Thermal Scones – Cheese And Onion

Thermal Scones – great for warming up cold crew 

Ever looked for recipes that fit the ingredients left in the fridge? I haven’t. All my recipes come straight from a place of divine inspiration and are planned I tell you, planned.

So when I sniffed the cheddar cubes at the back of the coolbox and glimpsed the limp green onions folded next to them, it was not ‘practicality’ raising its ugly head, but rather Bastet shooting a bolt of her brilliance earthward, lancing me delicately between the parietal lobes. I dictated to the Can Opener immediately.

Here forthwith is my received genius:

Overview

• Total time to prepare: 5-10 min to mix, 10 min per tray in the oven
• # Servings: 20 two-inch scones
• Level of difficulty: Even my First Mate, the Can Opener, can do it

Into the Dry Ingredients Bowl

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• all the cheese you got – the more the better. 1 cup is good. Cut into cubes is cheesiest.
• ½ cup chopped green onions (shallots) or leeks or even white onions

Into the Wet Ingredients Bowl

• 1/2 cup margarine or oil or butter
• 1 cup milk

Directions: 

• Pre-heat the oven. 
• Mix everything in the dry bowl. 
• Mix everything in the wet bowl. 
• Grease a baking tray. 
• Dump the wet bowl in the dry bowl and mix everything together. 
• Drop the batter by spoons onto the tray. 
• Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 10-12 minutes. 
• Serve warm.

Tasty Options: Add a few chopped herbs if your crew has been trained to enjoy this (a teaspoon is enough for a whole batch). Fresh is best, I have a real nose for finding rosemary bushes when ashore and instruct the Can Opener to load up whenever possible. Thyme and sage work well too.

Thermal Cheese Onion Scones are great for warming up cold crew as they (the scones) keep coming out of the oven piping hot.

Got any favourite cheeses and/or herbs and/or options that you’ve added to savoury scones?


–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Note: Most cats are lactose intolerant. They love cheese, treats are good – but they shouldn’t be carving out a new daily food group for it. Captain Cat, on the other hand, is unique. He can eat anything, anywhere, anytime. Bring it on.

Victualling And Food Care

Next up at the Cruising Association last weekend, was a lecture on ‘Victualling And Food Care’, with Sandy Duker. O my!

Food is my personal favourite and my own specialty. I do love to organise the First Mate to a well provisioned yacht! Preparedness for every exciting milestone in the day (ie. every meal time) is a top priority.   

As Sandy approached the lectern, I leaned forward on the Can Opener’s shoulder to catch her every pearlescent word. I knew I indeed had a secure grip on my perch to get me through her lecture when the First Mate let out a mighty yelp.

Sandy revealed all her secrets of food care aboard yachts and the Can Opener wrote ’em down:

Assumptions 

• You are catering for 2-3 weeks,
• refridgerator exists,
• but no freezer.

Consider 

• likes of the crew
• medical conditions eg diabetes
• allergies 
• is the boat ‘dry’ or ‘wet’? 
• people eat more at sea – out of boredom, because they are cold, on watch… 

Meal Structure / day

• 3 meals
• 3 snacks
• Happy Hour!   

Planning Provisions

• overcater for drinks
• plan meals sequence to match freshness of the fruits/vegetables
• make a daily planner… and convert it to your shopping list
• plan to grow your own sprouts, herbs 
• leave big roasts till end of journey as they take longer to defrost 
• overestimate how much water you need – do NOT rely on watermakers. These break down regularly.
• overestimate hot beverages needed
• plan for every eventuality – assume that you cannot rely on the fridge, the watermaker etc…

Good Things To Include In Your List

• lemons
• limes 
• dried fruit
• squashes – they keep forever
• beans, chick peas
• patés in tins
• freeze dried meals – found in moutaineering shops, can also be ordered online
• fish – do not rely on fish caught at sea. You may catch ’em, you may not… 
• cereal bars (better than chocolate for snacks which melts in the heat)
• fresh herbs growing 
• tinned olives, nuts
• fruit cake

 
Note: packaging

• flour and grains that are pre-packed (ie not loose in bins – more likely to have insect eggs in them that will later hatch…)
• soups in packets (take up less space)
• tomato sauce in tins (not in tubes as these are often badly crimped and leak) 
• choose packaging that squashes flat (eg UHT boxes) as you will be carrying all that garbage to the next port…
• no carboard!

