Dropping Anchor in Cabo San Lucas - An Undate from The Boy + Recipes for Chicken Cordon Bleu Crescent Rolls, Chicken Bundles and Chili Verde

The Schooner Patrica Bell has set anchor in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico. They will be staying there for a few days and then will leave to go to Mazatlan.

Ethan says that it is beautiful there.

He says that the people are nice. Everyone has been very welcoming, as far as I can tell.

Before this stop they were in a tiny place called Baja Santa Maria. It was just a beach with few huts that belonged to a small group of men who were fishing for sharks. Sadly, they were cutting off the shark's fin and letting the shark's die. He says that there were mounds of fins in various stages of drying and preserving. There was nothing that he could do about that situation. He and a few of his friends when hiking.

He had a few interesting stories to tell about the travels.

One night, as he was standing on the deck in the dark of the night, he suddenly felt something hit his knee. He felt the spot and found that it had become slimey and smelled of fish. It turned out that he had been hit by a flying fish. Ethan says that the fish are amazing, that they can "fly" for hundreds of yards at a time. Later, they found the fish in a small crevice of the boat.

Ethan also says that he loves to watch the dolphins that play in the wake of water alongside of the boat. He tells me that they get so close that you could almost touch them, but that he would risk falling out of the boat if he tried to touch them.

Another time Ethan was able to see a sea turtle that was about 3" across. It reminded him of the one he saw in Jamaica.

He is also learning to dive. It turns out that learning to dive is very hard. (I was surprised to learn that he had not learned how to dive in all of those swimming lessons he took when he was young.) Luckily, he is a strong swimmer. Somehow, Ethan's swimming suit did not make it on the trip, so when he goes swimming, he does so in his underwear. It turns out that Josh is in the same situation, so the two of them sometimes walk around on the deck of the boat in their underwear. When they arrived in Cabos San Lucas, Ethan, Josh and Anna Elise decided to swim the 1,000 yards to shore. They sent all of their belongings, such as Ethan's glasses and phone, along with another person going ashore in a small boat. However, they forgot to arrange a way to meet once they were all on land. The swimmers (the boys in their underwear) arrived and walked the beach for at least an hour looking for their companion, but was not able to have any luck finding him. Eventually they swam back and found the person they had been searching for. He had been looking for them, too.

Ethan is having a wonderful time, but he is also growing tired, having traveled for almost 11 months. He and Josh will take a bus ride from Mazatlan to Guadalajara where he will head home soon, most likely.

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I'm trying out some recipes that would be easy to make for a crew on the boat as I am making a small cookbook for him to take with him on the boats:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Crescent Rolls
via:>Mom On Time Out Blog
(modified by me)

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
6 slices Swiss cheese (I cut mine into very thin, long pieces to make rolling up easier)
6 slices deli ham
2 chicken breasts, cooked, (I cut mine into very small cubes before cooking it. Then I shredded it after it was cooked.)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 Tbls Dijon mustard (optional)


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Remove crescent rolls from can and lay out in a long rectangle. Pinch the seams together well.

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Layer first Swiss cheese, then ham. I then spread the Dijon mustard on the ham. Top that with the chicken breast on the rolls.

Roll up like a cinnamon roll and cut into coins. (I cut mine into 12 pieces.)

Place in a 9" x 13" casserole dish and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Chicken Bundles

4 cup Chicken
1/2 Onion, chopped (Onion powder is fine, too.)
1/2 tea. Celery Salt
1 TBL Basil, dried
1/2 tsp Pepper (optional)
1 tsp Salt (optional)
6 tbsp Butter
12 oz Cream cheese (1 1/2 boxes of Cream Cheese)

1/4 cup Milk
2 packages Pillsbury crescent rolls
Gravy (Optional)

Saute the chicken and chopped onion in 2 TBL. butter or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Once the chicken and onion are cooked, add in the remaining butter, cream cheese and milk. Heat to mix, stirring often.

