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27 January 2017

Flashback Friday | On Sausages, Chemical Packets & Generosity



Today is Flashback Friday. The idea is to republish an old post of yours that maybe didn't get enough attention, or that you're really proud of, or you think is still relevant etc. We started this blog three years ago and have lots more followers now then we did back then (thanks guys!) so many folks may not have seen some of our earlier blog posts. 

We're currently in the process of getting ready to set sail for the Bahamas for the season and I've been putting together a list of what provisions we'll need. Food is super expensive in the Bahamas (understandably as most things have to be shipped over), so we're going to try to bring as much as we can with us. 

As I was trying to figure out exactly how many cans of tomatoes we need to bring with us, I stumbled across this old post that I wrote when we were cruising in New Zealand. It's got a recipe for one of our favorite meals - bangers and mash. Just take some sausages covered in chemical-laden gravy and serve it on equally chemical-laden instant mashed potatoes and you're in heaven.

{This post was originally published in May 2014. You can find it here.}

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Friday & Saturday, 28-29 March 2014

Sausages, chemical packets and generosity. Three things you probably never thought you would see stringed together in the title of a blog post. But they basically sum up our time in Waiheke Island, so there you go.

After anchoring in Man O'War Bay on the eastern side of Waiheke the night before, we headed over to Rocky Bay on the southern side to do a walk in the regional park there. {There will be one of my usual rambling "going for a walk" photo posts coming up. You'll want to check it out if you're into zombie wallabies.} Rocky Bay is a bit exposed and was getting roly-poly so we shifted over to Awaawaroa Bay for the night. The next day, we were back at Rocky Bay for another walk and one of our dinghy misadventures.

Next it was off to Putiki Bay to re-provision at the Countdown in Ostend, where we ran into our former boat neighbor at Westhaven Marina. We've run into him several times this summer and love chatting with him. He is retired and spends a lot of time single-handing his boat around the Hauraki Gulf. And this is where the generosity comes in. Not only does he have every imaginable bit and bob squirreled away on his boat which he'll loan you, he also offered to let me crash on his boat when he heard I was going to need a place to stay in between selling the boat and heading back to the States to buy the next one.

So generous, so sweet! We don't know him that well, yet he was telling us where he keeps the key and where the blankets are stored. You keep hearing stories about the generosity and kindness of sailors and its true. Whether it is having someone give you heaps of scallops or the offer of a place to stay. Lovely. {Not to worry, we didn't take him up on his offer and have something else sorted out for accommodation.}

Well, now on to the other two words...sausages and chemical packets. If that sounds appetizing to you, here is a simple recipe so you can recreate this delicious meal on your boat.

Recipe: Chemical Smothered Sausages & Potatoes
 
Step 1 - Mill around the grocery store saying to each other, "I don't know, what do you think we should have for dinner?" Say this back and forth to each other at least 13 times until finally someone says, "Hey, why don't we have bangers and mash?" {Translation tip: "bangers" mean "sausages" in Americano}

Step 2 - Go over to the meat department and hem and haw over the price of sausages. The cheapest ones are going for NZ$7.49 and it seems like a lot of money just to satisfy your need to eat dead animals. To be fair, there are cheaper ones, but they seem contain more fillers than dead animals in them.

Step 3 - Roam around the store and try to think of something else to make which: (a) is cheaper than sausages; (b) takes into account the cooking facilities aboard your boat and (c) involves dead animals.

Step 4 - Give up and put a packet of lamb sausages in your basket.

Step 5 - Try to figure out how to make mash to go with your bangers. Buying potatoes, boiling them and mashing them seems way too hard. Consider buying a packet of instant mashed potatoes, but decide that would be a step too far. It is tricky balance between not wanting to put any effort into cooking a meal and not wanting to feel like a complete failure by using ready-made products.

Step 6 - Remember that you have a can of potatoes on the boat. Decide to fry them up with some onions in lieu of mash. Problem solved. Overall, this will probably take as much time as making mashed potatoes, but opening a can seems so much easier than peeling a potato.

