The Fleet Report and Daily for Saturday July 30th, 2022

[richwmn]

 

Today is Father-in-Law Day, International Day of Friendship, and National Cheesecake Day
 

I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever.--Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire

Meal Suggestion for today - marinated tofu with peanuts and charred bean sprout
Drink of the Day - Dry Rye Manhattan
Wine of the Day - Ottella 2020 Le Creete (Lugana)
Destination of the Day - Leixoes (Porto), Portugal
 

Eurodam

Seattle, Washington 07:00 - 16:00
 

Koningsdam

Vancouver, BC Canada 07:00 - 16:30
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 07/31
 

Nieuw Statendam

St Johns NL, Newfoundland-Labrador Canada 11:00 - 19:00
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Whittier, Alaska eta 07/31
 

Oosterdam

At Sea Destination Santorini Island, Thira, Greece eta 07/31
 

Rotterdam

At Sea Amsterdam, Netherlands eta 07/31
 

Westerdam

Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada 18:00 - 23:59
 

Zaandam

Scrabster, Scotland 08:00 - 17:00
 

Zuiderdam

Skagway, Alaska 07:00 - 21:00
 

Volendam

Rotterdam Waalhaven Ukraine Relief
 

 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[MISTER 67]

Good morning from beautiful Southwest Florida. 

Pretty good quote.

Good selection of days especially Cheesecake Day.

Pass on the meal.

I like Manhattans so would probably like the drink.

Good day yesterday on the golf course as I beat my age by 3 shots with a 73, I was in a little bit of a slump so it felt good to get my swing back.

Off to breakfast at our favorite diner in a few minutes, usually a Western Omelet for me.

Thanks for The Daily, stay well and have a great day.

Edited July 30, 2022 by MISTER 67

[4966and556]

Thank you for the Daily Fleet Report! 

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Happy Saturday.  Thanks for the Fleet and Daily Report.

 

No father-in-laws here.  Jim's dad died the year before we were married and my dad died 15 years ago.  We miss them both.  Friends are very important.  Love cheesecake.

Interesting quote.

I'll pass on the meal.   I'm sure I'll like the drink and the wine.

Porto was a stop on a cancelled cruise.  Oh well, maybe another time.🤞

 

Prayers for everyone.

Stay safe.

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

Thank you for today's daily and fleet reports Rich.

This photo was one of my favourites of Roy my lovely Father in law and our Sarah with me about 32 years ago.

Cheesecake is lovely.

Excellent quote and sometimes I wish we could freeze time.

Not sure about the food and drink.

We have been to Lisbon many times but never to Porto.

Prayers 🙏 and very best wishes for everyone in need especially our care list.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Graham.

 

[summer slope]

Dry Rye Manhattan cocktail:

 

Ingredients
1 1/2 parts Canadian Club® 100% Rye
3/4 part dry vermouth
1 dash Angostura® Bitters
1 dash Simple Syrup
Garnish with Lemon Peel

Instructions
Stir first four ingredients together. Add a lemon peel, after zesting over glass. Served straight or on the rocks.

 

[kazu]

Thanks for our Saturday Daily, Rich.

 

Friendship is so important and deserves celebrating.  My FIL passed away many years ago, sadly.

 

I don’t like today’s quote - I do NOT want to freeze this moment in time.  We were in Leixoes & Porto on our last cruise on the EE.  Fabulous - loved it and would love to go back.  I will look for pics and post them later (unless they are duplicates) when I get back.

 

On the agenda today - get the bundle of trouble in a kennel so I can go out & buy her a different harness & leash in the hopes that helps 🤞 She does NOT want to go in the kennel.  I’ve left her out while I am here but I don’t dare when I am out.  Maybe she will learn that it isn’t for a long time?

 

 

Oh, did I say she was blocked from the garden?  Where there’s a will, there’s a way.  

 

 

Prayers for everyone on the Care list & for those that need them and a 🥂 to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

Have a great Saturday everyone !!!!!

 

 

Stay safe & please don’t forget your 😷 when / where needed.

