The worst part of this living on a boat adventure is that we are going to have to give up our brand new huge freezer, an extra full size fridge, and the well stocked pantry cupboard and get along with a little compact freezer, and two small worthless fridges and the wine cooler. We're figuring that another month and we'll have to relocate - and put the empty freezer and fridge in storage.

This means that for the next month or so we'll be eating to empty them. Last night was the first night! It didn't help that I really wasn't in the mood for what I'd planned so it was shoot from the hip and see what happens. I had most of the stuff for a favorite casserole that my Grandmother used to make - but the missing ingredient was integral to the dish so that was a no go.

From the pantry - 1 can chili without beans,
1 can of Campbells Southwestern cheese soup,
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 box of penne pasta
From the freezer 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
a third of a bag of frozen Italian style meatballs
From the fridge enough sliced sharp cheddar cheese to cover the top
a half can of sliced black olives.

Did I just write that??? Oh, gads I did! I put the meatballs (still frozen) in the bottom of a medium baking dish and sprinkled the corn on top while the pasta cooked. While the pasta drained I emptied the cans (oh, the horror!) into the pot the pasta cooked in and combined them well until the whole concoction was hot. Upon tasting it just didn't have it, so I tossed in a tablespoon or so of my Southwest seasoning, better but not quite there. I grabbed the shaker jar of allepo pepper and while staring at my regualr spice jars (the unscrew the lid and shake kind) I unscrewed the lid and dumped about 3 tbs. of the pepper flakes into the pan. I managed to scoop about 2 tbs. out. Now it was pretty good. Then I returned the pasta to the pot with the sauce until they were well mixed, then I dumped the whole mess on top of the meatballs and corn, added the olives, and mixed them up. Then I topped it all with sliced cheddar cheese.

Oh, did I mention that Bob had spent the first part of the evening trying to adjust the oven so that it didn't smoke the kitchen up any more? Did I mention that it didn't work? Uhm, I made a casserole that needed baking! He shoehorned the casserole into the "down-sized" microwave and round and round it went for 25 minutes or so.

A couple of cocktails, "Deal or No Deal", and part of "Heros" later we had a one dish dinner. I could have made a salad - but we were hungry, and tired. It was good, not "cuisine" by any stretch of the imagination - but it was family dinner at home casserole on the table food! The leftovers just got better and better! Will I make this again? Ssssshhhhhhhhh - don't tell anyone - YES!!!

Turning an old favorite dinner "downside up"!

Oh, it has been fun playing in the galley! Bob let me get a copy of "Culinary Artistry" - wow that'll inspire anyone to want to create wonderful food. Being limited by space and equipment is a little difficult - but an intrepid "wannabe chef" can manage.

Ingredients: beautiful thick boneless pork chops, an acorn squash, and some fresh brussels sprouts. Hmmmmm. Had a hankering for something different - something off the wall, a different twist on the same ol' stuff.

The plan: steam the squash in the oven as usual, season & brown off the chops and simmer in some white wine, blanch the sprouts and season with vinegar & perhaps some butter.

Gee, doesn't that sound like fun? We were fond of cooking our acorn and butternut squash with chai spice tea bags in the water - but we were out. Hmmmm, improvise?

1 acorn squash
2 tsp. green cardamom pods
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
1 tsp. kosher salt
Chinese Five Spice powder to taste.

Pour 3/4" water into a 8"x 8" baking dish, add salt and stir to dissolve. Crush cardamom pods and peppercorns and add to water. Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Sprinkle Five Spice powder on the squash and let sit for 5 minutes before placing cut side down in the water. Bake at 350 f. until the skin gives when gently poked. Turn cut side up and add butter to taste. I have got to say that the kitchen smelled divine while they baked.

The pork chops were also seasoned with the Five Spice powder, browned off in 1 TBS of coconut oil, and simmered in sake, and then the resulting juices were reduced to use as a sauce.

Okay, I'm sure there are veggies that would go better with this, but these brussels sprouts were fresh on the stalk, and needed to be eaten so we'd have some more room in the fridge. Hmmmm, how do you make these wonderful little gems fit the "theme"? Bob likes vinegar - balsamic with a touch of butter on his sprouts and he loves sesame oil on asparagus. Hmmmmm. By now I was thinking I'd made a mistake - but the sprouts were almost done - it became a matter of just going for it! Sesame oil, about a TBS and 2 or 3 TBS of rice wine vinegar went over the little green balls of joy - and they were joyfully good with the nutty taste of the sesame oil and the gentle tang of the rice wine vinegar providing zip the meal needed after the rich, sweet, and spicy tastes of the pork and squash. Everyone agreed that it was a great meal!

It was a fun meal to put together and lighter than it would have been if it had been my mom's classic dinner - pork chops in a mushroom gravy, acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, and brussles sprouts with mayonnaise.

