Vacationing Chef

Some time ago I read a post on Cruise Critic about Healthy Cruises.  The post was asking if Healthy Cruises were “fact or fiction”.  Can you take a Healthy Cruise?

Well, I say yes.  I’ll go even further and say that cruise lines make it easier to adhere to a healthy lifestyle than to not.  It’s true, you could spend hours at the buffet and hours laying like a beached whale by the pool but with so many healthful things to do then why not spend your time on things that make you feel great inside and out.  The first thing to do is skip the buffet all together.  While you’re at it, skip the free cookies, ice cream and pizza too.  Take the stairs, it’s faster than the elevator.

You paid good money for this cruise so let the wonderful and well trained waitstaff in the full service dining room serve you your breakfast, lunch, and dinner on china plates with proper glassware and silverware.  You are there to be pampered after all.  The diningroom menu is filled with light dishes and healthy choices and the evening meal menus will have gourmet “spa” choices.  Speaking of spa, every ship has one.  Schedule a massage, body wrap, facial or some other healthy treatment that will make you feel good and pampered and blissfully happy.

On board there is a gym, I know, you didn’t come on a cruise to use the gym.  You could stay home and go to the gym.  An early morning workout is a great way to gain energy for the day and shake off the night before but I admit that I don’t use the gym on the ship that often.  But you can schedule a great yoga, water aerobics, or spinning class or even a private Pilates class with one of the trainers.  Go outside and walk or jog the track at dawn (my favorite activity).  But for a great workout, go climb the rock wall, ride the surfing machine, play mini golf or real golf with the golf simulator, or go ice skating (yes, you heard me right).  Dance classes are offered so kick up your boots while learning to line dance or kick up your heals while learning ball room dancing.  I love to reward myself each day for my good behavior with some me time in the sauna.  And don’t forget to let your inner child out because a few times up to the water slide is great exercise and you’ll get plenty of sun as well. Swim, play and have fun. 

Don’t forget to treat yourself to a nice dinner at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship for a meal to splurge on.  I promise you’ll be much happier splurging on a perfectly prepared and presented dinner for 2 than at a loud crowded buffet standing in line to get your luke warm piece of chicken.  Cocktails are plentiful on cruises and the bar is always open so choose well and stick with light beer and wine spritzers instead of calorie laden fruity frozen drinks.  Don’t forget to drink lots of water.

Remember, that you don’t have to deny yourself anything on a cruise to have a healthy cruise.  Remember that you’re there to have fun and be pampered and most of all you’re there for you.

Published on: March 26, 2010

From Travel Pulse Newsletter 3/25/10

Carnival Cruise Lines has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to launch a fund-raising initiative with a goal of raising $3 million over the next three years. St. Jude is a premier center for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The program, called “Care to Play: Carnival for St. Jude Kids,” kicks off the week of March 28 aboard all 22 Carnival ships. The shipboard fund-raising is the second phase of the Carnival-St. Jude partnership that began late last year with the line’s initial $50,000 donation. Funds were raised through Carnival’s “Virtual Book of Dreams” contest that asked kids to share their dreams for an opportunity to become the cruise industry’s first waterslide godchild.
Onboard, Care to Play activities include the “Groove for St. Jude,” which allows guests to make a $10 donation and “groove to the music” in one of the ship’s dance clubs with sounds provided by a DJ. Guests receive a Care to Play T-shirt and wristband and 100 percent of their donation goes to St. Jude.
Another component is Carnival’s Teddy Bear Workshop, in which children from the Camp Carnival program can build their own cuddly St. Jude keepsake bear. Kids can also customize their bear with doctor’s apparel, including scrubs, surgical mask and lab coat. One hundred percent of profits, after all related expenses, benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additionally, copies of the “The Dream Plucker of Perrysport,” a children’s book based on stories and illustrations submitted by Camp Carnival participants, will be sold shipboard for $5.95. One hundred percent of the purchase price of this item will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Several hundred copies of the book have also been donated to the hospital.
Carnival also is auctioning off the baseball bat signed by All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the World Champion New York Yankees; the bat was used in the Carnival Dream’s naming ceremony in New York. Those interested in bidding on this commemorative item can visit www.carnival.com/stjude,  a website that highlights the Carnival-St. Jude partnership. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The site also includes a two-minute video on Carnival-St. Jude initiatives, a listing of the line’s yearly progress toward its fund-raising goal, and a link to St. Jude’s website where visitors can donate directly to the organization. For more information, visit www.bookccl.com  or www.stjude.org.

