November 28/2014 all about packing and unpacking I would say perhaps five times by now and have come to an agreeable weight. Getting pretty efficient with that by now. LOL boat parts and shopping treasures all tucked in for South America. Christmas will likely be celebrated.

Looking back at our fifth season - The Galley was provisioned in Panama City complete with unrefridgerated eggs and market items cause they last longer. With at least six day passage ahead of us I prepared some cooks items just in case we experienced turbulent waters.... One just never knows. The initial two days were filled with some rough waters but soon we/ I relaxed and trusted that all would be well and began to enjoy the trip. ( still work myself up a tad) the days were lovely and peaceful and the menu became a little more creative- to The Captains delight.
Now at anchor I walk to,the market every other day eating fresh foods that are locally grown and harvested. Ohh so good for us. The berries are huge and so sweet the tomatoes and carrots taste like those I remover from the farm on Alberta... Gotta be good for us hey?

Now our time travelling in land this year was not such a delight in the food department. Staying in hostels and travelling a lot we had but a small snack but away. the remainder of the time we ate "out"... Not so great. As our choices were either fast food or local cuisine and that was not so good: very heavy on the starches and fats ....very little fruit and vegies so it was good to return toThe Galley.

March and the weather has been confused! Get up in the morning and it is foggy some days and others very covered in low lying clouds. Must be getting our bodies ready for Canadian west coast mornings. LOL Once the first cuppa coffee is finished and the limbs stretched the sun begins to peak out of the cloud and by ten-ish our world begins to heat up. Sure does not take long to feel the strength of the rays. We continue to attempt to eat lean and drink alot of water. Our water maker has certainly paid for itself and is an absolute blessing. Sometimes the filters look pretty gross as the algae is very plentiful. Amazing how as it comes out of the tap, voila fresh great tasting H2O. Gotta love it and then right into some containers and in the fridge.........love our water chilled.
Being as we are in our last few weeks of being aboard we begn to shift the mind and schedule to departure: the pantry is being downsized and I am attempting to clear out the items. (There is always alot remaining it seems and the local panga travellers will enjoy my/our handouts.)

Must get back to my coffee and begin my day: working on the interior wood, wiping down with vinegar and polishing with lemon wood product. The teak loves it and soaks it right up. Helps keep the mildew down and gives the boat a fresh and clean smell. Think this is the fourth time this season. The Captain and I like a clean ship.

FEBRUARY TO March 2013 has been so filled with FISH!!!! Our guests could not stop fishing so our bellies as well as the freezer were bulging with pescado. Hmmm so good too. Siera a small white fish so delicious and of course the Durado that David swam home with!!!!! (He was out snorkeling and got invited onto a local fish boat....they presented him with this huge fish and he swam back to our boat with it!!!! The picture is of the fish on the grill over our open fire we had one night on the beach. Tasty!!!

Tonight is fish stew, complete with fresh coconut, picked and peeled by The Captain himself and a loaf of Portuguese Corn bread that I am just about to remove from the oven.
We have certainly enjoyed eating, cooking and eating again. LOL
Do find it sad that most little villages do NOT have alot or any fresh fruit and or vegetables. Oranges, onions, potatoes and maybe eggs..........other than that the little tiendas are full of junk food and of course beer.   They eat alot of rice, and beans and make a great chicken dinner.......which we often stop to have. It is so economical hardly worth turning the stove on.
If you are planning on traveling down the coast of Panama do remember to provision well at the large cities as you too will be disappointed. Mind you it does turn the creativity on in the galley and produces some pretty tasty dishes with next to nothing.......love it. Now lets see how that bread turned out.

JANUARY 08-13 TIME ON A BOAT, at times means nothing. For example last night, we walked down the street along the beach in front of the marina for about ten minutes to a lovely restaurant at HOTEL PRAIAMAR for our NEW YEARS EVE supper.

Yes, we know a little late. LOL Walking along the frontage road which has two lanes was do-able as the street is one way and divided by a row of houses, commercial buildings, small cabinas for rent, small hotels and a few eateries, one of which is Hotel Praiamar. Most of the people along this road way have taken the liberty to cross the street --which is very busy-- and build themselves some configuration of a palapa which here is an outdoor deck area. To give you a better location of where we are, we are about ten minute bus ride from downtown Puntaranas.

The time we spent at the restaurant was mouth rewarding!!! The service impeccable and the music motivating to get down further south
The ambiance was very Brazilian, and so was the menu. The Captain had a tenderloin cut of Costa RIcian beef, served with a rice mixta, fresh salade and nicely caramelized bananas. I choose a Bralista, which is like a Paella with rice on the side. Incredible tasting and chuck full of seafood................not just bits.......very reasonably priced for a four star establishment. Check out their website and see for yourself: www.praiamarhotelcostarica.

DECEMBER 25/12 Check out the page with our story through pictures and see us enjoying our new tradition: eating Tamales for Christmas..........they are so good. Each family has their own recipe and presentation. The wrappings are banana leaves. The ingredients in these ones are a corn flour, chicken and small amount of vegies for decoration mainly. LOL very tasty and of course many folks use hot spices to enhance them at the time of eating. I like that choice as not everyone likes spicy!!!! Enjoy! and by the way they only eat them at Christmas

Learning how to shop at the market.......in Central Costa Rica......taught by the best...senora Xinia is very particular as to variety, freshness, and of course proper cost. It is not that that you pay the cheapest or least amount of money but the actual going rate. Hmmm..... so then came home with a beautiful pina, mangoes, papaya, melon a lovely head of lettuce and avocados of course...... and some nice fresh chicken and a fairly nice piece of carne....beef all for about $20.00 bucks. Not bad and now off to cook supper.

DECEMBER 10-2012 Ahh! My dear mothers birthday ..oh how she did love to be part of things, of getting together, cooking and enjoying people. So gratefully thinking that I have some of those traits. Thanks mom, for leaving me a legacy of hospitality. Looking forward to sharing some of that homey feeling with our Costa Rician familia when we gather in a few weeks. In the meantime, today was re-provisioning day for us. In between the Immigration office and breakfast we found a large grocery store. Compra it was called. Looked impressive from the exterior but upon running the shopping cart through I was disappointed in the selection of fresh vegies and fruit.............did the best we could and managed to spend $177.00 and now have the galley filled with food. The next week we will travel southward to the Nicoya Peninsula and will dine again in the fashion that we love.................simple fare with a twist of creativity and VOILA..............hmmm so good.

HOME MADE SANDWICH BUNS

On this rainy October 19th afternoon at Canyon Alpine RV park I am adding some flavor to my day with this project. The Captain will enjoy these for his lunch tomorrow.........hmmm I can smell the Banana Bran loaf I have in the oven so better get going........gotta go borrow some salt from the Land Lord too. Oh, my provisioning is never done. Enjoy

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, room temperature

4-1/2 cups flour

1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg yolk

Sesame and poppy seeds for sprinkling on top before baking

Instructions

Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter is melted. Check temperature and let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in egg.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt. Mix into the milk mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition.

When the dough pulls together, (it will form a soft ball) turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This should take about 5 minutes. I use a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment, then switch to the dough hook to knead. Add a little more flour while mixing with the dough hook, a little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide the dough into 12-16 equal parts. I use my kitchen scale to do this so all the buns come out the same size and I get exactly the number of buns I want. The dough in this recipe weighs approximately 2 pounds so if I want 12 buns I make each one 2-3/4 ounces. Buns this weight are about 3 inches across. This is small, but it’s the perfect size for me and my grandchildren. If you want a larger bun use 4 ounces of dough for each one.

Shape the dough into smooth balls, flatten slightly and place on a silicone mat covered baking sheet.

Cover loosely with plastic film and allow to rise 30-40 minutes. When buns have almost doubled bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes.

