The SEA-soned Boat Cook

Blog copyright Janet Groene 2024. To place your ad on all six Groene sites for one year, one low rate, email janetgroene at yahoo.com

Galley Recipe of the Week

GREEN SEAS HOT DISH

Make this creamy, one-burner  dish with cream of chicken, mushroom or celery soup or a mixture. 

About 18 soft corn 6-inch tortillas

20-ounce package ground beef, pork or turkey

Medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cans condensed cream of something soup

13-ounce can evaporated milk

1/3  cup tequila

2 cans diced green chilies, well drained

10-ounce brick of cheese such as Monterey Jack, grated

Hot sauce (Optional)

Stack tortillas and use scissors to cut them in quarters or eighths. Set aside. In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onion and garlic. Cover and let simmer over low heat to soften onion. Spoon away any excess fat. 

In a bowl whisk soups, evaporated milk and tequila. Fold into the meat mixture with the chilies and tortilla pieces. Cover and cook over low-medium heat 10-15 minutes. Fold in part of the cheese until it melts. Save the rest to top the finished dish. Serves 6-8. Pass the hot sauce. 

 
    Canned and packaged foods are good boating insurance. Even a day sail can turn into a longer-than-planned, hungry and even life-threatening adventure. For a book on provisioning a boat with familiar, affordable pantry foods from the supermarket see Survival Food Handbook, published by International Marine division of McGraw-Hill.   http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

 

Pantry Recipe of the Week

This feature is about recipes made entirely from shelf-stable ingredients. When fresh food supplies are running low or  when you are on a long passage or you arrive broken in a new port,  rely on your pantry to provide provisions that are balanced, nutritious and crew-saving. Gourmet? No, but a well-thought stand-by pantry can fill in before you have to delve into those dreaded doomsday rations in the bilge. 

Oil-Free Salad Dressing

When you're out of fresh vegetables, a tangy salad dressing can perk up canned vegetables such as artichokes, hearts of palm, water chestnuts and cut green beans. 

Powdered pectin is a  compact, light weight, natural product and a low-calorie thickener to use in dressings, sauces, smoothies and to make jams and jellies. It’s a good product to carry on board  if you like to make jelly from native fruits found in your travels. 

1 tablespoon powdered pectin

1 tablespoon sugar or equivalent

½ teaspoon each dried, crumbled basil, dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

6-ounce can V-8 juice, regular or spicy

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1-2 tablespoons pickle relish (optional) 

Stir everything together and let stand one hour. Spoon over hot or cold vegetables, pasta, rice, grilled fish, etc. Leftovers should be refrigerated. 

See more sailing news, cruise views and cues for cruising sailors , liveaboards, charters worldwide at https://farleyHalladay.blogspot.com 

 

Tips for the Galley Chef

* Make a quick loaf of bread in the slow cooker. Whisk 2 eggs with a cup of sour cream, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup milk and a teaspoon or vanilla or orange extract. Fold in  3 cups biscuit mix and ½ cup raisins. Combine well but do not over-beat.  Put in greased cooker. Bake on High 2 hours. 

* The next time you make French toast, make a double batch. Then dice the leftovers to make a breakfast strata the next day.

* Make shortcut stuffed cabbage.  Wrap each limp cabbage leaf around a slice of deli corned beef. Roll up, place in skillet seam side down, cover with marinara sauce and heat until cabbage is tender. Serve over rice. 

  * Bake a batch of moist, fudgy brownies.When they are cool enough, form into balls and dip in melted chocolate to make truffles. 

 

 

APRIL SHOWERS BRING 

MYSTERY MURDERS
 

    Curl up in your camper tonight with book 4 in the Yacht Yenta “cozy” mystery series, April Avenger  by widow Farley Halladay. Once a sailor, Farley now operates an online boat booking business that lets her sail virtually all over the world. She shares her shortcut galley recipes throughout the books. As a grieving widow she is also a cook, caregiver and kickass crime solver. For Kindle, Nook, Google Play and most other ebook formats.   https://amzn.to/3EKgaoP   

    

 

Galley Recipe of the Week

Blue Cheese Tomatoes

Turn tomatoes into a rich side dish or vegetarian main course.

