Boat Life Larks - SV Dulcinea: Galley Goodness

Prologue.

The Boat Fridge is a house of horrors. It's super deep and has three levels. To access the second and third level, you must remove the first and second levels, balancing these items on the entryway or floor while hunching over the fridge, digging deep. By the time you've done all of that, you have no energy left for cooking or living, and a good old fashioned lay down in despair is required (after you've cleaned off a place to lay down).

Act 1. The Improvement. October, 2020. Matt decided, as it was winter, to improve the efficiency of the fridge by adding a bead of silicone to the lid. Sadly, his usual brand of silicone wasn't available, so he pressed on with the "super improved, extra special, won't fail" brand. Super! Meanwhile, Lucy Pollyanna wrote an ambitious 6 month shopping plan. After all, the Bahamas only required a negative Covid-19 test taken within 7 days of arrival. We could take the tests, depart Beaufort NC, and arrive in the Bahamas with plenty of time to spare. All we needed was to stock our fridge and freezer for say, 6 months.

Act 2. The silicone bead is in. The food is in the fridge and freezer. Happy days, thinking about eating delicious, inexpensive, American food, while enjoying the sunny beaches of the Bahamas. The meats! The cheeses! The puff pastry! The butter! I see smiles on clever people, outwitting covid, outwitting Bahamas grocery access and prices. Victory over 2020!

Act 3. Of course, we had noticed the smell. After all, it was very strong. However, what's a little silicone smell on a boat? I mean, that's just regular boating and not 2020 boating, right? But then, my friends, there's the taste. The extremely objectionable taste. "It's only affecting things not wrapped in plastic", Matt, attempting Pollyanna, said. An attempt to salvage the food by wrapping everything in more plastic ensured, probably locking in the taste in a very efficient manner. After all, this was all about efficiency!

Cooking becomes nerve wracking when, after creating healthy meals from scratch in a tiny tiny galley, you may, actually, just be cooking silicone food. And you'll still have to do the dishes! No, my friends, Papa John's doesn't deliver to "Mill Creek", or to "ICW MM 100", or even to Beaufort, NC.

Looks safe? Should be delicious? Think again!

A fun and frightening game begins: Will This taste like silicone? Surely the 48 eggs are OK, after all they are in plastic and have, you know, a hard shell? Some of the eggs are OK. Some are not. Would Chelsea like some silicone eggs? No, she'd prefer her high quality, freeze dried, raw salmon. It's silicone free, after all.

Yes, Chelsea, we are jealous!

Surely the silicone can't overpower the strong deliciousness of salami? Yes, yes it can. And, in a genius way, hours after your last disappointing meal, all that remains is the taste of silicone.

One thing we didn't stock up on? Liquor. We were saving space for all that Bahamian coconut rum we were going to buy. So there's no rum to wash down the silicone with.

Tinned food has never been more attractive. Tinned soup for dinner? What joy! Tuna and crackers for lunch? Yes, please! Sadly, we're out of tuna, as it's popularity with silicone mad cruisers has never been higher.

At least there's a limit to how much silicone tasting food a boat fridge can hold? Not really. There's three levels, after all. It's deep. It's so deep it hurts your back to access. And don't forget the full freezer. Full of silicone goodness!

Epilogue. The Bahamas changed their entry requirements, necessitating a trip to Florida before departure. We have a fridge and freezer still quite full of 6 months of unnecessary and horrid food. But Matt's happy to report that the fridge and freezer are more efficient than ever.

What's the most worst home improvement project you've ever done? Let me know in the comments!

by Matt, Chief Provisioning Officer, and Scientific Culinary Explorations Team Leader
Shroud Cay, Exumas

May 23, 2018

While roaming our dwindling pantry supplies, and panicking about the dwindling amount of coffee on board, I thought it might be helpful to future Bahamas-bound travelers to post what we use a lot of and what we wish we’d bought more of before we left.

Ask any cruiser what you should provision, and the number one answer is always a resounding, “Beer!” Here’s a reality check for you: I can find a beer on nearly every island I step on. Finding whole bean coffee, on the other hand, requires a quantum infinite improbability drive. I’m more likely to become a confused sperm whale in space or a pot of petunias than I am to find fresh whole-bean coffee on these islands. I can hear the beer drinkers already uniting against me: “But it’s so expensive,” and “They don’t have my Coors Lite!”. Kalik is pretty good. It is more expensive here, but so is everything else. Also, we find coconut rum widely available and more space effective :)

