What could be better than heading down to sunny Florida in the winter time! The VeryVera Show, by invitation of Clearwater, Fla, was asked to film a show showcasing all of the great reasons for choosing their area as your next travel destination. I know I can’t wait to go back. Our partners, Atomic Studios, made the trip with us and Dusty and Tim literally almost went overboard to get all the right video. It was truly straight up “Deadliest Catch!”
The day started early on a commercial Stone Crab fishing boat, and Captain Mark and I were fast friends. He was so knowledgeable; it kept my mind off of even thinking about getting seasick. I even learned how to grab a crab without losing a couple of fingers. After loading up the boat with crabs, we quickly made the trek to Frenchy’s Processing Plant to learn how these crabs have to immediately get cooked, chilled, weighed and then sorted. All so fascinating!
Crabs have a featured role in this week’s episode of The Very Vera Show.
After a day around, shall I say “smells,” I headed over to our hotel to freshen up for a great dinner at Bob Hellman’s Beachcomber, a real Clearwater landmark. Sherry Hellman, the owner, was so passionate about her restaurant and the Clearwater area and community that I felt very privileged to learn from the TOP! She also was wonderful in instructing me on how to properly eat one of the colossal stone crabs. That is truly one of the most delicious foods I have ever tasted.
The next day took us to Salt Cracker Fish Camp for a spectacular lunch: Grilled Grouper Sandwich. Chef Elliott Pappis certainly knows this recipe like the back of his hand and our entire crew enjoyed this fresh catch of the day – scrumptious. Finally, we enjoyed sunset at Pier 60 and met a variety of vendors and enjoyed watching artists and entertainers wow the crowd.
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Clearwater Beach is definitely a venue to consider with lots of options for the whole family.
Catch The VeryVera Show at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 20 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 on WJBF-TV.
Charmain’s Adventures Through Vera’s Cookbooks by managing editor Charmain Z. Brackett
To me “snow” should be among those four-letter words that Miss Manners tells you not to say. I’m not a fan of the stuff.
After eight years without the slushy, cold stuff, Augusta is overdue for a dusting of it. Let’s face it. If you’ve lived in Augusta as long as I have, you know we don’t get the pretty fluffy stuff other parts of country do. Anyway, after looking at maps and weather images combined with Augusta’s penchant for getting rain when Atlanta is covered with the white stuff, I didn’t expect it last weekend.
Besides, it’s usually February when we get the worst of winter weather. I know this because my husband’s birthday is in that month, and anytime I plan a party for him, it gets snowed out. He was born in Montana, I guess the snow just follows his birthday.
With last weekend’s impending snowmageddon, I did my Southern duty and ventured out into the Wild Wild West of the grocery stores to get my prerequisite bread and milk. People go crazy around here in the event of snow that is usually gone a few hours after it hit the ground.
I scrolled through Vera’s recipes to find the perfect soup for a dreary, rainy and cold January day. As it turned out, my trip to the grocery store yielded milk but not bread
For the next chapter of “Charmain’s Adventures through Vera’s Cookbooks,” I decided on her slow cooker, corn chowder sounded both hearty and comforting. https://www.veryvera.com/recipes/recipe/slow-cooker-corn-chowder/
Since I was competing with snowmageddon crowds, I couldn’t find a rotisserie chicken that was part of the recipe. My husband had gone to Sam’s while I was at Publix. Sam’s didn’t have any prepared either, so I punted and used some grilled chicken.
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The verdict quickly came back from my husband that I’d picked a winner. His only criticism was he wanted more corn, but that’s an easy fix.
And as I look at Friday’s forecast, I might need to make another batch of this soup. They are predicting snow again.
What pairs well with Snowmageddon, part 2? I may let you know next week.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Managing Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
