Kitchen Confessions

Beer Bread

 

Stages of cooking

I am definitely not a Julia Childs (or a Rachael Ray for the youngsters out there), but I have been able to keep our family fueled over the past 20-some years. However, this has not been done without some constraints. The way I see it, I have progressed through several stages of cooking and am quickly approaching Stage 6. The previous stages were:

STAGE ONE - We won't starve - otherwise known as the newlywed stage. Let's just say there was plenty of eating out involved.

STAGE TWO - Keep the kids alive - also known as "what-do-we-have-in-the-cupboards-or-fridge-that-we-can-throw-together-quickly-after-work-as-we-run-out-the-door-on-our-way-to-a-game-while-leaving-something-hearty-for-the-kid-just-getting-done-with-practice. Whew!

STAGE THREE - Honey, how about PB & J tonight? - This is where the kids are off on their own and the two of us have time to cook, but are feeling too lazy to put much effort into it. Stage 3 is quickly followed by Stage 4.

STAGE FOUR - Where did my metabolism go? - All the quick fixes have caught up to us and it is time to start taking healthy cooking a little more seriously. More fresh fish and vegetables are what is called for. After some experimenting I think I have a handle on this.

STAGE FIVE - New plan - we're going cruising - OK, now what do I do. I have mastered weekend provisioning and food prep, but what the heck am I expected to produce from a three square foot leaning kitchen with minimal fuel and an icebox? Crap, back to PB&J. NO...I'm going to put on my "big girl panties" and figure out a way to provide sustenance that is both healthy and tasty. So, my challenge is to experiment as much as possible on land so that I am prepared for what awaits us at sea.

Ok, let's get started...

Galley cookbooks read crust to crust...check

Pressure cooker....check

Big girl panties...check

The past few months have found me experimenting with Pooker, our new to us pressure cooker. The first attempt was approached with more than a little trepidation. After all, I have heard these contraptions can explode! Not to fear, the first venison roast came out tender and tasty. The curried chicken was excellent, and Pooker doesn't scare me any more.

Pooker

Next up was bread. All the blogs I read include references to the sweet aroma of the bread cooking and the hearty meals that accompany it. I have never attempted the, in my mind, daunting and time consuming task of baking bread. However, once I got my courage up and gathered the necessary ingredients, I found that bread baking was not as difficult as it first appeared. What a feeling of accomplishment as I pulled the first loaf out of the oven.

Hey, these big girl panties fit pretty good! Bring on Stage 6

STAGE SIX - Mike..either reef the sails or it's a can of cold ravioli for dinner! Stop heeling my kitchen!

 

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Strictly Sail Chicago - 2014 (cont.)

Bob Bitchin. Now there is a name for a sailor. Bob Bitchin's real name, Robert Lipkin, just doesn't do him justice. He is a large, burly man who is full of life, laughter and a hint of philosophy. If you aren't familiar with Bob then you are missing out. His life story, biker, druggie, biker magazine editor, writer, actor, sailing lifestyle magazine creator and sailor, speaks of a life fully lived. He has lived hard and fast while experiencing the world.

 

I first heard of Bob when I was a sailing novice and read a copy of his Lats and Atts magazine. He wrote of sailing and experiencing the world from the deck of a boat. I immediately decided this man had an interesting slant on life and couldn't wait to read more. His writing often explores some fundamental human trait or action from his particular view...sometimes funny and sometimes philosophical, but always entertaining. I've continued to read Bob's writings and watch his TV show episodes as I have grown as a sailor and look forward to his future offerings.

Brenda and I were joined by some friends at Bob's Strictly Sail seminar, How to keep a Starboard Attitude While Cruising, and we all thoroughly enjoyed Bob's presentation. Although I had met Bob briefly last year at the show, this was the first time I had a chance to really hear his ideas and experiences at length. After the seminar we went to Bob's Cruising Outpost (his new magazine) booth to renew our subscription and talk to Bob in person for a few minutes. I came away wishing we could just pull up a couple of barstools and talk at length.

Well Bob Bitchin, you have definitely played a role in helping me persue my dream of cruising. I hope someday our sailboats will share a tropical bay, so we can tip a beverage and talk about sailing and life.

 

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Strictly Sail Chicago 2014 (cont.)

So what did we think of the boats we toured you ask?

Last year we were excited to tour the Gemini catamaran as we were considering a 105MC for our cruising boat. Boy did we come away disappointed. Not nearly enough headroom, walkways that were way too tight (especially when getting past the shrouds) not nearly as roomy as the internet pictures made it seem. So we waved at the Gemini this year as we walked past it.

