What's for dinner?

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Your nose is your best guide...

If the meat is still cool--doesn't have to be COLD, just barely cool (even normal room temperature)--and ESPECIALLY still smells ok, it IS ok. I've trusted my nose all my life...no one has ever gotten sick from any food I've ever cooked for 'em yet. Coolers insulate pretty well..a quilt or blanket over 'em insulates 'em even better. Cold falls, so put meat in the bottom of a cooler...put frozen water jugs, frozen juice cartons etc on top of it. "Blue Ice" packs take up little room and also help to keep things cold under 'em. The only time I ever had any problem was when I put sausage patties on top in a cooler that was in my cockpit for 2 days...I knew the instant I opened THAT package I wasn't gonna cook 'em! The small electric coolers are a good idea...but the same applies to them that applies to any fridge: the less often they're opened, the more efficient they are at keeping things cool. So separating your drinks--anything that you're likely to go for often--from your food that you'll only go after at meal time is just as important.

 

[Sailing Sue]

Onboard Gastronomy

We live aboard also so I always have what we need. Food while in dock is fine...same as when we owned a home. While on the hook I try to do the same. Breakfast is something like chopped eggs, lox, smoked fish, fruit, coffee, juice, etc. Lunch is easy such as veggie tray, fruit, nuts, cheese...things easy to prepare and put out on a tray to snack on at leisure. Dinner is the cat's meow from burgers/dogs to steaks, lamb, fish. At least one night during a trip I make a special dessert to remember the trip by....carmel baked apples and pear tarts are favorites. We use a two burner propane stove/oven and a propane BBQ. Enroute I just try to prepare as much as possible ahead of time. In any port, candles always make the evening meal memorable and for all aboard. We never eat on paper plates. When at Catalina Island one cannot pass up the 'buffalo milk' cocktails...they're a must...and are sure to make anything you prepare taste even more delectable.

 

[Andy]

Freeze your meat

We season the meat and then freeze it in freezer ziplock bags. As previously recommended we try to put it as low in the ice box as we can. We also freeze a carton of OJ and some 2 liter bottles of water for cooling and drinking.Prior to leaving the dock, we pre-nuke the spuds and wrap them in foil.

 

[Sailing Sue]

It's Cioppino

It's Cioppino...Italian fish stew in a tomato base with pasta underneath. in includes pieces of fish, scallops, clams, mussels, crab, shrimp and usually onions and green peppers and white wine. Yummy...bouillabaisse is the same thing.Don't let the fancy names scare you away from making this dish...it's fabulous!

 

[Lory]

Advance prep does make it easer

Occasionally I like to cook casserole-type dishes ahead and freeze them (e.g. lasagna). Also frozen steaks/chicken breasts/pork. All this frozen stuff keeps the icebox cold too. Pre-marinating them is nice. I have a small freezer as well, so I can pace out what gets cooked when on longer trips.I always have dry foods on board as backups: soups/stews/chili, canned tuna, spaghetti. Powdered milk or a can of milk is good backup for sauces. My favorite casserole fresh or frozen ahead: corn tortillas, canned or fresh chicken, enchilada sauce, onions, cheddar cheese. Layer and bake -good stuff!

 

[Warren M]

Good Ideas

Peggie has it right - as usual. That is, if food smells ok, it is ok. Works for me, too. Also, not only does putting a towel or blanket over your ice cooler help it keep ice longer, but if you wet the towel or blanket it works even better. Also, I freeze large and small bottles of water and use them in the cooler to keep stuff cold and fresh -- and then I drink the water. A "successful" cruise is when everything -- ice, frozen water bottles, and food -- all run out at the same time....back in your slip.

 

[Dave]

Nothing better than a hot meal

I spend a week cruising every year on a small boat with 1-2 others. While the menu varies, morning is usually yogurt, fruit, granola (I like it mixed in with the yogurt), instant oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs (prepared ahead of time), coffee and juice. I have a small one cup espresso maker that works great on an alcohol stove for the last cup of java in the A.M. Lunch is frequently cheese, sausage or smoked fish (keep the latter double zip-locked to keep the smell from your other food and canned drinks), fruit, crackers, dark bread of some type, possibly cup of noodles. If we are at anchor, we may do burgers or brats (Hey, I am in Wisconsin) on the grill. Dinner is anything that cooks on the grill. This has varied from pork steaks (cut thin), beef tips, chicken breast fillet's, burgers, brats, corn on the cob, couscous (it cooks quickly on the alcohol stove), packaged and flavored rice and rice-a-roni, etc. We always have plenty of snack food (granola bars, beef jerky, crackers, chips, trail mix) and we try to drink plenty of water. Wind and sun can really dehydrate everyone. We mix in some other liquid refreshments late in the day to support the local Milwaukee economy.I like some of the other ideas. Marinated meats, nuked potatoes, pre-made salads, etc. I'll have to try some of those on the next trip. I'll also try the blanket over the cooler to better insulate. These are some great ideas.I'm already looking forward to the next trip. I had better run a few extra miles to bank those calories.Daves/v Hakuna MatataO'Day 222

