Vivo O Sonho

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    • Chicken Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

      Posted at 5:01 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 23, 2020

      My hubby is a huge fan of mole sauce. He loves the bold flavor profile of chocolate and smoky peppers and a healthy bit of spice. Traditional mole sauce made from scratch calls for literally dozens of ingredients and a whole lot of finely grinding of spices. I took the easy route and started with a store-bought jar of sauce and doctored it up to what hubby says was “perfection.”

      Hubby smoked the chicken thighs and they shredded up nice and juicy. You could simply buy a rotisserie chicken or bake or poach breasts, but make sure you don’t dry them out.

      It’s hard to describe this sauce … It is velvety smooth and rich with an earthy-sweetness that mellows upon baking. And best of all … so easy to whip up in a few minutes! I made a package of Spanish rice for the side and added a can of diced tomatoes and a dash of chile pepper and it was the perfect compliment. Black, pinto or refried beans would also go nicely.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingCook, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • Living the Dream in a Pandemic

      Posted at 5:06 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 19, 2020

      I started this blog on April 16, 2018 … one year to the day we planned to cut the docklines and begin cruising the world on our floating home. This was already a delay from our original dream of retiring early and leaving in 2015. Life happened and we changed the departure to 2019. Family circumstances and necessary medical procedures for the Captain and First Mate didn’t allow us to leave the country then either. So being conservative, we readjusted to leave in the fall of 2020 and winter in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.

      This would give us the summer to put a bit more money aside, finish final boat projects and make sure our family was healthy, happy and settled. In Spring 2021 we’d decide what our next course would be and go from there.

      Then COVID-19 rocked the world. Back in March, we all believed that we’d be through this and back to life as usual in a few months; six at tops. We’d wait until December or January and then head south.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 0 Comments | Tagged AlamedaRiviera, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, Tayana, VivoOSonho
    • 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.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, shoplocal, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • April 16th: Captain AJ’s Birthday & My Blog Anniversary!

      Posted at 1:29 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on April 16, 2020

      AJ at helmToday is a significant date. First and foremost, it is my husband’s birthday. Aaron, the Captain of our boat and my heart, was born in 1964 and is 56 today. He unselfishly gives of his time and talent, and most of all, Love, to his friends and family. He is completely devoted to our three Grands and drops everything to care for them. He coaches Little League, builds props for my daughter’s photography business, mans the barbecue and is known as the “Tickle Monster” by the GrandBoys. He’s a great role model for Cody and Matthew, and Ellie is definitely a “Papy’s Girl.” This from a guy who never had children of his own and became a step-father when my kids were teens! We are blessed to have him in our lives.

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      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, Cruising, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, TLWA, ToLiveandWriteinAlameda, VivoOSonho
    • Turkey Tetrazani with Squid Ink Pasta

      Posted at 5:55 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on March 10, 2020

      Squid Ink Turkey TetrazaniWhy squid ink pasta? Well, because I bought all the other ingredients for this recipe and forgot the pasta and just happened to have this in my pantry. The bold black color seemed odd when I was cooking it, but actually made for a dramatic presentation. Most often used in seafood dishes, squid ink pasta does have a distinct flavor of sea salt not found in other pasta. I didn’t add any salt to the recipe and it came out absolutely delish!

      Hubby loves pasta and we most often feature an Alfredo sauce or he makes his famous red sauce. I wanted to try something different and found turkey tenderloins on sale so did a bit of recipe research and then developed this one with my own twists. It’s rich and creamy comfort food and the celery adds a nice little crunch. It can be prepped and assembled in advance and then popped in the oven 35 minutes before you are ready to serve.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, Tayana, TinyKitchen
    • Life Happens … Change of Course, Again

      Posted at 9:00 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on March 4, 2020

      IMG_9711When we purchased our 42 ft 1979 Tayana Vancouver sailboat in 2009 we had hoped to take a sabbatical from our jobs in 2015 to do some cruising. We chose to name our boat Sonho, as it means “Dream” in Portuguese and adopted the motto, “Vivo O Sonho” … Living the Dream. 

