Pie Oh My…

Posted in Food & Recipes by listen2mama

I have always had a sweet tooth. Well, truthfully, everyone in my family does. I love cake, cookies, cake pops, cupcakes and of course a great slice of pie. A few years ago I was introduced to Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, a family owned and operated South Florida based bakery specializing in handcrafted pies, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and decadent one-of-a-kind desserts. The bake shop was established by retired Miami fireman Derek Kaplan, who created his vision through a love of baking at a very young age. Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop in Wynwood opened up in July 2014 and instantly became a hit. By 2016, after years of juggling two careers, Kaplan retired from the fire department to pursue his baking career full time. In March 2019, Kaplan opened the Coconut Grove location located right on Main Highway (here’s the amazing backstory).

Wynwood location. All photos courtesy of Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop.

I have yet to visit the original Wynwood shop, as I live very close to the Coconut Grove store. Needless to say my family has visited numerous times, as they offer a variety of amazing pies, cakes, brownies, cookies, bread pudding, etc. Here are my Top 5, although you really cannot go wrong with any of them:

Stuffed Guava White Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. Imagine a soft, chewy white chocolate cookie cheesecake pie stuffed with gobs of guava. Melts in your mouth!

Guava Cheesecake. Graham cracker crust signature guava cheesecake filling and guava and white chocolate sauce (can you tell I am slightly obsessed with guava).

Key Lime Pie. Kaplan’s classic Key Lime made with condensed milk, egg yolks and freshly squeezed juice from nearly two pounds of local key limes.

Cookies & Cream Pie. Chocolate cookie crust, layer of chocolate ganache, cookies and cream mousse with crushed cookies and white chocolate drizzle. My daughter’s favorite!

Salty Monkey Pie. Chocolate cookie crust, bananas in chocolate ganache, white chocolate and peanut butter mousse, with pretzels and chocolate drizzle. My husband loves this one!

As you can see they all look heavenly. If you cannot decide on just one, you can always sample a few different ones, as they are also sold by the slice. Below is the menu, although I believe they also offer unique creations for holidays and special occasions.

Have you stopped by Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop? If you live in South Florida or are visiting, make sure to check them out. I would love to know which pies/cakes are your favorites.

21Sep2015

Sanibel Shopping

Posted in Beauty & Style, Travel & Adventure by listen2mama

Sanibel is one of my favorite places to visit for a quick, relaxing vacation. Living in Miami, we have the luxury of being less than a 3 hour ride away, so we take advantage of this, and spend many weekends (sometimes even day trips) in Sanibel. If you’re not familiar with the area, Sanibel is a barrier island located near Fort Myers off the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast. The island has a laid-back tropical, Caribbean feel that also offers breathtaking sunsets, great eateries (my favorite being The Island Cow) and fantastic shopping. It’s no wonder Sanibel was recently named the #1 family-friendly vacation spot in the country during NBC’s Today show. We love everything about the island and while we also enjoy visiting Naples and Marco Island, Sanibel remains our favorite. It’s so relaxed and cozy, I just love to spend my days on the white sand beaches collecting shells or riding bike through the adorable streets with the beautiful houses, and finishing off the day with a great meal and some fun shopping. And if you’re looking for beachy themed and preppy stores (think Lily Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines and Spirit Jersey), look no further. On our last trip it rained pretty heavily, so I had hubby take me from shop to shop (after all, I had to make use of my time there). Here are my favorite stores on this amazing little island.

FantaSea
2075 Periwinkle Way, #37
239.395.3300
www.fantaseasshells.com

This has to be the store that I loved most on my last trip. Everything in this shop is beach themed, including gorgeous bedding, scented candles, bath & body products, clothing, home accessories….you name it. Simply gorgeous, both the items sold and the store layout. Trust me, once you walk into this place, you will convince yourself you need to by a beach house and completely decorate it with items found here. Take a look at these…

I just had to buy the wooden sign and add it to my beach life collection on my windowsill.

Naples Soap Company
2075 Periwinkle Way
239.312.4236
www.naplessoap.com

So lately I have been coming across so many new soap, bath and body products stores (I have blogged about a few already). And I can’t help it, I love them all. On this last trip to Sanibel I came across The Naples Soap Company, offering all sorts of sea salt scrubs, bath bombs (I love those), olive oil soaps, body butters and shampoo and conditioner bars. Their soaps are all hand made in the US, and they use quality ingredients, which are all vegan-based, eco-friendly, and never tested on animals. Well, all of this sounds terrific, but all I know is that I bought my daughter a lavender lime bath bomb, which was literally…the bomb. The scent was amazing and she loved her bath. I also splurged on a Lavender Vanilla Sea Salt Scrub, which I just fell in love with.

Sand Castle Gifts & Gourmet
2075 Periwinkle Way, #20
239.472.2201
www.sandcastlegiftsgourmet.com

When you walk into Sand Castle Gifts & Gourmet you are immediately drawn in by the spicy scent, a result of their Sand Castle Seasonings, party dip mixes and seasoning blends, made in small batches on Sanibel, and sold exclusively in this store. This terrific little shop also sells many other Floridian treats like coconut patties, salt water taffy, Tortuga rum cakes, local honey and drink mixes in beautiful gift packaging. They also sell adorable coastal themed home accessories and gifts such as tumblers, kitchen towels, mugs and beach bags. You can’t miss this place.

I had to by one of these starfish kitchen towels, so cute!

Gifts for all!

