A Pirate's Wife Life by Michelle - Live Aboard Luxuries

Never crush a man's ego.  That means it seems completely cruel to him to call his boat a "camper on the water".  Lesson learned!

Handsome Beast Pirate

When Sixteen Tons was first purchased, she needed a lot of work.  She has two heads (bathrooms) but let me tell ya, they were rough.  The toilets were "pump away"!  Pump away, as in you stand above the toilet and pump this little handle until the bowl is empty.  I don't care what kind of handsome beast pirate I am married to, I told him, "I am not your pump away girl."

Pump.  Pump.  Pump until the bowl is empty.  

So, he promptly bought and installed an electric toilet - whew.  This one is more like an airplane toilet.  Just push the button and the bowl is quickly emptied!

Push the button and like a miracle....

I have read several intriguing blogs of families who enjoy the live aboard life.  They go to the most fascinating places and have these incredible experiences with indigenous people.   They step off their decks and into civilizations of a thousand years past.  Maybe I could learn the valuable lesson that there are some luxuries worth trading for experiences of a lifetime.

Reminds me of a quote from Tolkien's, "The Lord of the Rings," when Bilbo says to Frodo, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.  You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."

Exactly.

He is an adventurer - can't keep him in the Shire!

  

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not." - Spoken by Ratty to Mole in "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

A Pirate's Wife Life by Michelle - Live Aboard Storms

Well, when your husband lives on a boat sometimes you do, too.  Lasse bought a 34' 1980 Marine Trader Trawler in 2012.  He did the American Great Loop in 2013-2014 and that was an exciting adventure.  After a two-year hiatus he is just about ready to drop her back in the water!

Sixteen Tons....and what do you get?

So, he named this boat after a 1940's song, "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  I think only people of a certain age remember that song but it is an old coal mining song that says, "You load sixteen tons and what do you get?  Another day older and deeper in debt.  Saint Peter don't ya call me, 'cause I can't goooooo; I owe my soul to the company store."

 Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford 

The old lock masters all over the United States started singing this song while he traveled through - a real joy!  I always say, "He left me for a gal named, "Sixteen Tons" - it could be worse!"  

Right now we have been sitting on the bow deck, drinking glasses of merlot while a big storm is brewing.  The wind is really howling and slapping the lines against the masts on hundreds of boats.  I am quite impressed!  The lightning is constantly brightening behind the storm clouds but I haven't heard any rumbling of thunder.  And I feel peaceful.

For most of my life I have been afraid of storms but not any more.  After all the trials of the past two years, I think I am able to say that the LORD is my anchor.  Nothing can touch me that He has not allowed.  Lasse already believes that and that is probably why during all this shrieking wind, he is on the fly bridge (top deck) doing something completely crazy but in his words, "necessary" and without fear.  I am inside typing - if I hear a few thumps and a scream, I'll have to excuse myself and check on him!  And no, I couldn't talk any sense into him as he is the one man I don't boss.  

Snapshot of the Weather 

Today we visited with a man who is selling his sail boat.  Sixteen Tons is a trawler and her standing rig just isn't big enough for sails; this means she isn't really a blue water boat and not meant to sail across oceans.  But my husband has to go....across the ocean.  So, there we were visiting with this man, discussing buying his sail boat.  (Sigh.)  Azores is calling.

Azores....seriously, would you look at that?!
The picture doesn't even fit on the page!

Azores is an archipelago more than 2,200 miles from Boston and more than 900 miles from Portugal.  It is considered the Hawaii of Europe.  Who wouldn't want to visit that Garden of Eden?  

But the reason I mention this was the storm inside the man selling his sail boat.  He has cancer that has metastasized into his bones.  But his storm comes from his wife passing away a year ago.  She was his anchor.  And he is tossed.  Ah, this is a topic we are discussing while sipping the red wine.  Sad. I do understand him as I have faced that threat myself but I don't know the devastation felt at the death of the "one whom my soul loves".  We will pray for Jim.  Just like storms, time passes, too, but it does not mean that its passing heals all wounds.  

If your storm is raging, then the only solid anchor is the LORD.  He is the anchor that holds and He is willing to hold those who come to Him.  

