Seafood Pasta

This is a great dish to make if you are pushed for time. It only takes ten to fifteen minutes to make yet tastes delicious.

Fry off a chopped onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and chilli until softening then add a packet of mixed seafood. Most supermarkets sell these mixed packs cheaply. This was a Tesco mix with mussels, squid and prawns. Once the seafood is cooked through add a tub of soft cheese, I used a lightest garlic and herb version. Mix the cheese into the fish and vegetables well.

In a seperate large pan boil some water and add your pasta. I used fresh pasta to further reduce the cooking time but dried works just as well it just takes slightly longer to cook.

Add a cup of pasta water to the fish mix then drain your pasta and add to the cheesy fish sauce. Mix well ensuring that all of the pasta is well coated and the fish evenly distributed throughout. Then serve. We just had a large helping each of the pasta but you can equally serve this to more people with smaller portion sizes and some garlic bread and salad.

New Appliance

I have always longed for an oven on Naughty-Cal but we always said we couldn't afford to lose the storage space beneath the hob and grill unit which would be the obvious place for it to be. So we have found ways around not having one, which has been no great shakes really. We managed quite well without.

Yesterday however we decided that as winter is only just around the corner and we probably wont be cruising so far from home for the next few months that we may as well buy a small electric oven which will probably go home during the summer months.

So we now have a proper oven but only when we are plugged in. So last night we had to try it out of course with a roast dinner. So it was a slab of Berkshire Pork Belly, with roast potatoes and cabbage and very nice it was too. 

We are already planning what fabulous meals we can cobble together over the winter months. Daft as it sounds we are really looking forward to being able to cook pizzas after we have been to the boat club on a Saturday evening. We usually pop to the takeaway just around the corner but it can become an expensive habit. Now we can rustle up pizza and chips whilst enjoying our last pint in the bar.

Looks like we had a good idea for a change.

Breakfast is Served

I do like a nice breakfast every now and then, so this morning I rustled up a nice example with some sausage from Highwoods Rare Breeds Farm. Yummy Berkshire pork sausages. 

Hmm

Hmmm. Something not quite right here! 

They will get a shock when they try and tow it. Do you think they are new to this game? 

Hull

Hull will most probably be the final stop over point on our big trip next summer. We have spent a fair amount of time in Hull over the years and the marina offers excellent facilities for the boater including cheap fuel. Despite some of the stick Hull seems to get from people we actually quite enjoy it there and find the place to be really friendly and full of good pubs and shops. 

By the time we head into Hull we will hopefully have completed many miles of cruising on the east coast and this will very much feel like the last stop before home cruising familiar waterways. The river will also no doubt feel very small after our coastal holiday. 

 The last set of pier heads to aim for.

 The large lock at the entrance to Hull Marina with its radial gates.

 Hull Marina with its excellent modern facilities right in the heart of the city.

 Excellent shopping just over the road from the marina.

The Deep at the entrance to the River Hull. If time allows we may have another look at this aquarium, hopefully it will be a little quieter this time!!

Grimsby

So its back to 2014's big summer trip. Grimsby will be the first port of call along the way. It is a tad over 100 miles away from our home berth at Burton Waters, Lincoln and by the time the tides have been taken into account it is a full cruising day away. But it is worth the long days cruising early on in the holiday to eat up some miles and get closer to the coast. A trip to Grimsby involves a gentle cruise to Gainsborough, followed by a quick blast to Trent End before anchoring to wait for the next tide which on a hot, sunny summers day is glorious. With the tide running in it is then time to race down the Humber to Grimsby.

 The tower is a homing beacon for Grimsby. You can see it for miles around and is a useful navigation point.

 The lock gates at Fish Dock Island. Both sets of gates open for two hours either side of high water to create freeflow through the lock. At this time the lock is free to use however beyond these times there is a charge.

 Grimsby's famous fish docks. Now a shadow of their former selves. An interesting cruise through the docks mind to get to the yacht club basin.

 Excellent moorings and a friendly welcome await at the yacht club.  The moorings here are very reasonably priced and the basin is packed full of interesting boats.

Sadly much of the dockland area surrounding the moorings is in massive decline.

Slow Cooked Casserole

Winter is definately just around the corner, the temperature outside has dropped, (we had to scrape the car this morning!, ) but with it comes the temptation to hunker down with a plate of hot, warming, food.

Last night it was slow cooked beef casserole in a giant Yorkshire Pudding. Yum Yum!!

This was dead easy to make. Put a large chopped onion, some mushrooms, chopped potatoes and chopped carrot into a casserole dish. Place a chunk of beef shin on top and cover with beef stock. I also added a chilli for some extra heat but this is optional. Place in the oven and cook for three hours at 150 degrees.

I did this the night before and then left it in the fridge overnight. When we were ready to eat it, I carved the shin, put it in a large microwavable bowl with the vegetables and the stock and heated it on high for ten minutes whilst the Yorkshire Pudding was cooking. 

A great tasty meal that is so simple to cook yet so warming and filling and comforting. Who doesnt like a casserole at this time of year? The beef shin was melt in the mouth and the stock had taken on the heat of the chilli for some extra warming flavour.

If we were out on the boat we would have had this cooking in the slow cooker all day but putting it in the oven at home on a low heat for a long time works just as well.