We have completed our Inside Passage run and had a brief pit-stop in Ketchikan, AK. It was nice to barbecue and feast on salmon! We are now
heading across the Gulf of Alaska and making our way to Seward which is tucked in at the top of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. Last
year while there I really enjoyed all of the photographic opportunities. Now, I am returning with a new camera!

I have had a few people ask me what kind of camera I am using, as they have noticed a dramatic improvement in my photos. I owe all improvement to the Olypmus Pen camera I am now wielding. The Olypmus E-PL1 is a new camera technology called a micro-four thirds digital SLR system. If you want to know all the exact technical jargon you must go to the pro reviews, such as Digital Photography Review and read up.

In a layman’s nutshell, the camera packs all the capabilities of a professional SLR with user-friendly interfaces that let you take high end
photos, point-and-shoot style. It has interchangeable lenses and six built-in art filters. It is more than half the size and weight of those great
big SLR’s. For a girl on the go, living on a big hunk of metal, size and pack-ability matter!

Put all that stuff aside and I just love the pictures and the body of the camera is rather retro-sexy. If you are looking to upgrade from a point and shoot and want to expand your hobby, this camera could be the ticket.

Here is a shot from the Inside Passage in British Columbia – sunset with soft sepia filter. Happy clicking!

Well I have to say that when you start off your trip on the open sea you hope for a couple of days of easy sailing so that you can acquire your
sea legs. When you head out and quickly enter a washing machine, you are at the mercy of the gods to settle things down. That was the case at the start of this trip.

Regardless of the weather, as the cook you must put out three meals a day on time, all the time. The seas had swells coming in three different
directions. If you think about the spin cycle of washing machine and add the fact that the clothes are “swimming” inside a swell of water, you
will begin to get the picture of our conditions on the outset.

This is when you must have premeditated plans of attack for fast, fresh and tasty meals. Meals that you can make while getting lifted off you
feet and bounced around that will also be easy for those a bit queasy to keep down. This is when I, as a cook, am thankful for Costco and a
company such as Roland Foods. Roland products make you an instant gourmet. I highly recommend this line and I stock my pantry chock full of their wide variety of products. (One of my latest favorites is their oven roasted tomatoes in a pouch with olive oil, garlic and seasonings. You can eat them like candy.)

Whalllaaaahhh……. a caprese salad with a balsamic glaze twist.

Nice, beefy tomatoes, fresh basil, a touch of extra virgin olive oil, a dash of sea salt and cracked black pepper, a product such as fresh mozzarella
rolled with basil and prosciutto (ala Costco) and a drizzle of fine balsamic glaze from Roland. In three minutes you have a delicious salad and in
the midst of going through a spin cycle you look like a star!

After three days of what I now call “Maytag moments”, we hooked into the Inside Passage of British Columbia and began an entirely different kind
of journey. Flat, calm and gorgeous. Now we’re talkin’.

Yum. I just landed in California. My first meal was at Phil’s Fish Market. I have to say, it was a great way to start my trip and extended stay in Moss Landing. The halibut tacos were amazing and fresh, from the fish to the salsa to the veggies and the bit of mozzarella cheese. Everything came together nicely to surround the perfectly cooked and halibut.

I also discovered their anticipated feature on the Food Network. Wednesday, January 28th at 9 p.m. Pacific time, Phil’s will be part of Bobby Flay’s Throwdown. The dish for the challenge – Cioppino – a stew of clams, mussels, white fish, calamari, prawns, scallops and dungeness crab. I saw this dish at Phil’s in buckets in a deli case and it made me want to grab a ladle.

Check out the show. I will be sure to check out their Caesar salad and a dish from the artichoke section of their menu. Fresh artichokes prepared seven different ways is not something seen on your typical menu.

I am most happy to be here in Moss Landing by Monterey Bay, about 40 yards from Phil’s. Lucky me.

One thing I really love about food and ingredients is the fact that there is always something new to learn about.  Or, as in this case, something old to learn about. Salt. A basic ingredient around the globe can also be very complex. Recently, I have experienced finishing salts in a whole new way thanks to the folks at Secret Stash Sea Salts.

So far, I have gotten to try the following flavors: Soy, Almond Orange Cardamom, Nicoise Olive, Lavender Rosemary and Bloody Mary. I want to try every salt they make. Almond Cardamom put a whole new twist on a slice of roasted turkey. Poach, fry or just boil and egg and sprinkle some of Bloody Mary Salt on it and whoala – you’ve got a whole new eggsperience.

I really want to encourage everyone reading this to go to the website, read about all of their flavors, pick the one that sounds most interesting to you and TRY IT! I highly recommend the products and I am excited because it is at the top of my list of the best things to put in my mouth right now. You can taste the crafting, time and attention to detail in evert sprinkle.

Best of luck to Secret Stash. I hope you are around for a long time. Check out their latest press in the Seattle Times. And, if you are looking to learn about the history of sea salt, there is a great read on their site. The recipes are worth a peak and if you are looking for a foodie gift for someone, you will not go wrong with this selection.

I give this product a five-spice review!