A little sugar aids browning

About 3 pounds of ripe but still quite firm tomatoes

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon each pepper and salt

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 stick butter and more if needed

1 cup heavy cream

4-ounce tub of crumbled blue cheese

Cut thin slices from the top and bottom of the tomatoes and discard. Cut tomatoes into  thick slices. Mix flour, salt, pepper and brown sugar on a plate and dredge tomato slices. In a large skillet, melt some of the butter and fry tomatoes until brown and crusty, adding more butter as needed.  Remove tomatoes to plates. Add any remaining butter to the pan with the cream and blue cheese. Stir just until it begins to boil. Pour over tomatoes. Serves 6 to 8. 

Seas the Day: Let's Cook on Board!

 Blog copyright Janet Groene 2024. This free blog is created for cruising liveaboards on a shoestring budget. If you choose to support it with a voluntary, anonymous subscription,  send $10 a year via Paypal to Janetgroene at yahoo.com

 

 For ten happily houseless years I lived on board a 29-foot sloop in winter and a 21-foot diesel camper in summer.  My late husband and I were constantly on the go, making a living as travel writers. Our many books include How to Live Aboard a Boat and Dressing Ship, both published by Hearst Books. 

Scroll down to my bio at https://FarleyHalladay.blogspot.com 

 

 

Galley Recipe of the Week
Bean ‘n Bully Beef Shepherd’s Pie
    Make mashed potatoes from scratch or find readymade mashed potatoes in supermarkets.   Corned beef aka bully beef,  is very salty, so use low sodium everything else. To serve a larger crew, double up on the beans, onion and potatoes. A little corned beef goes a long way. 

 

12-14-ounce can of corned beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Large onion, diced fine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
15-ounce can of kidney beans, undrained
1 can condensed cream of tomato soup
Small can  evaporated milk
Water
1 tub of ready-made mashed potatoes (14 to 16 ounces) OR
2 or or more cups  prepared mashed potatoes
Melted butter

    In a large skillet, fry out corned beef in hot oil, breaking it up and gradually stirring in onion. Cover and reduce heat.  While this cooks over low heat, add water to evaporated milk to make one cup. Whisk soup, liquid and Worcestershire sauce. 
    Stir soup mixture into meat mixture. Fold in beans. Dot the top with small mounds of mashed potato and smooth it to make an even layer. Drizzle with melted butter. Cover and heat through. Serves 6. 

 

Farley Halladay is a 50-ish widow whose husband died in an unexplained fall from the mainmast. She's now in Florida, operating a charterboat booking agency online while caregiving, cooking her favorite galley recipes and solving crimes with the help of her dog, Scuppers, and her wacky friends. If you love cozy mysteries with a salty setting, light up your e-reader tonight with Book 4 of the Yacht Yenta series.

April Avenger is available for Kindle, Nook. Google Play and most other ebook formats.  https://amzn.to/3EKgaoP

 

Pantry Recipe of the Week
    No fresh foods are needed for the recipes in this regular feature. Use 'em if you got 'em, of course but these recipes inspire foods to keep in your stand-by pantry. 

 

Creamy Sweet Potato 

Soup for One
 

 

1 cup cold water
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 t. curry powder
1 teaspoon powdered bouillon (vegetable, chicken or beef)
1 jar or pouch pureed carrot baby food (4 ounces)
1 jar or pouch pureed sweet potato baby food (4 ounces)
    Stir dry milk, curry powder and cornstarch into cold water.  Heat and stir in bouillon to dissolve. Stir in baby foods. Heat, stirring until It thickens. It’s smooth enough to drink from a mug, or sprinkle with oyster crackers and spoon it from a bowl. Makes about 2 cups soup.

See news from the boating world from Farley Halladay at https://FarleyHalladay.blogspot.com  

 

SURVIVAL FOOD HANDBOOK SAVES THE DAY when you're out of fresh food. Whether it's fridge failure or you're broke or quarantined or weathered in, it's a guide to provisioning information, lists, tips and recipes made solely with stowed foods available from supermarkets.  Create a standby pantry with familiar, affordable staples. Even on a day cruise in a small boat, extra rations are a lifesaving must-have.

Kindle or paperback, it's a great gift idea for yourself or a friend.  https://amzn.to/3mIfryC 

 

 

 

 
Tips for the Galley Chef

    * Make curry butter. Melt 2 sticks butter with a tablespoon of curry powder. Put in a bowl or other mold and chill. Melt over vegetables, in soups, on steaks.

