Clip the dinghy on….
Or this will happen, sorry not really a cruising tip but was certainly one for the Boss just now (can't stop laughing)
Getting internet need not be a pantomime!
Before we left Sicily we contacted someone in Athens, all it took were a few details; an address and payment for a SIM card to be shipped to us along with codes (each code valid for 24 hrs of use). So far has worked a treat and best of all when we need more we just contact again and it's topped up. Happy to provide contact details for anyone interested, just drop me a line. Anchored in a beautiful empty bay, don't need to go rushing around to source wifi coverage - bliss!
Impellers, Big Fat Greek wedding terminology, who blinks first and other rambles.
So the Boss called for some assistance and over came an engineer who spoke less English than Captains Italian (didn't know that was possible). He'd predicted hours to remove the water pump, engineer did it in 10 mins! (Caption huh?!)
Minor drama over confusion of days of the week, manager said Thursday but meant domani, engineer turned up later the same afternoon with fixed part. Fitted back in which involves lifting the engine up, guess who got to assist??? Now running ...
Spicy Pork Lettuce Cups
Make a batch of the spiced mince then quick snacks are seconds away, works for me!
Ingredients:
Lettuce leaves (iceberg works well for this)
350g minced pork
Knob of grated ginger and 2 cloves of grated garlic
Finely diced fresh chilli to suit your taste buds
Little olive oil, splash of soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper
Combine well and leave for an hour so flavours are absorbed.
Heat a little oil in a large shallow frying pan, stir fry the mince until well cooked ...
Stuffed Baked Chicken Breast
Moist, tasty and looks good despite it's simplicity.
Ingredients:
2 thick chicken breast slices
4 slices of Parma ham
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 button mushrooms, chopped
Parsley, pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat oven to 180
So flatten the chicken slices, lay them on top of Parma ham and put aside. Blitz the other ingredients then sauté for a few mins. Cool then add roughly 25g of cream cheese or a heaped spoon of Greek yoghurt, mix well ...
Smoke, impellers, fridge in a sulk..what next? Engine out tomorrow..
So I said the Ionian was somewhere over there? Hmm and there it will stay for a few days. Yesterday getting ready to come into Marina di Leuca I was leaping around with lines and noticed smoke (steam) coming out from the starboard exhaust. Quick run to other side and no, nothing there plus more water coming out. Alerted the Boss who has spent past couple of hours trapped in the engine. It's most likely the impeller (yes we have a spare and a spare for the spare..) but wow, whoever designs boats ...
Little Tips
If you have a cat or dog onboard, get one of these window wipers. Simply sweep across the wooden floors and all the shed hairs are in one place, easy them to vacuum or sweep into dustpan. Quick too although tommy hasn't worked out how to use it yet..
My best friends in the cleaning department undoubtedly have to be baking powder and lemon juice - just make a paste and use a warm cloth. From effortless oven cleaning to degreasing counters, scrubbing floors and decks. Slightly ...
Herby Meatballs
A very easy make ahead dish, tastes great warmed up after a long day at sea!
Ingredients for the meatballs:
250g minced beef (or pork or chicken?)
1 small red onion, very finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin and ground coriander
Finely chopped herbs, I used parsley, mint and dill (chop double, 1/2 is for sauce)
1 tbsp ground almonds
A little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Just combine all ingredients very well, shape into balls (I made ...
Chocolate Coconut Bites
My first attempt, not very pretty but tasty? Oh yes! If I'd remembered to spread the paste on greaseproof paper they would've been far easier to remove.
Ingredients:
100g coconut (desiccated or flour, I only had flour)
1 heaped soup spoon raw honey
3 heaped soup spoons coconut oil
Either blitz together in a food processor or beat frantically with a wooden spoon until a smooth light paste. Spread on greaseproof to desired thickness and chill until hard (roughly 30 mins).
Whilst that's ...
Easy Marinated Pork Chops
A kick of ginger, citrus and garlic. Obviously this would work brilliantly with chicken too!
Ingredients:
2 Pork chops
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 small orange plus grated knob of ginger and garlic cloves to taste.
Juice of the lemon, glug of olive oil, tsp honey, a dash of sea salt, freshly ground pepper
Combine ingredients and leave for at least an hour, turn meat occasionally to coat well.
Throw on your barbecue or in a sizzling frying pan until cooked, turn to brown ...
