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GALLEY BLOG INDEX
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SHIP'S LOG |
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Just to set the stage... MV/Solipsys is a forty-foot custom built wooden motor yacht. The galley consists of one electric burner, a microwave oven and a dorm-sized refrigerator. The "freezer" portion of the refrigerator is about 18" x 18" x 9".
WED - 10/28 We'll, here's the plan.... - I hope to take up less refrigerator space than last trip. - As always, I plan to mix up meals so that we're not eating seafood three days in a row. - I want to factor in storage space, weather forecast and perishability (I just made that up) much more than on previous trips in determining what we eat next.
I'm shooting for one hour or less, from the time I start to cook unitl the food is served. So far, so good. |
Here's the preliminary meal plan... BREAKFAST Cereal, Bagel/Cream Cheese, Eggs/Bacon, Yogurt, Oatmeal, Breakfast Bars
LUNCH Turkey Quesadillas, Tuna Salad, Pita Pizza, Deli Wraps, Deli Salads, Chili/Grilled Cheese, Veggie Bowl/Grilled Chicken Strips, Tacos/Corn Chowder
DINNER Shirmp/Spinach/Mushrooms Oriental, Chili Peanut Pork Chops/Carrot and Cucumber Salad, Tilapia w/Mango Salsa/Broccolli, Spaghetti/Meatballs/Caprice Salad, Picadillo/Black Beans and Rice/Avocado Salad, Pot Roast/Green Beans, Bangers/Colcanon, Chimichuri Stuffed Pork/Roasted Pineapple/Corn |
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THURSDAY 10/29 - Breakfast - Bagels, Cream Cheese, Apples, Bananas. Pan-toasted bagels. Prepped deli meat rolls, tomatoes and celery for lunch because the weather forecast was not good.
LUNCH - Deli meat salad. Very little galley time required. Kind of rough underway. Mixed greens, deli meat rolls, tomatoes and celery. Pretzels and grapes. Not so rough so I prepped onions, green peppers, garlic and tomatoes for dinner.
DINNER - Picadillo, Black Beans and Rice, Avocado Salad. Cooked onions, g-peppers, garlic, tomatoes. Mixed with can of black beans. Heated in microwave while browning 1 lb ground beef in pan. Mixed ground beef with onions, etc., can of tomatoes, cumin, basil, oregano. Avocados with onions and celery leaves, sprinkled with paprika. Prep time from start to on-the-table = 45 minutes. |
Also made Sangria. As soon as we docked for the evening I mixed one bottle of merlot, pieces of orange, lemon and lime, cinnamon, simple syrup and 1/4 cup rum. Steeped until dinner. Not bad at all.
Galley in full swing making Pork Chimichurri |
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TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING - Trying to keep a good mix going. So, we're not going to eat all of the apples at one time, not going to have carbs every meal every day, etc.
IT'S GOING BAD - The items with the shortest shelf life will go first. Bagel, breads, bananas, ground beef, etc.
WAY TOO MUCH SPACE - Consume the stuff in the refrigerator that's taking up too much space (i.e.the ground beef, bagels, etc.)
PREP WHEN YOU CAN - At lunch today it was relatively calm while underway, so I chopped the onions, celery, garlic, green peppers and tomatoes that were to go into dinner. |
WHAT?! NO SOUFFLE?! - If there's a chance that it's going to be rough underway, prep the night before AND DO NOT choose meals that will require a great deal of prep work or stove-top time.
The weather forecast was for 5-7 foot seas, so we had BREAKFAST at the dock before we left. Cereal and fruit. The bananas had to go.
LUNCH - Because once we made the turn at Barnegat Light we had 4-5 foot rollers on our aft quarter, I was able to fix the lunch that I wanted... Canned Campbells Sirloin Hungry Man soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chips and apples. Because I always get a little queasy in following seas when I'm below, I had to prep lunch in stages, coming up whenever I started to feel a little hot flash. But all went well for lunch and cleanup. |
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DINNER - The brocolli was taking up a lot of space in the fridge, so, it was time for Tuna and Talapia with Mango Salsa and Garlic Broc. Because we had to wait outside of Utschs Marina while they cleared out a fishing tournament I started making the mango salsa.
When we pulled up to the fuel dock, the dock hands said "We smelled you coming. You got an Italian Restaurant onboard?" Very nice.
Dinner went well with a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigot. AND I now have a ton more space in the refrigerator with the broccolli gone.
Is life good or what! No, life is GREAT! |
STILL THERE? Do a provision check of ALL provisions at least every other day. That's how I found the strawberries that I forgot about.