[0106]

Tofu is made from soybean curds. It is naturally gluten-free and low in calories. It contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of protein, iron and calcium. I know many Daily readers do not eat tofu.  That is probably because you haven’t had it prepared properly. Here are a few things you need to know about tofu.

Pressing tofu: The most common way to buy it is packed in water. You usually need to press the tofu to drain most of the water, especially for stir fries or baked tofu. To press it very quickly, remove the tofu from the water pack and cut into cubes. Place the cubed tofu on a flat surface like a cutting board, lined with paper towels (or a clean tea towel.) Cover with more paper towels, a baking sheet, and then place something heavy on top like a cast iron skillet. This way, you only need to let it press for about 15 minutes while you make the marinade.

Cooking tofu in a skillet:  After the tofu has marinated, warm a few tablespoons of canola oil in a pan, cast iron preferred. Remove the tofu from the marinade, but do NOT discard the extra sauce. Place the tofu in the pan and fry until golden brown on all sides.

Prevent tofu from sticking to the pan: The key to keep tofu from sticking to the bottom of a pan is this: when you first add the tofu cubes to the hot pan with oil coating the bottom, let them cook, without trying to move them AT ALL, for 3-4 minutes. (This is a general cooking rule; it works with meat too.) They should get browned and crispy on the bottom by then, and will be much easier to flip. Repeat once you flip them. Do this instead of trying to move them around too much. Use a quality spatula to move them around in the pan, and be gentle.

Baked tofu: If you prefer to make this tofu oil free, it can be easier to bake them. It works well, they just won’t be as crispy as if you fried them. To bake, place the marinated tofu cubes on a silicone mat or a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, flip and bake 20 minutes more. To add extra flavor, quickly sauté the baked tofu in a pan with the extra marinade.

 

I always marinade my tofu.  Here are six different marinades: Cilantro Lime, BBQ, Teriyaki, Balsamic, Fajita, Peanut Sauce  https://foodwithfeeling.com/marinated-tofu-recipe/

 

I could only find one recipe for the  meal suggestion of the day, Marinated Tofu with Peanuts and Charred Bean Sprouts  https://www.punchfork.com/recipe/Marinated-Tofu-with-Peanuts-and-Charred-Bean-Sprouts-Epicurious

For good measure, here’s one of my favorite recipes, Peanut Tofu with Coconut Rice.  Quick to make and the peanut sauce is extraordinary.  https://www.noracooks.com/peanut-buddha-bowl/

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Just gorgeous here this morning. Bindi and I had a long walk to start the day. 
 

Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Morning Dailyites! @kazu Jacqui loved Shadow’s debut video. A joy to watch her being a dog!

One of the great questions of life……

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone!

 

*********

Ottella 2020 Le Creete (Lugana)

Another white I would love to taste. Available from several online distributors with prices starting at $17.99.

Distributor notes

This aromatic, lemon-kissed white is unforgettable. It earned a staggering 95 points from Decanter AND a spot in Wine Enthusiast’s Enthusiast 100. Add in the 4.33-star average that Le Creete has earned from Wine Access members, and you’ve got one of the most exceptional white-wine deals going.

Wine Access Tasting Note

The wine presents a platinum-green and copper-tinged color in the glass. The aromas transport the senses to a tropical paradise, with notes of mandarin peel, herbs, and spice, plus a hint of honeysuckle. The mouthfeel is full and waxy, with layers of limestone-mineral and spice leading into a long, lingering finish. Drink now–2024.

Critic Review

95 pts Decanter

Francesco Montresor left a legal profession to take over the family estate, which he converted from mixed agriculture to viticulture. The property, one of the oldest in Lugana, has 95ha in various plots in the Veronese part of the DOC, including vineyards directly overlooking Lake Garda. Creete is a toothsome late-picked, single-vineyard selection with a hint of tropical fruits and candied peel on the nose then a rich palate sustained by succulent acidity and a long, dry finish.

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning from a very overcast Bluffton, SC.

I don’t think we will get much sun today.

Thank you Rich for the Daily.

i like all three of the days.  