If desired, after buns have risen, brush tops with beaten egg yolk for a shiny glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or coarse salt before baking.

Got this recipe from a new site I found
/www.wiveswithknives.net/ what a great name for a blog. Check this lady out!

October 17th-2012 Cooking, provisioning and eating in smaller places. Looking back to 1999 when we began to downsize our business and residence of ten years; then to 2009 when we made the move to "live aboard" The White Shell II and to the present in 2012 where we begin living a mobile life in our 32 Foot Hurricane, THOR Class A Motor Home--we are amazed. Amazed at how we really "like" living a minimalistic life style.

For this post I would like to chat about what that looks like from the Galley window, be it the floating one or the mobile one, my kitchen is small but very efficient. Holding on to my rule: all items must have a duel purpose I continue to provision and organize. So far all is going well and I am excited about creating some very delicious meals. Seems to be working as The Captains first words when we return from his full days work is, "something smells good in here." Love it and the effort is worth while. After all the way to a fellas heart still begins in the kitchen.

Provisioning is not a problem as the inventory in most North American super markets are incredible. The challenge is storage and of course cost. Buying large quantities is always less expensive but where do ya store it???? All in all eating is not a problem -we never seem to go without and live like "KINGS" to be sure.

The highlight of the week is a trade: Okanagan pears traded for beautiful salmon from and with one of Claes work mates. Yummy...........cant wait.........now lets see should I BBQ? what twist of lemon, seasoning and culture should we bless this fish with??

October is Turkey Time, especially this weekend with us Canadians celebrating early ehh? We love the season of autumn in this household and nothing is spared to sharing a fine roasted turkey with all the trimmings, going away from the table--where ever it is-- fully satisfied. This year is a tad different as we are away from Vancouver Island and all of our friends and family. Never the less, there is a turkey thawing and the menu is ready. Claes has invited some of the fellas he has been working with all summer, so we will have a full table. This table will likely be outside and set with real fall colors. Praying for continued fine sunshine....hasn't the weather been just stupendous?
There will be a few challenges: cutting the turkey in half as it will NOT fit in the oven we have in the RV, paper plates which I really do not like and no Brussels sprouts. Terrible I no but ........interesting and promising to be tasty. Smashed potatoes and carrots, gravy and french bread to dip into the gravy will be followed by a fruit crisp. ( I am hoping we will find ice cream at the local market to top it all off). Shopping facilities here in Boston Bar are very limited but we have the main ingredients LOVE.......it will be great to share our table with some new folks.

I will try to get some pictures for you for tomorrow. Trusting that you will enjoy your special supper tonight as you gather with your family and friends. Until later, the mobile kitchen is closed till later today.

SUMMER AT KYE BAY MEANS POT LUCK WEDNESDAYS.........you should drop in when you can. Nothing like a pot luck to add to your food blessings. Tonight was no exception:
BBQ'd pulled pork
Five salads; couscous, Caesar, mixed greens, bean medley and another one, carrots, beets etc.
Fresh garlic bread and homemade French Canadian Beans

Blue berry pies and ice cream. Hmmm so good. My friend Rita joined us and brought an amazing mango orange dressing for the salade.

Love to eat......dont you?

SPRING GARDENS produce the early crops and some so very useful. Check the following....who would have guessed cucumbers were so versatile.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3,Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium,
Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the
caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of BVitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick me up that can last
for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up
after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of
pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminium
to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove
cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed
and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or
evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview
and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a
freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and
durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky
hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila,the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for
massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber witreact with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize
you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad
breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the
surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the
outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls.

JUNE 18th seeing the end of spring we are looking forward to summer.

Must admit we are feeling a tad chilly and continue to wear our jeans and a warm sweater on our arms. The outdoor markets are open for business and the first of the fresh vegies are offered for our kitchens. Yes, cucs, green onions fresh lettuce nice new potatoes and beets melting with butter was a full meal for me the other night. With The Captain way working I am cooking large woks full of stir fried vegies dressed with chicken breast one night and fresh snapper the next. Made a large order of meat balls that I mixed with either pasta or rice. Hmmm good and so convenient. I have a large dish of plain unsalted almonds and dried cranberries for snacks...........seem to be want something sweet lately so have prepared a few bowls of good old fashion jello. (Its the ice cream of course that throws it all of balance. LOL) Having just celebrated my 62nd birthday I continue to create tasty and healthy dishes and have my porridge with fruit each morning. Lots of salades and fruit. Now that includes apples, bananas, spring straw berries and some frozen mixed berries I buy at Costco. There you have it for now............I will report again soon as the Kye Bay season of 2012 starts with Wednesday Pot Luck. You know if you are in the neighbourhood join us. Just call so a place can be set for you. 250-339-6112 See you soon!!!

APRIL 17.21 Back to Canada and the choice of provisions is amazing! as is the cost. Confirming that our life aboard is alot more economical as well as fun.
Truly am enjoying the variety of beef and spices and the joy of cooking at Kye Bay. One of the many things we can count is that we eat well. THANK YOU GOD for helping us provide.

March 13, 2012 finds us back on the beloved WhiteShell II. The end of our road travel brought us back to San Salvador City where we and our travelling buddies, Joanne and Bill from S/V Teca agreed to stop at Walmart and Price Mart to provision. The last one for us as we will be heading home at the end of the month, they on the other hand are hoping to carry on to Panama.
We left the fridge/freezer on while we were away and were thrilled to find all in order when we opened the galley doors. Oh! The Captain was pleased with that. It is great when all your hard work pays off in rewards!!! He and I both work diligently to have our boat of the water work efficiently. So, to have refrigeration in the first place and have it run while you are away from the vessel is GREAT!!!

Back to the estuary we are back to what is a normal life for us! Boat chores, airing things out and constantly checking that all is well. Part of the routine for me is to go over to Jan's to help with the kids in the English/Spanish classes. I am learning and so are they! While there Jan offered me some fresh mangoes.... the little yellow ones.........they are in season right now and just falling on the ground. Wish you could of seen Claes and I with mango juice running down our arms as we enjoyed a few this afternoon.

Gotta love it.
After the treat of the big box stores our galley is full again and we are enjoying much comedia---food. I love cooking when I have returned from shopping. It is so fun........like a kid in a candy store......where do I start. Last night was fried ginger chicken with a stir fry of vegies and rice. Pretty tasty... and I had the leftover as The Captain is off to the city to get a dental appointment.

March 02-12 Eating out while we are on the road here in Honduras is much the same as in the other Central American countries we have been in. We are enjoying the abundance of fresh fruit here, especially the fresca natural, which is fresh juice made from mango, pineapple, bananas, oranges, melons, and many different kinds of berries. I am in my glory as it is very refreshing and gives me some choice as I don't drink alcohol anymore. We do have many frozen drinks, and ice cream and frozen fruit.
We have had a number of good meals: last night fillet Mignon traditionally wrapped in bacon, which is very very special. It was so tender and so cheap!!!!!! This does not happen often so we really appreciated it. Today, we had typical sopa- chicken soup made with large chunks of various vegies, fresh onions, and pieces of chicken, served with tortillas, and a side salade with avocado of course. Hmmmm. it was so good and a welcome dish as it was cloudy today and a perfect soup day.
The coffee is much better here and we walk early in the morning on a search for a big steaming cup, negra of course. Copan is much more touristy so we have many choices of food. It is still very much traditional towns but with many chimerical options. Most folks come here for the Ruins of course..........follow me to another page to see and read more about them.

February 15, 2012 Just checking in and looking up some of my favourite galley treats......This one is for you today Kristin. Time to use up some fruit and make that delicious stove top desert. Not only is it delicious it uses little stove time and produces less heat. Yeah!!! a bonus here in El Salvador......it is getting pretty darn hot already.