Unroll crescents and using two crescent rolls at a time (to form a rectangle) fill with chicken mixture. Pinch up the corners (makes 8 packets).

Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with warmed gravy! Enjoy!

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Chili Verde

6 lbs cubed pork stew meat (I have use pork chops and country style pork ribs, instead of stew meat as the stew meat tends to be dry. Pork shoulder is a good choice, too.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter
1 large Onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sea salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 1/2 quarts chicken broth
8 fresh poblano chiles, seeded and chopped
4 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (I did not have these.)
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed

In a large stock pot over high heat sear the pork in the vegetable oil or butter until browned.

Remove the pork from the pot, reserve 3 tablespoons oil in the pan.
Saute the chopped onion and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper in the reserved oil until onions are tender.

Add the cumin, then stir in pork and chicken stock. Simmer for 1/2 hour.

Add in poblanos, jalapenos, bell peppers and tomatillos.

Cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve with Mexican/Spanish rice and refried beans.

Ethan's Tall Ship Adventures, 2014 (Shutterfly Book)

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Of Ships, Whining and Recipes

The Lady Washington recently left Astoria, Oregon to go to Westport in Aberdeen, Washington. Just like the other ports, Ethan found Astoria beautiful. He and Davey had the first day in port off, so they went exploring. They visited a local forest and found The Column:

Here's what the site for The Column says:
"The Astoria Column has served for over 80 years as a beacon on the Pacific Northwest Coast. It sits in a wooded area 600 feet above sea level on Coxcomb Hill, Astoria, Oregon’s highest point. Majestic views of the countryside surrounding Astoria are the great Pacific Ocean to the west and the mighty Columbia River to the north. Snow-capped volcanoes of the Cascade Range rise to the east and Saddle Mountain reaches to the sky on the southern horizon."

In their further adventures they discovered that Astoria was the place where "The Goonies" movie was filmed.

While they were on sail they spied a boat on capsized. They called the coast guard with the coordinates of the ship to alert them. They also circled the boat and tried to ascertain whether there was someone in distress or overboard. Once they took a closer look they found that there was a great deal of seaweed and such on the boat. It is possible that it was a boat from the tsunami in Japan that had been pushed there by the tied. The coast guard will check it out. If they think it is a lost, they will bomb it so that it sinks. If they think it is from Japan, they will tow it ashore to study it. Apparently there have been docks, ships, etc. that are radioactive that have made their way to our west coast. The way the ships and the coast guard keep an eye out for all of those sailing is pretty impressive.

During another day off Ethan visited the Columbia Lightship and managed to talk the ship's engineer into letting he and Davy into all of the rooms on the ship.

The Columbia Lightship helped ships navigate the Columbia River Bar to safety. It was in service from 1951 until 1979 when it decommissioned and replaced by navigational bouys. It was exciting for Ethan to get to talk with another ship's engineer.

Larr left yesterday to meet up with his brother, Doug, who lives in Seattle. Together they will drive up to Aberdeen to visit Ethan. Doug will return to his home in a few days, while Larr will stay with Ethan on the ship for nearly two weeks. It is a much needed break for Larr. While it would have been nice for all of us to visit Ethan, Ellie and I support Larr going alone. The kind of visit that they will have will be very different than if it was a whole family visit. This will allow Larr and Ethan to go adventuring in the style they both love. It will give Larr and chance to learn to sail. My vacation comes in a few weeks when I go to art camp.

Here at home, I am going into week three of being sick and I am so done with it. I wish is was done with me. It is really pretty lonely. I am improving slowly each day. I a now able to breathe fully some of the time. The other day Larr called my phone and got my voicemail. He told me that this was exciting because when he heard it he thought, "Oh, I have not heard Tam's voice in so long..." and then he sadly realized this it was just a recording and that I still cannot speak.

