I love to cook. Bake. Create. I can smell the aromas wafting around me as I peruse the cookbooks. I never follow a recipe. Well, no, I do (mostly for baking) but I always, always, always change things up. (I guess I don't follow rules very well either, much to the chagrin of Banyan's Captain), however, he don't usually have much to say as he sits down and moans with delight (on most occasions) as he digs into whatever the culinary delight happens to be that day. And the part that pleases me the most, is he never, ever, fails to thank me for a wonderful supper. Every single time, gotta love that, appreciation is key !

One of the "main" reasons we bought this particular boat, I like to think, is cause of the wonderful spice rack that had been pre-installed in the galley.



Spices, IMHO, help make and change everything up. Take your basic chicken and you can have over a dozen different (ethnic and culturally different dishes).

One of my favourite things to do is perusing cooking books and talking food. Oh, ya, and sitting 'round a bistro table, wine in hand, with some appetizers or a main meal chatting about this, that and everything...

In the works is my very own cookbook - with a bit of a different twist. Mostly because my kids asked, two years ago now, when they moved out, how to make some of the tried and true dishes. And I'm finally getting round to it...

When they were young, I wanted them both to know how to get around the kitchen, and shop, and cook (not to mention, enjoy the simplicity and love that abounds in preparing your meal). So every Friday evening they got to choose what they wanted for Friday supper. Anything. And yes at first we had pizza every Friday for four weeks in a row, LOL. But the rules were simple. Whatever their choice was, we needed to go to the kitchen cupboards, then the grocery store and find/buy the ingredients, pick up a movie (Scooby Doo at the time !!), come home and put it away, and MAKE the food, then sit down and watch the movie while eating our creations. And wash up afterwards. FUN times.

So, back to cooking and baking and creating. Which first starts off with a few trips to the grocery store. Being in a slip here in Harbortown allows us to be hooked up to shore power (AKA power without draining the batteries is always bonus!), and so we bought, and walked home with, about 25 meals worth of meat, which we then portioned out and vacu-sealed (we use a Food-Saver) and hiked up the freezer to freeze it all up.



We're hoping to use our newly acquired fishing rod to catch us some fresh fish delicacies, or barring our ineptitude (and lack of recent experience) at this, maybe we will just shell out some dollars for some fresh catch being offered up by local fishermen.

The only thing that really bothers me is the unknown availability of fresh fruit and vegetables - as they will not last very long, especially in the high humidity and heat, so here's hoping we can come across some farmer's markets along the way. However, in the meantime, our freezer is full, and bonus, there was room for the ice cube trays.



I've always been teased as I don't (like) to do cans, or processed, or pre-made. I do butter (not margarine), and firmly believing that the body is made to easily digest "whole real foods" and dis-ease and dis-comfort arise exponentially with our body's inability to process the chemical additives. Sugar is a no-no. Aspartame, don't touch it with a ten foot pole. I shop around the edges of stores. I know that if I haven't done a "type of way or food" in 40 plus years, i'm not likely to LARGELY change my ways now that we're on this Adventure, however, I do expect my ways to change slightly given the certain limitations that our adventures might force us into, however, I'd rather use the word "adaptations" rather than "limitations". I can't wait to experiment with local cultures and ethnic ways, not a BigMac on the Beach.

I've recently been shown bread in a can, and even got given roast beef in a can to try. I have to admit I bought some chicken in a can "in case" (what if our freezer breaks and all our food rots?). And yes, I'll do Tuna in a can, although discovered recently it comes in vacu-sealed pouches (which means less garbage down south !).

I've dabbled in the idea of "raw" foods (but that's a tad extreme), try not to deal with processed white carbs, however being Slavic from birth with a tendency to favour mostly Mediterranean style dishes; having a baguette and a "real" greek salad placed in front of me makes my heart sing and melt at the same time.

I love that the Capt'n can whip up a few mean dishes on his own for the days when I need some extra TLC. We did buy some canned Vienna sausages for him, promising I'd look the other way, on those days when he gets his own type of cravings that need satisfying.

But this is about what we do here on Banyan. Other lists (might not) work for me, and mine won't (necessarily) work for you. In the Meantime... Bon Appetit !