Yesterday I did a culinary demo featuring Apple Juice.  It got me thinking about a recipe that I’ve not made in about 2 years.  I had a bit of trouble finding where I had it in my computer as I have recipes spread over many software programs with not much rhyme or reason to the madness.  I’ll have to work on that someday.  But I digress.

Apple Juice is not just for giving to your kids.  Its culinary uses range from adult beverages like Apple Pie Shot (recipe below) to using apple juice as a substitute for cooking with white wine or to add apple juice instead of water when baking or making oatmeal.  And as a sauce with pork like in this recipe.

Apple-Ginger Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

Adapted by Norie Berndt from Southern Living Fall 1986

1 T. flour

1 ¼ t. garlic salt

1 t. ground ginger

1 – 1 lb. pork tenderloin trimmed of fat

1 T. olive oil

1 T. cornstarch

1 ¼ cups apple juice (no sugar added)

2 small apples cut into thin wedges

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup chopped parsley

Combine flour, garlic salt and ginger; dredge tenderloin in mixture coating all sides of the pork.

Using a non-stick pan, cook tenderloin, uncovered in hot oil over low heat 10 minutes, turning occasionally until pork is a golden brown color. Cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Remove and keep warm.

Combine cornstarch and apple juice in small sauté pan; stirring until smooth; bring to a boil over medium heat then cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add apples and walnuts to sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes until apples are slightly soft.

Slice tenderloin into thin slices and serve sauce over tenderloin.  Garnish with the parsley.

Apple Pie Shot

Serves 1

½ oz Apple Juice

½ oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

Dollop of whipped cream

Dash of cinnamon

Mix juice and rum and pour into a shot glass, top with whipped cream and cinnamon.  Drink.

I hope you don’t ever have to cook dinner for 3000 people but they do it every day on a cruise ship.  Cruise ship kitchens serve 3 meals a day plus snacks to 3000+ people day in and day out.  How do they do it?  Organization.  Whether you’re cooking for 2, 12, or 20 you must be organized and have all your pieces in place before beginning to cook. 

The phrase is Mise en Place [MEEZ ahn plahs] is a French term meaning to have all the ingredients necessary for a recipe to be prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking. And having all the preliminary steps required for that recipe ahead of time.  As a chef I’ve considered this the work before the work.  

So how do you get your Mise en Place?  Start by reading your recipe, twice.  Or, if you’re not using a recipe then go through the mental steps of preparing the recipe.  If your cooking a meat, veg, starch, salad, dessert then you need to read all the recipes and go over all the steps.  Then devise a time line.  Can you make anything ahead and hold it like toss the salad and put it in the fridge then at the last minute before service you can add the salad dressing.  Or blanch the vegetables.  What takes longest to cook and what can be done last minute.  The next step is to gather all your ingredients and prepare them.  Chop onions, season meats, measure out wet ingredients, etc. 

Now you have all your ingredients in order, pre chopped, pre measured, pre seasoned, you’re ready to cook.  Read your recipe one more time.  Then begin.  Before you know it, you’ll be done and have a fabulous meal to serve.  From a simple sauté dish to a complicated braising dish; if you have all your ingredients in order and ready to go you’ll find the experience enjoyable and stress free.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Serves 6
Recipe by: Chef Norie

1 T EVOO
1 garlic clove minced
1 stalk celery chopped
1 med onion chopped
1 med green pepper chopped
2 medium tomatoes seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cans mextican style pinto beans
3/4 c. good quality smokey bbq sauce
hot sauce to taste

Heat oil and saute garlic, celery, onion and green pepper until softened. Add the tomatoes, rice, beans and barbecue sauce. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on buns.

A few weeks ago OsamaSadamAchmedTerroristBastard tried to blow up a plane on American soil.  Now it’s harder than ever to get through the airport and to your plane without being triple scanned and strip searched. (Note – wear clean underwear)  Many people are now being told to arrive at the airport a full 3 hours before your flight.  If you have a 7am flight, you have to be at the airport at 4am. ~Yawn~  Since I like to be in bed at 4am I’ll be booking later flights for a while. 

