Summertime means fresh corn that is so sweet it is delicious eaten raw! Here in California we get it straight from the farm at Farmer’s Markets and can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 days if left in the husk and wrapped in damp paper towels. We love it best grilled in the husk and slathered with butter and sea salt, but have been trying to eat healthy so I came up with a few recipes for corn salad sides that complement almost any protein.
Nana wasn’t a gourmet cook … her ingredients were simple and generally staples from her well-stocked pantry. But there was something about Nana’s meals … the flavors were always so delicious and satisfying that whatever she made was a joy to eat. My guess is that it was the secret ingredient of Love. I try to add a dash of that into every dish I make and when I cook from her recipes or use the few pieces of kitchenware that belonged to her, it takes me back to those cherished times sitting at her kitchen table having a chat with something yummy and a cuppa tea.
Four years ago on June 28, 2014, Aaron and Heidi tied the knot and became Captain and First Mate for Life. It was a wonderful weekend in Ayala Cove at Angel Island, filled with friends and family … a Thursday night dinner onboard dear friends Dave & Speranza’s boat, Buoyant … Friday couple pedicures in Tiburon, wedding prep (which included constructing a six foot arbor that had been lashed in a box to the rail for the trip over and then balanced precariously on a dinghy to get it to shore), and a potluck with our boating community who arrived early to help set-up … and Saturday, Wedding Day: mimosas and boater friends decorating before the festivities.
I discovered chia seeds about a year ago. They are a nutrition power house and so easy to incorporate into a breakfast or dessert. A little goes a very long way! We’ll be carrying Chia seeds on our long voyages as they are an excellent source of fiber, iron, calcium and antioxidants, as well as omega-3 fatty acids (the kind of fat that helps raise HDL cholesterol, protecting against heart attack and stroke). They also help with constipation, so eating in moderation is a good idea! 🙂
We invited guests for dinner and I learned that one was vegan. She told me that she’d bring her own food and it was no big deal. Vegans don’t eat any animal-based food, so meals need to have no eggs or dairy products. I love a good culinary challenge, so I did a little research and talked to co-workers that are both vegetarians and vegans and devised a recipe that is colorful and bursting with flavor and also filling. The key is to read the labels of everything … you’d be surprised how many items that you’d think are purely vegetarian have some form of dairy or meat product or are prepared in facilities that share machinery.
Boats require work. Lots of it. Being exposed to the elements 24/7 means that Aaron and Heidi have to constantly be on the lookout for damage by rain or sun, as well as keeping up on regular chores and replacing my worn parts. I guess you could say that I’m a high maintenance sort of girl. 😉
This past weekend Aaron replaced one of my 39-year-old bronze portholes with a brand new stainless steel one. I have three portholes, all accessed by the cockpit; two look into the cabin, one on either side of the companionway (our front door), and the third looks from the cockpit well (side of the floor) into the aft stateroom. Portholes are windows that open. Portlights are windows that are permanently fixed. All leak if not installed and sealed properly, which is not a good thing. I also have four hatches (windows that open up from my cabin top) for ventilation.
Why do Heidi and Aaron bust their butts to do work on me that they can pay someone else to do? We get that question often. The major reason is peace of mind.
I’m not just a pleasure craft for weekend sailing. I am Home. Boatwork is very specialized and we want to make sure it is done to our high standards. It’s not like having a new roof put on and then discovering that it leaks and calling a company to come fix it. We won’t have that option in the middle of the ocean if I take on water because of a poorly installed thru-hull. Knowing that my bottom is sturdy and sealed tight is essential to our peace of mind.
Every three years I need to be put on the “hard” so my hull, keel and rudder can be inspected, repaired if needed, and painted. It’s also a good time to check out the propellor and all through-hulls. Being on the “hard” is taking a boat out of the water via a hoist and propping her up on stilts in a boat yard.
I love Trader Joe’s … I can create a month’s worth of menus just by walking the aisles and exploring the interesting ingredients. When we cruise, we’ll primarily eat whatever is fresh and the locals are eating, but I’ll always have creative canned options for long passages and when we want something different. This recipe is quick, full of flavor and served in a bowl, making it a great off-shore dish.
“You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity and water? How about cable and WiFi? How do you shower? What’s your kitchen like? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”
Where do you keep your stuff? Heidi and Aaron had just came out of long marriages in houses filled with lots of material possessions when they moved aboard in 2009. They left their furniture with the exes, so there really wasn’t any big purge to move onboard. They do have a storage loft with stuff that doesn’t belong or fit on me … Breakable items, photo albums, cherished childhood mementos and a bunch of accumulated crap in general. They are slowly going through the lot to pass on to family, donate or trash. Their goal is to have perhaps four boxes of items that will be stored with Aaron’s dad when we go cruising. That’s it. Everything else will fit in or on me.
“You live on a boat?! How is that? Does it move all the time? How does the weather affect you? Where do you keep your stuff? Do you have electricity and water? How about cable and WiFi? How do you shower? What’s your kitchen like? Does your dog like living on a boat? What happens when you go sailing?”
Back to our series of answers to the questions Heidi and Aaron get when people find out they live on a sailboat full-time.
How does the weather affect you? Living on a boat is living in tune with Mother Nature and Father Neptune. We all adore the dry, warm summer months because it means having the hatches and doors open to the air and light. Heidi, Aaron and Tiki spend lots of time having meals in the cockpit and laying in bean bags and the hammock on deck. In the winter, we mainly stay closed up and the only contact with the weather is the quarter mile walk Heidi and Aaron have from my berth to the parking lot. (Which is why we will be circumnavigating primarily to warm climates!)