      But Life Happened: lay-offs and, most importantly, my care for my beloved Nana kept us tied to the dock. There was no way I’d leave her; we just didn’t expect her to live as long as she fortunately did. After Nana passed in the fall of 2017 just shy of her 99th birthday, my sister and I made the decision to sell her home that we had inherited. Aaron and I would use our share of the proceeds to finish the work on the boat and invest the rest to take early retirement.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 1 Comment | Tagged Cruising, DogOnboard, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingWriter, Tayana, Tiki, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Small Town Politics

      Posted at 6:09 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on September 12, 2019

      imgres-1The Littletown League of Women Voters mayoral candidate debate had just begun when the fire alarm was sounded. After 30 minutes and an “all clear” from the Fire Chief, the crowd filed back inside. It was apparently a faulty alarm but they had dragged in the hefty fire hose as a precaution and it now lay smack dab down the middle of Uncle Joe’s All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Buffet. It would remain until the investigation was complete in an hour or so, and the debate needed to get underway and wrap-up before the restaurant opened for the Early Bird Special crowd.

      “Alrighty, folks, let’s settle down and resume our debate,” LWV President Nancy Brown said into the microphone. “We’ve made our introductions and we’ll start over with the first question.”

      “That’s not fair! Billy Bob and Carl already answered! Skip them!” stated Susan Smith, one of the four candidates seated on the little platform usually reserved for the oyster shucking station.

      Nancy was not fond of having her authority questioned. “I said we’re going to start again. No more from you Susie, or you can follow that fire hose into the kitchen to cool down.” 

      “Quiet, please. Question number one. ‘Our city is in a budget crisis. How would you address the looming deficit?’ We’ll begin with you, Susie, since you’re so eager to answer.”

      Susie straightened with the attention, then leaned in to the microphone.

      “By electing me, there will be no deficit. I will make better decisions than our current mayor and spend our money on more important things than a new golf course.”

      Ron Matthews, the current mayor, jumped up from the table, knocking his chair off the stage. “Hey, that’s dirty talk. I was told there’d be none of that. I’m not putting up with lies.”

      Susie retorted, “It’s the truth. You promised that Booneville would pay for the course since it borders their town. You lied and now we have a bulldozed plot of land that no one can use unless we pay millions to finish it.”

      Billy Bob Jackson chimed in, “Who golfs in this town anyway, besides you? You’re nothing but a carpetbagger from fancy schmancy Florida who bought the last election.”

      Nancy called for order, but it was too late.

      Candidate Carl Deaton joined the attack, “And how about all those conferences? Why do you need to go to the state capital and DC all the time? We don’t want any corporate money. We take care of our own.”

      Mayor Matthews wasn’t having any of it. “That’s it. I’m done. Y’all can debate without me. I don’t have to take this.” And with that he stepped down and promptly tripped over the fire hose.

      The audience wasn’t sympathetic and snickered as he picked himself up, brushed off his suit and stomped out of the restaurant.

      Nancy took charge. “Enough. Let’s move on to the next question. ‘What is your position on climate change and how it affects our town?’ Carl, you’re up.”

      “There’s no such thing as climate change and ya’ll know it. God has a plan and if we pray hard enough, we’ll all be safe from storms and floods.”

      Lots of nods and a few hearty amens from the audience were offered in reply.

      “Billy Bob? Your take on climate change?” prompted Nancy.

      “Well, I’m not much of an environmentalist, but I have a plan to build a dam that diverts the water before it overflows. Booneville won’t like it much, but that’s their problem.”

      This brought hoots and whistles from the audience.

      “And Susie? Your turn.” said Nancy.

      “Instead of putting more money into studies, let’s move the trailer park from the edge of the lake to higher ground, then everyone will be safe.”

      Billy Bob interjected, “Talk about self-serving. You live there and want a free ride!”

      Nancy stepped in front of the stage, looking at the candidates sternly. “If y’all don’t behave, I’ll just shut this down. These are serious questions about problems facing Littletown. We need to address our budget, response to disasters and so much more. We need a strong leader to drag us into the 21st century instead of being stuck in the Leave it to Beaver days.”