Fishing 

• need a fish hook/gaff to bring the fish aboard
• make sure the fish is really dead before you bring it aboard – or there will be an awful mess in the cockpit
• PUT A SIGN next to the engine to remind yourself to bring in the fishing lines before you start the engines
• consider any fish you catch to be a bonus, an extra to provisions. Don’t rely on them!

How to Shop

• if in a rally eg ARC, where there are many other people provisioning at the same time – you need to buy earlier
• shop in the markets yourself – don’t arrange for delivery
• choose both ripe and under-ripe produce
• supermarkets near yachting centres will often vacuum pack your meat in portion/meal-sized eg Las Palmas, Canarias 
• be careful – some countries leave the ribs in meat which can puncture the vacuum packing
• look for Cruising Association members discounts at stores eg Jolly Harbour in St Lucia

Water Conservation 

use salt water for:

• washing hair with dishsoap and a freshwater rinse
• washing dishes
• washing vegetables with salt water in the middle of the ocean – water is clean

Food Care

• yoghurt – make your own
• eggs – turn them daily
• remove packaging 
• double wrap pasta and grains in your own plastic, seal and date
• wash all fruit and vegetables, and air dry in cockpit before storing
• store potatoes, onions, carrots in string bags in cupboards – for airflow and its easier to check them through a string bag
• use ‘stay-fresh’ bags
• inspect food every day – because it will suddenly go off in one day and must be used immediately
• store cheese in boxes in fridge, and/or wrap in a vinegar cloth

 
Managing Inventory

• date and label all tins and bags with permanent marker – contents and date
• name each of the lockers eg SFP, saloon forward port (to refer to in inventory lists)
• NOTE: if boat hull is dark then storage lockers will get very warm/hot
• inventory list: product, package type, number, location
• do weekly physical inventory check
• update provisions inventory list every time something is used

Cooking

• pressure cookers are:
• faster
• use less gas
• easier for washing up – only 1 pot
• good in rough weather as are sealed

The Cruising Kitty’s Favourite Books 
on Provisioning and Food Care 

1. Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew, Lin Pardey
2. Sail Away!, by Paul and Sheryl Shard

 

 

Wow! A ton of good advice from Sandy. We’ve heard much of it before from others, but it’s always good to hear it again and to know that this stuff really works!

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Provisioning The First Leg

Saturday early mornings in Caleta del Vélez, there’s a market that sets up and lines the waterfront street by the marina. 

Vendors and canopies pop up over rickety tables, mountains of goods are carefully laid out. Clothes, toys, sunglasses, bedsheets… and piles of food. 

From my perch on the Can Opener’s shoulder and by tweaking his ears starboard and port side as needed, I deftly steered him towards the prepared meat section. 

…Somehow, we still managed to arrive in front of the area targeting that evolutionary wonder, the herbivore. 

Nothing against herbivores. Most are quite tasty. Living with one, however, is another thing altogether*. Quite messes up my laboriously planned 5-course meat menus. 

Despite my clearly reasoned arguments in favour of daily steak tartar rations, the Can Opener was not to be deterred. He and the crew loaded up on (brightly coloured and admittedly beautiful in a still-life-in-oils kind of way) fruits and vegetables. We were planning a 5 day crossing of the Alboran and Balearic Seas and the Algerian Basin, so spoilage was not an issue.

The Can Opener mumbled something about scurvy as he passed the oranges to the vendor for weighing. Then he added ginger, packs of pasta and rice, and jars of tomato, pesto and British-mild veggie curry sauce to our satchel at the next stall (accompanied all the while by a mini lecture to me about bland food and seasickness).

I don’t need a lecture on seasickness, I know all about it. I’ll be bed-ridden for the first 3 days at sea as usual, and expect to be waited on hand and foot till it passes. Happens to the best of us.

By dint of much abuse of the First Mate’s ears, I was finally able to get him to relent and load up on copious amounts of sardine tins. Enough to get me through to Sardinia anyway. 

We do not eat kibble.