Hebrews 6:19-20

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

  

Date Night In with the Hubby

Sometimes, date night is about going out and experiencing new places together.  Other times, though, you've just packed up and shipped the kids off to Granny's house and you'd rather not have to get all glammed up to go out, but you still want to spend a nice evening with your handsome hubby.  This is why date night in is a great option.

Just out of high school!

Before my husband and I got married (almost nine years ago!) he bought himself a fondue set.  At the time, he was still trying to impress me with his culinary skills, and our anniversary restaurant of choice was The Melting Pot (a delicious fondue restaurant - https://www.meltingpot.com/), so this seemed like a great purchase.  However, since we've been married, it hasn't gotten much use.  I was recently reorganizing our kitchen in preparation for a pretty significant makeover and I came across his fondue set in a rarely used cabinet above our refrigerator.  It got me thinking and planning our next date night menu!

Pinterest is just about the greatest website ever created, so I logged in to find some great fondue recipes.  Let me tell you, there are about a million!

My advice is to always start with a delicious cheese fondue.  This can be served with small bread cubes, soft pretzel pieces, apples, and vegetables.  Here are a few cheese fondue recipes that I am dying to try!

*http://www.food.com/recipe/cheddar-cheese-fondue-courtesy-of-the-melting-pot-288342
*http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/11/cheesy-roasted-jalapeno-fondue/
*http://awesomeon20.com/white-cheddar-fondue/

Next, you can serve a small salad or just jump right into cooking your meat!  When eating at The Melting Pot, they bring you raw meat (different cuts of beef and chicken are what we prefer, but they also offer seafood options) and you cook it in a broth of your choice.  Just be sure to thoroughly cook your meat before eating.

*http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-garlic-fondue-broth-412885
*http://www.fondue-recipe.com/Beef-Fondue-Recipes.html
*http://allrecipes.com/recipe/244142/coq-au-vin-broth-fondue/

And now, for the most important and probably most delicious - the dessert fondue!  You can serve fresh fruit, small pieces of cake, marshmallows, graham crackers, or really anything that pairs well with chocolate.

*http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/mocha-fondue
*http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-fondue
*http://www.bestfondue.com/dessert-fondue-recipes.html

I sure hope you all enjoy your fondue date night in as much as my hubby and I will!  Michelle, when can ya babysit?!

Date Night at Granny's

Marah's Nutella Brownies - There Goes Our Diet!

If you live anywhere on planet Earth, chances are you've heard of Nutella.  Let me tell ya, nothing can wreck my diet like a jar of Nutella!  I enjoy eating it on graham crackers, pancakes, Michelle's homemade croissants, fruit, a spoon, and my finger...I'm 100% confident that Nutella tastes good on ANYTHING.  I also love a good brownie, so combining the two is magical.  Now, if you make this recipe and gain a couple of pounds, don't say I didn't warn you.  But I promise, it's worth it.  Especially when paired with a steaming hot mug of Boston Stoker coffee.  Alright...I'm drooling now, so I'll just get right to the point of this post - the recipe!

1 1/2 C Nutella
1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
3 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8x8 pan with some butter or coconut oil - this is very important!

Combine Nutella and butter in a sauce pan and stir until Nutell is melty and smooth.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth and set aside.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate until well combined. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula just until combined.Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top of the brownies look dry and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack.

Go make these brownies...immediately.  Better yet, make them during your kids' nap time so you can eat them warm from the oven and don't have to use your table manners!

Ravioli Take Four.....Or Maybe Just Go To The Store!

So....the big Flavors of Italy cooking class is this week and we have been trying like mad to perfect our ravioli making skills.  These are the events that transpired last night, our fourth and final attempt:  

Dean Martin Crooning Buona Sera

I measured the flour while....

Marah poured the glasses of wine!

Pasta dough recipe is simple:  flour, eggs, salt, olive oil.

Mix.

Dough forms a nice ball.

This is Marah's brand-spanking new pasta press.

Yeah.....the first ones weren't so pretty.

But we got better at it.

A nice little pesto sauce and some shaved parm...

Our guinea pig....yeah, he needed a knife.  

Never had Chef Boyardee a day in his life!