BREAKFAST - Bagels had to go! Just in time too. Also, pulled out the strawberries,
LUNCH - Made deli wraps before we left the slip in anticipation of rough seas. And good thing too. No way that I would have been able to do ANY prep at all!
DINNER - Pork Chimichuri, Corn w/ Chorizo, Grilled Pineapple. Bought a 2 pound Pork Loin, Top Loin Boneless Roast. About 2 inches thick. Made chimicuri sauce with 1 cup fresh cilantro, 3 garlic cloves, lime and olive oil. It didn't look like enough so I added 1/2 green pepper and some chicken broth. Worked out fine. |
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Browned the loin in the frying pan. Then cut it in half and browned those two pieces. Then cut into 2" strips and brased with the chimichuri sauce. I'm not bragging, but it did come out perfect. At home, I would have worried and stressed over cooking this size of pork roast. However, here on the boat, I just winged it. Once I cut it into 2" strips I was able to see and control the doneness absolutely
Side of canned corn with onion, green peppers and chorizo.
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CHIP CLIPS??!!! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN CHIP CLIPS!!! Brought a roll of packing tape. Using that to close up chip bags, etc. Works great!!!
When I'm given full galley responsibilities on someone elses boat, I feel that it is my gallee. But it's not really my galley, it's the owner's galley and boat.
So, no matter what, I keep the galley in it's original condition as much as possible at all times. No hanging my favorite purple dish cloth over the side of the counter, no keeping my plastic wrap and aluminum foil out, etc. Here's the galley of the Solipsys |
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when not in full use. Clear and clean the counters, clean the cabinet faces, the refrigerator door and the galley floor after each use.
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We were going to stay inside today. I knew that I would have great conditions in the galley. Today was the day that I could spend a little more prep and cook time on breakfast. BREAKFAST - Scrambled eggs seasoned with dill, Hormel pre-cooked bacon and toast. The bacon was excellent. Just a few seconds in the microwave. No grease, etc. Definitely the way to go.
LUNCH - I didn't want to go carb or meat today. Three Salads. #1 -Canelli beans with olive oit, balsamic, coriander and oregano. #2 Tuna with chopped onion, celery, mayo and soy sauce. #3 - Romaine, cheese, capers and strawberries.
DINNER - Seems simple enough, especially for me - Spaghetti and meatballs. Somehow, I have a very difficult time with this dish. |
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Maybe I'm imagining all of my Italian ancestors looking down on me, watching me cook, and criticizing the fact that I'm actually using a jar of Ragu as a base.
However, I do saute onions, green peppers to add to the Ragu. Made up some very nice meatballs from scratch - seasoned bread crumbs, cheese, an egg...
Browned the meatballs and brased them in the sauce. Added wine and sugar.
Cooked up some zucchini and squash. Made a Caprice salad with tomatoes, good mozerella, FRESH basil, EVOO and balsamic.
Put on some Dean Martin and Pavorotti music and all was right with the world! |
Early off the dock. Needed to check to see if the repairs we did last night worked. I planned a quick and easy breakfast and held off until we were safely underway. BREAKFAST - Yogurt, breakfast bars, apple and orange.
Undecided as to what to do for lunch. Sometimes you just get a hankerin' (like my old grand pappy used to say) for a good old burger (sorry my Vegan readers). However, we decided to leave the ICW and head outside. Wasn't bad with following seas and wind and a light chop. So, burgers were on!
Used left over meatball mix from last night's spaghetti dinner. Instead of full hamburget buns I brought Arnold's Whole Grain Sandwich Thins. It's all the illusion of a bun, but only 100 calories! |
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Grilled some read onions, slciced tomatoes, mayo, mustard, lettuce and provolone.. Finished off the bag of chips. Closed out the afternoon with some espresso.
DINNER - After Spaghetti and Meatballs last night and big juicy burgers for lunch, I really wanted to golight and veggie. Shrimp marinated in olive oil, garlic and chili powder. Sauted and served over a bed of spinach that was lightly tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
And my favorite mushroom dish. Baby Portobellas cooked with red onion and green peppers. Made my special sauce with mustard, brown sugar, soy sauce and red wine. Poured the sauce on the shrooms and reduced the sauce unitl it was a thick. Steamed some carrots in the microwave. Went very welll with the mushrooms.
All in all, some good boat grub once again. |
Even on the boat I love to go fa' coff' |
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Mid-point. Provisions on track. Plenty of room in fridge and pantries. All doing well. Only unforeseen spoilage so far has been left over lettuce and spinach due to the refrigerator being too cold. Yes, that's right, the FridgeaBoat DC refreigerator is TOO COLD!
