Preparing for passage

I've spent the entire day in the galley, cooking and I couldn't be more excited! This means we're leaving on passage....we're finally heading north and back into the Sea of Cortez. We expect this to be an easy 3 day passage with some light winds in our favor, all the way to La Paz.  After the past month of mishaps I'm really hoping for an easy passage where I don't have to do much but adjust a few sails, watch some dolphins swim off the bow and relax...we'll see.

As Phil did some minor adjustments on the boat, Emma and I prepared some meals for the next few days. I still giggle at myself, giving advise on how to prepare meals before a passage, me, the self proclaimed World's Worst Cook. Ever hear of someone who sucked so bad in the kitchen they screwed up a bowl of cereal? That would be me. Actually, since cruising, I've gotten much better in the galley. One obvious reason, we need to eat. Living on a boat without a freezer has forced me to cook. Gone are the days of pulling a bag of frozen crap out and making dinner...I actually have to try. We all LOVE Mexican food, and well, we've been living in Mexico for over a year. Many times we leave a restaurant and Emma (our foodie) has asked if we can go home and attempt to recreate the meal. So I try...besides, I can't deny that face...she's too cute.  Something I've found that has helped me tremendously is the pressure cooker. Dinner that would normally take 60 minutes, takes 15...works for me! If I can do this....anyone can. 

One of our staples is veggies, potatoes pressure cooked in chicken broth. It's an easy and delicious stew. Today I added a little chorizo for flavor.

Emma loves that our salon table will adjust down to her level. This way she can help make meals and bake. She made raisin, oatmeal cookies today that are out of this world.

I've never been able to pat myself on the back for anything I've ever cooked...till now. It's not much, but my Mexican rice is Slap Yo Mama good! The key is to cook the rice in chicken broth...then, add your veggies and warn the taste buds. The rice is delicious hot or cold. Emma loves to eat cold rice for lunch sometimes, Jess loves to add it to beans and make herself a burrito. 

Prepared elbow pasta for lunch...just add tuna, celery, crema, some spice and you've got yourself an awesome tuna salad. I prepare pasta ahead of time so I'm not attempting to boil water as the boat is healing and it's 96 degrees out...besides the tuna salad is best served cold. Everything goes into a Ziplock container with a screw-on top. These containers have been one of the best items in our galley (besides the pressure cooker). I cut up carrot, celery and jicama into sticks and place in the fridge. Nothing is as refreshing as something cold and crunchy on passage.

My latest claim to fame...Mexican Lasagne. I sautee whatever veggies I have then add homemade (you read that correct..homemade) beans, either black or pinto and sautee a little more. 

Layer veggie mix, corn tortillas and cheese till you run out of ingredients. 

The key to food on passages is to make your family the food they already love. We've had to make a few adjustments in our preparation. We love the cabbage and chorizo stew I make, or the chicken tortilla soup with tomato chuncks....but those particular recipes hurt our bellies while underway. Same thing with coffee....we have to limit ourselves to 3/4 of a cup. It's not that we get sea sick but underway our bellies have different requirements. I think after today, I need to resign my title, "World Worst Cook", maybe I'll pass it along to Jessica....she's about as handy in the kitchen as I was when I was 12. 

Looking for an awesome cookbook with recipes that don't require much and gives instructions on how to cook with or without a pressure cooker? Buy the Essential Galley Companion! My new favorite. Looking for more favorite items....check out our TOP 10 list here.