My Father-in-law passed away before Jim and I were married.  However, I knew him and he was one of the nicest persons I ever met.  He was a true gentleman.  it rubbed off on his son.

Friendship is important. If we could all play nice in the sandbox, there would be less animosity in this world.

i love cheesecake.

I have been to Porto.  However, don’t have any photos to share.  Long story.

I will pass on the meal.  

The drink is too strong for me, but I am sure that DH would love to have one.

The wine looks good.

Prayers for everyone on the cares list. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

 

Last night before I went to bed I took two Advil.  I usually don’t because it can cause stomach problems.  However the pain in my hands was so bad, I had no choice.  Well, this morning the pain is considerably less.  I hate taking those pills and really cannot take them often, but it really did help.

 

Have a great Saturday and stay safe.  

God Bless,

Terri

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  Another nice start to our day but clouds and possible rain expected later.  We had a big rain last night before bedtime.  Plans today are to do laundry.  😏  Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor the Saturday Daily and Fleet Report.  Friendship is a good cause to celebrate, cheesecake sounds great right about now.  I could eat dessert anytime of the day.  We lost my FIL in 2004 unexpectedly from a heart attack.  He was in the hospital because his first chemo treatment for lung cancer made him so sick.  The doctor was right there when the heart attack occurred and still they couldn't save him.  None of the family was with him, and he was on his way for more tests when it happened.  Very sad tale.  At least he didn't have to go through a long drawn out painful cancer treatment, but still.😥

 

The quote today is a good one but I'd like to freeze time about 3 years ago before Covid.  Those were the good, old days!  No thanks to the menu suggestion but Tina @0106good job on the tofu tutorial.  I will be praying for all on the Care list today and our Ukraine friends.  Thanks also for the wine and drink reports @cat shepardAnn and @summer slopeDixie.  Leixos (Porto), Portugal was our port on May 9, 2021 and we all seemed to enjoy sharing our photos from that port.  I have some to share, too.  A big shoutout to all on the Celebration list.  Enjoy your happy times!

 

Have a great Saturday!

 

I start out with the train station in Porto.  Besides the beautiful tiles inside the train station I remember everyone just standing inside with their heads tilted back gazing upward at all the tile murals.  These people weren't looking at the train schedule, just the tile work.

 

 

Walking up to the beautiful Porto Cathedral.

 

 

 

This monument was on the terrace in front of the church.

 

View of the river from the terrace

 

A boat on that river

 

The architecture around the city was beautiful.  

 

 

 

 

 

I would easily go back to Porto for another look.  A beautiful place!

 

Edited to add we saw Porto while on our 2019 Prinsendam cruise, our final voyage on that beautiful ship.  

Edited July 30, 2022 by StLouisCruisers

[ottahand7]

Good Saturday morning! 56 degrees and warming up today.   I will be cleaning the cabin and doing my manicure while watching horse racing from Saratoga today.  I use the dip powder for my manicure but it is an hour plus to get the old polish off.   The new goes on in 15 minutes. We had a pretty sunrise this morning.  I found my missing Monarch larva on my Milkweed. So happy it is still going strong.  

 

My avatar photo is from Leixos near the "Eiffel Tower" bridge. That is all I have all others are on my laptop. I was there September 2018 on the Konigsdam.  It was a beautiful day. 

 

Prayers for all on Roy's care list and cheers to those on a ship or celebrating.   Rich thank you for pulling this together on a daily basis! Have a great Saturday. 

 

Sunrise today and my rolling tomato plants. I have their containers on carts to follow the sun and nestle against the warm logs at night. A busy Coneflower loaded with Orange Rumped Bumblebees. 

