Name: Kathy Haslam
Blog name: Sea Salt Galley Kat
Where were you born? Harrow, Ontario but most of my adult life was spent in Nova Scotia.
Where are you living now? Montreal, Quebec
Why did you start your blog?
I started Sea Salt Galley Kat to supplement our sailing adventure blog (R.E.D. sails in the sunset) As with our sailing blog I wanted to document some of the recipes we have enjoyed onboard. I found a quote from Anna Thomas that spoke to our dining style whether on land or water: ‘We all have to eat and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly’.
Our eating style is, and has been from the beginning of our relationship, one of ‘dining’ rather than just consuming food…making sure the table is well set and meals, however simple, are well presented…and I was determined from the beginning that we would continue to dine well aboard R.E.D. even with the space and facility limitations. My recipes aren’t gourmet by any means but I love the challenge of creating something delicious and meaningful with limited provisions, facilities and space.
Would you like to know a little bit about my galley(I call it mine because my husband’s cooking domain is the back-of-the-boat barbecue)? It consists of a tiny 9” sink with a hand pump faucet linked to a 2.5 gallon water reservoir; a one-burner alcohol stove; a 1.7 cubic foot marine refrigerator; and no more than 10” of counter space. Electricity is at a premium as our batteries are what give us the spark to start our engine, give power to our marine radio, refrigeration, lights and navigation equipment so unless we are on shore power we have to rely on the bare basics. Also, unless we have access to shore provisioning we have to make do with what I have brought onboard in advance.
How did you decide on your blog name?
Sea salt because of the water environment + I use it in my cooking.
Galley because that’s what a boat kitchen is called.
Kat is for my name (Kathy) and for my feline personality.
What do you blog about?
I blog about cooking on our boat from launch in late spring until haul out in late fall – the ins and outs of daily life onboard and the challenges involved. During our on-land months (November to April) I transform recipes to accommodate our onboard environment.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you?
I think all of my posts demonstrating the challenges of overcoming the limitations of cooking onboard to produce creative delicious meals embodies who I as a person.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
It’s hard to choose. I sometimes wonder if my readers get that my very delicious Potato Puttanesca Salad was made with canned potatoes because it made provisioning easier and that my Sweet Potato Maple Sausage Pie was cooked in my stove top ‘oven’
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
My simple warm lentil salad. It was just a simple lentil and vegetable mix that I created for us to enjoy 3 different ways but it received the most page views ever.
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
With all the great recipes and dining options my biggest challenge is focus. If time allowed I would be creating and blogging 24/7. When it comes to delicious creations there seems to be no shortage of inspiration. My second biggest challenge is transforming recipes to accommodate my little galley. And finally, while onboard wifi access to keep my blog current isn’t always available.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
So many favourite blogs but if I were to chose just two these would be my top choices:
Rock My Mouth: Super delicious original recipes, beautiful images and love her humorous easy blogging style.
She Eats is one of my faves. Love her beautiful images and her local/seasonal focus.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
Favourite food is fish or seafood: my latest addition to my blog is a Captain Cooks component. Here is his most recent creation of Guinness Glazed Maple Salmon.
What are you working on next for your blog?
Looking ahead to being back on the water and our upcoming next 2015 two-month sailing adventure (Montreal to New York); our 2016 sailing trip from Montreal to Nova Scotia; and our 2017 year long Great American Loop that will take up from Montreal, through the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico then up the Eastern seaboard back home. I am focusing more on easy healthy recipes using limited provisions while picking up fresh provisions from locations along the way.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
I am learning to live small. Being on a 26 foot sailboat for 5-6 months of the year I have come to appreciate more and more our simple minimalist lifestyle.
What makes your blog unique?
What separates my blog from the others is the environment in which my recipes are created. It’s not just a tiny kitchen (galley) with limited resources in which I create but a galley that is constantly in motion. Sometimes the motion is minimal – sometimes the motion is really ‘rock and roll’.
What’s your Favourite FBC Feature?
I really look forward to the FBC Weekly News. It give me a chance to read about what others are writing about and it gives me inspiration for new things to create.
Follow Sea Salt Galley Kat on Social Media
Many thanks for the honour FBC! You have made me one proud Canadian food blogger!
Ahoy Kat! and thanks again FBC! I always enjoy discovering new members through these feature profiles 🙂