Versatile Flour Tortillas

We eat a lot of Mexican on the boat. It's tasty, it's easy, and the ingredients are easy to store. A good many of our recipes use flour tortillas. If you've never made them yourself, you may not want to - they are so good that you will have a very difficult time going back to store bought after that, so be prepared to make a lot of tortillas! Just remember that these tortillas don't have the preservatives in them that the store bought ones do that make them last an unnaturally long time without molding. Make small enough batches that you can use them in a day or two, or store them in the fridge for about a week max. A note on ingredients: I have not tried these with whole wheat flour yet, but if you do you will need to cut it about 1/2 and 1/2 with white flour and you may need substantially more liquid. You can also cook some spinach and use the drained, pressed-out water for the water in these. Use your imagination. On the shortening, lard or butter - I personally abhor shortening. The Mexicans use lard exclusively for their tortillas and I find it makes a better one.

 
Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups of white flour
1 Tbl shortening or lard or butter.
1 tsp. of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4-1 cup boiling water


Directions:

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Cut in the shortening until it resembles very fine cornmeal.

Add 1/2 cup of the boiling water and then begin to mix it with a fork. Add the remaining water a very little at a time and continue mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. You may not need all the water. The dough should be soft but not sticky at all.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's smooth and elastic, usually just a few minutes.

Oil the surface of the dough and put it back in the bowl and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

Break off golf ball sized hunks of dough and roll them into balls. Keep the balls covered while you work the tortillas so the dough doesn't dry out.  Roll a ball out with a rolling pin until it's very thin but you can still handle it without tearing it.

Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium high and lower the tortilla into the pan carefully so you don't fold it over on itself. Cook it until bubbles start to form.

Flip it and continue to cook it until it has brown spots on the bottom. Move the tortillas to a plate and cover with another plate. The moisture from the warm tortilla will help to soften it. Continue to stack the warm tortillas, but rearrange them periodically so they become evenly moist and soft. If you are making tacos, you can begin to fry the tortillas in oil right away . Use tongs to hold the taco shape as you fry them.Serve warm or cool completely and store in a plastic bag with a paper towel inside the bag to absorb excess moisture.

Beer Cheese Dip

A friend of ours recently brought this dip to sundowners in our cockpit. It's incredibly easy, tastes great, and the ingredients are easy to store on a boat. Besides, it has the side benefit of not using an entire bottle of beer so you <ahem> have to drink the rest. Thanks Tricia for an excellent recipe!


Ingredients:

8 oz of cream cheese (whipped or regular either one works great)
1/2 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix powder
Cheddar cheese grated
Beer

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese in a small bowl until creamy. You can do this by hand if you don't have a mixer and it will work just as well. Add the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix and stir it in well. Add as much cheddar as you want. The more cheddar, the cheesier the taste. I used a very sharp cheddar which seems to balance the beer flavor well.  Add a little beer at a time, stirring well in between. Add enough beer to make a light, spreadable consistency. You can vary the flavor of this dip a tremendous amount by what beer you choose. I used Blue Moon for this sample and the taste is pretty light. If you use a darker beer it will make the taste much richer. Choose what you like. Serve it with crackers, fritos, pretzels or veggies.

Macaroni and Cheese

The ultimate comfort food - warm, cheesy mac and cheese. This recipe is one I've made since time immortal and after having a bunch of people asking for the recipe I decided I'd better get it on here. I do have a disclaimer, though. I've never had a written recipe for this, always making it up as I go along and using whatever I had on hand. It is also one of the most versatile recipes I have and, since the ingredients can vary so widely, it tastes a bit different every time I make it. I usually make this recipe when I have a bunch of cheese bits and pieces in the fridge. The more types of cheese, the better it is. You should use a mixture of at least 3-4 cheeses and you should incorporate some parmesan and at least some soft cheese like American or even some cream cheese or goat cheese or feta. Cheddar should be as sharp as possible to add flavor. You can even add some sour cream for part of the milk to add a tang. In all likelihood it will take you several attempts to perfect your version, so be patient!

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
4 cups cold water
5 Tbl butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 tsp garlic salt blend
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch cayenne
1/3 cup flour approximately
3 cups milk
4 cups grated cheese: see notes about cheese above

Directions:

Place the dry macaroni in a medium saucepan.

Pour the cold water over the macaroni. Heat to boiling and then reduce the heat to a steady boil.

Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is just barely tender and the water is absorbed. Cover it, remove from the heat and set aside.