BREAKFAST this morning... Cereal (needed to make room for a new quart of milk coming in tonight).
Although I really, really wanted Pita Pizzas for lunch, the prudent thing was to hit the deli meats before they go bad. Deli salad, cheese, olives, celery. Finished off the pretzels.
DINNER - The cook is out. Going to Jestine's with Kate and Cerrone.
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"Did you ever make Colcannon mate with a lovely bit of cream, And the greenest scallions mingle like a picture in a dream, Did you ever make a hole on top to hold a melting flake of the creamy flavor butter that your mommy used to make. Well you did, so you did, so did he and so did I, And the more I think about sure the nearer I am to cry. Oh weren't them the happy days when trouble we knew not, And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot." I've really been wanting Colcannon. It's an Irish dish that's traditionally served on All Hallows Eve. Missed that. Brought Guiness specifically for this meal. But, needed a potato masher that I forgot to bring. With last night's |
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provision re-stocking (with great help from Kate), I have my masher. Colcannon and Bangers tonight!
BREAKFAST - Quick and easy for going outside. Yogurt and bananas.
LUNCH - The other thing that I've really wanted to have was Pita Pizzas. Using Pita bread as the base, put pizza items on it. Because there is no oven on Solipsys, I heat the pitas in the frying pan. I heat any toppings either in the pan or microwave. And when I sprinkle the cheese on top, I cover the pita with the top of a pot to create a little oven effect to melt the cheese. I made two pizzas with different toppings, cut them into thirds, and served everyone a slice of each kind. Pizza #1 - leftover meatballs and sauce from our early Spaghetti dinner. Topped with mozzerella. Pizza #2 - White
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sauce: olive oil, fennel, garlic. Salami and Provolone topping. Made underway in four foot following seas. No problem.
DINNER - Browned bratz, brased in beer. Microwaved red potatoes. Mashed with the two mashers that Kate brought us.Added butter,milk,some of the pan drippings from the bangers, scallions and mixed greens. Guiness and Brendan Nolan traditional Irish music rounded it out. |
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Yes, I know, it doesn't sound appealing, but I think that these are some of the advantages of being the cook.
SCRAPS - When I was making cheeseburgers some of the ground beef broke into little bits and cooked to a very nice crispyness. Then, as I was meliting the cheese on top of each burger, some melted off the burger and onto the pan where it cooked into little golden brown bits. I served the burgers. When I came back to the galley to do cleanup, there in the pan were these wonderfully delicious little scrap bits. Toss them out? Are you kidding?! A couple of spoonfuls of unplanned heaven awaiting only the cook! This happens often with many dishes, especially if you're cooking one-pan
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meals. It's like AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the computer world. The meal has taken on a life of it's own and sometimes produces some incredible surprises.
LEFTOVERS - Sometimes, there's just a little left over after fully plating the meal. I was making tuna salad and had about a quarter of a cup of chopped onion and celery left on the cutting board. Yes, I should have just wiped it off into the garbage. But, wait a second, a quick dash of balsamic mixed with about and eighth of a teaspoon of mayo (both already out when making the tuna salad) mixed in with the left over onion and celery and you've got a pretty good couple of spoonfuls of pre-lunch celery salad just for the cook.
SHORTS - I do my best to evenly distribute the portions to each person being served. Well, actually the Captain might get a little more.
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Just as sometimes there might be a spoonful or two of something extra, sometimes I come up short. When that happens,the cook always, always gets the short. Making deli salads the other day, there were only two slices of roast beef left. There are three of us on board. I really felt that each serving needed a full slice of roast beef. So, the cook didn't get roast beef in his salad.
Also on that meal, I was finishing up the Romaine and spinach but, didn't have enough for three full plates. Instead of everyone getting just a little salad, the cook gets the deli meats, but no greens.
So, sometimes the cook gets scraps. Sometimes they get leftovers and sometimes they get shorts. No matter which, it's good to be the cook.