Three Crafty Ladies
1628 Periwinkle Way
239.472.2893
www.threecraftyladies.com

OK, so I am super crafty, but sewing and knitting have unfortunately never been my thing. I can barely sew a button on. However, when I came across this beautiful shop, (the name of course caught my eye), I just had to stop in. The store had an incredible and unique selection of quilting fabrics, sewing notions, cross stitch patterns, scrapbooking papers, paints & canvases, arts and crafts supplies and so much more! They specialize in high-quality cotton fabrics, including a large selection of batiks and tropical prints. And if you have time and love to craft, drop by and create one of their Make-it-and-Take-it Souvenir Crafts, available most Thursdays from 10:00-4:00! I actually found some very unique Sanibel and Captiva scrapbooking papers that I had never seen anywhere else. Definitely a place to make a stop at, especially if you enjoy sewing.

My daughter, being the crafter that she is, loving this store!

Sanibel Island Bookshop, Jewelry & Boutique
1571 Periwinkle Way
239.472.5223
www.sanibelbookshop.com

The Sanibel Island bookshop carries a large selection of books, many by local authors, of which I picked up a few and can’t wait to read and review on the blog soon. They also carry some exclusive lines of jewelry, including Trollbeads, Kameleon and Lovelinks, as well as, Lindsay Phillips switchflops, Spartina bags, candles, toys and stationery items. Definitely a very unique bookshop, as their tagline says “A Great Place To Be Stranded”. Also worthy of a mention is MacIntosh Books & Paper.

Beautiful notebooks and journals for sale.

Many books by local authors.

Fresh Produce Sportswear
2075 Periwinkle Way, #33
239.395.1839
www.freshproduceclothes.com

This is one of the many locations of Fresh Produce Sportswear stores, offering fun, coastal designs and also a great selection of jewelry and Vera Bradley products (you know how much I love VB). Make sure to check them out when you’re visiting all of these great stores of Periwinkle Place. Also worth a mention, Simply Boutique, a few doors down from here, selling Lily Pulitzer, Spirit Jersey and various other accessories and clothing.

Great Vera Bradley selections at Fresh Produce.

Jerry’s Foods
1700 Periwinkle Way
239.472.9300
www.jerrysfoods.com

This is a charming grocery store, which anchors Jerry’s Shopping Center, also on Periwinkle Way, (most everything in Sanibel is located on Periwinkle Way), and it’s only one of two supermarkets on the island. The shopping center has a pretty courtyard, which offers outdoor seating for the eateries and also houses some gorgeous tropical birds in some very large cages, which attract a ton of attention from the tourists. You will also find some great shops in here, but the market is the main attraction. Oh, and inside the market, there is a café, serving local favorites such as the Grouper Sandwich. But what cannot be missed is their famous Jerry’s Key Lime Pie, voted the best in all of Sanibel, and trust me, I tried it and it’s got my vote as well.

The courtyard with outdoor seating in Jerry’s Shopping Center

One of the many tropical birds outside in the courtyard.

Jerry’s Cafe Interior; the best Key Lime Pie in Sanibel!

H2O Outfitters (Jerry’s Shopping Center)
1700 Periwinkle Way, #2
239.472.4717
www.beachstuffinc.com

Conveniently located inside of Jerry’s Shopping Center you will find H2O Outﬁtters, carrying a complete collection of apparel, accessories, swimwear and jewelry. Some of the premier clothing lines include Tommy Bahama, Tori Richards, Columbia, Billabong, Quicksilver, Life is Good, and the famous Spirit Jerseys (my daughter loved her Sanibel one). Definitely stop in if you’re looking for some good quality t-shirts and beach accessories. Owned by the same company, check out Beach Life in Chadwick’s Square, directly across from the South Seas Island Resort in Captiva, for additional brands from Lily Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines.

H2O Outfitters, photo courtesy of Beach Life.

H2O Outfitters, photo courtesy of BeachStuff Inc.

Sanibel Spirit Jersey

No matter what you like to shop for, I am sure you will find it in Sanibel. Have you ever visited Sanibel? I’d love to hear which shops you enjoyed most.

22Sep2014

The Island Cow

Posted in Food & Recipes, Travel & Adventure by listen2mama

Whenever we’re visiting a new place, we like to try unusual or local restaurants. Every time we visit Sanibel Island, we make it a point to eat at The Island Cow. We like everything about this casual, beachy, cow-themed (hence the name) eatery. My husband always says this place makes him feel happy!

Fun for kids outside!

This quirky family restaurant has a fun vibe, with its cow decorations, funny signs, and claims that the food is “udderly great”. I especially LOVE this sign:

The menu here can only be described as extensive with items such as Seafood Fajitas, Steak and Cake (NY strip steak and their famous crab cakes), Moolicious Meatloaf, and Po’ boys. Let’s not forget the extensive breakfast menu, and the appetizers, soups, salads and desserts! We love to start with the basket of muffins they put on your table. They are really yummy, but don’t overdo it, you want to make sure you have room for the main dish.

Yummy muffins!

For my main meal, I had the Islander’s Crab Cakes (I always order this), and hubby chose the “Fish’in Rules”, pick a fish from one of three groups:

Then choose how you want it prepared, however you want from broiled to barbequed, and then pick sides like cheese grits, island yellow rice or hush puppies. Whatever you eat, make sure you leave room for their famous Key Lime Pie, one of the best I’ve eaten in Florida!

Delicious Key Lime Pie!

The Island Cow is right in the middle of Sanibel on Periwinkle Way. Be prepared to wait a bit for a table, the place is usually quite busy, especially during the high season. However, the service is pretty good and fast, and if you get tired of waiting, there are plenty of games, activities and photo-taking opportunities available while you pass the time.

Here are a few more photos of this cute little place: