Wednesday, February 24

Wednesday, February 24th

Yesterday, we spent most of the afternoon on the hook (for my non boaters, that means we were anchored in a lovely cove). Some of our more adventurous crew went off in the dingy to explore. The nearest cay actually had a cut of sorts that ran across the island. Our crew traversed the entire distance from our cove to the ocean. At one point, Terry had to get out and pull the dingy along, but they had a great time. Again, unfortunately, there were not many fish or other things for the Looky Bucketeers to view. But, they did see a heron who posed for pictures. They also saw a turtle who was camera shy. He swam away quickly before they could get great pictures.

This morning, we moved further up north. We are now anchored off Long Cay. In the distance, we can see masts from the Highbourne Cay Marina. Tomorrow, we will move over there for even more protection. Yes, Dear Readers, we are expecting another front with heavy winds. So, we will hunker down as we await a better weather window.

Along the way, we had a bit of an adventure recently. Mike actually lost his hat. Yes, it was not attached to him - an important rule in boating. That hat blew right off his head and into the water. Terry saw it as the perfect opportunity for a MOB- Man Overboard Drill for the non boaters.

Alas, Dear Readers, we failed the drill. No one hit the MOB key on our lovely radio. The MOB key automatically records the longitude and latitude of the location when you hit the button. No one took on the job of watching and tracking the hat. Yes, the hat was lost to the briny deep. And, we all learned that Man Overboard drills really do need to be practiced regularly for the safety of the crew- and their hats.

Tonight's dinner was another Gee original fashioned from several different recipes. I think it will make a great boat recipe because it's pretty much a one pot dish again. Also, you could choose to make it out of all canned goods by substituting canned shrimp for the frozen. Remember to really cook the dried tortellini. Although the dried ones are convenient, they really need to be cooked in order to regain their original tastiness.

Tortellini and Shrimp in Tomato Cream Sauce

2 packages of dried tortellini

Vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 12 ounce package frozen shrimp,partially thawed and tails removed

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

2 4 ounce cans of mushrooms

1/2 cup milk

1 8 ounce container of whipped cream cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook the tortellini until done. Drain in a colander.

2. Using the now empty pot, add just enough vegetable oil to sauté the shrimp and heat. But, before adding the shrimp, add the pepper, garlic powder, and Italian Seasoning to the oil. Fry the seasonings just enough to release their aromas, then add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are just done. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Add the mild and cream cheese. Stir until all the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

At this point, you can add the tortellini back in. Or, you can choose to serve the sauce and tortellini separately so that each person can add sauce to individual tastes.

Provide shredded Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. There are no pictures. We forgot until after dinner. We were hungry, and it was tasty!

It's a beautiful night on the water. We have a wonderful moon tonight.

On a final note, it's a special note again to Susan and Linda. It's another bread holiday. It's National Banana Bread Day. Today's trivia is a fact about the banana tree. It's not a tree. It's actually an herb. So, in honor of the day, indulge in some fancy herb bread - especially if you have some overripe bananas around.