Two nights ago I had a terrible coughing fit that caused me to make sounds that I would not thought were possible. If someone in the family had been a folley and had recording equiptment set up in the bathroom he/she could have recorded some really other-worldly scarry sounds as I cough myself out of sufficating from stuff stuck in both parts of my throat. It happened again yesterday, but I felt a bit better afterwards.

Last night I had a dream that I could use my windpipe and the part of my throat where the mucus comes up to build a bridge to go somewhere. Very strange. This morning my throat feels like it was scrubbed with the hard looping part of velcro. When I go too long between drinking or sucking on some a sore throat lonzenge, the inside of my throat feels dry and like the parts are stuck together. Thankfully, the raspy breathing sound has mostly gone away. Both Ellie and Larr say that I sound like I am dying. The doctor says that it is painful, but that I will certainly be okay. Ellie has been wonderful about helping me, making calls for me and hanging out with me.

Today is the Etsy Craft Party day nation wide. I am going to take part by making an encaustic picture at Two Hands Paperier this evening.

Here are some recipes we recently enjoyed:


Sweet Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli
via: Cooking Light Magazine, June 2014, modified

1 (8-ounce) package uncooked soba *(I used Udon Noodles from Trader Joe's or World market)
1 (8-ounce) package broccoli florets
*(8 oz. Brussel Sprouts, sliced thinly)
Olive Oil
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves *(I cubed the chicken to make it cook faster)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter *(I used almond butter, I don't think it made any difference, it is just what I had on hand)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 green onions, chopped *(omitted)

Preparation

Combine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, sugar, crushed red pepper, and garlic in a measuring cup or bowl, stirring with a whisk.

In another pan, place about 1/2" of water and heat until it is boiling. Add broccoli and brussel sprouts to pan; steam until they are done. I added a small bit of sesame seed oil as they steamed. Remove to a plate or bowl.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add soba; cook 2 minutes, or until al dente.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Saute chicken until done. Add in the veggies and reheat just a bit.

Stir in the sauce and heat until combined. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sesame seeds and green onions.

Serve noodles in a separate bowl.

Kate Parham, Cooking Light
JUNE 2014

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ZUCCHINI PARMESAN CRISPS
via: Damn Delicious

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Panko*
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced to 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan; set aside.
Working in batches, dredge zucchini rounds in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
Add zucchini rounds to the skillet, 5 or 6 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately.

* I think these are wonderful, but a bit time intensive.

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Blueberry Coffeecake with Almond Streusel
via: Cooking Light Magazine


(I have not actually made this one, yet. I wanted to post it here so that I don't forget to try it.)

9 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 9 ounces flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Remove 2 tablespoons flour mixture; sprinkle over blueberries, tossing to coat.
3. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter; toss to combine.
4. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and oil in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 2 minutes). Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in rind and juice.
5. Spoon half of batter into a 9-inch square light-colored metal baking pan coated with cooking spray (do not use a dark or nonstick pan). Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup blueberry mixture. Spoon remaining batter over blueberries. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Ruth Cousineau, Cooking Light
JUNE 2014

Life on a Tall Ship - Life on Deck

Ethan and the crew of the Hawaiian Cheiftan spend the majority of their time on deck, regardless of the weather. There is always someone standing on guard whether they are in port, or in transit (sailing). The crew takes turn taking watch. Each day the crew is given assignments. From time to time they have emergency drills.

Ethan is often working with or on the sails. This photo is of the bosman's chair and bucket. Many sailors work barefoot so that they can use the dexterity in their toes and feet to help them stay balanced and safe.

Here is the outside of the galley (kitchen). I have great respect for the cooks on the ships. Theirs is an important, but difficult, hot and cramped job. Still, they seem to do it with pride and joy. Thank God for Rosie and the other cooks who do such a great job of feeding my boy so well.

Here you can see the butterfly windows from the outside. That doorway next to the windows is the exit where the ladders leads to. The top part slides back to make it possible to exit.