      Someone in the audience started the chant, “Nan-cee, Nan-cee, Nan-cee!” Others joined in and soon the whole room was booming.

      Nancy put up her hand and called for quiet.

      “That’s mighty nice of y’all to think that I’d make a good mayor. I’m not sure I’m up for the job. But neither are any of these yahoo’s sitting on the stage, or the buffoon we elected four years ago.”

      She looked out at the packed room. It was the biggest building in town and at least half of the citizens had turned out for the debate, with every seat filled and a handful standing at the back. 

      “Let’s take a little poll. If you would support me as a write-in candidate for Mayor, stand on this side of the fire hose. If you think someone else would do a better job, move to that side.”

      The candidates’ protests were drowned out with the ruckus of people standing to take sides.

      Before much movement had taken place, the Fire Chief strode into the room announcing, “Sorry, folks. We have to shut this little party down. The fire alarms are malfunctioning and it’s not safe until we have them fixed.”

      And with that, the sprinkler system activated and the Littletown Mayoral candidate debate was officially over.

      ###

      Written July 14, 2019 for submission to the NYC Midnight 11th Annual Flash Fiction Challenge. Thousands of world-wide writers were divided into over a 100 groups of 15 and given prompts of genre, location and object. We then had 48 hours to submit a story of up to 1,000 words using the prompts. The stories will be critiqued by professional judges and given points and then Challenge #2 will be announced on September 13th and also critiqued and given points. The writers with the five highest top point totals in each group after the first two challenges will move on to round three in November. The top three writers in each of these groups will then move on to the final round in December. 

      The prompts for Challenge #1 for my group were: Political satire in an all-you-can-eat restaurant with a fire hose. 

       

      Posted in Story Shelf | 0 Comments | Tagged LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, Tayana, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
    • Tofu Feta

      Posted at 4:35 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 13, 2019

      Tofu FetaTofu: You either love it or hate. I have always hated it. And really, for no reason other than I had an iguana and that’s what we fed him, so why would I want to eat reptile food? Plus it has a look, taste and texture that is just weird.

      I have many friends who are vegan and rely on tofu as a source of protein. A few of them like it as is, right from the container, but most prefer it cooked or marinated as the tofu takes on the flavor profile of whatever ingredients you use, making it incredibly versatile.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • GO To Tuesday: Vegan Overnight Oats

      Posted at 5:17 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on August 6, 2019

      img_6522.jpgThis is a delicious, hearty vegan breakfast that is made the night before and ready to eat right from the refrigerator. I’ll make this when we are at sea in warm climates and the crew needs a quick meal going on/off the sunrise shift.

      Oats are among the most nutrient-dense foods, rich in carbs and fiber but also higher in protein and fat then most other grains. Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, iron, calcium and protein. Staying fueled and “regular” is important when off-shore sailing and the ingredients in this recipe fit the bill nicely.

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      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged AlamedaGroceryOutlet, BargainMarket, BoatingLife, Cruising, GalleyCooking, GOAlameda, homeofWOW, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, shoplocal, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
    • GO To Tuesday: Blueberry Bread Pudding

      Posted at 2:00 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on July 16, 2019

      Blueberry Bread PuddingWe always have leftover buns when we do a hot dog or sausage barbecue with friends. And not being big bread eaters, they sit until I either feed to the ducks in the marina, throw away or make into bread pudding. All of these ingredients are available at our local Grocery Outlet and I generally have aboard our boat.

      This is a nice make-ahead breakfast or dessert that can be popped in the oven an hour before guests arrive. I like to serve it warm, but it’s also good cold or at room temperature.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in In the Galley | 0 Comments | Tagged AlamedaGroceryOutlet, BargainMarket, BoatingLife, GalleyCooking, GOAlameda, GroceryOutlet, homeofWOW, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, shoplocal, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho
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    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 circumnavigate the globe in Fall 2020 and I enjoy blogging about our preparations for our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

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