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Full Cook mode. Very nice apron picked out by Kate. Thanks Kate. I love the apron! |
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If a trip is going to be five days or less, you should be able to provision everything needed once before you leave. For a trip more than five days, you might be able to provision non perishables and anything that can be frozen, if your freezer is big enough and if it works well enough
On this trip, I called it short on some things that I shouldn't have. I only got six eggs up front. The three of us definitely would have eaten eggs for breakfast at least twice on a ten day trip. A second egg miscalculation occurred when I did not get six more eggs on my mid-trip re-provisioning. |
Had to do quiite a bit of finish up on some repairs. Woke early and had a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal with fresh strawberries. Off the dock at 1000. I was off-shift. I got caught up in updating the website and it was 1130 when I realized that I needed to make and serve lunch in thirty minutes before I took the helm. I decided to go for the challenge. In thirty minutes from prep to serve I made fish tacos and beef tacos and salad with a side of tortilla chips, salsa and sourcream. Salad - Typical; Romaine, black olives that were marinating in olive oil, lemon juice and corriander, chopped celery and tomatoes. Tacos - Pan seared some Tilapia seasoned with oregano and paprika. Miked ground beef from leftover Picadillo meal. Made a Lime/Chili Mayonaise sauce. Added tomatoes and celery and wrapped in soft tacos.
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DINNER - Shrimp cakes. No eggs to use to hold the breadcrumbs and everything together, so I used some sour cream. Added choizo to the shrimp mix. Worked out pretty well. Sweet potatoes with brown sugar, cinnamon and corriander as a side. |
As the cook, you are probably a little more likely to suffer burns, cuts, slices, bumps and bruises. For the bumps and bruises, make sure that you have enough rum onboard. For all of the other more galley related stuff you shouls bring your own Cooks First Aid Kit. Include anti-burn ointment, aloe, various band aids, bandages, tape, neosporin, alcohol (other than the rum), peroxide, latex (or whatever you're not allergic to) gloves, and those little finger tip condom-like things. |
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Up early (0510). Scrambled eggs, bacon and apple for breakfast.
LUNCH - Blackened chicken salad. Mixed greens, garbanzo bean salad (garbanzo beans, green pepper, tomato, onion, black olives, cayenne.
DINNER - Shrimp in cream sauce over pasta. Salad. But, here's where I realized what a huge mistake I made. I went to start some Bechamel sauce but... no flour. Yep, what was I thinking?! I did my best, but the sauce was nowhere where I needed it. Still pretty tasty.
Provisions are winding down. Definitely have enough for the rest of the trip. |
Awake at 0510. Early start today to make it rhrough the Okeechobee. Breakfast, once again, nothing big. Cereal, milk, bananas. I had the Cocopuffs, Jimmy had the Trix and Bob had the Cheerios (I'm a big fan of variety).
LUNCH - Burgers. Used pita bread as the bun. Heated up some canned corn chowder soup. Simple and easy. But mostly, it was a change from salad, lettuce, mixed greens, etc.
DINNER - Winding down provisions. Went to leftovers tonight. Turkey, Pork and Chicken Quesedillas. Seasoned all with cumin,chili and oregano. All left overs put in soft tacos with chopped tomatoes and jalapeno cheese. Sour cream, salsa and tortilla chips on the side. |
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Breakfast on the hook. Scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, fresh strawberries. The Fridgeaboat looks sadly empty. Wound down the provisions pretty good this trip. Not a lot of leftover or waste. . Lunch of leftover Colcannon, pork, chicken at the Marco Island docks.
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TRIP FOLLOW UP Non Food Essentials - Scissors, strainer, collander, whisks, potato masher, non-skid place mats, roll of non-skid material,
Cost Per Meal This Trip - Thirty-one meals; $4.00 per meal, per person.
- Ground Beef 1/2 lb too much. Got 2.5 lbs - Provolone 1/2 lb too much - Got 2lbs - Deli Meats - Just right. 1 lb each of Ham, Turkey and Roast Beef. 1/2 lb Salami. - Five Day Re-Provision Plan (see notes) - Shrimp just right - 2lb bag frozen - Milk - 1 quart too much. Original 1/2 gallon. 5-Day should have been an addition 1/2 gallon. - Existing Provisions on Boat - Should have had a definitive list of things still on the boat. Over on the Espresso, Sugar and Pasta.
