Harbortown Marina, December 17th-19th

Diana Shores Boat Parade

Staurday night we went over to Roger and Marcy's house to see their neighborhood's Christmas boat parade.  We watched 60-70 decorated boats pass by their back yard which is located on Sykes Creek on Merritt Island.  It was quite a show. I think the best was the one that featured an inflated Snoopy kneeboarding behind the boat. 

Roger and Marcy served a variety of homemade soups - so many that you had to take just a little of each one or you were quickly stuffed.  The kinds they had were chicken tortilla and lime soup, creamed roasted butternut squash soup, chicken gnocchi soup, Betty's taco soup, Robert's country beef stew, and Ken's edamame soup.  Delicious!!  And on the subject of food:

What do you eat on your boat?

We've heard this question over and over since we've been traveling on Cool Change.  We do have a kitchen - refrigerator, stovetop and oven, coffee maker, microwave, and toaster, although all are on a reduced scale.  We have to be careful not to use certain electrical appliances at the same time.  For instance, if you try to toast in the toaster and heat water in the microwave, you'll blow the circuit breaker.  The oven is very tiny and requires experimentation to get things right.  I think I mentioned my burnt chocolate chip cookies episode last year.

This is most of my galley (boat talk for kitchen)

Several small appliances are proving to be invaluable.  Among these are the crockpot, the electric frying pan and the blender (more pina coladas than fruit smoothies but ideal for both).  So, we are eating well and I thought you might like to have a few of our favorite recipes that work well for living on a boat.

North Carolina Pork Barbecue (from the Hamilton-Beach slow cooker cookbook)

3 pounds boneless pork butt, shoulder, or blade roast
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 heaping tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (a level tablesoon is spicy, heaping is hot)
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.  Cover and cook:  Low - 8-10 hours or High - 5 hours.  Cool slightly and shred meat.  Return to pot and set on warm until ready to serve.

Amy's Sugared Pecans  (from my North Carolina friend, Amy Diamond)

3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white

Whip egg white until frothy.  Toss with nuts.  Combine sugars, salt and cinnamon.  Toss with nuts.  Bake on two lightly buttered cookie sheets at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.  After 15 minutes switch pans' positions in oven.  Watch for nuts to look dry.  Remove from pans while warm onto waxed paper.

Bruschetta by Colleen

If you know me, you know I'm not a very creative cook but I have messed around to perfect this dish and it's a crowd pleasing appetizer.

15-20 small slices of French bread
2 chopped tomatoes
Chopped fresh basil leaves, around 6 tablespoons
Feta cheese
Olive oil
Sea salt

Lightly toast circles of French bread and cool while you chop tomatoes and basil.  When ready to serve, sprinkle tomato bits, then chopped basil, then crumbled Feta cheese over the toasted bread.  Pour olive oil over all with a light touch and grind sea salt lightly over the bread rounds.  Serve immediately.