Banana Nut Bread Recipe

The following Banana Nut Bread recipe is sooooooooo good that we have deemed it OMG Banana Nut Bread. It's easy to make on land. However, I'm still working out the kinks for cooking it in a pressure cooker so that it is boat-able. Enjoy!

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups mashed bananas (roughly 3 overriped and 4 very ripe)

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup coarsely chopped peacans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar sugar until smooth.
3. Stir in the bananas and eggs until well blended
4. Add sifted flour and stir until blended
5. Add pecans
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture.

Note: If you use smaller foil pan, you will need to cook the bread for about 20-30 minutes longer.

Chili Mac Recipe

I came across this recipe last week. It's a one pan recipe that is tasty, easy, cheap and boat-able. Everyone in my family found the food delicious. Total cost was $5.80 and we had plenty for leftovers the next day.

Ingredients:

1lbs Ground Beef

1 Green Bell Pepper - Chopped

1 Large Onion - Chopped

4 Garlic Cloves - Chopped

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

5 Tablespoons Kikomans Soy Sauce

2 cans Tomato Soup (10 3/4 ounce Campbell Soup)

2 cups of Water

1 1/2 cup of Elbow Macaroni

Cheese (Velveeta or shredded cheese)

Directions:

1. Brown beef and drain off the fat.

2. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and Cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add tomato soup, water, and soy sauce.

4. Bring to a boil; Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Add macaroni and a little more water if needed; Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Add cheese, lightly cover (to taste); Cover till cheese has melted; Serve

Sausage Casserole

This is a delicious recipe that my mom gave me. The casserole is great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. I make it occasionally, but for whatever reason it taste especially good after a holiday. We like to eat it with corn chips and Tabasco sauce.

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make it on the boat. Our propane oven is inefficient and propane is a very important commodity to us.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Jimmy Dean HOT Pork Sausage
• 2 envelopes of Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
• 1/2 cup uncooked Instant Rice
• 4 cups boiling Hot Water
• 1 Green Bell Pepper - chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper - chopped
• 1 Medium Onion - chopped
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (Kraft 4 Cheese)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Brown and Crumble sausage; drain
3. In a sauce pan, on medium heat, combine soup mix, water, and instant rice; cook for 7 minutes. Add sausage, onion, and bell peppers
4. Pour mixture into 2qt covered casserole dish
5. Cover, and bake for 60 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheese, and let rest for at least 10 minutes

Super Tasty Chicken

I love this savory fast dinner. Not only does it look and taste terrific, but it takes a total of 45 minutes from start to finish. Total cost of the ingredient is $7.45. Not great, considering that we try to keep to the food budget of $10/day, for the entire family. However, we usually have enough chicken and sauce leftover for a lunch so the cost is spread over 2 meals on different days.

The first time we had it, Bill said that it looked and tasted like something we would get in a elegant restaurant. I agree!

Enjoy!

Chicken Breast with Balsamic Vinegar and Shallot Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon good olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (each about 6 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Vegetables

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups of fresh or frozen vegetables

Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil over high heat in a heavy saucepan or skillet large enough to hold the chicken breasts in one layer. When hot, add the chicken breasts, and sprinkle them with the salt and pepper. Saute, uncovered, for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the breasts to an ovenproof plate, reserving the drippings in the pan, and place them in the oven and continue cooking for at least 18 minutes but no more than 30 minutes. (Could be less if you have gas oven)

Add the shallots to the drippings in the pan, and cook for about 1 minute over high heat. Add the vinegar and ketchup and continue for another minute. Add the water, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir until it is incorporated.

Meanwhile, for the vegetables: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetables, salt, and pepper. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.

To serve, place the vegetables on plate and spread the vegetable into a circle (place a spoon in the middle of the plate and make a circular motion, but don't push vegetables off the plate). Place the chicken breast in the center and coat with the sauce, sprinkle with chives and serve.

