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Visions of Sugarplums
by Carolyn Corbett
Once upon a naïve time, long, long ago in the
Year Of Our Provisioning 0001, I was quite certain that
"cruising" and "necessities only"
were synonymous. Our food lockers were packed with sensible
staples like flour, rice and oatmeal.
Ridiculously impractical items such as bundt cake
pans, crock-pot recipes, and the corkscrew had been
left behind when we sailed away from the dock. Meals
aboard Godspede, our Hunter 37, featured what was gleaned
from the sea, along with vegetables and pasta. Cocktail
guests could choose freely from rum, rum or rum. Desserts
and snacks were essentially a relic of our landlubber
past. We were prudent. We were healthy. We were cruisers!
That philosophy went hard aground several months and
a number of nautical miles down the water. We made landfall
one sparkling Bahamian afternoon at Highbourne Cay in
the Exumas after a rolling passage from Cape Eleuthera
in the company of several other boats. We'd set our
hooks and my tummy was just beginning to quiet when
our friend Susan on Westerly radioed to say she'd whipped
up a birthday cake for our friend, Jim Weatherson, from
Cheerio. "Terrific. Come on over," I invited.
"Jim and Sharon are due here in about 20 minutes."
Secretly I arched an eyebrow, wondering what condition
the cake would be in when even my Jello had failed to
gel on our rollicking passage.
Well, the cake was a visual delight, with boldly rich
chocolate frosting and a festive red candle. It was
mouth-watering, as well, and I reached the obvious conclusion
that Susan must have been a pastry chef in a former
life and no doubt boasted state-of-the-art galley equipment
in her current life.
The next day marked six months since Dave and I were
married in the front yard of our cabin in Minnesota.
Returning to Godspede after an afternoon spent feeding
indigenous fruit to the local iguana population, we
discovered in our cockpit a chilled bottle of champagne
and a "Happy Half-versary" message from our
buddy boaters aboard Cheerio.
Not only did I applaud their preparedness, I drank
their champagne and reviewed my outlook on provisioning!
I did not know if the grass was any greener on the other
side of the island, but I knew without a shadow of a
doubt that the cuisine was superior on the other side
of the anchorage.
Our provisions now include a case of relatively inexpensive
champagne and the ingredients necessary to prepare the
following special treats. We also stow a variety of
birthday, anniversary and congratulations cards in various
nooks and crannies throughout the boat. We learned,
from personal experience, how the comradeship of fellow
cruisers can make all the difference to a crew far from
family and friends on special occasions. What I still
haven't learned is why Susan's cake worked, but my Jello
didn't.
Galley Nippers
12 ounces mint chocolate chips*
½ cup peanut butter
12 ounces chow mein noodles
*(You can substitute chocolate or butterscotch.)
Mix chips and peanut butter. Stir in the chow mein
noodles until completely coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls
onto waxed paper. Allow to dry. Makes about four dozen.
Brandied Sugarplums
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brandy (or whatever you have aboard)
2 ½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup granulated sugar
Mix together melted chocolate chips, powdered sugar,
corn syrup and brandy. Stir in the cookie crumbs and
pecans. Use a teaspoon to shape into balls. If the mixture
is too crumbly, add more brandy. Roll in granulated
sugar and store in an airtight jar.
Papaya Pastry
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup milk
1 large papaya
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat
butter, egg, vanilla and milk together, then add to
dry ingredients. Spread in a greased 8" x 8"
pan. Cut the papaya and place on the dough. Sprinkle
with sugar and drizzle with a bit of melted butter.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Quick & Easy Almond Bark
Melt 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir in two
cups whole unsalted almonds. Spread mixture on waxed
paper to harden. Break into pieces to serve.
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