The Captain and I very seldom get sick, so it is not an area that we have alot of experience about and or knowledge so when are fellow Cruisers claim they have Montezuma Revenge, we giggle and someone usually makes a crude comment and life goes on. Well, this week I just have not been feeling well and last night after we were nicely tucked in with thought of the Birthday Part we all had for The Captain, I had a visit from that Montezuma guy!!!

We have a good selection of drugs on board just in case so later today after much time spent in the"head" I considered taking out that Loperamide, an anti diarrhea medicine but as I usually like to do I "Googled" it. After reading the following I have decided to not take the caplet and try the Home Therapy.......please read and see what you think??

Home Remedies For Diarrhea

When stools are loose and without consistency is called diarrhea, is an effective way for the body to get rid of an undesirable substance, this may be followed with symptoms like vomiting, stomach pain, thirst, fever, nausea dehydration. In children this may be dangerous as in people 65 and older.
Diarrhea and vomiting cause the loss of fluids which need to be replaced. In some cases diarrhea is the secondary symptom of another problem, but in most instances is cause by food poisoning; bacteria in food or water; food allergies; or a virus. Also, excess alcohol consumption; laxatives; caffeine are known to cause diarrhea. Some medicines can trigger diarrhea, such as antibiotics (tetracycline, clyndamycin, penicillin). If you find, blood or mucus in the stool is a sign of infection or parasites.
Some well known drugs will stop diarrhea but they interfere with the natural process of cleansing that the body despeourselves feel better without stopping the immune system from doing its job.
Your body uses diarrhea to flush bacteria or viruses you might have ingested by eating bad food. Therefore, it might be a bad idea to stop diarrhea too quickly. However, diarrhea does not work sometimes and if goes on for several days, dehydration and loss of important nutrients may occur which can be dangerous specially in children. That's why we recommend the use of home remedies for diarrhea instead of over the counter drugs, using herbs you can stop diarrhea and target the cause of it at the same time.

For more please go to this link:

http://www.grandmas-wisdom.com/homeremedy-diarrhea.html

Hope you didn't mind me adding this info here as I do think it deals with food issues. I know that i WILL get better and can explain to some of my guests sometimes why they think they have a dreaded lurgy that was caused by some terrible food in some dirty little dive....it maybe cause they drank or ate the wrong thing or maybe too much??

END OF JANUARY------ BEAN SOUP..... like all good things the month is coming to an end and it is time already to clean the fridge............and create my take on BeanSoup:

and some water to the left over re fried beans as I clean the pot I add the left over papaya salsa some fresh onions, garlic and carrots. These I chop in my new little chopper The Captain bought me on our return trip from CR. ( My intention is to make our own juices, salsa etc etc. So far it is working superbly!!!!). When I serve the soup with tortillas I will sprinkle some local cheese and a little cilantro...........the cheese is salty like our feta. If you dont like the cilantro...........add some herb of your choice! Hmmm good at the end of a long day, filling but not stuffing full. Bonne appetite!!!

January 22, 2012

Got this fantastic info from an old school chum of mine and wanted to share it with you. Not just for cooking ....coconuts are awesome!!!! Please click on the link below and make some beneficial changes to your day!!!

Coconut Oil Touted as Alzheimers Cure Remedyhttp://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS

JANUARY 6, 2012 Eating, Harvesting PINEAPPLE

After some research I find that this fruit originated in Brazil and was introduced here in Costa Rica by Columbus in the 1400s. Costa Rica is fourth in the world of production and top on the list of exporting countries. During our touring up north the last few days to a jungle hotel called Hotel Celeste we stopped at one of Geraldos pals, Willis, who just happens to be a farmer.

His new home was made of some of the most beautiful wood we have ever seen. The entrance doors were carved Teak and the walls were pine. The cupboards in the cocina were a dark wood not sure what it was called. The house had been built and finished last year but it had taken them all, his mom and wife and daughter a year to make the move as memories of the old" house were difficult to leave. The old building was still in tact and when we first arrived the madre was there feeding her many birds and plants. Willis is large man, very muscular physically with a gentle spirit and mannerism. He has huge plots of land and cultivates, rice, and many typical vegetables. He/we stopped at a pineapple farm and picked a box full of fresh fruit. We will be treated for a few days to be sure. I have included a website with much information about this delectable fruit and hope that you think of growing one. Just click on the link below:

http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-pineapples.html

December 31, 2011 I shall close out the year with a few pictures of produce and product that I/we have discovered while living here in Costa Rica the last month.

The three pictures on the right are of the Corn that is ground and made into these scrumputious pancake like morsels that when served hot are absolutely delicious!!!

I say "living" cause that is what we are blessed with here at the Gerardo Murillo Cuzza home. Week by week we follow and are part of Tipical Tico living here in Atenas.

Beginning in the morning with Natural fruit juice, a great cup of hot, dark Costa Rican "Negra" cafe most folks have a big breakfast. It is very important for the health, they say and can include: eggs, beans, tortillas or bread and here at this home some sort of fried banana product. There are many different combinations and I am watching closely and hope to begin implementing some of the secrets of the concina when I return to my galley.

From the regular breakfast, desayuno to small meals throughout the day to the last small but tasty "sopa" or cafe later in the evening we are treated to best typical tastes of the Costa Rican people. Xinia, the senora and beloved esposa and madre of the family is an incredible cocinara-cook and she spends alot of her retired life shopping for the freshest best priced foods for her familia --

This is Xinia and her friend, I met over the New Years weekend......incredible cooks both. Xinia was an excellent teacher her in the area and is remembered, acknowledged and loved by many. This is so evident as we walk to the esupermacado or small tienda to hand pick the condiments and ingredients of daily meals. She has her favourite patasarina............bakery downtown and as we travel in the country we often make stops to hand pick the best cheese, or pina.............pineapple of which Claes and I have never tasted such sweet and firm yet melt in your month pineapple ever. We have never been fans of pineapple back home..........but here. that and mango are our first choices.

Later this month I will try to add some local recipes but for today I will leave you with some pictures of products that we thought were all bananas but we find are three different varieties all resulting in different dishes.

Here, Noel the caretaker at the Turriabla property picked these plantanes, congo bananas and the third I can not pronounce at the moment.............so you will have to trust me and when I next write I will try to do it correctly. LOL I do know that they are all different and used in different manners. The bananas are used as a fruit where as the others are used as vegetables. Geraldo, who is a doctor and his daughter Andriana who is nutritionist both say that these provide excellent nutrition for your health..........so we are not only enjoying the taste we are getting healthy!!! What a great way to start the year! thank You God for such provisions!

DECEMBER 3.2011..wondering how the Galley made out with the dampness of El Salvador for the summer months???? Not so good in some ways and in others amazing. Sure am surprised at how most of the stainless steel on board rusts and requires alot

Did not really re provision as we were not planning on being aboard much till the New Year. Have just recently begun to do some serious cooking and made a dynamite rice,beef stir fry........with a Moroccan flare the other night...used the package, precooked beef that was buying in Mexico............found it San Salvador City the other day. Still don't have the abundance of ingredients but it is amazing how creative one can be. That was followed by an interesting pasta dish that was knocked up a few notches with some salsa. The Sunday Pancake breakfast was and is a continued favourite especially since we had some ham. So as per usual we are doing well in the food department. So, until later when I can tell you about the new cook books I brought down, a picture of which is above.......all purchased with a gifts certificate provided by Clair and Doug--- Kye Bay Guests.

August 22, 2011 Been surfing lately searching for ideas and information for our next season and found this write up on eats in El Salvador.