Of course, this question also gets to your individual style of cruising the islands. If you want to keep to your exact same favorite brands and your exact same diet, you're going to have to bring everything with you. We can get buy 1-2 months doing that, but we plan to be in the islands six months this year. By month three, pretty much everything has to be locally sourced. The brands aren't the same, and some things I just can't find. You can buy cheese nearly everywhere: it is usually a from bulk, block cut, mild yellow cheddar-y thing. Larger markets might have generic brand cheeses (like you would find in the US) that are good. In very nice markets you might find a wedge of parmesan or asiago. I don't think I've ever seen a brie or a Stilton. No matter what you find, it will cost more. We find it extremely difficult to eat healthy in the islands. What few fresh fruits and vegetables there are are very expensive, and it's a long time in between getting them. Dehydrated and freeze-dried options are very handy to have on board.

Where items are available from Amazon for provisioning, we’ve place affiliate links. We’re only linking to things we actually use, and like (and will buy again for next year’s trip!) If you purchase through this list, we get a few pennies to spend on Kaliks the next time we go ashore. Or maybe coffee…it’s a tough choice.

This was a good haul from a good store.

Nido

The powdered milk available the in the US is awful. It tastes horrible. I refuse to even cook with the stuff. Likewise with the UHT weirdo milk that needs no refrigeration. Nido is a Nestle product that is very popular in Latin America, and it is nothing at all like other powdered milk products. You can buy it in most US supermarkets and Wal-Mart, but it is usually on the ethnic aisle. We use this stuff every day for everything: floating cereal, creaming coffee and tea, and for baking up things like scones and pancakes. It is, no joke, for realz, just like regular milk. You can mix it up on demand a tablespoon at a time, or for more milky results, mix a quart at a time and leave in the fridge overnight. It makes great hot chocolates, too!

Powdered Eggs

These are pretty disgusting; I’ll be honest. They do not replace eggs and are only for baking. When mixed up and put into scones, pancakes, or egg bread recipes (like Challah) you can’t tell the difference. Also, keep in mind, you also cannot separate these to get whipped egg whites. So no soufflés on this cruise, sorry.

Eggs are pretty easy to come by in the Bahamas, so we always buy eggs when we find them. Interesting tidbit: the eggs here are always imported from the US, usually Ohio. For all the chickens and roosters roaming these islands, you’d think they’d be selling local eggs. But they aren’t.

The egg powder allows us to save space and keep the fresh eggs for scrambled, fried, and over-easy deliciousness.

Chocolate Chips

You can buy Toll House and generic semi-sweet chocolate chips in the bigger stores, and they are only slightly more expensive than what you get back home. I like cooking with nice (Ghiradelli) bittersweet chocolate chips though, and I’ve never seen those here or anything like them. And this might be a good metaphor for shopping in the Bahamas: you can get chocolate chips, sure, but can you get high-end bittersweet chocolate chips? No, the more specific your tastes are, the worse your luck will be in the Bahamian markets.

Coffee

Coffee required. Alcohol optional.

We’re addicts, and we know it. I grind the beans every morning just before brewing to ensure maximum freshness and flavor. And I'm a bit of a snob about it, but then we all have our vices. When we're in the States I usually head over to the nearest Fresh Market and buy whatever is on sale in the bulk aisle. These are usually the best value we've found for the best quality coffee. Out of what's available online, I've been a fan of Trader Joe's Joe Coffee, Costa Rican Blend, and Hawaii Kona coffee from Kauai Coffee Company.

Listen up coffee addicts: the Bahamas are a coffee desert. While bigger markets will usually have a few offerings like Folgers, Maxwell House, and maybe if you are really lucky, a Starbucks or Dunkin’ bag of grounds. Don’t even bother looking for whole beans. I also wouldn’t ask how long these have been on that market shelf.

There is one beautiful exception: the Hope Town Coffee Shop has fresh-roasted, whole beans for sale. They make a fantastic cup; I recommend buying their entire stock when in Hope Town.

And just for the record, I love my Aeropress coffee maker.

Tea

Since the Bahamians don’t seem to drink coffee, they must be drinking tea, right? They do have a lot more tea selection in the stores when compared to coffee, but if you (like us) prefer loose leaf, delicious teas you will be out of luck again. Most stores carry Twinnings bags and a few other brands.

We love these loose-leaf teas from Harney and Sons. The Paris flavor is over-the-top amazing-sauce, and we always keep an English Breakfast and Earl Grey on hand. For a special summer treat on board, try the Caribe over ice. Added boater bonus: the tins don’t rust and are great for storing little things in the toolbox!