    * Store-bought shortcake cakes make great last-minute desserts. Fill with mandarin oranges sauced with orange flavored yogurt, or instant chocolate pudding and whipped topping, or chunky applesauce drizzled with hazelnut coffee creamer.

* Make a quick loaf of bread in the slow cooker. Whisk 2 eggs with a cup of sour cream, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup milk and a teaspoon vanilla or orange extract. Fold in 3 cups biscuit mix and ½ cup raisins. Combine but do not over-beat.  Put in a greased cooker sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake on High 2 hours or until it tests done with a toothpick. Top will not brown. Turn it out on the cutting board brown side up. 

 * Don’t toss leftover egg yolks. Cover with two tablespoons salad oil and keep cold up to three days. Enrich cookie dough, pancake batter, pound cake with an extra yolk or two. 

What's new in the waters of the world? See boating and sialing tidbits from around the world at https://FarleyHalladay.blogspot.com 

Skillet Meal of the Week
Aloha Hash

14-ounce smoked sausage such as kielbasa, sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Small can pineapple tidbits with juice

Slivered green pepper, cherry tomatoes ad lib
2 to 3 packets, 8 ounces each, ready-to-serve rice
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup (or more to taste) crisp Chinese noodles
Soy sauce

    Sizzle sausage in hot oil. Combine remaining ingredients except crisp noodles and spread over pan.  Cover and cook over low-medium heat until heated throughout. Just before serving, fold in crisp noodles. Pass the soy sauce.  Serves 4 to 6.

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Cruising Cooks on a Budget Go "Native"

Blog copyright Janet Groene, all rights reserved. Do you sell an outdoor recreation/travel-related product or service? To ask about placing one ad, one link for one year on all six Groene sites for one low rate, email janetgroene@yahoo.com

 


Galley Recipe of the Week
Dirty Rice

 

    In the old South, the help were given the gizzards, heart,  livers and other scraps from chickens  while the best parts stayed in the big house. These flavorful scraps were chopped fine, browned,  highly seasoned, bulked up with rice and called Dirty Rice.
    Local ground meat or sausage is your budget shortcut to this easy, delicious, one-pot soul food.

1 pound lean bulk sausage
Large onion, diced
Small green pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 3 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup long-grain rice
3 cups water
1 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon (such as Knorr Pollo)
Died parsley flakes (or fresh if you have it)
Tabasco sauce or other local hot sauce

    Fry out the sausage, breaking it up fine. Gradually stir in vegetables over high heat. Stir in rice to coat while scraping up pan drippings.  Add water and bouillon. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook over low-medium heat 20-3 minutes  until rice is plump and tender.
    Fold in parsley or sprinkle it on top. Pass the Tabasco. Serves 4 to 6. Leftovers freeze well.

Read more about the world of boating, cruising and living aboard at https://farleyhalladay.blogspot.com 

Pantry Recipe of the Week

 

 
    Canned and packaged foods are good boating insurance. Even a day sail can turn into a longer-than-planned, hungry and even life-threatening adventure. For a book on provisioning a boat with familiar, affordable pantry foods from the supermarket see Survival Food Handbook, published by International Marine division of McGraw-Hill.   http://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

 

 

 

“Pork”and Sauerkraut

    Canned pork lunch meat such as Spam is affordable, easily available and quick to prepare as a one-pot meal. Tweak these amounts according to the size and tastes of your crew.  

Add a grated carrot for color

1 can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

 teaspoon sugar
1 can pork luncheon meat such as Spam
1 cup dark beer or ale
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 or 2 cans small whole potatoes, drained, rinsed and cut up

    Put drained, rinsed sauerkraut in a pan and sprinkle with sugar. Let stand 10 minutes or so to dissolve sugar. Dice Spam or shred on the large holes of a grater. Add to the pot with the  beer or ale, caraway seeds and potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce heat and simmer to blend flavors. Serves 4.

Cook’s note: Spam shreds easier if chilled first. Shredded, it’s also a good cold when mixed with mayonnaise and celery as a substitute for ham salad. 