The restaurant scene in El Salvador is influenced by many different cultures. Food options include Italian, Korean, Japanese, French, Chilean, American, Peruvian, Mexican, Spanish, Middle Eastern, German, Chinese, Argentinian and others. You can also easily find American fast food chains such as Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, Subway, Quiznos, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, and Domino's, in the largest cities in the country such as San Salvador, Merliot / Santa Tecla, and Santa Ana. Other franchises include Tony Romas', Bennigans and others. Some of the best restaurants are located in Zona Rosa (Paradise, Alo Nuestro, 503).

The typical Salvadoran diet includes lots of rice and beans, seafood (particularly among those who live on the coast), and the most common Salvadoran dish, the famous Pupusa, a round corn tortilla filled with cheese and other elements, usually chicharon (shredded pork meat). We have sampled a few and will surely sample a few more when we return in November. It's widely agreed that the best pupusas in the country can be bought in Olocuilta, which you can get to along the highway on the way to the Comalapa airport.

Also Salvadorans eat fried sliced plantains (platanos) usually with beans, sour cream, cheese and sometimes eggs, yuca con chicharron, pastelitos de carne, panes con pavo (turkey sandwiches), hand made tortillas among other very delicious Salvadoran foods.

Many large modern supermarkets are scattered throughout the capital and in large towns, such as La Despensa de Don Juan and Super Selectos, which sell local produce and a large variety of international products. Like anywhere else in the world, these are a cheaper alternative to eating out every night which we certainly do not do. I enjoy cooking too much and The Captain enjoys my cooking - so it is a great mix!

MAY 30, 2011
Spring has come to the west coast offering us a great Rhubarb Pie recipe given and made for us by Roz here at Kye Bay Resort: hmmm delicious!

MARCH 28, 2011

Another few thousand miles and a couple of countries and here we are in yet another culinary experience!!!!

We have discovered "Papousas" the delight of El Salvador's cocinas--kitchens! They are a delight for breakfast or even a main meal. The varieties are endless but vary in quality depending on the palapas that you visit. In this picture we are having a sample of a vegetable and a carne with quesos.............which is meat and cheese. They were so very very good. Basically they are a tortilla filled with the above and then rolled and flattened to grill. I will try to reproduce them when I see you nest!!!! Which will be soon........Ahhh yes, Canadian eating. What will I crave? Probably a t bone steak and baked potatoes with a huge green salade!!!!!
Get the cutlery and candles ready!!!

FEBRUARY 11, 2011
Happy Birthday to the Captain today!!!!

Off to the supermacado today to re-provision for the next leg of our journey. I have learned that it is not necessito to store too much of anything. Last season I was concerned that I would never see such things as ketchup and the like. Being "seasoned " now I have discouvered that I am able to procure most anything I really want when we visit the larger centers such as La Paz, Mazatlan, PV and now Manzanillo. In the small villages as I have said before offer what they can and we always manage to have more than enough to grace our table. (We are both feeling and looking pretty healthy as some of you have mentioned and we are grateful for that. We eat healthy and continue to be active causing our bodies and minds to be well!!)
Returning to our provisions: our shopping list today does include Ketchup. LOL I am still not overly impressed with the taste of the fruit and look forward to that change as we get closer to the equator. Mind you I eat a huge grapefruit yesterday that was so juicy and sweet...........yes, sweet for a grapefruit - it was a taste experience and reminded me of my dear old dad. He used to just love them when he lived in Mesa. The Captain was not impressed as he hates them...........so in that regard he is not like my dad. LOL

Wondering what I will be cooking for The Captain for his B DAY? He loves "Appleton Rum" so Happy Hour will begin with that. He chose a couple of nice T Bones so we will enhance that with a vegie medley of potatoes, onions, mushrooms and Mexican green peppers followed by a nice green salad chuck full of fresh vegies including artichokes. I will let you know what kind of wine he picks............ I myself will enjoy a nice chilled glass of cranberry/raspberry reserve.

February 01, 2011
Not much cooking going on as we have company in town and have been eating "out" alot. Kinda of a nice treat but the gig is up in a few days as Roz comes aboard and we set out for some time on the White Shell.............we will try to keep you up on the menu. Until then, know that we are trying to keep a few menue ideas tucked away.... those that we have been exposed to as we play tourista in Barra and Melanque. There are many many restaurants, large and small, fancy and quaint.........but all very reasonable and providing great taste tests. The best so far was the Molechjetta, a stew made from either seafood, pollo, which is chicken or shredded beef...........hmmm and served in a lava bowl which not looks great but keeps the food extremely hot.

Pass The Butter .. Please . This is interesting . .. ..

"living

December 31, 2011 I shall close out the year with a few pictures of produce and product that I/we have discovered while living here in Costa Rica the last month. This is Xinia and her friends, I met over the New Years weekend......incredible cooks both.

I say "living" cause that is what we are blessed with here at the Cuzzaro home. Week by week we follow and are part of what life is here in Atenas From the regular breakfast, desayonos to the many and numerous small meals throughout the day to the last small but tasty "sopa" or cafe later in the evening we are treated the typical tastes of the Costa Rican people. Xinia is an incredible cocinara-cook and she spends much of her retired life --she was an excellent teacher her in the area and is remembered, acknowledged and loved by many. This is so evident as we walk to the supermacado or small tienda to hand pick the condiments and ingredients of daily meals. She has her favourite patasarina............bakery downtown and as we travel in the country we often make stops to hand pick the best cheese, or pina.............pineapple of which Claes and I have never tasted such sweet and firm yet melt in your month pineapple ever. We have never been fans of pineapple back home..........but here. that and mango is our first choice. Later this month I will add some local recipes but for today I will leave you with some pictures of different products that we thought were all bananas but we find are three different varieties all resulting in different dishes.

DECEMBER 3.2011..wondering how the Galley made out with the dampness of El Salvador for the summer months???? Not so good in some ways and in others amazing. Sure am surprised at how most of the stainless steel on board rusts and requires alot of cleaning. Some of the plastic containers had to be thrown away but the better quality stuff is just fine. For the most part the all fared rather well and the items I did leave in store were fine. The Captain has relined our refrigerator and things are freezing much quicker. He discovered that the bottom of the unit needed some more insulation........not an easy task but he is amazing and had done that already. It is not as hot as it was in April. Certainly not as humid........Thank You God for that......mind you the four fans we brought back are fantastic and on most days and nights. (They are Canadian made and excellent as they take a minimum of energy and move an incredible amount of air.)

Did not really re provision as we were not planning on being aboard much till the New Year. Have just recently begun to do some serious cooking and made a dynamite rice,beef stir fry........with a Moroccan flare the other night...used the package, precooked beef that was buying in Mexico............found it San Salvador City the other day. Still don't have the abundance of ingredients but it is amazing how creative one can be. That was followed by an interesting pasta dish that was knocked up a few notches with some salsa. The Sunday Pancake breakfast was and is a continued favourite especially since we had some ham. So as per usual we are doing well in the food department. So, until later when I can tell you about the new cook books I brought down, a picture of which is above.......all purchased with a gifts certificate provided by Clair and Doug--- Kye Bay Guests.

OCTOBER 21/2011

VENISON KYE BAY SPIN

First off, thank you so much for my good friends for sharing some WILD meat with us!!!!

Wild mushrooms bring out the earthy, nutty flavor of venison, and when cooked in this savory cream broth, they make a nourishing, warming meal.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound venison stew meat, cut into ½-inch cubes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 onion, sliced
carrotts and potatoes sliced
½ pound assorted wild mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic
½ humus
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon horse radish

Cooked rice or noodles, for serving

Directions:

1) Roast potatoes and carrotts.

2) Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Season venison with salt and pepper. Add to pot and brown on all sides, stirring, about 7 minutes total. Remove from pot and set aside.

3) Add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and remainding seasoning to pot; cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

4) Add reserved venison and it broth to pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a low simmer and cook, covered, until venison is soft, about 30 minutes.

4) Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly.

Serve over warm rice or noodles.

Share with The Captain when he gets home from the bush tonight!!!!!

August 22, 2011 Been surfing lately searching for ideas and information for our next season and found this write up on eats in El Salvad

MAY 30, 2011
Spring has come to the west coast offering us a great Rhubarb Pie recipe given and made for us by Roz here at Kye Bay Resort:

hmmm delicious
MARCH 28, 2011

Another few thousand miles and a couple of countries and here we are in yet another culinary experience!!!!

We have discouvered "Papousas" the delight of El Salvadors cocinas--kitchens! They are a delight for breakfast or even a main meal. The varieties are endless but vary in quality depending on the palapas that you visit. In this picture we are having a sample of a vegetable and a carne with quesos.............which is meat and cheese. They were so very very good. Basically they are a tortilla filled with the above and then rolled and flattened to grill. I will try to reproduce them when I see you nest!!!! Which will be soon........Ahhh yes, Canadian eating. What will I crave? Probably a t bone steak and baked potatoes with a huge green salade!!!!!
Get the cutlery and candles ready!!!

FEBRUARY 11, 2011
Happy Birthday to the Captain today!!!!

Off to the supermacado today to re-provision for the next leg of our journey. I have learned that it is not necessito to store too much of anything. Last season I was concerned that I would never see such things as ketchup and the like. Being "seasoned " now I have discouvered that I am able to procure most anything I really want when we visit the larger centers such as La Paz, Mazatlan, PV and now Manzanillo. In the small villages as I have said before offer what they can and we always manage to have more than enough to grace our table. (We are both feeling and looking pretty healthy as some of you have mentioned and we are grateful for that. We eat healthy and continue to be active causing our bodies and minds to be well!!)
Returning to our provisions: our shopping list today does include Ketchup. LOL I am still not overly impressed with the taste of the fruit and look forward to that change as we get closer to the equator.   Mind you I eat a huge grapefruit yesterday that was so juicy and sweet...........yes, sweet for a grapefruit - it was a taste experience and reminded me of my dear old dad. He used to just love them when he lived in Mesa. The Captain was not impressed as he hates them...........so in that regard he is not like my dad.   LOL

Wondering what I will be cooking for The Captain for his B DAY? He loves "Appleton Rum" so Happy Hour will begin with that. He chose a couple of nice T Bones so we will enhance that with a vegie medley of potatoes, onions, mushrooms and Mexican green peppers followed by a nice green salad chuck full of fresh vegies including artichokes. I will let you know what kind of wine he picks............ I myself will enjoy a nice chilled glass of cranberry/raspberry reserve.

February 01, 2011
Not much cooking going on as we have company in town and have been eating "out" alot. Kinda of a nice treat but the gig is up in a few days as Roz comes aboard and we set out for some time on the White Shell.............we will try to keep you up on the menu. Until then, know that we are trying to keep a few menue ideas tucked away.... those that we have been exposed to as we play tourista in Barra and Melanque. There are many many restaurants, large and small, fancy and quaint.........but all very reasonable and providing great taste tests. The best so far was the Molechjetta, a stew made from either seafood, pollo, which is chicken or shredded beef...........hmmm and served in a lava bowl which not looks great but keeps the food extremely hot.

Pass The Butter .. Please .    This is interesting . .. ..

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings..

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study..

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and

only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine..

Very High in Trans fatty acids.

Triples risk of coronary heart disease .

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact.... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!

Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

Pass the BUTTER PLEASE

NEW YEAR NEW RECIPES-NEW ENJOYMENT!

JANUARY 8, 2011

PRESSURE COOKER CHICKEN

1 (3 lb.) chicken, cut up
1 (1.2 oz.) pkg. onion soup mix
2 c. water

Place the chicken in the pressure cooker, add the water, sprinkle the dried onion soup mix over the chicken. Heat until steam starts to come out. Add the pressure top. Bring to 15 pounds pressure. Cook for 15 minutes at 15 pounds. Turn off heat. Allow the pressure to reduce to normal.

LEMON HERB-ED CHICKEN IN PRESSURE COOKER

1 (3 to 3 1/2 lb.) chicken, cut up
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 4 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. chopped celery leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dry basil
1 c. pitted black olives (optional)
2 tbsp. flour (optional)
2 tbsp. cold water (optional)

Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a 4 or 6-quart pressure cooker. Saute onion and garlic until tender; remove. Brown chicken a few pieces at a time, set aside. Return all chicken to cooker with onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredients, except flour, water and olives.

Close pressure cooker securely with pressure regulator in place. Cook 10 minutes at 15 pound pressure. Cool cooker at once. Remove to warm dish.

If using olives, add to liquid and heat. Blend flour and water. Add to hot broth. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour over chicken. 4 to 6 servings.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut up
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1/4 cup diced salt pork
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano OR 1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (1-pound) can Italian tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup white wine
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Coat chicken in mixture of flour, salt, and pepper; set aside. Put oil in a 4- or 6-quart Presto® pressure cooker. Sauté pork until crisp. Add onions and sauté until light brown; remove and set aside. Brown chicken a few pieces at a time; set aside. Pour off excess drippings; stir garlic, parsley, and oregano into remaining drippings. Return chicken and onion to pressure cooker. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and white wine. Close pressure cooker cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe. Cook for 8 minutes, at 15 pounds pressure, with regulator rocking slowly. Cool pressure cooker at once. Place chicken on warm platter. Stir tomato paste into sauce in pressure cooker. Simmer until thickened. Pour over chicken.
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Spareribs with Barbecue Sauce

3 pounds spareribs, cut into serving pieces
Salt and pepper
Paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup catsup
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 1/2 cups water

Season ribs with salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour vegetable oil into pressure cooker. Turn heat selector to medium and brown ribs. Add onion. Combine catsup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, celery seed, and water. If desired, stir in 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke. Pour over meat in cooker. Close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe and cook 15 minutes at 15 pounds pressure, with regulator rocking slowly. Let pressure drop of its own accord.
Makes 6 servings

Texas Barbecue Pot Roast

1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup teriyaki or soy sauce
1 teaspoon crushed dry red pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 to 4 1/2 pound eye of round, bottom round, boneless chuck roast or pork loin roast
1 1/2 cups water for beef OR 2 cups water for pork
1 large onion, sliced

Prepare barbecue sauce by mixing together catsup, preserves, brown sugar, vinegar, teriyaki, red pepper, mustard, and pepper. Place roast and barbecue sauce in a large plastic bag, or glass dish. Refrigerate overnight. Place water and cooking rack or steamer basket in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cover rack or steamer basket with half of the sliced onions. Remove roast from sauce (reserve sauce). Put roast on onions and cover with remaining onions. Close pressure cooker cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe. Cook at 15 pounds pressure, with regulator rocking slowly, for the following doneness: 8 to 10 minutes per pound for rare; 10 to 12 minutes per pound for medium; at least 12 to 15 minutes per pound for well-done meat. Cook pork 15 minutes per pound until well done. Let pressure drop of its own accord. Meanwhile, place reserved barbecue sauce in a saucepan and simmer, until reduced by about one-half, stirring occasionally. Remove roast and keep warm. Discard cooking water or use for making soup. Puree onions in a blender or food processor and add to reduced barbecue sauce. Serve sauce with sliced roast.
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Minestrone

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds lean boneless beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups water
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (16-ounce) can cut green beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, drained, rinsed
1 (8-ounce) can tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
4 ounces Polish sausage, thinly sliced
2 ounces fine noodles or rotini
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in 6-quart pressure cooker. Brown beef. Stir in water, carrots, onion, celery, parsley flakes, salt, basil, garlic, pepper, and bay leaf. Close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe. Cook 15 minutes, at 15 pounds pressure, with pressure regulator rocking slowly. Let pressure drop of its own accord. Add green beans, great northern beans, tomatoes, sausage, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve with cheese. Makes 8 servings.