Crystallized Ginger

I’ve only recently become a fan of crystallized ginger. Not only is it great to munch on if a rolly anchorage has you feeling queasy, but it’s also great to cook with! I’ve recently started baking it into gingery scones or putting some small pieces in with steeping green tea. It also makes a mean ginger simple syrup, which floats nicely in a gin bath over ice.

You can find fresh ginger hands in the bigger supermarkets in the Bahamas, but this stores better, and I use it for different things.

Harmony House Veggies

The first year we bought the pantry stuffer selection of fruits and veggies. Now, we pick and choose.

These jars of dehydrated veggies have helped us when stocks of the good stuff are low. If you can mix and match with fresh ingredients, you won’t know the dehydrated stuff is in there. Our favorites: bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, cabbage, spinach, potatoes, broccoli. Ones we will not repeat because we just didn’t like them (i.e., not recommended) peas, green beans, and corn.

Harmony House Soups

We were gifted these soups by family who bought them for a hurricane kit. They then decided they'd rather die of starvation than eat these things, so we were pleasantly surprised when they were pretty good. So far we’ve had the Mama Mia Italian Veggie, Greek Lentil with Quinoa, Split Pea, and Southwest Bean Chili. They are tasty, easy to store, and much easier to manage than tinned soups. Healthier and lower sodium too.

Freeze Dried Fruit (as many as you can afford!)

The problem with a lot of these fruit items is that, like Pringles, “once you pop you can’t stop." They make such a delicious snack. I once devoured a bag of Trader Joe’s dried mango slices in like a minute flat. Just amazing. For the record, we are talking about fruit only, unsweetened, raw fruit here, no sugar added candies. Add to muffins, scones, muesli cereal, drinks, syrups, whatever. If you do find fresh fruit in the Bahamas, it is rare and expensive. These bags fill in the gaps and make it, so we have fruit on hand for random recipes and treats. Our favorites to have around: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, mango, and papaya. Both the Harmony House and the Trader Joe’s brands are great.

Natural Soaps

We think a lot about the soaps we use on board, and we avoid antibacterial triclosan and other harmful chemicals. Not only are natural soaps better for the environment but they also help Matt, who gets bad eczema on his hands from harsh soaps. These types of soaps are generally harder to find in the Bahamas, so we stock up before we leave. We like the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day brand as well as the Trader Joe’s brand products, both from Amazon.

Spice Blends, Curry Pastes, and Sauce Packets

You've probably noticed that we like to cook exotic food. Our spice cabinet is pretty full and I think it needs to be out here. While we did discover an amazing Asian Grocery with pre-cooked Thai curries in Marsh Harbour this year, for the most part there just aren't any international style restaurants. Here are a few items that we keep on board all the time (not just for the Bahamas) to enable us to cook Indian, Thai, and Chinese meals quickly.

• Whole Cumin and Coriander Seed. Keeps nearly forever whole, and grinds easy for recipes. Have whole seeds also allows for toasting the seeds prior to grinding, yum! Great for Indian and Mexican dishes.

• Garam Masala spice blend makes Indian meals a cinch. Also, we recommend keeping ground turmeric and chili powder aboard. That's about all you need to stock your Indian cabinet.

• Thai curry packets of your choice. At the Asian Grocery, we discovered tinned curry pastes by Maesri in massaman and pananag...simply amazing. Just mix with coconut milk and simmer with your choice of meats and veggies. Passage Foods Simmer Sauce pouches are awesome too.

• Garlic Chili and Sweet Chili sauces. Probably available here at the larger markets, but easier just to keep aboard. Of course, add to the list rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Other Miscellaneous Items

We've found popcorn in a few random and unexpected places, but Lucy gets panicked when the supply gets low!

• Popcorn kernels. Lucy loves popcorn, we make it on the stovetop for movie nights.

• Coconut milk powder. Useful for making the Thai curries above and a few other things. We don't use enough to warrant keeping tins of the stuff around.

• Powdered Heavy Cream. This isn’t a true replacement for cream, but it works well in recipes. It does not whip, which was a big disappointment for us.

• Quinoa, or any other "specialty" grain or flour you like to use. These are hard to find in quantity in the islands, and when you do find them they are very expensive.

What's the one grocery item you can't live without?

By Lucy - because popcorn is one of the only things I will brave the boat galley to make!

Boat life continues to bring revelations. Back in the glorious days of land life, I had a microwave. Its purpose was to pop microwave popcorn. It was a wonderful thing! We used to go to the fair to get kettle corn. This was a delight! Then we moved onto the boat. No microwave. No bags of microwave popcorn. No fair kettle corn. Despair set in.