My personal favorite was the squash, scented with cardamom and the five spice powder just made the meal for me!

The best laid plans . . . . .

That Saturday was going to be a day of chores for Bob and I. The original plan was to finish the chores and then go sailing with friends before returning home for dinner. Of course, nothing ever goes exactly as planned.

Bob was much more effective than I was - the outboard on the houseboat now runs! That is a good thing, it means that we can move when we're ready to. Hooray! Now we can stay home and go somewhere!

On the other hand, my luck was not so good. With the oven still dead I thought I'd give the ol' Flavor Wave Deluxe oven (hey, I didn't buy it - it was a gift!) a shot and bake some brownies in it. I got out the best chocolate, a good friend's recipe for the best brownies in the world and mixed them up. I figured that it would be better to make them in two thin layers and stack the layers (when done) with a wonderful filling and the Jack Daniels Frosting on top. After 45 minutes I gave it up - and gave the rest of the batter to Sarah to take home and bake for her son. The brownies were crispy on top and batter on the bottom. Not good! The day just slid into a giant funk!

I had been so excited about the prospects of having the oven back - of course we had to investigate further. Hmmm. According the the RepairClinic.com website we learned that "while the glow plug may appear to be working correctly it could be defective." Okay, we got the replacement glow plug on order!

Cooking became a hysterical challenge this week. It wasn't enough that everything had to either be stovetop, grill, or "funny oven", Bob needed a medical test that placed some dietary restrictions on us. Turkey, chicken, and fish were on the menu. Broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, etc. were off the menu and spinach, corn, peas, and lettuce were on. Five days of that and the final night - and company for dinner!

We roamed the grocery store trying to figure out a meal that would fill all the requirements! Mexican food! Turkey and cheese enchiladas and a special request for a hominy side that everyone loves. The enchiladas were pretty standard - 4 different cheeses, some diced cooked turkey breast, diced onion and jalapeno rolled into large fresh corn tortillas (softened in coconut oil), topped with enchilada sauce and more cheese.

Now onto the the hominy side! Beans, beans, I've always got a can of black beans in the pantry - but not now! All was not lost - and Bob even said he liked this better.

Even Better Hominy & Pinto Bean Saute

2 tbs olive oil
1 can golden hominy, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic finely diced
1 med. jalapeno diced
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
2 tbs chopped cilantro
The juice of 1/2 lime

Add olive oil to pan on med high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute just until beginning to soften. Add hominy and cook, stirring, until onion just begins to color. Add pinto beans, salt & pepper, red pepper flakes, and jalapenos. Cook until heated through. Add cilantro and lime juice. Combine well and serve.

I usually make this with black beans, but everyone thought the pintos were better, there was a nice creamy quality that was good with the hominy. In the summer I use corn with the black beans and serve it cold with a drizzle of olive oil and lime juice. My youngest daughter, the picky eater, loves this with the hominy and more jalapenos. It's great with a BBQ too.

A day away from home.

Two weeks ago I was scrambling to put together a marketing plan for the Marina I worked at. The next day I was unemployed - today I'm sitting here wondering what I'm doing attempting to write a blog!
Life is sorta like that! Just before Christmas we discovered a lovely little Thai restaurant near where Bob works. We stopped in for lunch. I had a lovely Red Curry Duck that was so soul satisfying that I think I've been dreaming about it. I was hoping to go back there and fill my mouth with those lovely flavors one more time . . . so that I could recreate it at home.
Alas; it was not to be. It is now a Mexican/Central American restaurant. This is not a complaint! Lunch yesterday was every bit as good as the duck, if not better! The waiter arrived promptly to seat us and bring us chips and a thick salsa with lots of cilantro. The specials were Chili Colorado and Mole con Pollo. If Mole is on a menu I'm all over it no questions asked. My friends and family know that I am not a chicken leg fan - don't eat 'em, don't know why (and really don't care!). My plate arrived with a leg and thigh covered in a thick, rich, homemade Mole, 2 different flavored rice preparations (one red and one white) a realistic serving of refried beans, and two hot fresh tortillas. The mole was deep and chocolaty, with just the right amount of spice and perfectly balanced. I ate both pieces of chicken - and did give thought to licking my plate. Bob chose the Chili Colorado made with luscious, large chunks of pork, rather than beef, simmered in a beautiful, pure chili sauce and served with the same rice, beans, and tortillas. The service was perfect, the plating was as pleasing to the eye as the food was to the mouth.
After lunch we spoke to the owners. They were amazed that pupusas were among my favorite foods - and that I made them at home. It was great fun discussing our love of Mexican and Central American food with them. After a wonderful conversation we agreed that next time we go in we'll just let them pick our food. What fun, I can't wait to get back there for lunch again.
Hmmmmmm, in the meantime . . . . what to eat for dinner?