–Captain Cat

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

* Note: The Can Opener is not an actual vegetarian, just a near one. He tries a lot and then fails… every time a juicy steak walks by. On passage, however, he sticks to his idealised agenda. There are no burger franchises at sea.

List For Loved Ones

Important Note: The Can Opener is in no way responsible for this choice of picture. A Captain Cat pick through and through. And the last time he gets to select the leading image… (Ya think? We’ll see about that, mate.)

Making a ‘Delivery Itinerary and Contacts’ List

What’s on our List for Loved Ones?

…Also a Captain Cat pick.

• flight info
• basic yacht route info
• description of the yacht
• list of all crew and their contact info
• contact info for the owner’s home base
• our doctor’s and vet’s contact info
• health insurance 24 hour helpline number
• customer service numbers for our airline
• list of marine retailers along our route that carry the brand of life jacket I’ve got the Can Opener wearing and their contact info
• contact info for our smoked oyster supplier and Fedex delivery numbers

We’re giving copies of this to the Can Opener’s ex/not-ex/ex/not-ex, better known as She-of-the-eternal-smoked-salmon. Also to the-best-vet-in-the-world and to my mom, Griselda.

Any other items that should be on the list? Any advice gladly received.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can opener)

Big Ol’ Packing And To Do List

Note: This is Captain Cat’s photo pick – not the First Mate’s. We will be using only one bag and a soft-sided one at that, suitable for tucking away into small odd shaped storage places on a boat. (Ahem, my Can Opener. Discussions on this topic are ongoing, I believe…)

 

Sailing Packing & Preparation LIST

This is our list. A thing of beauty and an ongoing project. I have assigned the Can Opener to collect, pack and carry all. Of course.

To do last thing before leaving:

• put charged up camera in bag
• put charged up phone in bag
• put food from fridge for flight in carry-on bag
• take out garbage

To do:

• re-check weather forecast
• hang clothes to dry
• set auto-timer on lights in living room
• pack food for journey

Packing List

Body

• kleenex
• toothpaste
• toothbrush
• floss
• nail clippers
• nailfile
• hand cream
• shampoo
• conditioner
• witchhazel
• sunblock
• lip block
• catnip
• clearasil
• eye patch sleep mask
• EAR PLUGS!!!!
• night tiara

1st aid kit and medicine

• vitamins
• tweezers
• antibiotics
• anti-seasickness medicine (Stugeron)
• rehydration salts
• Arnica cream (for bruises)
• bandaids
• catnip
• Polysporin or Savlon (antibiotic cream)
• anti-seasickness wrist bands!! 

Admin

• passport
• health insurance papers
• flight tickets 
• Get written airline confirmation that life jackets and CO2 cylinders are okay on plane.
• IATA says it’s okay but you also have to get written confirmation from your airline before flying too – print out all and take with. Apparently there can be confusion at security check points and this helps.
  
• flight boarding passes
• metro/bus tickets
• currency for country/s will be in
• credit/debit cards 

• phone and charger 
• camera and charger 

• sailing text to study
• RYA log book

• karate & yoga training guides 
  
• leisure reading material – a small! book 
• morale-building passage milestone treats (bubble-makers, party hats, balloons…)

• addresses & contact info needed – boat, crew

• detailed directions from airport to dock
• map of key city/s?
• guidebks?
• notebook
• pens
• highlighter 

Clothes

• underwear
• socks
• 1/day shirts (assortment of long sleeve and t-)
• 1 turtleneck
• 1 thermal underwear
• 2 pairs pants
• 1 pair shorts
• 1 bathing suit

• 2 sweaters
• 1 wooly hat
• 2 scarf/bandanas
• feather hat
• day tiara (ceremonial)
• cape

• sunglasses
• sailing hat
• sailing watch
• sailing gloves
• foul weather jacket
• foul weather pants

• sailing boots
• deck shoes
• shower sandals
• sneakers

and

• day bag
• plastic bags for laundry
• sleeping bag
• towel
• toy mice
• orb and sceptre
• palm fronds for First Mate to fan me with

Food 

• dried fruit
• granola and oat bran
• camomile tea
• green tea
• chopped ginger teas 
• catnip 
• smoked oysters
• and food for the flight/transport
• (rest of voyage food to be picked up at departure point)

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)