 

LAUGH AND CRY WITH WIDOW

 FARLEY HALLADAY, THE YACHT YENTA 

 

After her husband died in a fall from the mainmast of their ketch, Farley moved to Florida where she grieves,  has an online charterboat business, is caregiver to an elderly U.S. Navy SEAL and solves crimes. The Yacht Yenta "cozy" ebook series for Kindle, Nook, Google Play and other ebook formats, is now six, ranging from January Justice to June Jeopardy. Start anywhere in the series. You'll want to read them all. Here's February FELONY

https://amzn.to/3bB5XPh

Stovetop “Butternut” Bake
    This vegetarian recipe works best with regular bread stuffing,  not the cornbread variety. Instead of canned pumpkin, it can also be made with two cups cooked, mashed native “pumpkin” (local squash have many names). They are found around the world in many sizes, shapes and colors.

1 stick butter
2 eggs
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup (8-ounce tub) sour cream
1 cup water or broth
½ teaspoon each salt, pepper
Small onion, grated or chopped very fine chopped
1 box seasoned  stuffing mix


Generously butter a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Melt the rest of the stick. In a bowl whisk eggs,  pumpkin, soup, sour cream,  water or broth, onion and seasonings including the flavor packet, if any, from the stuffing mix.  Fold in stuffing mix and spread in the skillet.  Drizzle with melted butter. Cover and cook over low-medium heat until it’s puffy, set and crusty on bottom and sides. Serve out of the skillet or turn out on a cutting board , crusty side up, and serve in wedges.  

Skillet Recipe of the Week
Lemony Beef ‘n Beans

 
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
    
3-pound boneless pot roast
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Minced parsley or dried parsley flakes

    Remove any seeds from lemon slices and sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.  A juicy glaze will form.
    In a large skillet, brown the pot roast. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Add water, cover and cook 30 minutes, adding more water if needed. Cover roast with beans and arrange lemons over the beans. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until roast is tender.
    Spread beans and lemons on plates. Cover with sliced meat and pan juices. Shower with minced parsley. Serves 6. 

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Are you a boater who camps or a camper with a boat? See Janet Groene's online reads at RV travel covering a ton of different grips and gripes on travel and camping. 

https://www.rvtravel.com/author/janet

The Well-SEAsoned Cruise Cook

 Blog copyright Janet Groene, all rights reserved.  To get a voluntary subscripton in support of this work, send $10 per year via Paypal to janetgroene@yahoo.com 

When you sail, the world is your oyster

 

 

  

Galley Recipe of the Week
Limey Cake

 

       The batter is easily made with just a balloon whisk. No electric mixer required. Make one now and save the recipe for St. Patrick’s Day next month.

1 ½ cups canola  oil
5 eggs
3/4 cup water or milk
1 box lemon flavor cake mix
1 box lime flavor gelatin dessert mix

    In a bowl whisk oil, eggs and water or milk until well mixed. Mix in cake mix and dry gelatin mix. Bake in a greased 9 X 13-inch pan in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.)  about 25-30 minutes or until cake is springy to the touch. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cover with frosting or serve with whipped cream.

Stove-top method: Grease a heavy, deep 12-inch skillet (preferably cast aluminum) and add batter. Bake over low-medium flame about 25 minutes or until cake is puffy and springy to the touch.

 

 

For 10 happily homeless years, Janet Groene wintered in the tropics on board a 29-foot sailboat with a two-burner kerosene Primus stove and no refrigeration. After storing the sloop during hurricane season, Janet and Gordon summered in a 21-foot diesel camper with propane stove and small propane-electric refrigerator.  See her collection of shortcuts, recipes suitable for small galleys ashore and afloat in her book Cooking Aboard Your RV  

https://amzn.to/1NdWI4o

 


One Burner, One Skillet Recipe of the Week
Bistro Chicken

2 tablespoons butter
16-ounce package ground chicken
2 tart apples, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
8-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup apple brandy or apple schnapps
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
Small can sliced black olives, well drained
2 cups seasoned croutons

    Melt butter in the skillet and cook chicken until it’s broken up and firm, gradually stirring in apple, mushrooms and curry powder. Whisk soup and brandy until smooth. Pour over skillet, scatter with black olives, cover and cook 10 minutes over low heat. Top with croutons and spoon onto plates while croutons are still crisp.  Serves 4. 