Ethan also works with the ropes a lot. He has a strong arm and can throw the ropes to the deck. Sometimes a sailor will miss the mark, while other times they will throw the rope with such vigor that he/she sails overboard, too. Ethan tells me that most of the old time sailors did not know how to swim. If they were under sail, they were as good as dead since the boats were wind powered and could not turn around fast enough to get them. Going overboard, even at port, is dangerous as you run the risk of getting pulled under the boat.

Here are a few videos that show a bit more of what life is like on the ship. The first one was done by Willow Jon, a friend of Sophie, one of the sailors. He spent a short bit of time on the boats and hanging with the crew. Ethan thought he was nice. Willow Jon needed some new boots so they went into town. After Willow Jon purchased a new pair, he set the old pair neatly by a trash can so that some other person could claim them and use them. Ethan's friend, Sophie, is in the film. She is the blonde sitting on deck with a guitar.

The next two give you an idea of what the battle sails are like. I think they are a favorite. Each ship uses real cannons, real gun powder, but only shoots out air. Each week they do a real battle with a score being kept. The sound of the air hitting the ship in different places takes on different tones. The Cheiftan usually wins.

Life on a Tall Ship - Life on the Inside

Ethan posted the following quote. I think it has been one of the guides that he is using to make meaning in his life. He is striving to have a balance between useful purpose and adventure. I think he has achieved that balance.

"I left my home and all I knew because I feared the complacency that was growing in me. I feared that I would be content to never experience anything of America beyond the city in which I was born. But after hearing Whitman, this complacency became unthinkable, and my comfort became my greatest burden."

-Grayzon Ozias IV

Today I want to show you what the interior of the boat looks like. It is a very small space, but it seems that it is well appointed. Ethan likes being part of a team. The parts that I will show you house about 14 sailors. The leadership and the cook have a seperate space on the boat that I do not have photos of.

This is the dining room and living room where the sailors eat their meals, play lots of games, watch videos, etc. When they are traveling everything has to be tied down. Ethan has a lot of good times in this room.

Just behind this spot is the library, which is really just one shelf of books. They are in port often enough that many of the readers on the boat just read on their tablets, computers, etc. Ethan is just about to finish Jack Kerouac's On The Road. Once he is finished he will either read more of Kerouac's works, or he might reread the Jack London stories.

The coyote pelt in this photo is from a ceremonial event that the Hawaiian Chieftan and her crew took part in a while back (before Ethan's time on the boat.) It was a representative peace-making event where the crews on the tall ships and representatives of the Native Indians of the area traded gifts.

These are the bunks. They have the tied down curtain to keep the sleeper from rolling out of the bunk during rough waters. The space is not tall enough to sit up in, but that does not appear to be a problem. The boat has a metal hull and so the temperatures from outside travel inside. There is also a constant condensation issue, so the sleeping space is nearly always damp. During this season, it is very cold. During the summer, it will be very hot. They take their bedding out from time to time to air it out and dry it. The sailors like to pull shenanigans which means that sometimes a sailor will hide another sailor's sleeping gear, or the pad, etc. It is usually taken as good fun.

There are a variety of water tight hatches where parts of the ship can be closed off, if needed.

This ladder leads to the deck of the boat. The ship has two bikes that the sailors can use to get themselves places when they are docked.

Saturday's Celebration - No Quite What We Had Planned

Last Friday was the "birthday" (launching anniversary?) of the Lady Washington. At the end of the day the folks over at Grey's Historical Seaport organized a celebration. There was cake, dancing and merriment in the afternoon. Everyone had a grand time. The crews continued to celebrate into the evening. There was more (and I suspect wild) dancing in the galley (who knew there would be space to dance there!) and on the deck. There are reports of loud singing, too. Later in the evening some people were retiring to bed so the party was moved to a room on the ship that has a sound proof door. Once there the they sang a song in rounds where each singer changes some element of the song and passes it along, with everyone singing the chorus. This went on for over an hour, maybe even two hours, ending once everyone was spent. The next day Ethan's throat was raw and his voice was rough. Thankfully it recovered by Sunday when he was asked to lead the singing on deck, which he did with much gusto and joy.

