Vivo O Sonho

Living the Dream
Vivo O Sonho
  • Home
  • You Live on a Boat?!
  • Story Shelf
  • In the Galley
  • Author Archives: Heidi Benson Stagg

    • Mediterranean Watermelon Salad

      Posted at 5:05 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 11, 2020

      IMG_2981

      In lieu of hot veggies, I like to make side salads to go with dinner in the summer. Hubby isn’t a big fan of green salads so I switch it up now and then.

      This bright salad combines the sweetness of ripe watermelon with the salty tang of feta and kalamata olives. The sweet/savory dressing brings it all together for yumminess in every bite.

      Variations: Any tomatoes will do; I like the yellow for the contrast in color. You can use an English cucumber and leave the skin intact.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, shoplocal, TinyKitchen
    • Baked Chicken Wings

      Posted at 5:19 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 28, 2020

      img_3564Chicken wings don’t have to be a guilty pleasure. I’ve found that baking them is as delish as deep frying, and far more heart-healthy (not to mention less messy).

      You can take the easy-peasy route and simply make a batch of basic wings and then serve a variety of dipping sauces on the side. Or you can go a bit more fancy and flavorful by tossing them in one of the sauces below near the end of the cooking time. I usually serve with a platter of raw, cold veggies.

      Variations: Recipes for my basic wings and two favorite flavors are below: Buffalo and Ginger-Soy. You can toss the wings in a multitude of sauces of your choosing and finish in the oven. Oil based salad dressings are a good option. Stay away from cream-based sauces as they will burn; offer them for dipping instead (ranch and bleu cheese are a favorite). An easy way to create your own dipping sauces is to start with a base of 1/4 cup sour cream and simply stir in herbs and spices of your choosing.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, shoplocal, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Recipes for Extra Herbs!

      Posted at 4:41 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 14, 2020
      IMG_1923
      IMG_1878
      IMG_1736

      A dear friend gifted me with a literal armload of fresh herbs from her garden. I used them in daily recipes for a solid week, keeping them wrapped in damp paper towels in the fridge, and then needed to find another use before they turned brown. There are a plethora of ideas such as tying them in bunches, hanging by their stems and letting dry, making pesto or chimichurro sauce, and freezing in ice cube trays. I opted to make simple syrup, compound butter and infused oil.

      1. Simple Syrup … the name says it all. It takes all of 5 minutes to make and the result is a thick, sweet syrup. Herbal infused simple syrup adds a gourmet flair to cocktails and desserts and lasts for about two weeks when stored in a sterilized glass container in the fridge.
      2. Compound Butter … Another easy way to add flavor to everyday meals with a pat of herbal butter on warm rolls, rice, mashed potatoes or veggies. It is also incredibly delicious served on a steak hot off the grill or pan. It can be frozen for up to six months or about a week in the fridge.
      3. Olive Oil … Store-bought infused oils are expensive, especially when they are so easy to make! The big difference is that manufactured products have a longer shelf life than homemade versions. So you’ll want to make these in small batches and use within two weeks. Use the lightest olive oil you can find so the flavor doesn’t compete with the herbs. You can use the herbs that are strained out in future recipes. The rosemary and garlic gets nice and crispy and is wonderful added to soups and stews.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Orangemen’s Day … The 12th of July

      Posted at 9:52 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 12, 2020

      images-1Both of my parents were born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the majority of my family lives in the United Kingdom. I am first-generation American and proud of my Orange-Irish heritage and can’t wait to one day sail “home” into Belfast Harbor.

      Many who know me well have been schooled on St. Patrick’s Day and the difference between being Orange and Green Irish. I DO NOT wear green on St. Patrick’s Day as I am absolutely sure my father would look down with horror. One year, my father caught me sneaking out of the house with a bit of green on and said sternly, “Get back inside and take off that green and put on your orange. No daughter of mine will be caught wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day!” He didn’t care that we might get pinched by our school mates … his loyalty to his Orange Irish roots ran deep. I passed on the same traditions to my children and now my daughter ensures that the Grands wear their orange as well as green.

      The Orange Irish celebrate Orangemen’s Day with bonfires kicking off the festivities on July 11th and parades on July 12th. Homes and buildings are adorned with bunting and people crowd the streets waving the British flag. Read on for a wee bit of history about the holiday.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Story Shelf | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, NorthernIreland, OrangeIrish, SailingWriter, ShortStory, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Potato Kugel

      Posted at 3:30 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 30, 2020

      IMG_1344Kugel is a well-loved staple of Jewish family meals and can be made sweet or savory, with noodles or potatoes. Although I’ve seen some fancy schmancy recipes, traditionally it’s a baked pudding or casserole with simple ingredients, served as a starch side or dessert. It can be made in a regular casserole pan but I like the presentation of a round pie dish.

      Potato kugel is made with grated potatoes, but when I’m making a special holiday dinner with many components such as Passover, the use of frozen hashbrowns makes for an easy side that can be prepped in the morning and popped in the oven an hour before serving. It can also be baked, cooled, frozen and reheated if you want to pre-make it.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Moon

      Posted at 4:35 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 25, 2020

      Moon CardMerrow packed her overnight bag thoughtfully. This getaway coincided with the Lover’s Moon. She would welcome a masculine presence, real or mystical, yet she wasn’t expecting any revelations as her morning tarot reading was unclear. The Star card served as a reminder to keep the faith and the Moon card predicted the existence of illusion. The Lover’s card showed up in reverse, which could be interpreted as conflict and the need to make a decision. She pondered the complicated meanings of the cards as she prepared for her journey.