One day, after I had washed laundry in a bucket and heated water on the stove to shower with, I realized we could take this Little House on the Prairie thing one step further. My friends, it is possible, to make popcorn without a microwave and without a bag of microwave popcorn. Wow! I'll pause here while you take your heart medications.

You don't even have to go to the fair to get kettle corn! You don't even have to burn down the house with burning sugar sticking to the pot. I know, get out! (Take some more heart medications!)

Basic Popcorn
1/3 -1/2 cup of kernels (2-6 normal people, or 1 greedy one)
2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil (or peanut, vegetable or canola oil)
salt to taste

Butter Popcorn
2 Tablespoons of butter

Kettle Corn
1/4 cup of sugar
2-3 tablespoons of water

Step 1. Kettle Corn: Heat sugar and water over a medium heat until the water is clear and the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Step 2: Both corns: Heat oil and 3 popcorn kernels in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Using pot holders to hold the lid on securely, shake the pot slightly to distribute the oil and return to the heat. When 3 pops are heard, carefully open the lid and add the rest of the popcorn. Cover immediately (oil may splatter!), shake and return to the heat. Shake occasionally, and then shake often once popping begins to prevent burning. When 2 seconds elapses between pops, remove from heat and continue shaking.

Step 3: Kettle Corn: When popping stops, open lid carefully and drizzle over sugar mixture. Cover and shake some more. Add salt to taste. Let cool 2-3 minutes then serve.

Step 3. Butter Corn: Pour popped popcorn into a bowl. With the heat turned off, add butter to the hot pan. The residual heat will melt the popcorn.Tilt the pot to keep the butter from burning. Pour melted butter over the popcorn. Add salt to taste.

Heat the sugar water mixture until clear

Popcorn Kernels

Shake it up!

Butter popcorn

Burn free kettle corn!

What's your favorite snack? Do you have a favorite Little House on the Prairie lifestyle tip to share? Let us know in the comments!

Matt's Mouthwatering Morsels on Monday (returns!!) with...
STOVETOP FROM-SCRATCH MONKEY BREAD

On a cold, cold January day, with my feet numb and my teeth aching, I longed to fill the boat with a) heat! and b) the aroma of freshly made bread. Upon further self-reflection, I realized that it was specifically my SWEET TOOTH that ached so. I’d been pondering a monkey bread recipe for some time, so perhaps today is the day to master it!

Zoey is interested.

I specifically made this batch to fit my Omni stovetop oven. If you aren’t familiar with the Omnia, check out their website <LINK> and this article I wrote about it last year <LINK>. If you don’t have an Omnia, or you are unlucky enough to not live on a boat and not need one, you can, of course, bake this in a regular Bundt pan or loaf pan at 350 degrees. Since this is a small recipe, it may work very well in a toaster oven.

My other requirement for this recipe was that it must not include ready-made biscuit dough. If you search the Google-net you will learn that Monkey Bread was made popular by Nancy Reagan, cooking for her favorite guests Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln, using Pillsbury Grands dough from your local market. I wanted a recipe I could make in the Bahamas...so that won't do. Sorry Mark and Abe.

I made this when it was cold, so I used my largest pot with a lid on the stove to heat the following and to mix the dough. This allowed me to turn the heat on and off occasionally to maintain a nice warm yeast nursery where they could belch and reproduce in warm privacy.

If I lost you in that last paragraph, I suggest you join me for a trip down memory lane to that time when Alton Brown made pretzels:

But enough of this, back to the monkey bread! For the dough:

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup powdered milk (Nido) (alternatively, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup milk)

2 tablespoons sugar

Warmed to 110 degrees in a large pot. Add 1 package yeast and let proof 10 minutes.

1/6 cup melted butter (I melt mine in the Omni, which also lubes it!)

1 egg

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Stir or use a mixer with a dough hook for about 3 minutes, adding more flour bit by bit to make a firm dough. You need to continue kneading for the needed 5 minutes, but you don’t need to over knead. Try bending your knees while kneading (haha). Cover and let rise 1-2 hours in a warm place or put in fridge overnight.

Grease Omnia oven, if needed. Once you are ready to assemble, make the coating by melting 1/4 stick butter on the stove. In a tray or plate, mix together about 1/2 cup sugar and 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon (measurements not necessary, just eyeball it!). Break dough into small balls, roll in melted butter and then roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Let balls rise a little while longer once in the Omnia, if desired, for a lighter, puffier result.

Looking good inside the Omnia.

Melt another 1/4 stick of butter on the stove, and mix in about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Once they start to sizzle and fry, add in 1/3 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir quickly, remove from heat, then spread on top of the dough.

