Pie shielding your crust from over browning can be hard once the oven and the pie is hot. It can be quite a struggle or maybe you’ve had to purchase one of those special hard to store shields in a cooking supply store. I’ve got an easy solution for you, and all you need is […]
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Chasing Sausage Links
I hate chasing sausage links around the pan and trying to get them to brown evenly. The darned things never seem to cooperate with me! Now I use toothpicks and skewer to links together with 2 toothpicks. I cook them on one side, and then they’re easy to flip over. I also use this technique […]
The Elusive Dinghy
Living aboard a sailboat was probably one of the greatest periods of my life. It meant that I always had a lot of company and always tried to take 4 or 5 day weekends to take them sailing. This particular trip I had my Mom and one of her friends visiting for the Thanksgiving after […]
An Upcoming Baltic Adventure!
I’m so excited! I’m in the countdown phase and preparing for a cruise I’ve been planning on with my very dear family friend Dianne for about 6 months now. We’ll be flying to Copenhagen and embarking on the Regal Princess for an 11 day Baltic Cruise. Our ports of call will be Oslo, Norway; Aarhus, […]
Avocado Wedges Wrapped in Serrano Ham
I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of the traditional Italian appetizer of cantaloupe wedges wrapped in prosciutto ham and how magnificent they are. They are a great marriage of sweet and salty and are always enjoyable. However, I have a new twist on this classical standard that we all love. If you like avocados, you […]
A Magnificent Night at Sea – Leonids Meteor Shower
Witnessing the Spectacular Leonid Meteor Shower Event In 1998 I found myself working on a private yacht as the Chef and 1st Mate in the Caribbean. The yacht was stationed in Saint Maarten, the Dutch side of the island. The late summer and fall of 1998 proved to be an over-active Hurricane Season, and […]
Braised Asian Beef Short Ribs with Soy and Ginger
Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods… you brown your meats, and then slow cook them in lots of liquid. The meat gets so tender; it basically just falls off the bone. The meat picks up all the flavors from the vegetables and cooking liquid. As I mentioned above, braising is a cooking method […]
Belize, Bareboat Chartering on a Barrier Reef, the Blue Hole and Besties
In the 80’s, before I moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, we used to do a bareboat charter every Winter to get away from the Northeast winters. One year we chartered a sailboat in Belize (located in Central America on the Caribbean Sea and bordered by both Mexico and Guatemala) and cruised for 10 days […]
Mushrooms… To Rinse or Not to Rinse
Remember that old rule not to rinse the dirt off your mushrooms because they will absorb the water and be mushy? Well, the powers that be have figured out that’s not really true. The only real rule of thumb about rinsing them is if the mushrooms are really dirty, rinse and dry them thoroughly right […]
Peach Cream Cheese Pie & Mom
I’ve gotten my love of good food and my talent for cooking from my Mom and Grandmother as I’ve told you over and over. This dessert was one of my Mom’s. The funny part of this story has to do with my Mom’s second husband! I never warmed up to my Mom’s second husband. My […]
Using Measuring Spoons
Have you ever found yourself frustrated because your round measuring spoons just won’t fit into those narrow spice jars and you always end up wasting a lot of the expensive spice when you’re forced to pour it out into the measuring spoon? I have 2 sets of measuring spoons … one of them is the […]
Cleaning and Coring a Fresh Pineapple
There’s nothing better than a fresh ripe pineapple, but they can be a little hard to clean without feeling like you’re wasting a lot of the actual fruit! I use a long serrated bread knife because it’s a bit more flexible and allows you to follow the contours of the pineapple as you are peeling […]