See news, views and cues for liveaboards, cruising sailors and fans of the Farley Halladay cozy mysteries at https://farleyhalladay.blogspot.com  

 

Farley Halladay is a 50-ish widow whose husband died in an unexplained fall from the mainmast of their ketch. She's now in Florida, operating a charterboat booking agency online while caregiving, cooking her favorite galley recipes and solving crimes with the help of her dog, Scuppers, and her wacky friends. If you love cozy mysteries with a salty setting, light up your e-reader tonight with Book 4 of the Yacht Yenta series.

April Avenger is available for Kindle, Nook. Google Play and most other ebook formats.  https://amzn.to/3EKgaoP

 

 

 Tips for the Galley Cook

    *If you have room to carry only one bread, buy sub rolls. Cut them in half make hot dog buns. Make sandwiches, individual pizzas, lobster rolls, garlic bread and hot and cold subs. They also make great cinnamon toast in the frypan. Slice, butter cut sides, fry and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 

    * Easy dessert. Make crumbs out of frosted cornflakes. Dip washed, dried strawberries in whipped topping, whipped cream, sweetened evaporated milk or sour cream. Roll in crumbs, eat at once. 

    * When you are wrangling plastic wrap that you want to stay put, put a little dab of butter here and there to keep the plastic in place.

 
    * To make quick beignets, unroll a tube of crescent rolls and press seams to make a large square. Cut in small squares, deep fry in hot vegetable oil until golden and smother with powdered sugar.

Pantry Recipe of the Week

 

 
    How to make a meal when you’re out of fresh food? How to provision the pantry with shelf-stable foods for extended cruising, convenience or emergencies? See Survival Food Handbook (International Marine Publishing) , a guide to stocking a boat or camper with familiar, affordable supermarket staples.  https://amzn.to/1WdYqbe

 

 

Boston Brown Bread Scramble
 This makes a good hot breakfast or dessert. Canned Boston Brown Bread is one of my favorite pantry staples. No fresh ingredients are needed.

 

1 can apple pie filling
1 can pie-sliced apples
5-ounce jar Old English cheese spread
1 can Boston brown bread with raisins

    Mix apple pie filling and un-drained apples in a greased skillet. Dot with bits of cheese spread. Slice and dice Boston brown bread and scatter over apples.
     Cover and cook over medium heat until warmed through. Turn over to mix well and spoon onto plates. Serves 4 to 6. 
    Oven method: Assemble as above and drizzle with  melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees until bread is toasty.
Cook's note: Serve plain or with maple syrup, vanilla yogurt or light cream.    




       



    

SEA-sonal Cuisine for Sailing Cooks

Blog copyright Janet Groene. Support this free blog with a voluntary subscription. Send $10 a year via  PayPal  to janetgroene@yahoo.com

 

Galley Recipe of the Week
Hungarian Bean Soup
 

   This steamy soup will warm up you liveaboards who are wintering in cold climates. Many of the ingredients contain salt, so don’t add more. Pass salt and pepper at the table.

1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
32-ounce carton chicken broth
12-ounce package kielbasa, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and cut in small dice
Medium turnip, peeled and cut in small dice
Medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 cup flour
1 cup water
Sour cream

    Rinse and drain beans. Put tomatoes, 3 cups of the broth, kielbasa, carrots, turnip, green pepper and garlic in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans. In a bowl mix remaining cup of broth and a cup of cold water and whisk in flour. Quickly stir into simmering  soup until it thickens. If it's too thick, thin with water, white wine or broth.
    Stir in sour cream to taste or ladle into bowls and top with a mound of sour cream. Good with caraway rye rolls.  Serves 6.


Pantry Recipe of the Week
    Pantry recipes that call for no fresh ingredients at all are meant for convenience and sometimes for emergencies.  In heavy weather this comfort food throws together in minutes. There is no substitute for the chicken gumbo soup. I keep a few cans on hand just for this recipe. 

 

Souper Chicken and Rice

1 can condensed chicken and rice soup
1 can condensed chicken gumbo soup
2 to 3 soup cans water
10-ounce can chunk chicken, broken up
Small can mushroom pieces, drained
1 1/2 cups instant rice

    Bring soup, chicken with any juices, mushrooms and 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in instant rice. Cover and let stand 7 to 10 minutes until rice is soft.  Add water if soup is too thick. Heat. Stir and serve. Serves 6. 