Now bake in the Omni on the lowest setting, checking it often. When the topping is getting GBD (golden, brown and delicious) you are likely close. You can do a toothpick test or a springiness test to check to make sure the bread is cooked through. Or you can check the internal temperature, which should be about 190 degrees F.

Crunchy pecans are always the way to go.

This was a first-time experiment, so I feel pretty bold to put it out there as a recipe already! But it came out so good! I think next time I will make smaller balls of dough with more sugar and gooiness between them.

Last note: most recipes top this with a simple sugar glaze. Too much for me, but you're welcome to try it!

What do you like to bake on a cold day?

Matt's Marvelous Morsels on Monday

A Cruiser's Book Review: Everydaycook by Alton Brown

Lucy in bed with her true love: Tomorrow, french fries.

While Amazon-ing our savings away we ordered a copy of Alton Brown’s newest cookbook offering. I’ve been an Alton fan for many years but I’ve never broken down and bought any of his cook books. For one thing, with foodnetwork.com, why would you ever need a cook book? Oh, yeah...because you might be in the middle of the ocean with shoddy internet (or interwebs, as AB would say).

Little Brown Biscuits (so quick and easy!) and Scrambled Eggs V3.0

Alton taught me to cook simply because Good Eats was so watchable. If you are unfamiliar, imagine Bill Nye the Science Guy but on Food Network making yummy recipes. I even saw his stage show, Eat Your Science, in Palm Beach a few years back. And I even stayed after the akward rap number was over.

If your infrared thermometer is an engine room only affair, you've obviously never watched Good Eats!

So why am I writing a review about this book for cruisers? Well, Mr. Brown is about as cruiser friendly as you can get. A lot of my culinary habits, learned from Good Eats, have carried over onto the galley very well. Here’s a few examples that come to mind:

The only uni-tasker allowed in the kitchen is the fire extinguisher.
Whole spices last nearly forever while ground spices loose flavor quickly.
Kosher salt will instantly transform your cooking from home chef to as good as any restaurant.
Measure well: a digital kitchen scale and digital thermometer are must-have galley items on Independence!
“The French call that flavor” - the power of deglazing! Take the battery out of the smoke detector first...

The ONLY proper way to measure "the dry"

The book opens with four short sections on Equipment, Pantry Items, Bar Items and Alton’s special techniques. A cold water pasta method to save energy (propane) and water? How to use a pressure cooker? Now you’re talking like a weirdo boater Alton! I love it!

Everydaycook re-evaluates some of Alton’s recipes from over the years and introduces some great new ones. The first night we got the book, I made “Open Sesame Noodles”…cold water cooked pasta with a spicy sesame/peanut sauce. A-maz-ing! Next time we’ll have it with the Thai Iced Tea (from scratch, page 98).

Chilaquiles! with fresh Roasted Chile Salsa

One very un-cruiserly thing about Mr. Brown’s cooking must be noted: he uses some not-so-everyday ingredients and equipment. I would love to buy a whipped cream siphon to try his “Nitrous Pancakes” and his “Cream Whipper Chocolate Mousse”, but I’m not convinced that it would earn it’s keep in my tiny kitchen. I did Amazon up some fancy new spices to try: Grains of Paradise (Alton describes it as black peppers “mysterious, sexy and slightly naughty sister”) and sumac (Alton’s “secret weapon”). Like all celebrity chefs, Alton uses his share of rare ingredients. If your spice cabinet is a salt and pepper only affair, this might not be the book for you, but if you have a stocked cabinet you can easily make nearly every recipe in this book with some simple substitutions.

On a less culinary note, the book features beautiful photography of each recipe and Mr. Brown’s quick-wit comes through on each page. Add in some winning boat recipes and life changing techniques (cold brew coffee? yes please!) and you have a winning book in my opinion. So, in conclusion, my small kitchen bookshelf now has three (yes, THREE!) cook books: The Boat Galley, Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking and Everydaycook.

Here’s a random list of the recipes we’ve tried in the first week of book ownership. I have owned some books for years and not made this many recipes, so this is the highest recommendation I can give it. And I’m by no means done, we’re still working our way through the book. Oh, and they have all been awesome. Just buy the book already!

Open Sesame Noodles: delicious, quick, and easy!

Open Sesame Noodles --we’ve made this twice already!

Cold Brew Coffee

Black Beans/Brown Rice

Heavenly Orbs of Belgian Goodness --(Roasted Brussel Sprouts)

Chilaquilas! with...