We toured the Catalina boats and came away saying they were a lot of boat for the buck. They had excellent headroom, nice usable cockpits, simple rigs and bright interiors. The bad news was a lack of usable handholds, v-berths for people well under 6 feet only and cheap looking/feeling interior materials.

The Hunters actually surprised us with their improved materials and workmanship. Hunters are known for giving owners lots of boat for a reasonable amount of money. Now that Marlow has purchased Hunter, there seems to be a renewed emphasis on quality materials and workmanship. We actually liked the Marlow-Hunter boats better than the Beneteau and Catalina offerings. Make sure not to tell Mike's buddy Jim that he liked the Hunters. Mike would never hear the end of it.

Our favorite boat was the beautiful and modern Island Packet Blue Jacket. It looks and feels the way a cruiser should. Now if we had gaboodles of money we could even dream about buying one.

Enough boat dreaming for us. Time to go back to searching for that beautiful 20 to 30 year old classic that will become our new home.

 

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Strictly Sail Chicago 2014 (cont.)

 

We were excited to attend Lin and Larry Pardey's "The Adventures that Shaped Our Lives" seminar. These two amazing people have lived the cruising life to the extreme. They have hand built two small wooden cruising boats and seen the world aboard them. Lin was the speaker as Larry didn't appear physically up to a presentation. Lin did a great job of outlining their lives and adventures in a short amount of time. She is small in stature, but large in sense of adventure, love of life and mental toughness.

Lin and Larry have written some of our favorite books based on all their years of sailing experience. Mike took the opportunity to stop in at their booth afterwards to chat with Larry and had a wonderful time.

Thank you Lin and Larry for all you have done for countless current and future cruisers. Your Storm Tactics book will serve us well in the near future.

 

 

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Strictly Sail Chicago 2014 Review

 

Brenda and I spent three days at the show in order to see everything, spend some time with friends, attend lots of seminars and of course check out the boats. We accomplished all of this and had a blast doing it.

We got up at 4:15 a.m. to make a Van Galder bus to Chicago. It is a great way to go as they do all the work while we relax and use their Wi-Fi enroute. A quick cab ride to a hotel near Navy Pier and we are set to go. The reason we left so early was to ensure we arrived in time to attend Nigel Calder's sailing seminar.

I treasure Nigel's books and admire his lifelong drive to not only repair everything on his boats, but to understand the causes of problems. He studies each boat system in-depth and then writes clear concise maintenance and repair manuals for the everyday boat owner. For example, he carries a load cell on board to measure the loads transmitted from various anchoring tackle to the boat. He studies diesels, refrigeration, electrical systems, batteries and everything else aboard a typical cruising boat with the same attention to detail. I've only read Nigel's books and articles and seen his pictures which portray a quiet, intelligent, slightly nerdy kind of guy. Both Brenda and I expected his seminar to be informative, but dry and matter of fact. Nigel surprised us by being a little quirky, humorous and self-deprecating. I like this guy.

If you don't already have his books we highly recommend them. They will all be going on our cruising boat.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Strictly Sail Chicago 2014 Review

 

Brenda and I spent three days at the show in order to see everything, spend some time with friends, attend lots of seminars and of course check out the boats. We accomplished all of this and had a blast doing it.

We got up at 4:15 a.m. to make a Van Galder bus to Chicago. It is a great way to go as they do all the work while we relax and use their Wi-Fi enroute. A quick cab ride to a hotel near Navy Pier and we are set to go. The reason we left so early was to ensure we arrived in time to attend Nigel Calder's sailing seminar.

I treasure Nigel's books and admire his lifelong drive to not only repair everything on his boats, but to understand the causes of problems. He studies each boat system in-depth and then writes clear concise maintenance and repair manuals for the everyday boat owner. For example, he carries a load cell on board to measure the loads transmitted from various anchoring tackle to the boat. He studies diesels, refrigeration, electrical systems, batteries and everything else aboard a typical cruising boat with the same attention to detail. I've only read Nigel's books and articles and seen his pictures which portray a quiet, intelligent, slightly nerdy kind of guy. Both Brenda and I expected his seminar to be informative, but dry and matter of fact. Nigel surprised us by being a little quirky, humorous and self-deprecating. I like this guy.

If you don't already have his books we highly recommend them. They will all be going on our cruising boat.

 

 

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I'm So Done With Winters!

Last winter I told Brenda that I thought I had one more Wisconsin winter left in me. What was I thinking? I just walked in from snowblowing our ridiculously long country driveway and I would now like to retract my previous statement. No, I do not have one more winter left in me. I think I will print this picture and tape it to the inside lid of my boat toolbox. Then when I open the toolbox to make yet another boat repair, I will be reminded it could be worse.

I'm done with snow. I'm done with sub-zero temperatures. I'm done with these friggin Wisconsin winters.

 

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