The full body scanner is now going into use at almost every airport and soon strangers will be looking at xray images of us in all our glory.  I’m not looking forward to virtually disrobeing for all to see.  If you don’t know what the TSA agents will be looking at here is a sample.

If you travel with young children this can be especially difficult as they will get anxious and board easily.  Here are a few tips from Family Travel News that you should know. 

10 Facts Travelers Should Know

On January 4, 2010, the TSA issued a clarification of its new direction for international security measures. We quote: “TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights.”

 According to the New York Times, all travelers carrying passports from 14 specific countries, as well as any traveler transiting through any of these countries on their way to the United States will be subject to enhanced screening, including full-body scanners where available, or full-body pat-downs. The countries noted are Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria (“state sponsors of terrorism”) plus Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen, referred to as “countries of interest.”

 What does this mean for the family traveler? For the domestic traveler, not much, not yet. But for the international traveler, here’s a breakdown of whats likely to happen on your next airport visit.

 * Enhanced security precautions are in place at all international airports with flights to the U.S.
* Passengers must arrive especially early for any international flight as enhanced security on U.S. Bound flights is affecting all travel times.
* All carry-on bags are being subjected to extra security screenings, causing delays at security gates.
* The Canadian government has banned all carry-on bags for passengers traveling to the U.S. because new screening requirements are causing excessive delays. Only exceptions are purses, cameras, coats, laptops, musical instruments, medical devices and items for baby care.
* TSA urges all travelers to check as much carry-on baggage as possible but says that items such as car seats will be accepted on board flights.
* Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are both waiving some baggage fees for the mandatory checked baggage on flights to the U.S. from Mexico and Canada.
* According to the TSA, all passengers regardless of age (including minors and unaccompanied minors) will be subject to additional screening if selected at random or if circumstances warrant.
* Secondary passenger screenings are very likely to include full-body scanners (an extra revealing type of digital imaging), full body pat-downs and manual inspection of all hand carried items.
* In flight, at the discretion of the pilot and the individual airline, passengers may be required to stow all their personal belongings for any portion of the flight.
* In flight, passengers may be required to remain in their seats with their hands fully exposed to view, for any portion of the flight but most likely, for the final hour of the flight.

 Additionally, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reminds travelers that, according to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all U.S. and Canadian citizens, age 16 and older must present a valid, acceptable travel document that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea. All air travelers of any age are required to present a passport at time of entry to the U.S.  

 We suggest that parents discuss these enhanced security procedures with their children prior to travel, and that travelers use the CBP website to check on the estimated waiting times at all U.S. air, land and sea borders before making their travel plans.

Do you like your vacations HOT or COOL?

The Weather boys and girls tell me that most of the US is covered in snow, freezing rain, or just cold miserable rain.  Some parts of the South are flooding and in the North there are white out road conditions.  But here in Florida it’s sunny and warm.  Our cold snap arrived a few days ago and our high temps have only been in the 60’s.  I know what you’re thinking “those poor people in Florida having to put up with weather like that”.  I almost feel guilty about complaining that the weather is too nice and that I miss the ice and snow.  I live where we only have 2 seasons, hot and hotter.  I’d love a vacation that would require me to bring a coat.

My dream winter vacation is to be in a mountain cabin with a large stone fire place and a cozy yet ample kitchen, a 4 wheel drive rental car, a snow mobile, and a quaint little town with a gourmet market close by.  I would spend my days playing in the snow and ice skating, shopping in cute little shops and drinking hot coco.  My evenings would be spent cooking savory little comfort food meals for two and drinking red wine by the fire while wearing my Snuggie.  But after about a week of that, I’d be ready to be back home with the sun and warm weather.

To that end, I’m planning my 2010 winter vacation and my husband and I are thinking either going back to Houston to visit family OR a trip to Gatlinburg for the Smoky Mountain Winterfest. 

If price and time were not a factor where would your dream winter vacation take you?

No matter if you like your winter vacation HOT-HOT-HOT or COLD-COLD-COLD we can HELP-HELP-HELP.  Winter 2010 is just around the corner, start planning now.  http://www.funcruises4you.com