Roasted Chile Salsa

Midnight Mud Cake — made on stovetop instead of in a microwave (which we don’t own)

Grilled Cheese Grilled Sandwich -- yeah, grill the cheese, grill the bread and grill the sandwich. Whhhhhaaattt!?!?

Scrambled Eggs V3.0 -- had to make substitutions...should I keep harissa onboard 🤔

Little Brown Biscuits -- really quick and easy, cooked fast in the Omnia!

Butterscotch Puddin' -- Rum instead of Scotch...it's on a boat after all.

Tomorrow, French Fries -- needs no introduction

Weeknight Spaghetti -- amazing even if it was "Bobby Flay-ed"

Alton Brown: EveryDayCook on Amazon

Matt's Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels on a Monday:
Crispy Fried Ramen Noodles

Look at those fresh green onions! Yum!

If there's one thing that this blog has helped me come to terms with it's that I miss PF Chang's. That's reaching of course, because with just a few ingredients on board I can come pretty darn close and it's cheap too! So I can have PF Chang's on the boat, in the Bahamas while saving money. Win, win and win!

And this brings to mind another win: A tip from the Boat Galley has literally changed my life. Green onions are one of my favorite ingredients. They always went bad in a few days :( But then, The Boat Galley told me that if I just leave them in a cup of water and trim them, they just keep growing! Talk about the perfect boat veggie! We bought this bunch of greens in Rock Sound two weeks ago, and they are going strong! Another win!

Working on my green thumb!

So without further adeu, the recipe!

2 packages Ramen noodles (noodles only, reserve flavor packet for future use or discard)

vegetable or peanut oil

1/4 cup chopped onion or white part of green onion/scallions

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green beans or mushrooms or both

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped green onions/scallions

Stir Fry: It's all about prep work!

Soak noodles in warm water and set aside. Don’t boil them. We don’t want them to get too soggy, so keep an eye on them. Once they are soft drain in a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible. Toss with a little oil and set aside.
Cook the veggies: heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or non-stick skillet until very hot. Fry the veggies to desired doneness and then set aside. Note: if using dehydrated veggies, omit oil and add 1 part veggies and 2 parts water to pan. Heat until nearly all of the water has boiled off and veggies are soft. Set aside.
Make the sauce: heat another 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok, fry the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add soy sauce, water and sugar and boil until slightly reduced. Set aside.
Fry the noodles: heat a final 1 tablespoon of oil until very hot in wok. Add noodles, press down into a flat layer and fry. Once browned, flip noodles and cook other side. Add a drizzle of oil if needed. Once noodles are crispy, add veggies and stir. Add sauce and stir. Plate and top with green onions.

Get those noodles crispy people!

Matt's Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels on Mondays returns*

*This week featuring Lucy's Luscious Lust-inducing L-word meaning food

If Captain Lucy were in charge of the galley, we would have cereal for breakfast, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. The next day, she would make cereal for breakfast, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. After that, she might make cereal for breakfast, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. Rounding out the week, she’d do cereal for breakfast, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. The weekend is special, she’d make cereal for breakfast, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. Sunday brunch she would have fried eggs and potatoes, cuppa soup for lunch and chickpea curry (chana masala) for dinner. It’s Sunday after all.

(Lucy's note: for some reason, Matt is forgetting several major food groups: potato chips, garlic dip, and hob nobs)

Yum! Chickpea Curry again!

The good news from all this is that when Captain Lucy gets a hankering for dessert, she’s prepared! These ooey, gooey chocolate oat bars are perfect for the Omnia stovetop oven on the boat, and they are pretty quick to whip up too. Get your insulin shots ready, it’s dessert time on the blog!

Crumble:

1 stick of butter

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Filling:

1 cup chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

or>

1 can crema or media creama

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Filling in progress!

Mix crumble by creaming butter, flour, oats, brown sugar and salt. Tap a thin layer of 1/2 the crumble mix into the base of the Omnia or baking dish and begin baking. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt chocolate into sweetened condensed milk. Once smooth, pour over the baking crumble and then top with remaining 1/2 crumble and nuts. Continue baking until filling is set and crumble is GBD.

Yum yum! The perfect treat to wash down your chickpea curry!

Matt’s Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels on Monday:

The Terran Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster: Bahamian Rum Punch

“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

It says that the effect of drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.

The Guide also tells you on which planets the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters are mixed, how much you can expect to pay for one and what voluntary organizations exist to help you rehabilitate afterwards.

The Guide even tells you how you can mix one yourself.”

—Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Rum Punch: yes please!

Those most observant readers among you may have noticed a lack of Matt’s Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels last Monday. This was due, in no small part, to the experimentation required to bring you this installment of Matt’s Marvelous Mouthwatering Morsels on Monday (note to self: shorter title needed).