DECEMBER 28, 2010

Break from turkey/ham leftovers!!!!
Cutting a grapefruit size ball of Olive Oil Bread dough, I had in the fridge I threw together a "sweet" little pizza for our supper last night. Using up some of the ham was a great idea as we have alot of ham for two people. ( I tried to get the smallest one I could find.....but hams here are not like they are at home. Most of them are rolled tasty and solid meat.)
The base was spaghetti sauce that I had left over, cut up ham and gouda cheese with thinly sliced onions, green Mexican peppers, a little celery and much chopped papaya. I then sprinkled some VICTORIA EPICURE pesto seasoning my good friend Anna sent along with me, cracked pepper and a little garlic salt topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese................baked in my lovely PRINCESS oven at 400 degrees for maybe ten minutes????? The crust is very thin--so be on the watch.    Tasty little morsel for the two of us as we watched the sunset in the harbor one more night................followed by a little movie on our new TV/DVD---my Christmas present for the year. Life is GOOD!! Here is a toast to Italy and its fine food............which brings us to think of The Gradina family in Comox

DECEMBER 19, 2010
I new take on this page while we are in the big city of Mazatlan, we will let you know where we have been eating when we do go out. Based on our strict budget we dont usually go out much but here we are finding that it is so affordable to do out that we have been part taking alot more then usual.
The area in the Old Town, along the Malecon called Olas Altas is very delightful as a place to stroll, enjoy the culture and art that is so much part of the Mexican people. A huge effort has been made to tidy up the area and make it attractive to all-- tourists as well as the locals. Some of the old building have been transformed, yet have kept their history and are now art studios, schools, academies and eateries. It truly is beautiful and so relaxing. As we walked along the brick walkways, we encounter many students and hear their banter as they are excited about finishing up semesters and enjoying the Christmas season.

La Cueva Del Leon which serves breakfast, lunch dinner and more is at 166_E Olas Atlas next to the Belmar Hotel. In our album of Mazatlan you will see pictures of the beautiful sunset we viewed from our dinner table, The food is very high quality but very reasonable. You might have to wait for a seat as it is very busy..........inside and out but well worth your time.

Now just up the street we had lunch the next day...............I will have to catch the name as I truly do not remember.......but needless to say the street is full of good and great places to feed your pallet.

Tonight I will have to cook myself as we are having a stay on the boat day!!!! Besides my jaw is still pretty sore

November 29, 2010
As I have mentioned before preparing and eating aboard the White Shell is somewhat different then at home: time sometimes is of the essence and other times there is a lot of it, methods have to vary because of energy conservation, ingredients need to be simple and interchangeable. The cook requires to be very creative and the diners need to come hungry and with an open pallet!!! I am very blessed as none of these requirements cause a problem aboard our Casa The White Shell. My Captain is very eager and willing to try anything. I usually am inspired and come up with some delectable little dishes. The biggest problem is that when I get to sitting down here to write about it --I have forgotten. So bare with me and I will share what I can. HAHAH.

The one thought that is constant is that because of availability you need to be able to change ingredients and improvise and not be afraid to try something new or different. Who says that pork needs applesauce? We are taking the Mexican basic ingredients adding our own flare and voila we eat pretty well and did I say economically??? Less meat and hardly any sauces but rather tasty juices of meat notched up a little, masa (more) tortilla and less bread. By less meat I mean that the amount is less in each dish. We still enjoy our various beef, pork and chicken and of course fish. ( We bought two huge fillets of white fish yesterday on our way home from our down town tour.........for under $3.00 !!!!!) I have to tell you that sauteed onions, an over ripe tomatoe and some green peppers over top of a these two fillets, fried/steamed for a five minutes perhaps resulted in a solid rich tasting white cut of fish.   have no idea what it was but it sure was good and the remainder will work well in our fish tacos today for lunch.............Hmmm getting hungry already.

The Captain is made pancake the other morning reminding us of many Kye Bay Sunday mornings and our many dear friends from there................ top that with Huckleberry jam from daughter Tanya and our tummies were full and hearts warmed from the found thoughts of family. Thanks again.

HELLO November 15th the begining of our SECOND SEASON OF OUR CRUISING LIFE ABOARD          WHITE SHELL II   and of course I am surfing on a lazy Sunday afternoon of November 15, 2010 looking for some boat ideas and came upon a new recipe for bread. Not sure if I mentioned it but it is very difficult to find good bread here in this part of Mexico............so of course we want to make our own..........this recipe that follows is for a bread machine but I will attempt to make it by hand.

This recipes comes from a fellow cruiser and her hubby who have been sailing the Mexican coast for six years and their biggest suggestion is not to do it too quickly...the sailing (not the bread) LOL ........to slow down and enjoy as there is so much to see and experience............so that is what we will do.

You can start by adding to your bread machine or large bowl:

6 T Unsweetened Apple Sauce (this substitutes for fat)

3 T Malt Extract (mainly for flavor)

1 ½ Cup Water

Next add the dry ingredients:

400 Grams Whole Wheat Flour

40 Grams Dark Rye Flour

40 Grams Millet Flour

40 Grams Flax Meal or Flax Flour

60 Grams Vital Wheat Gluten

1 T Lecithin

1/4 tsp Ascorbic Acid (the Gluten, Lecithin and Ascorbic Acid reinforce the structure of the bread)

½ tsp Salt (optional – controls yeast raise)

Then sprinkle over the top:

2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Start up the machine and when the bread machine indicates it's time for add ins, add:

2 heaping T Caraway Seeds - lightly toasted

3 heaping T Flax Seeds - lightly toasted

3 heaping T Millet Seeds - lightly toasted

3 heaping T Sunflower Seeds - lightly toasted

We lightly toast the add in seeds in a dry skillet.

We like this bread in sandwiches or just toasted. Enjoy! let me know what you think and how it baked!!

Cook'ee Lue

THE LATEST ADDED PAGE OF INTEREST

I will move the previously posted recipes to this page and from now on devote this page to things FOOD!! Hmm I can smell these lovely morsels as we speak..........go enjoy I am.

Lue

Banana Muffins

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour (all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°.

Beat together butter and sugar at medium speed of mixer or by hand, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well each time. Add bananas and beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Alternate stirring in part of the flour mixture and part of the buttermilk into the egg mixture until all is added and mixture is just moistened.

Do not overmix. Batter will not look completely smooth.

Stir in nuts and vanilla.

Grease 12 standard size muffin tins or use paper cupcake cups.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake 15-18 minutes until lightly golden. Cool muffin pan slightly before turning out the muffins. Cool muffins on a rack a bit more.

Makes 12 medium size muffins. Great served warm with butter!

Tip:

Use very ripe bananas for extra sweetness. This is a great recipe for using up those bananas that are a bit riper than you enjoy eating fresh. I put them in the fridge until I need them or baking or a smoothie.

Lue's Enchiladas--not sure if I have already posted this? Let me know okay?

This is great for using up left over chicken, pork, whatever meats you may have.

Chop onions, celery, whatever peppers you may have on hand and sauté with leftover meat in a hot oiled pan. Season with pepper, red chili Fill tortillas with this mixture and roll up long ways in a deep baking dish. Make a sauce of your choice: either a white three cheese sauce or a red Italian sauce…………spread over rolled up tortillas. Grate cheese over entire dish and bake in preheated oven 375' for 15 minutes.

Yummy! Serve with rice, beans and a small salad spilling over with tomatoes, avocado all sprinkled with fresh squeezed limon.

Enjoy!