In another pot or deep skillet melt the butter. Add the chopped onion, garlic, pepper, garlic salt, paprika and cayenne. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the spices are fragrant.

Add enough flour to make a thick paste. It will vary depending on the humidity and the type of butter but it should be about the consistency of mashed potatoes. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

While stirring with a wire whisk, add the milk about 1/2 cup at  time, whisking well in between. It will start out lumpy but will turn creamy as you continue to add the milk.

Add 2-1/2 cups of the cheese and stir till melted. The sauce should be fairly thin if you want to bake the mac and cheese, and thicker if you want to eat it creamy from the stove top. You may have to add 1/2 to 1 cup milk extra if you want to bake it so it doesn't turn out dry.Add sauce to macaroni.

Stir well till combined.  At this point you can eat it as creamy stove top macaroni, or you can place in a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Top it with the remaining cheese and bake at 375° for 30-45 minutes or until the edges are crispy and golden and the cheese is bubbly throughout. You can make it up to a day ahead and bake it right before serving, but if you do this you will need to bake it for an hour or more due to the cold starting temps. You can also bake it at a higher temperature. This dish tolerates a wide range of temps from 350° up to 425°.
I have to apologize, but we had guests and I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product again. Here's a picture of a demolished pan from a previous dinner - you get the picture, it doesn't last very long around here!

The Science of the Chocolate Chip Cookie from NPR's The Salt

One of the commitments that I've made on this blog is to provide recipes that are easily adaptable to whatever ingredients you have on hand. I do this because when you're living on a boat sometimes you just don't have the exact ingredients stated in a recipe and you need to substitute. Cookies are a great way to experiment with this idea while you learn what works and what doesn't because they're pretty forgiving. I ran across an article today on The Salt blog that explained exactly what happens when you substitute ingredients. I found it incredibly helpful since I'm a visual person so go on over to the page The Science Behind Baking Your Ideal Chocolate Chip Cookie and then go ahead and make some perfect deliciousness!

See the full instructions on The Salt Blog, www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt

Orange Coconut Rolls

There's something about warm breakfast rolls straight from the oven. They give me those warm, fuzzy comfort feelings, probably because they take me back to mornings with my kids when they were smaller and life was not so complicated. These rolls came about because some coconuts floated by our boat at anchor and I spent an afternoon cleaning them, grating the coconut, and toasting it. The next morning I just happened to have an extra orange in the fruit basket, so orange coconut rolls it was. The recipe is out of the Red Star Yeast Centennial Bread Sampler cookbook, probably my favorite, but it's out of print. If you even find one and you like bread you should pick it up.

Ingredients

2-1/4 to2-1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 package of instant yeast
3 Tbl sugar
2 tsp freshly grated orange rind
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 Tbl butter
1 small egg

Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbl butter
2 Tbl freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbl honey
1/2 cup coconut, divided
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

I don't have pictures for these earlier steps, honestly because some times I get making things and then realize, oh yeah I should be posting this one. You can read basic dough directions and see pictures in my Vienna Snack Loaves post if you need help.

In a large mixer bowl, mix one cup of the flour, the yeast, sugar, orange rind and salt. Mix it well.

In a saucepan heat up the milk, water and butter until it's 120°.  I use one of those infrared thermometers to measure the temperature because it's pretty critical. You can easily kill yeast if your liquids are too hot.

Add the liquids to the flour/yeast mixture and blend it at low speed by mixer or by hand until all the flour is incorporated. Add the egg and beat it for 3 minutes, either by hand or by mixer

Gradually add enough of the rest of the flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. If you're making this on a boat, the amount of flour can vary widely depending on the humidity. The dough should not be sticky.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it's smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

While you're letting it rest, make the topping. Combine the sugar, butter, juice and honey and heat it until it's blended and the sugar is dissolved. Reserve 3 tablespoons of it and put the rest of it in a greased 9-inch square pan. Sprinkle half of the coconut and the almonds over the topping. Keep the remaining sauce warm.

After the dough has rested, pat it out into a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Brush it with the remaining warm sauce and sprinkle the remaining coconut over it.

Roll it up long side first, pinching it down in the crease with your fingers.

Pinch the edge to the main roll to seal it.

Using some dental floss or sewing thread wrapped around the loaf, cut slices from the roll. This recipe makes 9 large rolls and it helps to mark the slice points in the dough before you begin cutting.
The dental floss or thread makes nice cuts. If you try to cut it with a knife it will crush the loaf and you won't have nice, round rolls.

Arrange the rolls evenly in the pan on top of the topping mix.