 

[Wright Ellis s/v WhiskyII]

Peggy, add this to list...

Use a food dehydrator to make your meats shelf stable at room temps. A pleasant alternative and supplement to canned goods:e.g., fry ground beef seasoned with garlic then dehydrate. Use with sauces, esp. Mexican dishes snd spaghetti. Dehydrator is good for veggies, fruit, even the sauces themselves. I can't waste cooler space on food when beverages are far more important. Sometimes old technology is still viable.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I love cooking on our boat

and I do a lot of precooking at home. For breakfast, I cook oatmeal ahead of time and then reheat. For Sunday breakfast, I like to make pancakes or omelets. Lunch is usually sandwiches, cheese, fruit, nuts. Dinner can be steaks (my favorite), fish, hamburger, hot dogs or anything on the grill. Sometimes it is pasta dishes or my homemade beef stew if we are staying overnight in the marina and cannot use the BBQ grill. I have an alcohol stove and oven and both work great. Our refrigeration is more than adequete. I have no problem keeping things cold for 5-7 days. I just make sure we run the motor enough to keep the batteries charged. My thanks to Peggy for the great ideas for do aheads on the baked potatoes and the salad veggie/drssing idea. I usually bring the salad greens and veggies ready to go but then I end up lugging a jar or two of dressing. One of our favorite desserts on the boat is grilled peaches and ice cream or the old standby, s'mores. Unless I have some of my homemade choc chip cookies, mmm. For snacks I have cheese, crackers, chips, trail mix, yogurt and fruit.

 

[andrew mcgarva]

work to eat

with food we pack in what we hope not to pack out. living 85mi from lake sakakawea we try to sail for no less than 2 nights that we live aboard jennie rose, our beamy 26' C&C. Anchored in a remote bay after a 10-20 mile sail my wife often prepares shishkabobs that I cook on the propane grill. Other times our 4-yr old Lexi requests scallops that we fish out of the bottom of the ice box and pan broil on the alcohol stove...served with pasta and veggies in a white sauce and a chilled chardonnay.andrew.mcgarva@dsu.nodak.edu

 

[Carrie]

Our breakfast mainstay

We have been sailing on the St. Lawrence River for 12 summers now (first an Irwin 34, now a Catalina 34. Our meals have definately improved. One of our favorite breakfasts is a bagel sandwich. I use a large griddle over the two burners. First: griddle bagels that have been buttered, once done, set aside. I wrap in a dish towel to keep warm. Second: cook turkey bacon. Healthier and much easier to clean up after. Set aside. Third: Cook beaten eggs (we sometimes use EggBeaters, again easy to pack). Instead of scrambling, I cook like an omelet. Once set, I 'cut' the cooked eggs into squares and build my sandwich with the bagel, bacon and egg. A slice of cheese is a nice touch!. Delicious. A little labor intensive to make, but easy to clean up. Enjoy!!

 

[Seattle Scott]

Lemon, butter and ...........

one of these Dungeness fellows.

 

[Trish]

Andrew

I love scallops and that sounds so simple and great. By the way..Lexi has a good choice of wine....LOL

 

[Lisa]

Agree with Mary Ann ~ why cook?

We're also fully equipped, but find exploring new harbors and towns half the fun of our sailing adventures. Breakfast and lunch are onboard, cocktails and appetizers too. Then it's to shore for some exercise and pampering! *5

 

[Moe16696]

Our dining...

