Mexico Beach. Florida

We celebrated the 4th of July in Mexico Beach…no not in Mexico…in the hot, sunny Florida Panhandle.

Matt’s parents rented out a condo overlooking the beach and met us there, along with his brother, sister-in-law and two adorable nephews. Our weekend was filled with sunshine, scalloping, swimming, shrimp po-boys and stuffed strawberry sno-balls.

We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company and we cooked some absolutely delicious food!

The menu included:

• Fresh, fried trout that Matt’s dad had caught on a recent fishing trip in Louisiana
• Homemade Key Lime pies
• Shrimp po-boys
• Ham, fresh spinach, tomato and cheese omlettes
• BLT, avocado cheeseburgers

• Raspberry, Prosecco jello shots (I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit…it was supposed to be a gourmet dessert but they didn’t turn out as glamourous as planned)
• Pizzas made with dough that Matt’s sister-in-law made from scratch

With this family, it’s not possible to have a bad meal!

Mexico Beach was a great place to spend the holiday weekend. The crowds were few (even in St. Augustine it’s hard to get anywhere around July 4th) and the activities were plentiful. We spent time swimming in the blue-green waters of the Gulf, taking walks around town to get cold treats and finding scallops in the clear water of Port St. Joe.

During one of our walks, we stopped at a cute beach-inspired shop called The Grove. They had colorful hammocks in summery, pastel colors, sea-life and nautical inspired pillows, mermaid statues, compasses and huge framed photographs of sailboats. When it comes to shops, I like places that offer something unique and different and The Grove is exactly that.

On our balcony we had a great view of the fireworks exhibition from Port St. Joe to the pier in Mexico Beach, along with plenty of other fireworks shot off by revelers on the beach.

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend and one that is sure to remain as a wonderful memory.