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.