But he was willing to have ravioli one more time to help us out!
During the cooking class he and his dad are going out for Guys' Night!
Bless him - he deserves it!

So, here's the deal.  It may seem quite charming to go all "homemade pasta dough" but unless you have an Italian grandma who learned from her grandma the secret to light and airy pasta dough, just pick up the best you can buy from your grocery.  Seriously, who has time for this?  And it was ....thick.  Even after pressing!

Our goal is to help wives and mothers bring their families back around the dinner table, not to perfect their pasta making skills.  So, learn to make the most exquisite Alfredo sauce and smother your store bought ravioli in it; your family and your fingers will thank you!

Yeah, she cut her finger while cleaning her new pasta press!

That's Amore!

Recipe Contest March 2017

As promised, we're back with another exciting giveaway!!

Michelle and I love to sit down with a delicious hot cup of coffee and enjoy some dessert, and we want your recipes! Starting today until March 30th, submit your favorite dessert to our Facebook page for a chance to win a FREE registration to a cooking class of your choice AND a 12oz bag of our famous Boston Stoker coffee!! To join in the fun, simply like our Facebook page, like and share this post, and post your favorite dessert recipe to our Facebook page. For every recipe you submit, you receive one entry. Winner will be chosen in a Facebook live video on March 31st.

The winning recipe will be featured on our website under "What's on the table" for all to enjoy!  It will also be used as the subject in one of our tutorial videos and as the dessert in a future cooking class!

Can't wait to see all of your recipes!!

Happy π Day!

Marah:  Why don’t you post your award-winning apple pie recipe for Pi Day?

Michelle:  Pi Day?  As in Pi=MC2?

Marah:  No!

Michelle:  Oh, that other math equation?  Something constant and  3.14159
something, something for forever?

Marah:  Yes!  Every March 14th people get all excited about Pi Day and we get excited about your apple pie!  We haven’t had that in so long!

Michelle:  Oh, I better not make that right in the middle of our diets!

Marah:  Ha ha ha!  Do you remember that time an old friend came to visit and you made your apple pie?  She had one tiny slice and you and I ate the entire pie except that one tiny piece?!

Michelle:  Oh my gosh – yes!  We were under great duress at that time!  We never should have taken on the babies….(referring to our preschool which included a few babies still in loaded diapers).

Marah:  No!  We never should have!  But then we never would have started The Classy Pearl!  Ya live, ya learn!  Ha!

Michelle:  Alright – everybody should experience this apple pie; I love to share a good recipe.  And this recipe is award-winning; yes, it sure is!  It has taken 2nd Place at the Brookville Community Picnic and was auctioned off for more than $50!  I might not have found a place in life to use Pi but let me tell ya, I can make a really tasty apple pie!  Here is the complete recipe:   enjoy!!

High Hopes by Doris Day

Michelle’s Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients:                                                        Topping:

½ c. granulated sugar                                         ½ c. melted Butter

2 Tbs. flour                                                       ½ c. granulated sugar

1 ½  tsp. cinnamon                                            ½ c. flour

¼ tsp salt                                                            

3 Granny Smith apples  (peeled, cored, sliced)                                  

3 red apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

1   9” pie shell (homemade only)

Mix ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and the cinnamon together and toss with the apples.  Heap into the pie shell.  Combine the melted butter, ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup flour to make a thin paste.  Taste test to see if consistency is right – HA!  Taste test again, if needed.  And again.  Dip one apple slice into the paste and taste test that way.  Maybe once more.  Spread paste over apples, coating evenly.  Lick the spoon!  You can, but I don’t, place the pie in a brown paper bag and close securely with paper clips or staples.  Place the pie in center of the oven rack, taking care that the paper bag does not come in contact with any interior oven surface or it will catch on fire.  This is why I don’t use the paper bag!  Also, I’m afraid a staple will get lost somewhere in the pie, which wouldn’t win any prize and could lead to a lawsuit and jail time!  Bake 1 hour at 400° but keep checking on it after 40 minutes to be sure it doesn’t burn.  Allow to cool about 30 minutes but then serve with real vanilla ice cream while it is still warm. 

For more recipes check us out at:
www.theclassypearl.com