Salisbury Steak — Fancy Hamburger in Mushroom Gravy. Outstanding.

by Off the Galley Mike | May 12, 2023 | Beef, Comfort Food, Dinner

Let me tell you what Salisbury steak actually is — it’s a fancy hamburger patty smothered in mushroom gravy. That’s it. And it’s absolutely outstanding. Don’t let the old-school cafeteria reputation fool you. When it’s made right — with...

Crispy Fried Chicken — The Friday Night Recipe That Kept Morale Alive

by Off the Galley Mike | May 5, 2023 | Chicken, Comfort Food, Dinner

Friday night on the boat was sacred. That was the one meal every week where we pulled out the good stuff — steaks, seafood, and most importantly, fried chicken. When you’re 400 feet underwater and haven’t seen sunlight in three weeks, Friday fried chicken...

Beef Stew — Thick, Chunky, and You Can Stand a Spoon in It

by Off the Galley Mike | Apr 26, 2023 | Beef, Comfort Food, Soup & Stew

There’s stew and then there’s stew. The watery kind where you’re basically drinking beef-flavored broth with a spoon? That’s soup pretending to be stew. Real stew is thick. Chunky. The kind where you can stand a spoon up in it and it...

Homemade Mac and Cheese — Better Than the Box, and That’s Saying Something

by Off the Galley Mike | Apr 19, 2023 | Comfort Food, Family Friendly Recipies, Side Dish

My daughter told me this mac and cheese is “better than the box kind.” She’s seven. She eats mac and cheese roughly four times a week. So when she looks up from her plate and says something like that, I’m counting it as a Michelin star. Mac and...

Creamy Mashed Potatoes — Butter Is Not Optional

by Off the Galley Mike | Apr 10, 2023 | Comfort Food, Side Dish

I once peeled potatoes for 300 people on a destroyer. Took me four hours and most of my will to live. The upside? I got very, very good at mashed potatoes. I learned what makes them silky instead of gluey, fluffy instead of dense, and why some batches taste like a...