Cover loosely with a towel and let them raise till almost doubled, about 30 minutes. It can take less or more depending on the temperature and humidity of your raising environment. Keep them away from drafts! A draft will make them fall. I usually set them on my stove while I preheat the oven.

Bake them at 400° for 15-20 minutes. Again, if you're doing this on a boat the times can vary widely due to different ovens.

Cover them immediately with foil and invert them onto a rack. Do not let them cool first as the topping will stick to the pan and not to the rolls. I have added a powdered sugar glaze here although it's not in the original recipe. You can make some with a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and just a few drops of milk. Drizzle it over and serve warm.

Lazy Morning Loaded Fried Potatoes and Eggs

Some mornings on a boat are better than others. There's the mornings where you're woken up by rain on your face through the V-berth hatch that find you scrambling to close all the ports before your laptop is soaked. Then there's the mornings you nearly get dumped out of the same V-berth by the Sunday morning jet-skiis careening around your hull. The mornings that you wish for when you begin your cruising dreams are the mornings where it's just cool enough to enjoy your coffee in the cockpit, and you have the time to fix a really great lazy breakfast. As a disclaimer, please remember that the name of this blog is Crusing Comforts, aka comfort food, and not about necessarily healthy eating...

Ingredients:

1 large Idaho potato or several small red potatoes
1-2 Tbl Butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic or 1-2 cloves smashed fresh  garlic
1/4-1/2 medium onion sliced thin
1/2-1 cup grated sharp cheddar
Crumbled leftover bacon (see the previous post on thinking ahead) or Bacon Bits
4 eggs
Jane's Crazy Mixed-up Salt

Directions:

Wash the potatoes well and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice them into 1/8" slices or 1/4" if you like them a little thicker. Heat a large cast iron skillet to high. Add the oil and butter. Add the garlic, onion, potatoes, and a liberal amount of Jane's Crazy Mixed-up Salt. (I talk about this salt all the time on this blog because I absolutely love it. If you try it and love it too, buy a couple containers for the boat because it doesn't last long! I've also heard they have a mixed-up pepper but I have yet to try it.)

Depending on the strength of your burners, you may have to reduce the heat to medium. You will need to stir the potatoes periodically, but don't handle them too much as they will break up into mush. Let them brown on the bottom, then flip them around and let them brown again.









When your potatoes are close to being done, just barely tender, heat a small non-stick skillet and fry your eggs to your personal preference. We're usually over-easy people, or I add a lid to sunny-side, turn the heat off, and steam the top.

While your eggs are cooking, add the cheddar and bacon to your potatoes and put a lid over them. Turn the heat off and let them sit to melt the cheese.

Serve with a dolop of sour cream if you want, a big glass of orange juice or some fresh strawberries and enjoy your lazy morning!

Sweet Potato Chips

If you can't remember what snack food has the tag line, "betcha can't eat just one", you can probably stop reading now. These are the most delectable, addicting, snack foods on the whole earth. They are time consuming, but not hard to do, and they will impress your sundowner crowd to no end.  Just don't come back to me complaining about the few extra pounds you're carrying! Here are the ingredients, simple as they can be. If you're worried about using a lot of oil for frying, I keep mine in a jar and reuse it over and over again. Just filter it through a coffee filter when it's still a bit warm and then refrigerate it to keep it fresh. You can get at least 4-6 uses out of it before you have to throw it out. Use a smaller pan if you want to use less oil, and do more batches. If you use a low-smoking oil like peanut oil then you won't smoke up the inside of the boat.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sweet potatoes, not peeled
cinnamon sugar for a sweet snack or
Sweet and smokey spice mix for savory
Enough peanut oil to fry in a 10" skillet, 3-5 cups.

Directions:

Wash the sweet potatoes well, scrubbing with a brush. Slice them thinly. You can use a mandolin if you have one, but I just use my potato peeler which is a very good, sharp one. A good, sharp knife will do the trick as well if you're patient.

Heat your oil to 350°. As I've mentioned before, I use a Harbor Freight infrared thermometer to check oil temp as well as most other temps in my galley like bread liquids and pizza pan temp. You may have to adjust your oil temp as you work your batches as different oils and different pans and different stoves react, well, differently.

Lower enough chips into the oil with a slotted spoon to cover the surface in a single layer. Cook them until they begin to brown but be careful because once they start to brown, they go from golden to burnt in seconds. Remove them to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and season them before they cool. Serve immediately. These do not keep well, and will begin to soften within hours due to the high humidity environment of a boat, so enjoy them right away.