.  A salad would be perfect here, too! So here I go explaining in "Leslie's terms" this easy recipe. --I do not have an organized recipe here...just to warn you--

Thyme & Lemon Pork Loin Chops with Tomato & Balsamic Reduction

Lay out your pork loins and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper, fresh thyme, lemon juice and a little extra virgin olive oil.  I let this set for about 30 minutes or so.

Get about 2 Tbsp. olive oil hot at med high heat and throw in a couple bunches of thyme sprigs.  Let them fry for about a minute, turning a couple of times.  Take out, place on a paper towel to drain, and set aside.

Now that your oil is delightfully seasoned with thyme, pat your pork to get the excess liquid off and place the pork in the pan to cook for only about 2-3 minutes on each side.  (This cutlets are quite thin.)  Try to only turn them once, to allow the edges to get nice and crispy!

Take pork out of the pan and place in aluminum foil to rest.

Back to the pan:  add a little more oil if necessary, the tomatoes, more thyme leaves, and balsamic vinegar.  Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all of those tasty bits in the sauce.

This will cook down for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes get soft and the balsamic vinegar reduces down a bit and gets thicker and sweet.  Add a touch of minced garlic and all the juices that have pooled  in the bottom of the foil your pork is in; cook for a couple minutes longer.  (If you can continue to add the vinegar until it looks like there is enough for your pork.  Taste along the way.)

Plate your pork and pour the balsamic tomato goodness err..I mean, reduction all over the pork.  Garnish with the fried thyme leaves!

I'm linking up with...

Sea Salt Double Chocolate Chip Cookies & A Gift from Mom

    If you've wondered what's happened to Leslie here at The Cozy Little Kitchen, it's probably because I've been busy on vacation for the past week!!!  Yes!  A much needed break from everything to spend some really quality time with my husband!  I'll post more on our wonderful trip soon, though... (lots of good fun and food!)

I started to write this blog right before we left, and I'm just now finishing it...

     I personally think that salty and sweet is a match made in Heaven!  A tinge of salt with chocolate or caramel is my new favorite!  My husband even gave me a Lindt chocolate bar in my Christmas stocking that was dark intense chocolate with sea salt (Fleur de Sel).  Highly recommend it!

     This is a very, very good chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Chewy, buttery, a little salty and the two different chocolates make it oh so good.  The sea salt gets sprinkled right over the top right before baking, and it's just the right taste to complement the sugary sweet cookie.  A friend of mine in culinary school, told me a trade secret for a better cookie.  She said to refrigerate the dough for a few hours or overnight before baking!  After baking one batch right away, I decided to take her advice and refrigerate the dough for a couple of days--yes days!-- and they were much better and prettier than the first batch.  It really did make a difference in the taste!  Thanks for the tip, Leah!  They even look tastier by turning a beautiful golden brown color.

      I know that you will  love these cookies.  A lot!  I hope you try this slightly modern twist on a very classic cookie.  Sea Salt Double Chocolate Chip Cookies would make the perfect dessert with a cold glass of milk and your favorite movie! 

Sea Salt Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c. cake flour

1/1/2 all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

10 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

10 oz. Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips

Sea salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sift first 5 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. 

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy.

 Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. 

Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

Stir in chocolate chips until well incorporated.  

Press plastic wrap onto the dough in the bowl, and refrigerate for an hour or up to 48 hours.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Roll dough into golf ball size pieces and arrange on baking sheet. 

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake for 10 - 12 minutes for soft chewy cookies.

Cool cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Here is a sweet picture of my beautiful mom and I on Easter!  She gave me this exquisite apron with a truly old fashioned floral pattern, for my Easter gift.  This was something she found in Gatlinburg, TN and it's a Williamsburg collection apron.  She said that she loved it so much, she had to get me one, too!  It's that such a thoughtful gift?

Here we are in our pearls and aprons, in her kitchen.
(My husband calls us "Two Peas in a Pod!!)



I linking up with:

Summer Time Spicy Coleslaw with Apple and Pecans

     I heart coleslaw!!!  Cool and creamy, perfect with anything off the bbq grill!  This is a little different from the traditional mayo and cabbage coleslaw that we've all grown to love.  This slaw has punches of flavor from the spicy dressing to the crunchy napa cabbage, sweet apple and salty toasted pecans.  YUM!  Perfect for your next picnic! 

     I made this to accompany a supper of  balsamic and black pepper skirt steak and cooked down black beans!  Scrumptious to say the least.  This coleslaw provided a fresh, kind of salad effect with the heartier steak and beans.  We were really starving when we actually sat down to eat--it was a late meal-- making us appreciate every bite even more.  I served it out of this pretty cut glass bowl that was passed down to us from my Great-Grandmother in-love ("Granny").  I'm very proud of this piece and find things like crimson red cranberry salad looks especially pretty in it around the holidays.  It is very heavy and yet so delicate looking.  A special piece indeed. :)

     Back to the coleslaw: it calls for Napa cabbage which happens to be pretty expensive, in my opinion.  I have only bought it for this dish, and really like the texture and pretty fluted edges.   It's fairly easy to find, since I bought mine at Kroger.  Originally the recipe calls for red onion. I didn't add this, but for all of you raw onion lovers, have at it!  I'm sure it would be great.  I'm almost embarrased to say that I actually forgot about the carrots until I finished taking these pictures!  I was so excited about the apple and pecans, that I missed out on  putting in the carrots completely!  They are a favorite vegetable of mine, and would add beautiful color, too.  So don't do that when you make this--learn from my mistake!

     I hope this might give you a new idea for you next bbq, church potluck or family picnic.  It's that time of year to start showing off your summer recipes, and this Spicy Coleslaw with Apple and Pecans would be great to keep in mind.  It's a new twist on an old favorite! 

 Spicy Coleslaw with Apples and Pecans

1 head of Napa cabbage

(splurge-worthy!)

4 carrots, shredded

1 Fuji apple

1 c. pecans, toasted and rough chopped

Dressing

1 Tbsp. honey dijon mustard

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 c. light mayo or miracle whip

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt & black pepper

Shred cabbage and carrots, thinly slice the apple and chop pecans.

Mix well with hands and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, and toss well to coat.

Taste again to adjust seasonings.

Serves 8-10

I'm linking up with