Hooray the boat floats (but might have to come out next year again), the galley is open, finally off to anchor!
Life on the hard has been, well, hard! Five days of work, heat and ridiculous humidity (26 degrees, 78% humidity at 7h). Those of you who thought I was a tad smug about our new air con please feel free to giggle, air con is water cooled!
So no cooking at all, fortunately the local taverna was reasonable and served very good food plus the staff are so friendly and have gladly helped me learn a bit more Greek. Maria and Rula made us feel very welcome, thanks ladies.
So what's been ...
Holes! Alpha,beta,gamma,delta..oh the galley is closed! Poor tommy..
Love a challenge and Greek? Wow, it's challenging for sure! This clip is helping me learn the alphabet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k6gCaGEi3rA
As is writing it out but, I suspect, I'll be carrying this bit of paper around for weeks..
The galley is closed until we get back in the water, at just after 7h it was already 28 degrees and 68% humidity so unless you want salad recipes I'm off duty. Actually forget that, even whisking dressing sounds like too much effort! That said I've got so ...
Navily.com – share your anchorages and more here!
What a terrific app! It's free and has lots of info plus you can enter places you've anchored to let others know what it's like. Cruisers helping cruisers, just how it should be!
"Navily is completely free and allows sailors to share and rank their anchoring experience. This year we also added the possibility to reserve a berth in a harbour straight from the app. Moreover the content of the app is completely collaborative.
Many harbours have already joined the adventure like Cannes, the ...
Flying Cat, Prop Swop and a Clean Bottom. Awaiting Captains Rant, it’s going to be good!
Well it's hoist day (gulp), doubt there's any of us who enjoy watching our boat being lifted? Very necessary as the last time was over 2 years ago in La Linea, Spain. We're at Cleopatra Marina in Preveza.
A little tight getting into the spot to be lifted but, watching them lift a boat yesterday, we saw that the guys operating the machinery were very good. Obviously being a catamaran means we can't just get lifted anywhere due to our beam so, yes if you've got a monohull, I'm ...
Peppercorn sauce, sweet potato wedges
I like spice and heat so this suits me, tweak away! Made a great meal with grilled steak :-)
Ingredients:
1 very finely chopped shallot
1 clove of garlic, bashed
2 heaped tsp peppercorns in brine, drained and crushed
1 tsp tomato paste
A little beef stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous splash (about 50ml?) red wine
Cream
Method:
Sauté onion and garlic. Add peppercorns and gently stir. Add paste, stock and wine. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce. Add cream and pepper, ...
Kofta Curry with Spinach and Cauliflower Rice
Holy wow, this was good!
Ingredients for Kofta (meatballs):
450g minced beef
Knob of grated ginger and 2 cloves grated garlic
1 small red chilli, de seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin, coriander, garam masala, black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
A good tbsp of fresh mint, very finely chopped
Mix all together very well, shape into small meatballs and chill for at least 30 mins.
Sauce:
1 large onion, finely diced
Confession, I cheated and used 2 tbsp of sugar/gluten free curry paste ...
Amazing activities in Malta and Geo-caching, a world wide treasure hunt!
Yes i know I'm in Greece but for those of you in Malta and looking for activity, look no further!
As a self professed gym geek I can honestly say I've never trained anywhere as good, with such amazing trainers and members as this place. Seriously have a go, you won't be disappointed:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spartan-Kettlebells-Malta/219973658154459?sk=info&tab=overview
Personal training is affordable and damned good, hey Maja taught me how to do a Turkish get up in one ...
Sun is shining, sweet spicy meat skewers
Marinade was just zest and juice of a small orange, grated garlic and ginger, de seeded chilli very finely chopped, 1 heaped tsp of honey, a splash of soy sauce (can't buy aminos here), tsp of ground cumin, black pepper and a little mild olive oil plus a few drops of sesame oil.
Cut your meat into chunks (we've got pork). Thread the meat onto skewers alternating with whatever you fancy. I've used peppers, onions and mushrooms. Marinate for at least an hour.
Light your BBQ or grill, ...
A Simple Tea Loaf
There are moments when only a slice of cake can help. Start the night before please!
Ingredients:
200g currants or sultanas soaked overnight in hot tea (I used 2 Lady Grey tea bags)
300g almond flour
50g coconut flour
3 heaped soup spoons of honey
2 heaped soup spoons of coconut oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp bicarb of soda and 1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
Method: preheat oven to 180. Drain the sultanas. Mix everything together and press into a lined loaf tin. Bake for 40 ...
Chicken “pseudo schnitzel”
All hail the very versatile chicken breast :) Quick to prepare and equally quick to cook. BBQ, oven bake (roughly 20 mins on 180) or sear in a griddle pan.
Combine some ground almonds, grated lemon zest, oregano, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper in a shallow bowl.
Cut chicken breast in thickish slices, press firmly to coat with almond mix. Cook, whichever way you wish, leave it to rest for a minute or two. Served ours just with salad and a tangy mustard & lemon mayo. ...