 

 

SURVIVAL FOOD HANDBOOK SAVES THE DAY when you're out of fresh food. Whether it's fridge failure or you're broke or quarantined, it's a guide to provisioning information, lists, tips and recipes made solely with stowed foods available from supermarkets.  Create a standby pantry with familiar, affordable staples. Even on a day cruise in a small boat, extra rations are a lifesaving must.

Kindle or paperback, it's a great gift idea for a future passagemaker. https://amzn.to/3mIfryC


Skillet Recipe of the Week
Spicy Skillet Winter Stew

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups diced hard squash such as butternut
1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
Large onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Great Northern or other large while beans, drained and rinsed
Salt, pepper to taste

    Heat oil in a large skillet and brown squash and corn, gradually stirring in onion, garlic and peppers over high heat. Stir in chili powder, then diced tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until squash and peppers are tender.
    Stir in beans and heat through.  Adjust seasonings and serve in soup plates.


Tips for the Boat Cook
  

    * Boil a big pot of sweet potatoes or heat up a can of sweet potatoes in juice. Mash coarsely, adding powdered orange gelatin dessert mix to taste. Cover and let steep for a few minutes.

* Don’t toss leftover egg yolks. Cover with vegetable oil and keep cold up to three days. Enrich cookie dough, pancake batter, pound cake with an extra yoke or two.

* An old Navy cook makes hash with meat, potatoes and beaten eggs. When eggs are set, he folds in a generous handful of crushed soda crackers. Serve at once while crackers are crispy.

    * Make stuffed tomatoes as a side dish or a vegetarian main dish. Fill with sauteed mushrooms, buttered bread crumbs and beaten egg. Bake or poach until egg sets. 

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SEA-Smart Recipes for Boating & Cruising

Blog copyright Janet Groene 2023.  

 

 

 Wherever your flag is flying, these recipes from my 29-foot,  liveaboard sloop will save your budget, water and fuel supply and space. 

GALLEY RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Blushing Crab Cheese Sauce

Imitation crabmeat makes this seafood sauce affordable, tasty and nourishing.

 

 20 ounces imitation crab, cut up or shredded
Large sweet onion (e.g. Vidalia) finely diced
8-ounce package grated Cheddar cheese
1 stick butter, divided
1/4 cup cooking sherry
2 tablespoons flour
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup sour cream

    Prepare crab and set aside.  Melt butter in a pan and whisk with the flour, sherry,  soup and sour cream. Cook over low medium heat, stirring often until it’s smooth and thick. Fold in surimi and cheese. Heat through. Spoon over toast, mashed potato, pasta, noodles, rice, biscuits or a green vegetable such as steamed, shredded cabbage, wilted spinach or boiled carrots. Serves 6. 

Cook's note: You might add part of the sour cream to the sauce and save part to use as a garnish.  

SURVIVAL FOOD HANDBOOK 

GOES TO SEA
 Gift Idea for any boater or camper: 

 Unlike other prepper books, Suvival Food Handbook is written just for sailors and campers who have limited storage space. Make the most of every inch, dollar and ounce of emergency food supplies.  It’s about supermarket staples to keep on hand, use and replace regularly. Eat them first in an emergency before delving into those awful doomsday rations you keep deep in the bilge.  https://amzn.to/3mIfryC

Pantry Recipe of the Week

These recipes promise a great meal from your pantry in a pinch. Substitute fresh ingredients when you have them.

Lucky New Year Black-Eye Peas
    In the Dixie states,  eating  hog jowls (rhymes with bowls) and black-eye peas on New York’s Eve or New Year’s Day is considered to bring good luck in the new year. Black-eye peas are available canned or dried. For the cruiser’s pantry, dried peas are more economical but they require soaking and a longer cook time. 

 
2 cups dried black-eye peas OR
2 cans black-eye peas, drained and rinsed
10-ounce can chunk ham
4 tablespoons dried onion bits
1 teaspoon dried granular garlic
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 drops smoke flavoring (optional)
Tabasco

    Wash and pick over dried peas, cover with water and soak overnight.  Add remaining ingredients except Tabasco. Add more water if necessary to cover peas. Cook until tender. If using canned peas, just heat heat gently until onions are soft and serve. Discard the bay leaf and serve in shallow soup plates. Pass the Tabasco. Makes 4 hearty servings. 

