the case for the overstocked/eclectic pantry

I often wonder if I shop for food the same way I shop for yarn. I am the type of yarn shopper that doesn’t buy yarn unless I have a pattern inhand or in mind for that yarn. That doesn’t, however, mean that I will use the yarn for that project. It makes me feel better, though. So, I think I shop for food the same way. I usually have an idea of what I want to make but my menu is not always set in stone or even written down, for that matter. So items seem to get used here and there for various things and then you are left, well, with what is left. Luckily, like my yarn, I only buy what I like and what seems to “go together” as eclectic as it may seem on the surface.

Spent the weekend on the boat and, again, had a general idea of dinner each night with very loose ideas for lunches (because lunches are often leftovers due to limited fridge space). Lunch on Friday (that link might not work anymore…go to cookinglight.com and search curried chicken salad with apples and raisins) was from CookingLight.com. The only thing was that I didn’t do the lemon pepper chicken so I boiled the chicken in water spiced with cumin, curry, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Then I shredded it and let it cool. I did everything else the same except that I used yellow raisins and served it on a mixed green salad. It was so nice on the first really warm day. Friday was spent on the hook in Still Pond with only 2 other boats (very unusual). We grilled a flank steak that had been marinated in a mango curry marinade I picked up at Safeway. I served it with sautéed butternut squash and Brussel sprouts in butter with garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper (you will see an Indian theme to our weekend).

Saturday was a gorgeous day and we sat around with coffee much too long. I decided that it was ridiculous for us to eat breakfast at 10 so we had a banana and then had an early lunch. I served a 2 bean and kale soup that, again , I got from CookingLight.com. You are probably thinking that I am lying about the not planning thing but I am serious… I might make a couple of things ahead but most is made onboard. We are only weekend cruisers and, while this recipe is easy, I’m not sure that it is something I would have messed up the galley to do onboard. We stuck around Still Pond until about 2pm and then moved to Ordinary Point on the Sassafras River. The wind was really blowing until just before we entered the river and then we pretty much ghosted in. Dinner that night was chicken korma. The sauce I got from a jar but I added Crowder peas, butternut squash, and snow peas. I coated the chicken with a mayo, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper rub and grilled it to almost done. I chopped it into bitesize pieces and added it to the sauce. It was served over basmati rice.

Sunday was GORGEOUS! Definitely the best day of the weekend!!! At the last minute I threw together an Easter Brunch. We had left over chicken curry salad on mixed greens. Now here is where the title of this post comes into play…. I opened the pantry and just rummaged until I found: a can of mandarin oranges, a can of pineapple chunks, dried cranberries and walnuts. I mixed all that together and added to that: one avocado that would have gone bad, one diced apple, one sliced banana, and poured lite coconut milk over the top. Jay said it should be sweetened a bit, so I sprinkled some sugar in. So good and I was so proud! The wind was really whipping so we decided to take advantage and head out before it calmed. We had a great sail to a couple of hours, tacking back and forth across the upper bay just south of Turkey Point. The wind died and we spent hours trying to find just enough wind to get us home. We didn’t mind…we were enjoying Jimmy Buffett on the radio, couple of drinks, and salsa, guacamole and chips! We did make it into the marina just in time to be invited to Easter dinner on Joint Venture. Nothing beats ham, cheesy potatoes and asparagus on Easter Sunday!!! Great way to end the weekend. We really weren’t ready for the weekend to end so we took the cats home and came back to the boat to spend one more night aboard.

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