We bought a manual grinder and french press so we can start the day with fresh ground coffee. Breakfast is unrefrigerated Tropicana orange juice and some form of EggBeaters about every other day, alternating with cold cereal, fresh fruit, and milk when it's warm, oatmeal (not instant) with cinnamon and apples when it's cool. Frying pan toast or french toast sometimes.Lunch, sometimes underway, is cold cuts sandwiches and maybe cold potato or pasta salad from the deli when it's warm, or Cup 'o Soup when it's cool. Dinner, on the hook, is whatever we can cook in a frying pan or pot on the alcohol stove, sometimes foil-packed rice or pasta dishes when we're tired. Barb makes frying pan pizzas by sauteing all the toppings, then heating one side of a piece of focaccia bread in light olive oil, adding the sauce, cheese and toppings after turning it. We don't have a grill... yet. Just non-stick 10" fry pan, and 2 and 6 quart pots.We store fresh fruits and vegetables in mesh nets or baskets, and don't cut them up until needed. Lettuce goes in a zip-lock in the cooler, unwashed (lasts longer). McCormick's prepackaged pepper and sea salt grinders are handy, as is a plastic bottle of extra virgin olive oil. We have separate coolers for food and drink, which significantly reduces the amount of food cooler opening. We use frozen half-gallon milk jugs of potable water for ice. Much of the food in the cooler, except that for the first couple of days, also goes in frozen. That includes one of two 8 ounce EggBeaters. This holds us for 5 days (4 nights), a 3-day weekend with 2 vacation days.

 

[skipper sally]

Easy dish fro hungry crew

A really simple and satisfying Italian dish. Everything is cooked in one pan, which helps to keep the chicken tender, succulent and full of flavour.Serves 6Preparation time: 10 mins Cooking time: 45 mins571kcals, 37.9g fat, 7.7g saturated fat, 2.1g salt per serving2 tbsp plain flour2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed from the stalk and finely chopped12 Chicken Thighs2 tbsp olive oil500g pack baby new potatoes300ml dry white wine2 red onions, cut into eighths2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped1 pack Waitrose English Classic Vine Tomatoes, roughly chopped200g pack Waitrose Paterno & Toscanelle Olives, from the prepacked deli counter, drained4 tbsp Waitrose Cooks' ingredients Toasted Pine NutsDo this bit before You leve port/home:1. Take a large freezer bag and add the flour, rosemary and seasoning. Place the chicken, a couple of pieces at a time, in the bag and toss well to coat evenly with flour.2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof roasting tin on the hob and fry the chicken on both sides for about 10 minutes until golden. Add the new potatoes and toss well in the oil, then pour in the wine and cook rapidly for 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.3. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and olives to the tin and season. Stir everything to combine then cover with foil. When on the boat:4. Preheat the oven to warm/hot. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and there is no pink meat. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve immediately, with a crisp green salad and crusty bread.Cook's tipUse 6 chicken quarters or a combination of thighs and drumsticks, if you prefer.DrinkThis would work well with a herbal, almost nutty, medium-bodied Italian red such as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Umani Ronchi, from central Italy.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I treat the Galley Wench very well!

When we were looking for our current boat, a Catalina 30 tr/bs, I gave my wife full veto power on the purchase of any boat if she did not aprove of the galley. She has enjoyed the title of Galley Wench for years and loves to cook. This was a small price to pay for the years of benefit I have reaped from this choice.We donate all day cruses to several youth auctions. On the last one, we met our guests the dock with fresh homemade cinnamon rolls, coffee and fruit. The cinnamon roles were timed to come out of the oven less than 5 minutes before our arrival at the dock. For lunch, we had foot long subs on homemade French bread baked the day before and chips and crackers with crab dip. Dinner was grilled salmon, green beans, baked potatoes, fresh hot dinner rolls and apple crisp.

 

[Mike Scholz]

Hop Hop

Too many Hop stops around the SF Bay to want to bother anything but Wine Beer Bread Cheese on the down wind run home. I dont think we could ever run out of Bars and Restaurants within a short walk or cab ride from the nearest guest dock in and around the SF Bay.Cheers!

 

[cory h]

bilge ??

am i the only person who uses my bilge for a spare cooler for beer ? keep in mind that its seperate from my engine bilge so theirs no chance of oil ect .. getting in. i just throw abut 50 pounds of ice in and a case or two of water and a few cases of beer and that really frees up my ice box and cooler for other things !

 

[Scott]

My Galley is the best place to eat in St. Louis

Day sails are usually deli sandwiches or custom made burritos, but longer stays are inspired usually by a great book, Dining on Deck or some other recipe source. At home I am just a grill jockey but there is something about being out on the water that turns me into a gormet chef (in my own mind maybe) but it certainly is an important part of the experience I like to give my guests.