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3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green), seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 purple onion, peeled and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 / 4 cup olive oil
2 cups tomato juice or chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 / 4 cup red wine vinegar
6 – 10 drops hot sauce

garnish with 2 tbsp. chopped parsley; serves 6

combine all ingredients. blend to a coarse puree. pour into a large container; cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

two days anchored just outside worton creek were lovely. our original plan was to anchor just southeast of worton point, but the spot we had picked based on the charts (just above the ’so’ bottom mark on the chart) turned out to be packed with crab pots. instead we joined four other boats outside r2, about where the ‘9′ depth indicator is.

we had a nice afternoon putter up the creek. there are three marinas: green point marina, the wharf at handy point, and worton creek marina. all seem reasonably well cared for in a boatyard-y way. there is also a good-sized mooring field just inside the creek. minimum water depth as far as green point marina and the mooring field was about 8 feet. beyond worton creek marina (the furthest in of the three) the channel is marked by some of the nicest private pole marks i have seen. they appear to be pvc or some other plastic with large, properly colored reflective bands at the top. we took the dinghy up to the very head of the creek; once again i forgot to bring my handheld depth sounder.

we enjoyed the sunset from the cockpit before retreating below to the air conditioned sanctuary of the aft cabin. although the temperatures were beginning to moderate the was no breeze at all and the mosquitoes were finding their way out to the boat. insect free air conditioning was definitely in order.

since thursday was also windless we stayed put and read.

friday we took auspicious to the dock at green point marina for water (free) and ice. the staff at green point marina was very gracious and allowed us to dispose of recycling and trash despite the minuscule purchase.

worton creek is definitely on our ‘go back’ list.

anchoring in swan creek turned out to be a bit more of an adventure than i anticipated. monday night we sailed up from whitehall bay where we had spent the previous nite. on a falling tide and with the chartplotter running, my adc chesapeake bay chart book beside me, and a close eye on the depth sounder i felt our way into swan creek.

getting into swan creek actually wasn’t too bad. once clear of g15 i turned up into the middle of the creek and watched the depth sounder carefully. there is a good bit more room than there appears to be on the chart. it was lovely. tuesday the 10th dawned beastly hot and windless. since there was no particular destinations in mind for the trip and little point in motoring around making yet more heat we decided to stay below in generator-provided air conditioning and watch movies.

wednesday brought the hope of some relief from the temperature and a light breeze. we raised anchor and headed slowly toward the marked channel. the depths are shallow in swan creek and the channel, such as it is, is narrow. i touched bottom once getting over the hump at the mouth of upper swan creek but backed off easily. i tried a spot a little further west and tried for the channel again.

therein lies the adventure. i did it to myself. <sigh> i had the chartbook and local guide book in the cockpit and the chartplotter running, but i was only really paying attention to the depth sounder and the marks. r14 on the charts is now a small floating buoy (like the g11 through g15) instead of a daymark. although i had only just passed through two days before i got confused and treated r14 and g15 as entrance marks to upper swan creek instead of as channel markers to the haven. that would have been okay except that we had decided to stop at haven harbor marina for fuel.

treating r14 as an upper creek mark, i left it to … well … my left and headed for r2 and g1 into the haven. although i was moving very slowly, this time when i touched no amount of wiggling and rotating would get us off. fortunately we were on a rising tide; unfortunately the wind was blowing us up onto the muddy shoal.

sitting and thinking a bit gave the opportunity to watch a couple of boats follow the channel out of the haven and toward rock hall. that combined with inspection of the charts (finally) made it clear where i had gone wrong. what remained was to decide what to do about it. i have towing insurance but didn’t want to spend the time waiting for a tow boat and filling out the forms. kedging off seemed the appropriate answer. i have the primary 25kg rocna anchor and 10kg breeze (a bruce copy) stern anchor on board. i have little confidence in the breeze so i lowered the rocna and 100 feet of chain into the dinghy and heading toward r14.

the first time kedging got the boat turned in the correct direction and hauled about halfway to r14. the second time got us free. aside from getting mud all over myself and the dinghy, wrestling with a 55 pound anchor when suffering from a very poor back and trying to avoid puncturing the dinghy was miserable.

i have now rigged a bridle to the transom padeyes of the dinghy to carry the anchor behind and under the dinghy when kedging that allows the windlass on auspicious to do all the lifting and positioning.

incidentally, the 6 and 7 foot depths in the fairway to the fuel dock at haven harbour marina neglect a 5-1/2 foot spot about halfway down the fairway. we plowed through that getting in and decided to limit our fuel purchase to 50 gallons and skip taking on water to avoid making our exit more traumatic. we dawdled a bit at the dock as well to allow the tide a chance to fill in a bit more. tidal swing is only about a foot, but every inch counts in shallow water!

i’m not sure who grandma linahan is. i cut this recipe out of a magazine over 25 years ago. it has become one of my favorites. the only problem with this macaroni salad is that it is so good that i can sit down and wipe out an entire recipe in very short order.

