By now I am sure that you are totally bored reading about the slow progress we are making on our boat project list. Thus, today, I will not even mention it, except for saying that today was another good day. You will just have to sit there, in ignorant bliss, not knowing which projects progressed so well.... Ha, ha, ha!

Instead, I will share with you what epicurean delights we have been enjoying while back on Leu Cat. As I have written before, we find that the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in the supermarkets in Australia are somewhat lacking, compared to what one is used to in the US. While the selections here are good, the quality is just not Grade A. It might have to do with how the produce is handled between farm and store. We have been to a number of different supermarkets here in Bundaberg (in the heart of a large agricultural area) and in Brisbane (one of the large major metropolitan areas in Australia) and we are still in search of a supermarket with good produce. We have been told by Aussies that the food is first shipped from a farming area to a major metropolitan area for distribution and then shipped to the various supermarkets. Thus, for produce to end up in a supermarket in Bundaberg, the produce grown here is shipped to Brisbane and then reshipped back to Bundaberg. This means that the produce is stored or carried for many days before it ends up in the supermarket here!

However, when we went to the Farmer's Market last Sunday, Mary Margaret was very pleased with the quality of produce she saw and bought. If she is happy, I am happy because it translates directly to a happy tummy around dinner time. From now on, we will be going to the Sunday Farmer's Market to get our weekly share of produce.

Regarding meats, we have found some packaged chicken breasts that are excellent, the beef is hit or miss, and the pork, while tasty, is usually presented with a roll of fat and the skin still attached. The fat layer and skin probably adds to the rich taste and moisture of the pork when you roast it but given that we have a propane oven, we tend not to roast things since it takes so much propane and heats up the salon too much. Instead, Mary Margaret will buy pork tenderloin and slice it into either one inch or ½ inch thick portions. The thicker portion is for grilling on the BBQ with a special glaze she makes while the thinner portions are pan cooked over the range. Thus, she has to struggle to remove the thick, tough skin and the deep fat layer that surrounds the pork tenderloin she buys.

What she has been trying to do since we have returned to Leu Cat is turn our focus from meat to vegetables. I gained too much weight when we returned to the US and Mary Margaret is helping me get back into fighting shape by cooking up delicious and healthy dinners. For example, a few nights ago she cooked up a vegetable medley of carrots, celery, onions, eggplant, green peppers, garlic, tomatoes, fresh parsley and zucchini. This she sautéed in olive oil and soy sauce with the herbs and spices she added, it was to die for. It is a variation of a dish she learned from our daughter Heather. I can hardly wait to have it again. Last night she took the fresh basil she had bought at the Farmer's Market and made a double batch of pesto sauce. We had my favorite pasta for dinner last night fused with pesto. She added some pork tenderloin as a side and I was in hog heaven (excused the pun).

The other day Mary Margaret also made a triple batch of gazpacho which only lasted a few days. It was wonderful and very healthy. Plus, being serviced chilled, it cooled us off during the hot spell we had a few days ago.

While not very dietetic, she also made a Key Lime pie the other day for my Valentine's Day treat. I had not had Key Lime pie in years and it was marvelous!! Thus, as you can see, we have been adapting to what we can find here in Australia and in turn, have been eating well. I have lost about 6 pounds in the two weeks that we have returned, so I am hopeful that soon I will be back to the svelte Dave Leu that I once was....