My Faith Friend "Little Debbie" is an incredible cook.............she is shorter than me too! Now that does not happen often but you gotta love it! At least I do. HAHAHHA!
Besides being an incredible connoisseur of food she is an incredible Friend: loyal, thoughtful and honest. She has a fantastic sense of humour and loves to socialize and party!!!! She is a great mom and grandmother and sister to many of us at LIVING HOPE. That is her in the top row second from the right. This blog today is dedicated to her!

In bowl of mixer mix 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 eggs; 1 1/2 cups white sugar; 19 oz. (540 ml.) or 1 can fruit cocktail; do not drain.

Pour into 9 x 11 pan.

mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup coconut or 1/2 cup chopped nuts and sprinkle on cake before baking
Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.
Topping:
Mix 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup carnation milk, 1/2 cup margarine, 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small pan and boil for 5 minutes. Pour over cake as soon as it comes out of oven.

(I put the 1/2 cup nuts in mixture I sprinkle and use the 1/2 cup coconut in topping. Optional)
Delicious served with whipped cream.

Oh so good! Try it you will love it......

STOVE TOP CRUMBLE CAKE, created by Kristen, S/V Nautilus fall of 2009

The story behind the recipe is interesting, just the way we like it.

Kristen though relatively new at sailing like myself has become very proficient in all aspects of living on board. Due to the fact that her and Steve, did not have an oven she became very creative in the kitchen. This cake is a great example of what and how that has been translated.

I have made this a few times and of course never with the same fruit ingredient either time as when on board you never have the same stores available to you. So go ahead take the liberty, use something other then apples!

Ingredients

6 apples (fruit) – cubed

2 sticks butter ( had a shortage of-- one time and mixed shortening with butter- turned out fine!)

1 cup of sugar

Cinnamon (quite a bit)

2 cups flour

¼ tablespoon salt

Method

Cube the fruit removing skin. Melt 1 stick of butter into frying pan, add fruit, ¼ sugar and cinnamon. Sauté the mixture for approximately 15 minutes, cover with lid.

Cube the other stick of butter and combine with the rest of sugar and the flour and salt. Crumble together with a fork until mix is beaten down into small crumbles. Sprinkle entire mixture on top of the fruit in the pan. Cover with a lid again and continue heating on medium heat for another 15 minutes. Turn head OFF keeping lid on and leaving pan on stove to continue to steam on its own. Let sit for half an hour. Serve warm with whipped cream if you have it or yogurt. It is delicious cold as well.
Enjoy....................hmm so good!

Old-Fashion Baked Beans
Serves 4

Old-fashioned baked beans were a traditional dish in my family and have become a stable here on the Whiteshell II. Our pressure cooker makes it easy and fast, cutting the cooking time down to 40 minutes.

2 cups (500 ml) dry beans
pinto, or navy white beans )
lots of ground pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups (400 ml) water

2 fl oz (80 ml or 1/2 small can) tomato paste or whatever tomato product you have on board. Pork if you have it-chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) molasses
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) prepared mustard

Pressure Cooker Recipes
Directions:

Rinse and then soak the beans in water overnight. (An older sailor told me the more you drain them the more the "fart factor" is removed.) Add all ingredients except the beans to the pressure cooker. Stir. Then add the beans. Bring to a boil. Stir and then lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Serve with whole wheat bread.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 40 minutes on high pressure.

French Onion Soup
Makes about 6 cups

5 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons (60 ml) butter
6 cups (1.4 l) beef or chicken stock,
or a mixture of both
1/4 teaspoons (1 ml) freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry white wine
6 slices bread, lightly toasted
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in the pressure cooker, add the onion slices and cook very slowly for about 20 minutes until golden. Add the stock, pepper and wine. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3], and remove the lid. Serve in soup bowls with a slice of toasted bread on top and sprinkled with the cheese.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.

A hearty soup for a cold winter's night.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 lb (340 g) lentils, washed
6 cups (1.4 l) water
1 lb (450 g) can whole tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) crushed allspice
6 tablespoons (90 ml) vinegar
4 pre-cooked breakfast or Italian sausage (optional) Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 small whole potatoes, peeled

Directions:

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and sauté the onion until wilted. Stir in the lentils and sauté 10 minutes more, and then add the water. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for 8 minutes. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid.

Add the tomato, garlic, bay leaf, allspice, vinegar, sausage, salt, pepper and potatoes. Lock the lid in place and bring to high pressure again, then lower heat and cook for 7 additional minutes. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf and serve.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 8+7 minutes on high pressure.

Potato, Leek and Pea Soup
Serves 4

2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 leeks, well washed and finely chopped
1 lb (500 g) potatoes, cubed
1 cup (250 ml) peas
2 tablespoons (30 ml) minced parsley

1 cup (250 ml) milk
4 cups (1 l) chicken or vegetable stock
or water
Salt and pepper to taste
Croutons (optional)

Directions:

Sauté leeks and onions in oil in the pressure cooker until softened. Add the potatoes, peas and parsley. Stir in the milk and stock and season with salt and pepper. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3], remove the lid and allow to cool slightly. Place ingredients into blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with croutons.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.

Herb "Roasted" Chicken
Serves 4

Quick cooking and a minimal amount of liquid produce this juicy, tender and flavorful chicken dish. If possible, use fresh herbs for a more assertive fragrance.

3 tablespoons (45 ml) canola oil
3 lb (1.4 kg) chicken, cut into pieces
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) parsley, chopped
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) chicken stock

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh sage, chopped
Cooked brown or rice white, hot
Parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In the pressure cooker, add canola oil and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken and sauté onions until golden brown. Add tomatoes, parsley, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Add chicken and herbs. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Serve with either brown or rice white.

Ginger Chicken
Serves 4

3 lb (1.4 kg) chicken, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons (45 ml) canola oil
1 large piece of ginger, finely grated
1/4 cup (60 ml) citrus juice or fresh squeezed limons.

1/4 cup (60 ml) l soya sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In the pressure cooker, add canola oil and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken and sauté onions until golden brown. Sprinkle the chicken with the onion and the ginger. Mix well, and then add juice, soya sauce and water. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.

Chicken Fajitas with a Spanish Twist
Serves 4

1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil
1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) pieces
2 large onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 - 15 oz (440 ml) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 mild chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) crushed red pepper flakes
6 black olives, sliced (optional)
8 corn tortillas, warmed

Directions:

In the pressure cooker, heat oil and sauté chicken, onions and garlic over medium-high heat until chicken are lightly browned. Stir in the tomatoes, raisins, sweet peppers, chili pepper, and cinnamon.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the natural release method [1] for 5 minutes, then release remaining pressure using the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid.

Discard the cinnamon. Stir in the flour, red pepper flakes, and olives (if using). Heat the mixture until thickened (2-5 minutes).

Spoon chicken mixture onto warm tortillas, roll and serve.

Suggested time for fast 15 psi pressure cookers: Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.

Herbed Pork Roast
Serves 4

Simple, with herbs.

1 1/2 lb (700 g) boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into
1" (25 mm) cubes
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
1 teaspoon (5 ml) thyme

1 teaspoon (5 ml) crushed rosemary
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) basil
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) marjoram
1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken stock or water
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper and hit with the heel of your hand so that it adheres. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and brown the potatoes over high heat until golden. Remove and reserve. Place the pork roast in the pressure cooker (add a little more oil if necessary) and brown well on all sides. Add the crushed garlic and cook a minute, then sprinkle all the herbs over the pork. Pour the broth in around the meat.

Lock lid into place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Add the potatoes, lock lid into place and bring to pressure again. Continue pressure-cooking another 5 minutes.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers (What is a 15 psi pressure cooker?): Cook for 14+5 minutes on high pressure.