2/3 cup minced green bell pepper
1/3 cup minced onion
2/3 cup minced celery
2 cups uncooked macaroni
½ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp powdered mustard
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs distilled white vinegar
½ cup milk
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbs butter, melted and still warm
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

prepare the green pepper, onion, and celery while cooking the macaroni according to package directions.

drain the macaroni but don’t rinse. in a small bowl blend the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. slowly blend in the milk.

stir in the butter and toss the dressing with the still warm macaroni. add the vegetables, toss thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. before serving, sprinkle with scallions.

when i’m out sailing i divide the macaroni salad into smaller lock-n-lock containers and eat directly out of one as a snack while sailing. i’m willing to forego a little elegance for convenience while singlehanding.

2 cups uncooked pinto beans
2 sprigs epazote (a Mexican spice sometimes called mexican tea)
1/2 cup bacon drippings, lard, or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 serrano chile, seeded and sliced
salt to taste

rinse beans and check for debris. place beans in a large pot and fill with water. add epazote. bring beans to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer for 2 hours (or 30-35 minutes in a pressure cooker at 15psi). if water level gets low, replace with more boiling hot water.

when beans are extremely soft, heat a large skillet over medium heat. cook the serrano chiles until browned; you may saute onions and garlic as well. using a slotted spoon, add beans about 1/2 cup at a time, mashing the beans with the back of the spoon.

add garlic powder and salt to taste.

a topping of shredded cheddar cheese looks nice.

1/2 cup high quality soy (no kikoman here)
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp of arrowroot starch

heat 3 minutes for a great teriyaki.

you can use leftovers to make other sauces - add a bit of butter and some dry wasabi (japanese horseradish) to make a pan sauce for salmon, or black cod, or pork cutlets.

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup whole kernel corn, drained (optional)
1/2 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. in a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. stir in yogurt and eggs. if using stir in corn and jalapeno peppers.
4. pour into 8 inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray (or use a cast iron skillet).
5. bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
See this recipe on air Thursday Dec. 20 at 3:00 AM ET/PT.
Show: Good Eats
Episode: A Pie in Every Pocket
Pastry:
9 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 cups
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 ounces shortening, approximately 6 tablespoons
3/4 cup milk
1 egg mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons water
Vegetable, canola oil or butter, for frying

Curried Mango Filling, recipe follows
Chocolate Filling, recipe follows

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and
salt. Pulse for a few seconds and then pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the shortening and knead it into the flour with your hands until
it is crumbly. Add the milk all at once and mix in with a spatula
until it begins to come together. Lightly flour your hands and the
countertop and turn the dough out onto the countertop. Knead the dough
ball, folding over 10 to 20 times. Using a rolling pin roll the dough
to 1/3 to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut into rounds using a 2 1/4-inch
ring. Roll each round as thinly as possible or to 5 to 6 inches in
diameter. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto the dough, brush
the edges of half of the dough lightly with the egg wash, fold over
and seal the edges together with the tines of a fork, dipping it into
flour as needed. Gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute
the filling and snip or cut 3 slits in the top of the pie. Dock pies
that are going to be deep-fried, instead of snipping or cutting slits.

To pan-fry pies, place a medium saute pan over medium low heat along
with 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola oil or butter. Once heated,
place 2 to 3 pies at a time into pan and saute until golden on both
sides, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Allow to cool 4 to 5
minutes before serving.

To deep-fry pies, heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or a large heavy
pot to 375 degrees F. Once hot, add 1 to 2 pies at a time and fry
until golden brown, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.

To bake pies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place finished pies
onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until
golden brown.

To make toaster pastries:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide dough in half and roll out to less than 1/8-inch thick. Cut
into 4 inch by 5 inch rectangles. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling
onto center of one piece of dough. Brush the edges with egg wash and
top with second piece of dough. Seal edges by pressing together with
tine of fork. Gently press down to flatten and evenly distribute the
filling and dock the top of the pie. Repeat with second half of dough.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool completely
and place into zip-top bags until ready to toast. The pies will not be
brown until toasted.

pressure cooker chili recipe courtesy alton brown, 2004
show: good eats
episode: the big chili

3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
1 (16-ounce) container salsa
30 tortilla chips
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and
salt. set aside.
heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until
hot. add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides,
approximately 2 minutes per batch. once each batch is browned, place
the meat in a clean large bowl.

once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.
scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. add the meat back
to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle
peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and
stir to combine. lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer’s
instructions. when the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce
the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. cook for
25 minutes. remove from the heat and carefully release the steam.
serve immediately….

for bread:

* 2 cups warm water (110 degrees f/45 degrees c — leave in the sun for a bit and it will be warm enough)
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 6 cups bread flour

1. in a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. mix salt and oil into the yeast. mix in flour one cup at a time. knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. place in a well oiled bowl (i use olive oil, but you can use crisco, vegetable oil, or butter), and turn dough to coat. cover with a damp cloth. allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. punch dough down. knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above
pans. i do my rises in full sunlight on deck.
4. bake at 350 degrees f (175 degrees c) for 30 minutes. i don’t have a thermostat on my oven, so i keep an eye on the thermometer. it’s pretty forgiving between 300 and 400 degrees, just wait until the
top is brown.