No One Will Starve

It takes a lot of food to keep a crew of 8 fed and fuled for an offshore race. Fridge space is tight (as you can see) and we are lucky to have a freezer aboard Freedom as well. I make the dinners in aluminum roasting pans, freeze them ahead and stack them in the freezer. As they come out one by one, bread and other freeze-able perishables are added to the freezer to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

Here is what is on the Dinner Menu for Newport-Bermuda 2010:

Chicken and Barley Stew with Garlic Bread
Beef Stew with Biscuits (the Skipper reports rough weather kept the biscuits from being made)
Cheesey Potatoes with Ham
Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon in Garlic Dill Sauce
Chicken Piccata over Rice (new this year!)


Breakfast Options include:
Breakfast Casserole (Eggs, Sausage, Cheese)
Fresh Fruit Parfait with Yogurt/Cottage Cheese, and Granola
Cereal
Doughnuts, Coffee Cake
Hard Boiled Eggs
Bagels and Cream Cheese

Lunch is Cold Cuts or Tuna on Wraps or Bread (or dinner leftovers, if any)

Snacks (a very popular item this year, with the 'junky' ones running low by Sunday night):
Chex Mix, Asian Snack Mix, Peanut Butter Crackers, Popcorn, Assorted Chips, Pretzels,
NutriGrain Bars, Apples, Grapes, Carrots, Celery Sticks, Nuts.
Plus, homemade brownies, toffee-coffee bars, & snickerdoodle bars; as well as Oreos.

Assorted canned goods, soups, & boxed pastas are on board just in case. Other years I felt I had overstocked the boat, so I scaled back this year. That may have been a bad decision --it looks like Freedom will be on the race course longer than they hoped -- but only time will tell..... And they have a lot of popcorn!

Lunch on Narragansett Bay

Last July the Skipper and I spent a few days aboard Freedom on Narragansett Bay. One day we invited my cousin Ann, her lovely daughters, and my college roommate Sally out for a sail and the chance to watch the 12 meters race. When Ann's daughter Emily stepped on board she held a tray of Shrimp Bruschetta, and Sally carried a bag full of Pulled Pork Barbeque (from Blue Ribbon Barbeque in Arlington, MA), rolls and coleslaw. I immediately knew I had invited the right guests!

The weather was beautiful, the 12 meters gorgeous, and the conversation fun, but what is a day on the boat without a great meal. Here is what was on the Lunch Menu:

Shrimp Bruschetta (recipe to follow)
Pulled Pork Barbeque with ColeSlaw
Cape Cod Chicken Salad
Potato Chips
Grapes
Mint Brownies and Snickerdoodles

The Bruschetta was ideal on many levels: 1)It was a great surprise, and proved the perfect late morning/before lunch snack; 2) Delicious; 3)It can easily be made aboard or made ahead at home -- and the leftovers kept well for a day or so.

This may/may not be the recipe Ann followed but it's close! And it uses Old Bay -- a staple aboard Freedom!

OLD BAY® Zesty Shrimp Bruschetta


Bruschetta comes from the Italian word buscare, which means "to roast over coals." While you're Afloat, you may not have any coals, but the broiler will do!

Ingredients

1 pound cooked shrimp, finely chopped

1 plum tomato, finely chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

2 teaspoons OLD BAY® Seasoning

1 loaf French bread

1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder

2 tablespoons mayonnaise



Directions

Preheat Broiler. Mix shrimp, tomato, green onion, olive oil, OLD BAY and garlic powder in medium bowl until blended.

Slice bread into 24 (1/2-inch thick) slices. Place on baking sheet; broil until lightly toasted on both sides. You can do this at home, or earlier in the day.
Spread the bruschetta lightly with mayo, then spoon shrimp mixture evenly over bread slices.


Tips

Hate tomatoes? Substitute 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper. Sweet!