PAINKILLERS

3 parts unsweetened pineapple
2 parts OJ
2 parts cream of coconut
3 parts rum (dark and light)
Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Enjoy the deliciousness.

CHIP'S AWESOME CARROT CAKE

2 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 c. sugar
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (1 lb.) bag carrots, peeled and grated
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. flaked coconut

Grease cake pan.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) pkg. powdered sugar
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Add sugar, orange zest and vanilla, mixing well.

*Recipe (mostly) from cooks.com

GRENADINES DELIGHT

Chip found this recipe in Cruising World magazine. Mmmm. Boat drinks.

1 ounce Galiano liqueur
3 ounces orange juice
1/2 medium banana
1/2 to 1 ounce Grenadine syrup*
1 1/2 ounces vodka

Combine all ingredients and mix in a blender. Serve over ice.

Renders one drink.

*The Grenadine is for sweetness and color (red). We found we didn't need any additional sugar besides that in the fruit.

CABBAGE LEAVES STUFFED w/CURRIED BEEF

Our week without grocery shopping gets more challenging as the days go by, but Chef Rob Mitchell came through for me again! I sent him the entire inventory of my kitchen, and he suggested this dish. Braising the cabbage leaves makes them soft and easy to manipulate. The leaves hold in all the moisture from the meat. FIVE STARS!

Cabbage leaves
Ground Beef
Cooked Rice
Chopped Onion
Egg
Curry
Sauce or soup

Blanch the cabbage leaves in water until tender, then strain. Make a nice mixture of beef, rice, onion, egg little curry spice. Mix it all together, and put into leaf and fold up into a little pouch. Place in roasting pan and cover with sauce. Simmer till meat is done inside 165F. Serve with crumbled feta.


The meat mixture was a good opportunity to do a little fridge cleanup. I found some limp scallions and a handful of grape tomatoes that I threw in. I didn't want to use tomato sauce, so I subsittuted some curry lentil soup I had in the pantry -- added a little to the meat as well. The combination of curried meat, curry lentil sauce and feta was awesome.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Stuffed Chicken Breast over Lentils and Spinach
by Chef Rob Mitchell

4 chicken breasts
A few dried plums (a.k.a. prunes)
Goat Cheese
Walnuts
Garlic
Spinach
Lentils

Cook the lentils ahead and warm them at serving time. They can be seasoned up with half an onion thinly sliced and caramelized.
Chop prunes and soak in Port, Madeira or whatever you have to soften and make them yummy. Mix them with chopped, toasted walnuts and a little goat cheese and set aside. Slice the chicken breasts down the side lengthwise, so it folds open to stuff. Stuff the breasts with the filling enough that the breasts will still close. Season the outside of the breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet and sear off breasts, first the top then flip over and put the pan right in the oven (350 degrees) until the breasts are done (above 140 degrees). While the chicken is cooking saute spinach with chopped garlic. To serve, place the warmed lentil mixture on the plate then the sauteed spinach on top of that then the chicken on top of that. Drizzle a little bit of yogurt sour cream on top if you like.

This was so delicious and relatively easy to make for guests since a lot of the prep could be done before showtime. Rob's easy instructions and lack of measured ingredients made me feel all chef-like! The lentils could easily be swapped with other starches, rice or couscous. I used frozen spinach because of the Eating Down the Fridge Challenge and was surprised to find it tasted so good.

BLACK BEANS: Pressure Cooker Recipe

Yeah, one more thing to learn. I'm putting this recipe here, so I don't have to ask Chip every time, "now how do I cook beans?"

We got a pressure cooker, because quick-cooking on the boat will mean fuel efficiency and less heat production in hot climates. Dry grains and beans are easy to store, cheap and last years. They're also readily available worldwide. So I begin my cooking lessons.

Black Beans

Place washed beans in cooker
Cover with water
Add salt
Lock cooker and bring up to pressure (2nd orange ring on ours)
Take off heat and let sit for one hour
Drain, rinse, season
Add liquid (water/broth) to about 1/2 inch above beans
Bring up to pressure
Cook for 20 minutes (turn off heat for last 5 minutes)
Go for less than 20 if you want them al dente

These were a little overdone, but they taste a-mazing. Shockingly better than canned beans.

All things considered, I'd rather be learning this ON the boat, but use the time, use the time.

--started some research on portable sewing machines
--continuing photo lessons