Peanut Butter Cookies

 Gerry and Kathy came for a late winter visit and Kathy brought along

 her yummy peanut butter cookies.  One of Papa's favorite cookies.  

Thanks to Kathy and Gerry for the visit and the cookies.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs (room temperature)

2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling OR pickling salt 

optional: 1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

Instructions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute.  Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Add the  peanut butter and vanilla, then beat on high speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined.  

With the mixer on low speed, add the peanuts.  Dough will be thick and soft.

Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour and up to 2-3 days.  If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (can use medium cookie scoop).  If desired roll in granulated sugar or 

alternatively sprinkle a few grains of salt on the cookies.

Use a fork to make a crisscross indent on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned.  The centers will look soft.

Remove from the oven.  Cool.

Good to know:

Cookie dough can be made ahead chilled for up to 3 days. Unbaked cookie dough balls (without sugar coating) freeze well for up to 3 months.  

Yield: 40 cookies

Baguettes on a Sailboat

Pastries, breads and "les baguettes" are lifesaving comfort foods on a sailboat. When opportunity knocks take it.  In other words when you see a baguette buy a few.  They make great sandwiches, breakfast bread, additions for dinner.  Pastries are a nice treat for celebrating a successful sail or an evening sunset treat. 

Plan ahead for carrying groceries back to the boat on the dinghy in a waterproof bag.

  This bag was the perfect size to get the baguettes safely on board.

Lemon Shrimp Linguine

Cruising on the sailboat and planning meals takes imagination and patience.  Some of the challenges are space, refrigeration, availability of ingredients and  guests' dietary preferences and restrictions.

 Taking advantage of local seafood leads to Pasta and Seafood meals being a great choice.

For this meal we enjoyed shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic and lemon over a bed of linguine.

Garlic toast as a side can be made with leftover breads.

Hamburgers on the Sailboat

Cruising on the sailboat and planning meals takes imagination and patience.  Some of the challenges are space, refrigeration, availability of ingredients and  guests' dietary preferences and restrictions.

 Hamburgers are a great choice for a sailboat meal.

Barbecue or fry depending on the weather.

Sides could range from-

Chips

Fresh veggies

Coleslaw

Salad

Canned beans

Grilled pineapple

Pork Chop Meal on the Sailboat

Cruising on the sailboat and planning meals takes imagination and patience.  Some of the challenges are space, refrigeration, availability of ingredients and  guests' dietary preferences and restrictions.

Barbecuing helps to keep the galley cooler and is a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

A great meal combination-

Barbecued pork chops

Potato salad

Coleslaw

Fruit while Cruising the Caribbean

Fruit can be a large part of the menu while cruising, whether it be with 

-morning yogourt, granola, peanut butter toast or eggs

-lunch pita wraps or baguette sandwiches 

-dinner as grilled fruit

-refreshing snacks

Taking the opportunity to learn about local fruits adds depth to your trip. On our Caribbean Cruise from Guadeloupe to St. Lucia we enjoyed mango, green oranges, bananas and pineapple.

Greenish peel on these oranges

Greenish-skinned oranges in the Caribbean and tropical regions are fully ripe and sweet, despite their colour. Due to a lack of cool nights, chlorophyll does not break down, keeping the rind green while the inside matures to a sweet, juicy, orange state. 

While enjoying the morning sun on the sailboat in Marigot Bay a local Caribbean came by on his runabout with fruit to sell.  We were gifted with a lesson on how to cut a mango.

The pit is not round, but thin and wide, similar to an elongated, flattened disk.  Because the pit is wide and flat, it dictates how a mango is sliced. The pit sits inside with its flat sides facing the widest parts of the mango "cheeks". 

To cut a mango in cubes, slice off the two "cheeks" about 1/2 inch from the center line to avoid the large, flat pit. Score a grid pattern in to the flesh of each half without cutting through the skin, then invert the skin to pop out the cubes. Once the cheeks are removed, slice the skin off the remaining middle section containing the pit, then carve out the remaining flesh. If the mango is very soft or overripe, avoid cubing and instead slice it directly to reduce mess, or use it for smoothies. 

For ease of slicing one can buy a mango slicer.

Pineapple can be grilled in varied shapes, on the barbecue or in a frypan.  For extra sweetness grill with brown sugar, maple syrup or agave. For adding spiciness sprinkle with chili powder or cinnamon.

 

Sadie's Toffee

 Sadie says the he recipe is quite simple. 

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

few pinches of salt

 

Just melt down half a cup of butter in a medium size skillet.  When it has melted add one cup of sugar and a few pinches of salt.  The salt helps the toffee not separate.  Turn the temperature up to a medium or high heat depending on whether you would rather it take less time with more of a chance of burning or more time with less of a chance.  Continue stirring it until the mixture becomes a light brown color that when left for a few seconds, and you mix it deep brown streaks turn up.  Most importantly when you can no longer see the sugar particles and it is smooth.  Then remove from heat and pour it onto a parchment paper on a pan of some sort.  Allow to cool completely then crack into pieces.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the recipe and the yummy toffee Sadie!