      “Got the survival kit packed: wand, broom, cauldron, chalice, crystals. Need to pick and bind new sage. Candles? Damn. Have to stop for a fresh pack.”

      Merrow’s organizational voice carried on a conversation with itself as she placed clothing and toiletries alongside her spellcasting tools. She was an old soul and many ancestral spirits coexisted within her, each rising to the occasion when summoned and more often of their own accord. They had started as whispers and as she learned to listen and heed their advice, they had revealed themselves in signs and thoughts. Great Aunt Zelda, always the romantic, encouraged her to pack a pretty nightdress so she tucked a seafoam green silk chemise next to the altar cloth.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Random Topics, Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, AlamedaShorts, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Gone is the Sailor … Home to the Sea

      Posted at 8:35 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 21, 2020

      Bad SneakersIt had been a long night filled with people crowding our house and talking all at once. My mother alternated between crying and wailing, giving me a headache. The television blared the local station, flashing scenes from the Rockford Files with the occasional news update interrupting the program. Everyone jumped when the kitchen phone rang and hushed to hear who was calling. The cacophony returned when it was determined to be someone wanting to know if there was any new information. There wasn’t.

      Outside, the storm raged. Branches blew from the trees into the pool, the patio chairs were on their sides and the umbrella was gone, but no one noticed except me. I sat alone in my father’s home office, looking out at our huge backyard overshadowed by a hill. Lights from the house illuminated the ripples on the dark water; a sharp contrast to the mild evenings of the past week.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Roasted Sunchokes

      Posted at 3:16 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 16, 2020

      SunchokesHubby is most definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy but we have been trying to limit our carbohydrate intake so often dinner just features a protein and large portion of a veggie side. Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, look similar to potatoes when diced or sliced and have a similar texture, but feature a sweet, nutty flavor similar to an artichoke, that only needs a few herbs and olive oil. I served these with Easter dinner (turkey ham basted in mustard, honey and brown sugar and roasted asparagus).

      Sunchokes are also good raw; crunchy and a great addition to a green salad when sliced thinly. Some people prefer to peel them, but with their odd shape it can be quite a task. I prefer to wash off any dirt and give them a good scrub with a textured sponge or veggie brush and leave the skin on.

      They are rich in iron, potassium and vitamin B1. And the really good news for diabetics is that they have have a lower glycemic index score than potatoes as they store their carbohydrate as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) rather than starch. And for all of us, they aren’t fattening (one cup of raw sunchokes has approximately 110 calories and zero fat)!

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Hip to Be Square

      Posted at 2:46 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 14, 2020

      imgresIt was New Year’s Eve and I was cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway in my Dodge Colt. On a whim, I’d decided that morning to ring in 1987 back home in the Bay Area instead of San Diego, where I had been stationed in the Coast Guard and still lived. My SoCal girlfriends would be whooping it up at the Country Bumpkin, our dive bar of choice, two-stepping and shooting tequila and kissing every cowboy within reach at midnight. A year ago I was matching them shot for shot and kiss for kiss, but not this year.

      I was pregnant.

      This wasn’t part of my plan. I was 22, carefree and looking forward to a long military career as a Radioman. Children weren’t anywhere on my radar. I’d just started dating a Navy Gunnersmate after ending a relationship with a fly-boy. It seems I had a thing for sailors even back then.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Story Shelf | 2 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Portuguese Custard Tarts – Pasteis de Nata

      Posted at 3:44 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 10, 2020

      IMG_9104
      IMG_9103
      My husband’s family hails from Portugal and they observe an annual Christmas Eve tradition of gathering for breakfast at midnight. I wanted to contribute to the table and found a recipe that I tweaked for Pasteis de Nata, Portuguese Custard Tarts. They were declared “the real deal” by those in the know and hubby’s dad had a few more than his fair share. 🙂 I’m posting this on “Portugal Day,” an official national day of celebration, commemorating Luis de Camoes, a poet and national literary icon. (Click here for more info from Wikipedia.)

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    ← Older posts
    Newer posts →
    • Archives

    • Categories

    • Follow Vivo O Sonho on WordPress.com
    • Tags

      2LWA 2LWAFlashLitFeb 2WLAFlashLit AlamedaAnimalShelter AlamedaGroceryOutlet AlamedaRiviera AlamedaShorts Baja Ha-Ha BargainMarket BeatrixPotter BoatingLife Books Inc Bridgewatch Angels Cruising DaysofAwe DogOnboard Elsie Hanna FAAS FlashLitChallenge FlashLitOct GalleyCooking GOAlameda GroceryOutlet homeofWOW LifeOnboard LiveAboard LivingTheDream MarinaLife MarinGeneralHospital nana NorthernIreland OrangeIrish RoshHashanah SailingCook SailingWriter shoplocal ShortStory sonho StPatricksDay SuicidePrevention Tayana Tiki TinyKitchen TLWA ToLiveandWrite ToLiveandWriteinAlameda VivoOSonho Writing Sailor
  • Vivo O Sonho

    Heidi Benson Stagg

    Heidi Benson Stagg

    I live aboard a 42 ft Tayana Vancouver sailboat, hull #5 laid in 1979, with my husband and little dog. We are preparing to head to Mexico in Fall 2022 and I enjoy blogging about our preparations for our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

    Personal Links

    • Living the Dream ... Life Aboard Sonho

    View Full Profile →

  • Enter your email address to follow Vivo O Sonho's Blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 70 other followers

  • Follow Vivo O Sonho on WordPress.com
  • Follow Us on Facebook

    Follow Us on Facebook
  • Vivo O Sonho Blog Stats

    • 14,168 hits

Start a Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Vivo O Sonho
    • Join 70 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Vivo O Sonho
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...