Corn Chowder Recipe

With the onset of cooler weather, I've started making soups for dinner. Corn Chowder is quickly becoming a favorite. The recipe is super easy and take about 30 minutes from start to finish. The really nice thing is that it cost $3.87 to make and serves 6 adults. In our family we usually have enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I serve it with sweet corn bread. I know it sound like a lot of maze, but it goes really well together.

Enjoy!

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1/2 cup minced scallion

• 1/2 cup Green Hot Salsa or less for a milder soup

• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in sauce

• 1 (28-ounce) can white hominy (about 3 cups kernels and juice)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• 4 cups chicken stock, homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth

• About 1/2 teaspoon salt (less if using canned chicken broth)

• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears of corn or a can of corn)

• 1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic, onion, and scallions.

Cook for 3 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients, except for the corn and cilantro.

Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the corn and cilantro, return to a boil, and serve.

Red Bean Ragout Recipe

One of our favorite one-pot-meals is Red Bean Ragout.
This recipe not only taste GREAT, but is really good for you, very versatile, and cooks in less than 30 minutes. What more can you ask for.

2 T - Olive Oil (good quality)
2 C - Tomato(diced) or 1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 Med - White or Yellow Onion (chopped)
2 to 3 - cloves of Garlic (crushed)
1/2 C - Scallions (chopped)
2 C - Chicken Stock
1 t - Kosher Salt
1 t - Black Pepper
1 can - Red Kidney Beans (drained)
8.8oz - Couscous (Israeli)
Parsley or dry parsley flakes

Heat olive oil, add onion and scallions and saute for a minute or two until the onion starts to turn brown. Add garlic and couscous and brown for 30 seconds. Add tomato, beans, chicken stock, salt, and pepper, bring to a low boil and cover. Cook for 10 minutes (covered). Uncover and add fresh parsley and let cook a little longer until liquid is almost gone.

Total Cost: $3.67 (less if use Rice as substitute for Couscous)
Servings: 4 adult


Tips:
Use a good size frying pan with lid.
If you use dry Parsley flakes, add it when you add the salt and pepper
For heavier meal serve with steamed Asparagus, Broccoli, or grilled Chicken
Other beans that work well: Chickpea, White Northern, and Cannellini
Rice can be substituted for Couscous, just make sure to adjust Chicken Stock (in general, 1 C of Rice to 2 C of liquid)

Culinary Skills

Culinary skills are close to the top of the list of skills we need to live self-sufficiently.

Before starting to prepare for our journey, I would describe my culinary skills as basic. I could basically cook most things from a box, can, mix, and frozen foods sections of the grocery store.

In our research regarding provisioning for the boat, we came to realize that frozen foods would be out of the question and that I would need to learn how to cook. I needed to find a teacher. A teacher that could work around my busy schedule of being a full-time wife and mother of two small children.

Enter Jacques Pepin: Chef Pepin has been the most encouraging, empowering, flexible teacher I could ask for and not to mention free!

I became familiar with Chef Pepin while watching season 5 of "Top Chef" on Bravo and I became a fan. Chef Pepin has authored/co-authored over 20 books and has had several cooking shows on public broadcasting. There are also several websites courtesy of KQED public media of Northern California. These websites have episode videos and recipes from Chef Pepin's cooking shows and his books. My favorites are "Fast Food My Way" and "More Fast Food My Way". The videos cover how to make the recipes from start to finish with culinary techniques explained as an added bonus. After watching a couple of the videos, I felt confident enough to try the recipes and to tweak them to my family's preferences.

Here are the links to where you can find out more about Chef Pepin and where you can view his videos and recipes.

http://www.kqed.org/food/jacquespepin/
http://www.kqed.org/w/jpfastfood/home.html
http://www.kqed.org/w/completepepin/
http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/
http://www.kqed.org/w/theapprentice/noflash.html
http://www.kqed.org/w/jacquespepin/