Caribbean Rum Punch is something you just can’t get when not on an island in the Caribbean. I’ve had some great ones on previous trips to the Bahamas, the BVI…but in the US, rum and punch = sugary, cough-syrupy nastiness. Rum Punch is to the Atlantic isles what Mai Tais are to the Pacific, and just as veiled in culinary mystery with just as many truly awful ones being sold for ghastly amounts of money. But using some careful and sleuthy powers of observation (I claimed to be waiting for a glass of water! Ha!) I witnessed the creation of an authentic one on an island, on a beach and at a bar. Previous experimentation at this particular establishment ensured that this would be a good one. I have modified it slightly (and full disclosure, I only witnessed half of the process at the aforementioned bar due to the bartenders equal careful and sleuthy powers). So without further adue or alliteration, I give you my take on the authentic Bahamian Caribbean Island Rum Punch:

The line up.

1 oz. coconut rum

.5 oz. gold rum

.5 oz. vodka (vanilla vodka is good here)

2 oz. orange/pineapple juice (or 1 oz orange and 1 oz pineapple…)

splash of cranberry juice or cranberry cocktail

squeeze of lime

Serve over ice and enjoy. Authentically served in a Mason jar. Be careful in the dinghy afterwards. (Although it has been proven to make dark, freezingly-cold, drenchingly-wet dinghy rides enjoyable with reports of “sparkly phosphorescence in the wake”)

Matt’s Magnificent Mouthwatering Morsels on Monday:

Dehydrated Veggies and Freeze Dried Fruit

A Bahamas Provisioning Win

I honestly am not sure how we would’ve survived this long in the Bahamas without our stocking up on these great dehydrated veggies from Harmony House. They’ve allowed us to extend out cruising almost indefinitely without worry of starvation or even culinary boredom. When mixed with the few fresh things that we do find at markets here and there, it’s like we’re a floating gourmet restaurant.

Enough fruit and veggies to survive the zombie apocalypse. Because eating brains alone is not a balanced meal.

We purchased the Vegetable Pantry Stuffer and the Deluxe Fruit Sampler. The Veggie Pantry Stuffer was about $140 and contains 16 quart sized containers of diced veggies. Included are:

Broccoli Flowerets
Green Cabbage
Diced Carrots
Sliced Celery
Whole Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Fancy Sliced Mushrooms
Jalapeno Dices
Tangy Green & White Leeks
Chopped White Onions
Green Sweet Peas
Red & Green Bell Pepper Mix
Diced Potatoes
Spinach Flakes
Tomato Dices
Tomato Powder

The Deluxe Fruit Sampler was $60 and contains 12 quart sized containers of freeze dried fruit. One of the best things about these fruits is that they are not sweetened at all…so forget about the sort of fruit you get in cereals or trail mixes from the supermarket. These are perfect for cooking. Lucy got addicted to munching on the pineapple, papaya and mangoes right out of the bag, and those stocks got low quickly. She had to be cut off and it wasn't pretty! Included in the sampler are:

Apple Dices
Apricot Dices
Banana Slices
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Mango Dices
Papaya Dices
Peach Dices
Pineapple Chunks
Raspberries
Strawberries

The Good:

The fruit is amazing to have on board. We made a chocolate cake and whipped together a simple raspberry sauce in minutes. It took about 8-10 raspberries, chopped, a teaspoon of sugar and about 3 tablespoons of water. I mixed it together and let it sit about 20 minutes. It was a-maz-ing!

How about triple berry scones, just like ~~mom~~ Panera used to make. Before mixing the scones, grab 1/2 cup of mixed blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Soak in 1/2 cup warm water (1:1 ratio for the fruit). Make the scones and add the (drained) fruit at the end. You can use the juice to substitute for the water/milk/juice called for in the recipe.

Say you are making jambalaya (a staple on Independence). I may or my not have a fresh onion around these days. I haven’t had fresh celery or bell peppers since Miami. So I go to my pantry stuffer, and I pour out what I want in my jambalaya. I fill up 1 - 1.5 cups worth of bell pepper, celery, carrot, peas, green beans, and maybe even a few of those jalapeños!. I put these in the pot over medium heat and add 1.5x as much water as veggies (i.e. 1 cup of veggies to 1.5 cups water). It will simmer quickly, and once the water is absorbed and the veggies soft, you can add olive oil and any fresh veggies (like that onion I might have) and let it saute with a little salt. Then you can proceed on with the recipe…ham, sausage, rice, yada yada yada...deliciousness. We’ve learned to use caution with those jalapeños, though.