[grapau27]

26 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Good morning friends!  Another nice start to our day but clouds and possible rain expected later.  We had a big rain last night before bedtime.  Plans today are to do laundry.  😏  Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor the Saturday Daily and Fleet Report.  Friendship is a good cause to celebrate, cheesecake sounds great right about now.  I could eat dessert anytime of the day.  We lost my FIL in 2004 unexpectedly from a heart attack.  He was in the hospital because his first chemo treatment for lung cancer made him so sick.  The doctor was right there when the heart attack occurred and still they couldn't save him.  None of the family was with him, and he was on his way for more tests when it happened.  Very sad tale.  At least he didn't have to go through a long drawn out painful cancer treatment, but still.😥

 

The quote today is a good one but I'd like to freeze time about 3 years ago before Covid.  Those were the good, old days!  No thanks to the menu suggestion but Tina @0106good job on the tofu tutorial.  I will be praying for all on the Care list today and our Ukraine friends.  Thanks also for the wine and drink reports @cat shepardAnn and @summer slopeDixie.  Leixos (Porto), Portugal was our port on May 9, 2021 and we all seemed to enjoy sharing our photos from that port.  I have some to share, too.  A big shoutout to all on the Celebration list.  Enjoy your happy times!

 

Have a great Saturday!

 

I start out with the train station in Porto.  Besides the beautiful tiles inside the train station I remember everyone just standing inside with their heads tilted back gazing upward at all the tile murals.  These people weren't looking at the train schedule, just the tile work.

 

 

Walking up to the beautiful Porto Cathedral.

 

 

 

This monument was on the terrace in front of the church.

 

View of the river from the terrace

 

A boat on that river

 

The architecture around the city was beautiful.  

 

 

 

 

 

I would easily go back to Porto for another look.  A beautiful place!

 

Edited to add we saw Porto while on our 2019 Prinsendam cruise, our final voyage on that beautiful ship.  

Thank you for posting your nice photos from Porto Sandi.

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Rich for the Daily Report, thank you Roy for the Cares and Celebration Report, and thank you Tina for today's recipes. And thank you all for being here! Happy Saturday!

 

Stay Safe!

 

- Jack

[cunnorl]

Good Morning from a sunny and warm day at the beach

      No rain here but you never know.   I love cheescake. Just had a piece with a salted caramel sauce at Fishlips the other nite. Excellent!

     Never been to todays port. Thanks Sandi for the pictures.

      All is quiet here at the beach. It is a nice time of year. Although Cape Canaveral is quite busy and they are building 2 more hotels.  It is wonderful to see the ships coming in and out again. One of my friends works for RCL and she keeps us all entertained with some of the passenger stories. 

        We are going on the river tonite with some friends. It is the time of the bioluminescence and it is amazing to see.

      Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Be safe and enjoy today

[smitty34877]

Good morning to all. We have been to Porto and enjoyed our day there. I will spare you my pictures. Thanks to Tina for the recipes and tofu ideas. I often make tofu dishes for myself and have them for lunch. The peanut sauce sounds wonderful.

Well I am sure it is not a surprise to anyone that we all are testing positive for Covid this morning. My DH has a number of medical problems and I am worried about him but we are all concerned about Tana.Three of us will start the pavloxid and we will all hope for the best. Our neighbors are still testing positive but said all their  cases were mild. Let us hope that is the story here.

 

Terry 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[0106]

9 minutes ago, cunnorl said:

We are going on the river tonite with some friends. It is the time of the bioluminescence and it is amazing to see.

Could you tell us a bit more about this. Are there tours?  Can you only see it during certain months?  I did not know you could see bioluminescence in FL.  I was lucky enough to experience it once in Puerto Rico and would like to do it again.

[Cruzin Terri]

12 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning to all. We have been to Porto and enjoyed our day there. I will spare you my pictures. Thanks to Tina for the recipes and tofu ideas. I often make tofu dishes for myself and have them for lunch. The peanut sauce sounds wonderful.

Well I am sure it is not a surprise to anyone that we all are testing positive for Covid this morning. My DH has a number of medical problems and I am worried about him but we are all concerned about Tana.Three of us will start the pavloxid and we will all hope for the best. Our neighbors are still testing positive but said all their  cases were mild. Let us hope that is the story here.

 

Terry 

Oh Terry, I am so sorry to hear this.  Hopefully the Paxlovid will knock it out of your systems very quickly. We were not fortunate enough to get it when we had it on our cruise.

Prayers for all of you.

