You can make just about anything on Big Frisky that you can in your home galley. It just takes a little more time to provision, plan and prepare your meals.

Not every town we stop in has a grocery store near the marina. For someone accustomed to going to Kroger at least twice every day, this has been an adjustment. Whenever we get in dock I take a walk around town to see what I can find. While there may not be a grocery store, a farmers' market for cherry/rhubarb jam, a deli with a kick as butcher shop, or a local brew pub for a growler of beer are all good sources for dinner provisions. For this meal I bought chicken a little grocery across from the marina in Pentwater and home grown jalapenos at a fresh market in Ludington.

I start planning meals days before I actually serve them. When we had a whether delay a few days ago in Luddington, I took the opportunity to make some homemade yogurt. It is really simple to do in the yogurt maker, but it does take 8-12 hours to culture. I thought coconut yogurt would be a great start for a dessert. Since many dinners are re-purposed for breakfast and lunches later (leftovers), I have some strategies for making sure the crew is delighted by meals rather than groaning, "Here we go again." Whenever a new ingredient comes aboard, I make it the Star of the Show: fresh blueberries or cherry tomatoes show up beside sandwiches for lunch. Later the tomatoes may go in a pasta salad or the blueberries into muffins. Another strategy I employ is making fresh cut fruits and veggies, and one-serving leftovers available on the top shelf of the fridge. I stow ingredients for later meals in harder to reach areas so the captain doesn't unwittingly eat a key ingredient for tomorrow night's dinner for a midnight snack, after I have retired for the evening. (lets don't talk about the 4 (four) angel food strawberry crumpets I was planning for breakfast) Here is how our fridge is set up.

Mrs. Young our 6th grade Home Economics teacher had it right when she told us to collect all our ingredients before we start cooking. This is especially true on Big Frisky. Our Fridgeboat refrigeration/freezer system works great, but it does take some extra thought for making items accessible when you need them. In this video I talk about how to get in the freezer. Because we have a manual dishwasher (Either the captain or myself) I am MUCH more conservative in the number of pots, pans, bowls, etc. I use. After calling ahead to the Frankfort Municipal Marina and ensuring there were grills, I made a jerk marinade for the chicken so it could take on flavor all day long while we sail.

While Kurt grilled the chicken, I prepared a rice/quinoa blend in the pressure cooker, very fast and easy to clean. I also made a mango salsa to kick up the heat of the dish. The piece de resistance was a cup of coconut yogurt with dark chocolate cherry granola and a fine glass of Reisling.

While it does take a little more time to get meals on the table, it is a labor of love that keeps captain and crew happy and looking forward to their next adventure.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango pit removed and diced

1-3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced

1 ripe tomato seeded and diced

1 cucumber seeded and diced

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

1 TBS sugar

Combine all ingredients and serve at room temperature