Wow! Where did you find gourmet Mango-Pineapple Salsa out here in the Out Islands? Nope, that boring Pace (from a huge bargain Wal-Mart jug, no less!) made extraordinary with freeze dried mangoes and pineapple.

Here’s another great one: hash browns (sort of). The recipe came with the pantry stuffer and its a winner. Take 1 cup of the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the onions and hydrate in 2 cups of water over medium heat in a skillet. Once the water is absorbed, add oil, salt and pepper and brown. Toss in the pan to brown the other side. Yum.

The tomato powder is very neat too. It has basically replaced any tomato paste or plain tomato sauce need in our galley. Simply mix with enough water to get it to the consistency you want it (paste, sauce, whatever). I made pizza sauce one night by mixing tomato powder, garlic powder, brown sugar and salt and pepper with just a little water. No cooking or simmering or anything. No one ever knew…mu-ha-ha-ha!

The Bad:

Some go quicker than others! After we saw how awesome they were, we quickly ordered a second quart of the onions, potatoes and bell peppers before we left. The bell peppers were the first empty.

The containers they come with are not very air tight, though they are adequate even for the Bahamas. The fruit is all now slightly soft as it has absorbed water from the humidity in the air. We tried ziplocks, but this yielded about the same results. To really keep it crisp, I think you would need to do zip locks inside a very good air-tight container.

Some of the veggies are not winners…but I guess they are nice to have aboard. The broccoli is cut too small. It’s fine for broccoli cheddar soup, but you won’t be putting this in a stir-fry. I wouldn’t use the word “flowerets” to describe it. The leeks are not my favorite either…they just don’t seem to hydrate as well as the other options and wind up being chewy. The apples seem a bit flavorless to me…and obviously none of these things are like eating the item fresh. This stuff is for cooking, not munching…though some of the fruit is yummy in its own way. Those bananas were amazing when they were still crunchy!

So, in closing, these things rock. How many of you could whip something up right now and pull out of your pantry jalapeños, papayas, mangoes, bell peppers…the list goes on and on! And I’m in the middle of nowhere man! So cool! And while carrying around the entire pantry works for us, I could also totally dig premixing the ingredients into smaller packages for camping, hiking or kayaking trips!

Matt’s Dehydrated (“Don’t Worry, This Is All Fresh”) Chili

At a particularly low point, at a location far from good markets on a day far removed from mailboat day, we were out of everything fresh. So I made chili. Here’s what I did:

Prepare 1 can of red beans or pinto beans. You can use a can, drained and rinsed, or prepare dry beans on the stove or in a thermos (this is our favorite method on board).

From your extensive dehydrated pantry:

Get about 1.5 cups full of stuff you want in chili. Pour in onions, bell peppers, carrots, celery, jalapeno, and tomato dices for sure. Anything else at your culinary discretion.

If you have 1/2 pound of ground beef, that would be good. If you want to go vegetarian, vegan, or just don’t have the beef to spare, replace it with another tin of beans (perhaps a different kind) and maybe some mushrooms (you guessed it, dehydrated!!)

Chili and cornbread, Bahamas style! Who left that wrench on the table?

Ingredients:

1 tin of beans

1.5 cups dehydrated veggies

1/2 lbs ground beef

1 tablespoon beef stock concentrate

chili powder

garlic powder

cumin

dried thyme

salt and pepper

In your large pot, mix the veggies with 1.5x as much water. Bring to a simmer, and allow all the water to get absorbed. Once it has, add a little olive oil and simmer for a few minutes. Add the beef and allow to begin to brown. Add the beans. Cover with enough water to cover (probably about 2 cups) and add stock concentrate and spices. Measures aren’t given for the spices because that’s not how you make chili. Just guess…start with a teaspoon of each and add more if you desire. Something else in your pantry…add it in! I may or may not be leaving out my secret ingredients 😉 If you want more heat, add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

Pan made corn bread recipe pending...standby!

The Fridge: A Three Act Tragedy

Recommended Pantry Stuffers for a Bahamas Cruise

Stovetop Popcorn: Butter or No-Burn Kettle Corn

The Return of Mouthwatering Mondays: The Monkey Bread Strikes Back

A Cruiser's Book Review: Everydaycook by Alton Brown

Crispy Fried Ramen Noodles

Lucy's Chana Masala (Chickpea Curry) and Matt's Rice Pudding

Lucy's Yummy Chocolaty Oat Bars

Bahamian Rum Punch

Quick and Easy Scones

Dehydrated Vegetables (and a recipe or two too!)

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