Lots of Harbor Time

I have been spending as much time at the harbor as possible this week. There is so much to do it hard to know where to start. However I think I have most of those tasks now documented and on our to-do list. At last count there are 34 items on our list. Now it is just a matter and getting them accomplished and crossed off. We will get them all done though, it just won’t be as soon as we would like … because it never is.

Spending so much time at the marina we are getting to know all our neighbors. Rubin (who is in the slip just to our north) is a radiologist and we know some of the same people because of where he works and I used to work. Jack and Amy (in the slip to our south) live in Pennsylvania and own a vineyard in Napa. Little do they know how lucky they are that we don’t drink wine like we used to. Those of you who have had dinner with us know that I am not kidding. ;-) Then there are Christine and Tim who we have seen the most. They are both great and I can tell we will be spending a lot of time with them. Chris was an accountant and Tim a flight nurse but they now have their own business painting advertising on barns. They have the cutest little dog, Peyton, who is a Woodle (a breed I had never heard of previously). I am sure pictures of Peyton will be showing up on the blog because his personality is adorable and I know it will show in pictures. Can you tell that we have been really enjoying our time?

Food this week has needed to be very portable. Here are some of the things we have been eating.

Ian cooked one day and came up with this vegan menu.

The okra salad was phenomenal. I certainly didn’t expect the okra to be in julienne strips and that just made this dish. The cilantro and dressing was perfect in this.

The curried veggies had a touch of coconut milk that made the sauce very luxurious but not too much to make it fatty.

We picked up take out veggie spring rolls from Me Kong Delta. These are really good if you are in Baltimore. Ask for some sriracha to spice up the dipping sauce if you like heat like we do.

I made a quinoa salad with sliced almonds, dried unsweetened cranberries, golden raisins, wine vinegar and cilantro. This was served with portabellas that I roasted with pomegranate molasses and then topped with sesame seeds. This was inspired but the dressing on the okra salad that Ian made. To go with the quinoa salad I made a curried cilantro and lime sauce with raw cashews that we used as a dip for our crudités. This sauce was also inspired by the sauce Ian serves with his version of samosa. See, I really am telling the truth when I say I am a better cook because of eating Ian’s food so often. We love Ian. <3

Another night I made a curried split pea soup with barley and tomatoes.

I served that with a green salad consisting of: baby lettuce, cucumber, tomato and avocado. I used the curried cilantro and lime dip to make a dressing but whisking in a little water. This sauce is very versatile and I love things like that.

It appears the trick to portable food is a little at home prep, either cooking, cleaning or chopping depending on what I am making. So far it hasn’t been too much of a problem but then again it has only been a week of portable food. We will see if I am still saying this in a month.

My pizza flavored almonds have been very popular so far. They went over well with Walid, Jackie, Nadia, Aimee, Michael and Chris. I made three more batches of them this week and will be posting that recipe soon.

Happy thoughts:

• It is wonderful to be spending more time on the water again. I had not realized how much I missed it. We are both enjoying relaxing in the evening and watching the sunset over the harbor. It is the perfect way to spend the evening winding down. We both love our “second home”.

• The wifi at the marina is incredibly slow, more specifically it is painfully slow. So slow in fact that can’t upload from there. Initially I was annoyed but this but then I realized there is an upside. Without internet access I am finding more time to relax and just enjoy my surroundings. Sometimes it is good to not be too connected. However Rubin just installed an antenna and signal booster on his boat and said it worked very well in terms of increasing his speed.

• We have really great neighbors at the harbor. Everyone has been so friendly. It is always wonderful to make new friends. :-)  Not to mention it is good to break out of your comfort zone which I am sometimes all too ready to stay in.

• Speaking of new friends this is my little mallard friend who has greeted me the last few days. She has figured out that I feed her and she seems to wait for me. One day I expect to find her sitting in the cockpit. I hope I don’t make her too tame and reliant on me for food. Isn’t she precious? I think ducks are so cute.

• Who wouldn’t love a change of scenery? Even though I have been extremely busy these past 9 days it has been wonderful too. I am really enjoying doing new things and breaking out of my rut. Even though my life was healthy I think variety and new experiences are good for all of us.

Signing out:

As I am typing this I am sitting out in the cockpit enjoying the fresh air and the gentle bobbing of the boat. This really is the perfect way to start the weekend. A girl could get really used to this life…I have and it is only been 9 days. Talk with you later. :-)