Step 7 - Talk about how gravy makes everything taste better. But of course, who wants to make their own. Remember, you can't even be bothered to make mashed potatoes! So this is where the chemical packets come in. The grocery store has a wide selection of packets and jars of chemical powder that magically turn into gravy with the addition of water. Brilliant. Buy a packet, being careful not to look to closely at the ingredients list.

Step 8 - Lug your groceries back to the dinghy, head back to the boat and move to a new anchorage on Motutapu Island for the night. Drop the hook. Stare at each other for at least 45 minutes until someone breaks down and agrees to make dinner. It was me.

Step 9 - One of you reclines on the settee and offers really "helpful" advice on how to make chemical smothered sausages and potatoes and then claims that they made dinner. That would be Scott.

Step 10 - Eat. Enjoy. Digest.

Overall

Total nautical miles =30
Number of dinghy misadventures = 1
Number of chemical packets consumed = 1
Cost of chemical packet = NZ$0.89
Cost of lamb sausages = NZ$7.49
Number of happy people after eating sausages & chemicals = 2

What's your favorite comfort food? Do you like bangers and mash?

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20 comments:

  1. Bangers and mash are the best! The Fresh Market by our Miami mooring field had real bangers for sale - I think this is the first we've ever seen in the States. Matt cooked them up with an amazing wine and onions sauce, and we make mash out of instant mash. We even had a beer with this dinner! There is never any question about who is making dinner on our boat. The trick is to burn / destroy / mess up three dinners in a row, right at the beginning, so dinner duties are never again assigned to this terrible cook. Anyway, there are more bangers in the freezer so I vote we celebrate our joint Bahamian arrival in 2020 with a bangers and mash dinner!

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    1. At the rate we're going, it's going to be more like 2024 before all meet up :-(

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  2. One of the first things we do after crossing the border into Canada is go to a proper butcher shop and buy several pounds of beef sausages -- YUM! Our dish of choice is sausage, egg and chip with a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale but we never say no to bangers and mash!

    Stephanie @ SV CAMBRIA

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    1. YES! We bought so much fresh, farm grown meat in Canada, delicious! Newcastle is also one of our beers of choice.... We must be related somehow.....

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  3. Sounds like a great meal. I'd have that without issue.

    My favorite comfort food is meatloaf with potatoes and gravy.

    Have a fabulous day and weekend. ☺

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    1. Meatloaf is always a popular comfort food with folks. Brings back childhood memories for me.

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  4. You're so funny! I loved the dinghy misadventures, but those barnacles sound painful. Still, you learned your "the tides are ag'in you" lesson. Thanks for sharing your "flashback" stories and for making me laugh. Loved them!!

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  5. ANYTHING with gravy is my comfort food, and Bill makes the best! Sausage gravy is made from dark beer and onions.

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    1. Sign me up for one of Bill's meals. His gravy sounds delish!

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  6. The days of eating unhealthy food are long gone. We were eating relatively healthy before Mark got sick two years ago and now, knowing what we know about (processed) food, we are on a plant-based "diet" and feeling better for it. Sometimes, we do still splurge on sausages and chocolate chip cookies, though. :-)

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  7. Oh, bangers and mash has always been a favourite - one that I could even cook. I There was an instant mash in the UK, advertised by metal aliens, called. "For mash use Smash" went the TV jingle. Not sure how near to a potato this was as it comprised dehydrated piece.

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    1. I meant to say the mash was called 'Smash' - before the jingle. Sorry, Ellen.

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    2. I think I remember Smash from my days in the UK. It's better not to ask too many questions when you buy products like Smash and instant gravy about what resemblance it bears to real food :-)

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  8. Oh my this made me laugh so hard! And I really need it as I have not been feeling so hot the last couple of days.

    Thanks for sharing....I am still laughing...

    - Lisa

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    1. Glad I could give you a wee laugh. Hope you feel better soon :-)

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  9. That sounds about like my grocery shopping trips, except my conversation is with myself. I'm not a fan of cooking, so I like the quick and easy short cuts. I want to eat healthy, it's just not as easy...*sigh*

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  10. Thank you, this was very helpful and indeed saved me a lot of time!

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