Beef Stew (Sweet)
Serves 2-3

Compare the 30 minutes for pressure-cooked beef stew to the 8 hours for beef stew in a slow cooker. The addition of sweet potatoes and parsnips makes this a sweet beef stew. For less sweetness, substitute turnip or rutabaga for the parsnip. (We don't find parsnip or rutabaga here)

1 lb (450 g) stewing beef
cut into 1" (25 mm) cubes
2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium carrots, 1/2" (15 mm) pieces
1 large potato, 1/2" (15 mm) cubed
1 large parsnip, 1" (25 mm) pieces
2 cups (500 ml) frozen peas

1 sweet potato, 1" (25 mm) pieces
1/2 cup (125 ml) tomato sauce
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry red or white wine
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried thyme
1 teaspoon (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in pressure cooker and sauté the onion and garlic. Add meat and brown well on all sides lifting meat frequently with a long wooden spoon to prevent sticking—about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add extra oil as needed. Add the rest of ingredients and stir.

Lock lid into place and bring to pressure over medium heat, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Stir and add the frozen peas.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers (What is a 15 psi pressure cooker?): Cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.

Sweet-Sour Beef Spareribs
Serves 4

As good as or better than any you are likely to find in a Chinese restaurant.

3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil 3 lb (1.4 kg) lean short spareribs cut into serving pieces
Sweet-Sour Sauce
3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce 2 tablespoons (30 ml) brown sugar 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup (60 ml) ketchup	2 tablespoons (30 ml) onion, minced 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apricot marmalade or fresh orange 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cider vinegar 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh squeezed lemon 1 teaspoon (5 ml) hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl combine all the sauce ingredients. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker until very hot, and then add as many ribs at a time as will comfortably fit, and brown well. Pour off all fat, and then stir in the sauce.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the natural release method [1] and remove the lid.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers (What is a 15 psi pressure cooker?): Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure for grilling ribs or 20 minutes for stewing ribs.

Spicy South of the Border Chili
Serves 6

Chili is a nutritionally sound and complete meal. You can make it more or less fiery by adjusting the amount of chili powder used.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil 2 medium onions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 lb (700 g) ground beef 2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cumin 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chili powder, or to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) oregano 1 bay leaf	2 teaspoons (10 ml) celery seed or fresh celery Salt to taste 1 tablespoon (15 ml) flour 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) crushed tomato 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) cooked pinto or red kidney beans
Garnishes
Parmesan Cheese Finely chopped onion Shredded lettuce/cabbage

Directions:

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is wilted. Add the beef and cook until it is browned. Mix the cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaf, celery seed, salt and flour. Stir in the crushed tomato and beef stock.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Allow pressure to drop by the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and remove the lid. Remove the lid and add the beans. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve in bowls, passing the garnishes separately.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers Cook for 15 minutes on high

Mom's Rice Pudding
Serves 4

Creamy and comforting resplendent of memories of my mom!!! It's preferable to eat it the same day or the rice may become chewy.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) long grain rice
2 cups (500 ml) milk
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/3 (75 ml) sugar

1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1 egg
1/4 cup (60 ml) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla
Cinnamon

Directions:

Melt the butter in the pressure cooker and stir in the rice, coating it with the butter. Pour in the fresh milk and water, and then stir in the sugar and salt. Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for suggested time. Allow pressure to drop using the natural release method [1] and remove the lid.

In a small bowl mix together the egg, evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir in a little of the hot liquid from the pressure cooker, then add the mixture to the pressure cooker. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the rice pudding just barely begins to bubble. Remove immediately from the heat. Cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to individual dessert bowls, continue cooling, then refrigerate. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers Cook for 12 minutes on high pressure.

Bread Pudding
Serves 6

Your bread must be at least a day old and thoroughly dry to make a successful bread pudding. Nothing gets wasted on board the WhiteShell so this is a favorite recipe as the bread gets dry very quickly.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
4 slices day-old bread, crusts
trimmed, cut in cubes
1/2 cup (125 ml) golden raisins
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped walnuts
Zest of 1/2 orange, in very thin julienne strips
1/2 cup (75 ml) packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) cinnamon
2 cups (500 ml) warm milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla
3 cups (750 ml) water
Cinnamon

Directions:

Butter a 1.5 litre (5-6 cup) soufflé dish or bowl that fits loosely into the pressure cooker. In another bowl combine the bread, raisins, walnuts and orange zest. And in another bowl mix the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the bread mixture and then transfer to the buttered soufflé dish. Cover soufflé dish tightly with foil. Pour the water into the pressure cooker. Place the soufflé dish in the pressure cooker steamer basket and lower into the pressure cooker.

Lock the lid in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for suggested time. Allow pressure to drop using the quick release method [2] or automatic release method [3] and then keep the pressure cooker closed for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and take out the soufflé dish. Loosen the foil and cool.

For more colour, run under the broiler. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve warm with whipped cream.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure.

Creamy Cheesecake with Fruit Glaze
Makes one 7-inch cheesecake

A first rate cheesecake with a lemon essence—so quick to put together.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
4 tablespoons (60 ml) bread crumbs or cookie
crumbs
Two 8-oz (225 g) packages of cream cheese
3/4 cup (175 ml) sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla

2 teaspoons (10 ml) grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons (30 ml) flour
6 tablespoons (90 ml) sour cream
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups (500 ml) water

Pressure Cooker Recipes
Directions:

Butter a 7 inch spring form mold or other suitable baking dish. Sprinkle with bread or cookie crumbs and set aside. Blend the cream cheese, sugar, cream, vanilla, lemon zest, flour, and sour cream. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, and pour the entire mixture into the mold.

Center the uncovered pan on a 24" (60 cm) long piece of aluminum foil. Cover the top of the pan with another piece of foil and pinch around the edges to seal. Scrunch up the ends of the length of foil and bring them together over the pan to create a handle. Set the trivet in the pressure cooker and pour in the water. Lower the foil-covered mold into the pressure cooker and place on the trivet.

Lock the lid of the pressure cooker in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to release using the natural release method [1].

Remove the pan from the pressure cooker using the foil handle. Loosen the foil, cool, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, arrange fruit or spread fruit preserves in a thin layer over the cheesecake. Release and remove the rim of the spring form pan.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers Cook for 30 minutes on high pressure.

Lemon Cheesecake
Makes one 7-inch cheesecake

2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) butter
1 cup (250 ml) graham wafer crumbs*
12 oz (340 g) cream cheese, at room
temperature
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
2 large eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5 ml) grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) vanilla extract

* alternatively, chocolate wafer crumbs or animal cracker crumbs

Pressure Cooker Recipes
Directions:

Set a trivet in the pressure cooker and pour in 500 ml (2 cups) of water.

Crush the wafers and combine with butter. Press the mixture across the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the crust in the springform pan.

Center the uncovered pan on 60-cm (24-inch) long piece of aluminum foil. Cover the top of the pan with another piece of foil and pinch around the edges to seal. Scrunch up the ends of the length of foil and bring them together over the pan to create a handle. Set the foil-wrapped pan it onto the trivet. Lock the lid of the pressure cooker in place and bring to pressure, then lower heat and cook for the suggested time. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to release using the natural release method [1] for 10 minutes. Then, gently release any remaining pressure and remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape.

Remove the pan from the pressure cooker using the foil handle. Untwist the hand and lift off the foil top with kitchen tongs. If there is a small pool of condensed water in the middle of the cake, blot it up with a paper towel. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, spread fruit pie filling in a thin layer over the cheesecake (alternatively, serve it plain or with fresh fruit). Release and remove the rim of the spring form pan.

Suggested time for 15 psi pressure cookers (What is a 15 psi pressure cooker?): Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure.

A New Year 2024

FROM THE GALLEY