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Provisions Onboard as of Sunday 11/08/09
Brown Sugar - 2 lbs White Sugar - 1/2 lb Espresso - Cafe Rico 8 ox vaccuum sealed bag Oatmeal, Instant - 5 packs Breakfast bars - 20 Honey - 3 oz bear A1 - 2 bottles EVOO - 17 oz unopened. 12 oz opened Balsamic Vinegar - 3 oz (1/2 bottle) Bread Crumbs - 3/4 of a 15 oz can Uncle Ben's Seasoned Rice - 6 oz box Soy Sauce - 1/2 5 oz bottle Paul Perdome Seasoning - Seafood 3/4. Blackened 1/4, Meat 1/2 bottle Salt - 1 lb Lipton Tea Bags - 48 Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate - 7 packs Grits - 3/4 of a 16 oz box Chicken Boullion - 5 cubes Pasta - 1-1/2 box angel hair (18 oz), 1/2 box thin spaghetti (8 oz) Bun - Three servings Tobasco Sauce - 1/2 2 oz bottle Artichokes - 4 oz jar Pimientos - 4 oz jar Fruit cocktail - 1 can Vegetable Beef Soup - 2 10oz cans Chunky Sirloin Soup - 1 18 oz can Sesame Seeds - 1/2 bottle |
Mixed Italian Spices - 3/4 bottle Peaches - 1 15 oz can Rice, Success boil bags - 3 Ketchup - 20 oz bottle unopened Instant Garlic Potatoes - 1 pack Chicken & Rice Soup - 10 oz can Dinty Moore Beef Stew - 24 oz can Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli - 40 oz can (to be used in EXTREME emergencies only) Pasta Fazool dry soup mix - 1 pack Green Beans - 14 oz can
NON-FOOD SUPPLIES Dish Sponges - 8 Soft Scrub - 1 full bottle Dish Detergent - Very little left. NEED MORE Zip lock bags, Sandwich bag size - 20 Aluminum Foil - 3 Plastic Wrap - 2 Garbage bags - 10 Comet and Windex Spray Cleaner - 1/3 bottle each Paper Towels - 3 rolls |
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Cooking Utensils on boat 11/08/09 Pan, 12", no cover - 1,Pots with lids - 1 small, 1 medium, Colander, Mixing bowls (2), Serving bowl, XL, plastic, crab (1), Big Mouth Thermos (12 oz), Coooking wine, red, Utsch (3/4 bottle), Potato Mashers (2), Cork Screw, Bottle Opener, Wisks, 1 plastic, 1 metal, French Press, Cheese grater, Cutting boards - 1 large, 1 small, Measuring cup, measuring spoons, Spatulas, 1 plastic, 1 metal, Thermos, 1 metal, 1 glass,
Like to have: Tongs, scissors, 12" and 10" pan with lids, flour, corn starch, manual chopper (save fingers), 10" chef knife, ice pick (save knives)
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All show? Not exactly.While prepping and cooking (unless you're 100% bald and shaven) you really need some head gear to keep, in my case, whatever hair you have remaining on your head and not in the food. Ball cap works. But when it's too hot in the galley a bandana (pirate style) really works well.
Apron - Absolutely functional, especially on a rocking boat, to keep hot stuff from spilling on you. And, when you have a limited clothing selection, you really don't want to go to shore with spaghetti sauce all over your shirt. Depending on your fellow crew and/or onboard owner you may or may not want to go with a wild print. A very classy touch would be to have an apron with the boat's name embroidered on it (very nice!) |
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Foot Wear - Yes, it's very cool and hip to go around the boat barefoot. But, in the galley, you're taking a chance to get some very hot stuff on your feet, or, worst case, if a knife should fall, you know where and how it's going to land.
Shirt and Pants - Yes.
Towels - I am a towel fanatic in the galley and kitchen. Give me a stack of 100 plain white kitchen towels and I am in heaven. They are multi-functional as pot holders, mops, dryers, wipers, etc. Don't get me wrong. Paper towels are extremely wonderful as well, but they just don't compare to a good old fashioned kitchen towel.
Now the downside of my beloved kitchen towel. They get wet, dirty, ugly, stained and stink pretty much after a day or so of use. |
You really don't want these things to hang over the counter edges or cabinet doors at all. So, bite the bullet. Bring enough towels to last a couple of days until you do laundry. As they become too dirty, wet or smelly to continue to use until laundry day, make sure you can secure them in a smell and leak proof bag and store it out of sight. However, don't store it so out of sight that you forget about it. Left long enough to steap in it's own funk, the resulting mass of cloth and mold can require a hazmat cleanup.
Paper towels definitely have the advantage of being discardable. So, don't scrimp on these babies. Bring as many rolls as space will allow. |
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It's one of those infallable laws of nature... "If it's not in a closed drawer or cabinet, it's going to fall and either a) break b) hurt someone and/or c) damage the boat."
Sometimes, things aren't even safe in a closed drawer, cabinet or refrigerator. You can only do so much to minimize being affected by this law...
Non-skid mats work well to keep things from sliding around.
Put stuff in the sink while in transit to it's home in a drawer, cabinet or refrigerator
Other than that, you're on your own. There is no winning with this law. You might go for awhile without an incident. But, as soon as you get a little over confident, the law will kick in and you will want to kick yourself. |
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All rights reserved M/V Solipsys 2009
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