As in sticks? Thunderstick that is…or a hand blender or an immersion blender if you want to be technical. My mother asked me about this gadget. She was trying to explain it, gesturing how it worked and I was trying to understand her and starting to get scared about where the conversation was heading. You get the picture. Imagine her face when I described commercial immersion blenders that are built like jackhammers!

Well mom, this post is for you.

My pick for the best model to get for the home chef is from KitchenAid. I have one at home (for the past 5 years) and there is one on the ship where I cook. It performs very well, has held up to high use and the accessories are worth it. I will throw fresh garlic and herbs into the chopper and add oil for a fast way to season potatoes before roasting. I also use this for soups constantly. You can turn a can of diced tomatoes into a yummy soup in a flash.

I could go on and on. What can I say, I just love my thunderstick. Gift the gift of thunder this season.

Cream. Milk. Half and half. Chocolate milk. Eggnog. It’s all good. The best comes from Lewes Dairy, in Lewes, Delaware. If you are a chef in the area, odds are it is the only kind of cream you will use in your kitchen. There are chefs in D.C. who will only use this cream. A family-run business, Lewes Dairy has a bit of history in the area.

When I travel, I look for the local favorite. In New Orleans, at the Crescent City Farmer’s Market, I discovered Smith Creamery. Above all, now is a time to support the small businesses in your immediate area. During these tough economic times, I feel we have to think about how to afford that local, higher-quality product. I would rather cut something else out of my budget to afford Lewes Dairy milk in my fridge vs. going for a lower cost or “on-sale” brand at the store.

Tonight, in Lewes, is Hospitality Night which is a holiday tradition. Go to King’s Ice Cream store and you can buy a special holiday glass bottle of Lewes Dairy Eggnog. It makes a great gift, but get there early because supplies are limited.

Cooking in the Fall and Winter months is SOUP to me. I think Winter veggies, roots growing in the earth, meat and rich flavours. My mind wanders to red wine and I think about stock. I cooked a turkey dinner the other night and right now a big pot sits on my stove filled with the carcass, celery, onion, carrot and water.  It will cook down for hours and by dinner time, I will have finished a batch of fresh turkey noodle soup. A nice crusty roll and salad will finish off the meal.

I am lucky to have the time to do this today. Time is not on the side of every home chef.  Luck is on everyone’s side due to the array of stock options now in just about every grocery store.  I will skip any more economy puns.

Seriously, let’s talk broth.  Swanson has a variety of new products in their carton line of “stock”. Wolfgang Puck has a few tasty organic options.  Progresso just came out with a new carton line and they offer a lower sodium option.  I still like College Inn over Swanson  I am getting ready to try a College Inn Culinary Broth Thai Coconut Curry. 

My favorite is Better Than Bouillon from Superior Touch.  They have an excellent variety that includes classic, vegan, organic and low sodium options. On-line, you have access to lobster, mushroom, clam base and much more.  On the ship I always have a jar of Ham base and a Vegetable base.  I need to be able to make fast, fresh soups and often utilize leftovers, so this product does me lots of favors. For instance, I have been making a Ham, Bean and Cabbage soup using a combo of Ham base and Chicken base, which is a new favorite on the ship. 

When you see these available and on sale, don’t be afraid to try new flavors and stock up, literally!

If you are looking for a unique and great tasting new condiment, check out “Sweet & Spicy” from Tabasco. The genius food engineers from Avery Island, LA….McIlhenny Co. have created a really tasty finishing sauce. It is great with chicken and fish. Try it as a dipping sauce for some homemade chicken fingers or drizzle it over some grilled shrimp. Use it instead of ketchup on a burger or dog. It also gives an extra sweet n-spicy kick to sauces and soups. Recently I made a homemade creamed corn concoction and I used it to give the plate a little color as well as some extra flavor.

In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic it is not available in many stores, so you have to order on-line and it is well worth the time and money! This is also a great site to do some shopping on for the person in your life that appreciates a little extra heat and to grab a new recipe. www.tabasco.com

The good news is that SuperFoods are not just some great marketing buzzword. They are and have a bonafide health benefit. There are so many lists out there, …. the top 5, the top 7, the top 10, etc. My head spins trying to remember the latest and greatest new/old berry or the best nut to eat on any given day.

I delete more email than I read. I am so happy I did not delete this one from my friend Pam. We do not know where it came from and I hereby declare we don’t know if it is ALL true, but we don’t care because it is really cool stuff to think about. And, thank you Pam, for now I know how to visually remember why some SuperFoods are so damn super.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye…and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? …. It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes

Rating the quality of an Asian restaurant is based on the two things in my book; rolls and dumplings. I may rate a main course as average, but if the eggroll, springroll or dumpling is really good, I am going to return. I appreciate thin and/or crispy wraps. Recently I bought NaSoya Egg Roll Wrappers to play with at home and I love them!

Initially, I bought them to make a lasagna which worked out really well. The NaSoya products are all natural and a fresh pasta. When cooking Italian food, they are an awesome time-saver. The wrappers deliver a great finished texture and are nice and light.

I had some wrappers leftover, as well as some shrimp and cabbage in the fridge, so I decided to make some eggrolls. First of all, you make eggrolls at home for a real treat and to have fun, not to quickly satisfy a craving. There is nothing quick about making eggrolls at home, but the labor can really pay off when you get to eat such fresh flavors.