Terri

[marshhawk]

Happy Saturday Dailyites!  We had a very heavy rain early last night while driving to our meetings, and then the sky cleared, above us, but there were thunderclouds around us for hours.  Sometime in the middle of the night, another st:orm broke over us lots of BIG bangs, we both woke up, rolled over, and fell back asleep, and I slept til 8 twenty this morning!

 

I love cheese cake, DH loved the idea of the tofu, I'm allergic to soy, so too much and I am not a well person.  Last night I told DH that I wanted to change our dinner plans up to see if I could keep my blood sugar down,  Usually on Friday night, its a small cheese burger, and 8 onion rings, and the blood sugar sky rockets.  Last night we went Mexican, and I had a marinated flank steak with refried black beans.  NO sugar spike.  Yeah!

 

[travelnap]

I am very willing to help out our fellow dailyites.  Those of you who enjoy tofu, please send me your cheesecake and I am willing to send you some tofu in exchange.  That way we all get what we want.

[cunnorl]

6 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Could you tell us a bit more about this. Are there tours?  Can you only see it during certain months?  I did not know you could see bioluminescence in FL.  I was lucky enough to experience it once in Puerto Rico and would like to do it again.

 Bioluminescence is a natual phenomena. It occurs in the summer months , mostly  late July thru August. Although there is some that begins earlier and extends  into October. It is best seen 5 days after the full moon, and of course it only can be seen at night. If you have seen it before, you know how amazing it is. Totally fascinating to see fish glow like fireflies or a string of pearls. Never gets old.

    Brevard county ( Pt Canaveral, Cocoa Beach) has the best viewing.  There are several tours along the river and the lagoon. Some are kayaks and others are a pontoon type boat.  It is very popular.

[richwmn]

I have mentioned a couple of time that I took a 14 day land trip between two cruises a few years ago. Porto was one of the places I stayed for a short 3 days. I wish it had been more.

The first two pictures are of the area around my hotel, then the hotel itself. The rest are around Porto, many from the HoHo bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  Both of our fathers made wonderful fathers-in-law; they were helpful, loving guides without being intrusive.  I'm all about friendship and treasure the ones I've made over the years.  So many people look at cheesecake with stars in their eyes - for me it's a heavy end to a meal, so easily give it a pass.

 

Oh my gosh, we've been seeing the devastating flooding taking place in Kentucky on the news - unbelievable!!  I hope none of our cruising friends are involved, and grieve with those who have lost family and everything they've worked so hard for over the years.

 

Well our hot spell has broken overnight, so this morning we're looking at grey skies, a good breeze and humidity level of 78% - everything feels sticky and I can't wait for the rain to come so it levels out again.  Here on the "frozen tundra" we have a dry heat and a dry cold, so we're not used to feeling moisture on our skin!  LOL

 

@kazuYou really are an angel to Shadow; I'm sure she will soon realize you're there to help, not harm her and will submit to your loving care.

@cunnorlI would love to see the bioluminescence; I've only seen it on television - I'm sure it's much more impressive in person.

@smitty34877oh no, the whole family - sending prayers that you only have the mildest of cases and that it doesn't hit Tana as well.  Please reach out to others around you for help while you are battling it, so you don't run yourself down trying to care for everyone in the house.

 

Not a lot happening here today, so I think I'll finish up sewing and return the dining room table to it's original state.  I discovered yesterday that my little Bernette 60 by Bernina doesn't do a decent stretch stitch, so had to use a different fabric to make the padded luggage handles.  At this stage of my life, I'm not about to start buying  a new model just to use stretch fabric.  

 

Although neither of us is a fan of tofu, the last one with peanut sauce does appeal to me, especially if the tofu is baked and has a crunch to it, rather than being mushy.  I think I'll tuck the recipe away for another day though, as DH's daughter called last night and wants us to come over to see their new fence that has needed replacing for a long time.  She's going to do a beef roast in the Instant Pot and all I have to do is bring along a salad.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them and even for those who don't think they do.  Extra for the people of Ukraine and their bravery.  We'll clink the glasses together to celebrate everyone on the happy list.  Stay well, wear masks when needed, get your boosters, and be safe.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

Edited July 30, 2022 by ger_77