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL AND A GOOD COZY MYSTERY

https://amzn.to/3BH4AZK

    For your Kindle, Nook, Google Play and other e-readers, salty widow Farley Halladay tells her story about life at sea, losing her husband and her new life as a caregiver, cook, online vacation specialist and crime solver. 

The kicky, sassy Yacht Yenta series of cozy mysteries features Farley and a crazy cast of characters you'll want to follow from book to book.  https://amzn.to/3BH4AZK

 

 

 

 

 TIPS FOR THE GALLEY COOK

* Egg nog, served hot or cold, is a year-round nutrition boost. Make it any time using egg  substitute or other pasteurized eggs. Add cream, sugar, a little vanilla and nutmeg and maybe a shot of rum.  

      * Make play dough for the kids. Cook 1 1/4 cups biscuit mix, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/4 cup salt with 1 cup water. Stir over medium heat until it forms a ball. Cool, knead until smooth and roll between sheets of parchment paper and cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and paint or shape to make jewelry or hang-up ornaments. Bake 1 to ½ hours at 225 degrees until they are hard.

    * Use a silicone baking mat to chop nuts. Lift, form a funnel, pour.

    * Store-bought shortcake cakes make great last-minute desserts. How about filling with  mandarin oranges sauced with orange flavored yogurt,  or instant chocolate pudding and whipped topping, or chunky applesauce drizzled with hazelnut coffee creamer?


Galley Recipe of the Week
Salmon with Egg Sauce
    When you need to stretch a small catch, add this creamy sauce to any baked, broiled or grilled fish.  

4 portions salmon fillet or other fish, cooked to your liking
½ stick butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped fine
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
Fresh minced parsley or dried parsley, cilantro, chives or tarragon

    Melt the butter in a medium skillet and stir in flour. When it’s well blended, continue stirring over low heat while gradually stirring in milk. When it’s thick and bubbly, stir in seasoned salt and chopped eggs. Spoon over cooked fish and sprinkle with  parsley .

See nautical news, views and cues from Farley Halladay, the Yacht Yenta, at https://farleyhalladay.blogspot.com  

 

 PRODUCT REVIEW
Janet Groene has no connection with this company nor its sales. 

 

 
    Everyone is advised to carry a first aid kit. How? What? Where? Most important of all, What’s Inside? The family that founded Keep Going has re-invented the first aid kit and I’m wowed.  First, the kits are complete, right down to a tick remover, finger splint and instant cold pack. Second, kits are designed to be packable, compact, good looking, durable and easily grabbed.  

    One model comes with 106 first aid products. Zippered, durable cases come in a variety of colors and patterns. A Super Kit comes with 270 pieces and the mini kit has 60 pieces. There’s even a Kids Kit with 44 pieces. Best of all, refill bundles are available to make it easy to keep supplies fresh and complete. 

    The secret to carrying a mini-ER  in these cases is to provide only small amounts of each essential. Every item is neatly filed in see-through sleeves arranged in “pages” for quick access.

 
    Keep Going is a small family-owned, Florida business that knows travel, knows first aid and knows about the kinds of emergencies travelers might face on the go.  I  recommend Keep Going for yourself, for gifts and for  everyone who needs a first aid kit for the boat,  dinghy, backpack, car, cabin or office.  See  (www.) KeepGoingFirstAid.com/

 

                                   

             

   BE PREPARED FOR FOOD SHORTAGES, EMERGENCIES, HARD TIMES and  MORE INFLATION AT HOME and AT SEA

    RISING FOOD COSTS? Supply chain broken? Quarantined in a foreign port? Riots and looting? Power outages?  Money crisis?  Survival Food Handbook is an easy guide to food preparedness, NOT about tasteless, high-priced lifeboat rations that sailors put away and forget.

  Written for sailors and campers who have limited storage space, the book shops the supermarket for familiar,  affordable, everyday food staples with a long shelf life. Read how to evaluate, plan, rotate, stow and prepare foods without refrigeration or with limited stove fuel or minimum water. You'll use it at home and away, indoors and outdoors and in emergencies of all kinds.  Kindle or paperback,  https://amzn.to/2PvOBbx

 

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