By the end of this week many of the crew members will be returning to their homes and back to normal life. One of those members took this photo to commemorate the time he spent on the boat. My boy looks rather serious and so young in this photo. It is good to see the people he is spending time with.

Saturday was a super busy one for us. On Friday I had fantasized that I had all day on Saturday to get ready for Ellie's small birthday celebration. I had forgotten about the brunch and gaming party at the school on Saturday morning. Larr, Ellie and I each won a door prize. Ellie and I donated our new games to the school where they are sure to get a lot of action. Larr won a great dice game; he will give it to Ethan in a few weeks.

Ethan says that he feels more at home and more like this group of people than he has felt in the other jobs that he has had since graduating. They dress in a similar manner, they like a lot of the same things he likes and they generally have fun together. He also experiences some conflict, but those are important lessons that are helping him mature and grow.

The rest of the day was a series of errors and things not happening as we had hoped they would. It was all rather frustrating for me and upsetting for Ellie. Still, we tried to make it right.

Ellie prefers small parties and so the only guest was Kohlton. We planned on having glow sticks, glowing balloons, a fun tent, a fun dinner, a fancy cake, snacks in a tray and a movie. We ended up with a variation on that theme.

We had combed through pictures on Pinterest for ideas. A friend of mine says that we should just ignore Pinterest, that so much of what is there is not real, that it has been photoshopped to look better and that planning via Pinterest is just setting yourself up for unhappiness. Ellie said something similar, but she was still hopeful. In some ways we should have known better.

(This is what we had hoped for.)
Ellie wanted lighted balloons like above and so I searched several stores until I found the right LED light inserts. They lit up the balloons a little bit, but not like in the photo.

(We did not achieve this at all. The kids ended up wearing the glow sticks, instead of decorating with them.)

Ellie wanted a glow-in-the-dark design, but that did not pull through either. She had planned on a specially decorated ice cream cake similar to the one below, but changed her mind at the last minute and I did not manage to make any dessert. I didn't get the candles decorated, either. Honestly, I totally forgot about that project.

(Nope,nope and nope.)

I had also expected to decorate. I ironed the bunting (the pointed flag stuff in my drawing.) Ellie and I hunted around for streamers in the right colors and gathered lots of balloons. In the end there were very few decorations. Like I said, the day ran into so many snags, that it was simply not humanly possible to achieve what I wanted to achieve.

(This did not happen, either.)

I also made the tent. Making that was both fun and frustrating; it took a lot more effort to create than I had expected. In the end it was long enough, but too low for it to work as Ellie had imagined. She thought they would be able to sit up in it, but it will have to be modified in order for that to happen. The tent was nixed.

We did end making white pizza from scratch (pizza dough, alfredo sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese). And the snacks sort of worked out. I had hoped to use matching trays, but I could not find the ones we used when she was about 11. I made due with what we had on hand.

We also had the movie, "Up!". By that time, I think we had both let go of the idea of how it "should be" and embraced what it was.

We also had a few presents. If you look closely, you can see the crown that I made. I don't think it fit how she had expected, but it did look good on her. The present that she was most excited about (a small speaker to hook up to her ipod, ipad or phone) did not function well and will have to be returned - it figures.

This is what she had picked for the crown. Mine was a slight variation on that idea.

Part of why this going well was so important to me was the fact that pretty soon she will not want me to throw a party for her; pretty soon she may not even live at home any more. I feel like the clock is ticking right next to my head, reminding me that my time with Ellie running out. She reminds me that it is not like she is leaving and never coming back. She reminds me that she is not even sure when she will move. Afterall, she does not graduate until next year. She offers these as words of comfort. I just have to find a way to find comfort within them.

Sunday was Larr's birthday and that party went off a bit better.