Desolation Sound is a wonderful place for a cruise.

We were there a number of times in the 70's. I'm sure there have been many changes since then. Three conditions which have not likely changed and to be aware of are:

1. There is a lot of junk on the bottom of some of the little harbors. We saved an anchor by using our sailboat winches three times bringing up a tree trunk, telephone pole and a steel cable. A float line secured to the anchor's crown might be a better way.

2. The holding bottom in Squirrel Cove is poor. Don't anchor close to shore or other boats. It is similar to the holding bottoms in the north bights of Matia and Jones Islands in the San Juans.

3. Sailboats should check the currents before visiting Campbell River (the city of).

For all that it is well worth it.

Bernie Skahill (Member Number 46)

Summer Cruise to Desolation Sound

We (Tracer) are planning to lead a cruise to Desolation Sound this summer at the end of July. To provide some theme, we thought it might be fun to retrace the (little-known) expedition of HMS Plumper, which explored the bakeries of coastal BC in the mid 19th century. We envision this would involve stops in Bedwell, Harbour (by dinghy to the bakery in Port Browning), Ganges, and Nanaimo before crossing the Strait of Georgia and on to Desolation Sound. Boats with less crusing time available could peel off from the flotilla in the San Juans, Gulf Islands, or at any point further on. Some planning questions come to mind:

• What is the level of interest in such a cruise?
• Get there quickly or smell the roses: how many miles do people want to cover each day?
• Marinas or anchorages, or some combination of both?
• Alternative routes?
• Other issues/questions?

Mediterrean Mezze

hummus
1 15- to 16-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika plus additional for sprinkling
shrimp, olive, and tomato salad
16 cooked peeled large shrimp with tails left intact
16 unpitted Kalamata olives
1 cup diced seeded tomatoes (about 3 medium)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
cucumber, yogurt, and feta salad
1/2 unpeeled English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
1/2 cup plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt (preferably Greek-style), whisked to loosen
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano or mint
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
2 lemons, cut into wedges
4 to 6 pita breads



Preparation
hummus
· Place 1 tablespoon garbanzo beans in small bowl and reserve for garnish. Combine remaining garbanzo beans, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, cumin, and 1 teaspoon paprika in processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle reserved garbanzo beans over. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before using.
· Drizzle hummus lightly with oil and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
shrimp, olive, and tomato salad
· Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
cucumber, yogurt, and feta salad
· Arrange cucumber slices on plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon yogurt over. Sprinkle with feta cheese and oregano. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
· Place marinated artichokes in small bowl. Arrange bowls of hummus, shrimp salad, and artichokes and plate with cucumber salad on large platter. Garnish with lemon wedges.
· Toast pita breads in toaster, then cut into wedges. Arrange pita wedges on platter with salads and serve.From Bon Appetit, August 2009

Mount Rainier Chili

Adapted from Simply Classic Serves 12-14

1# Great Northern white beans, rinsed and picked over
2# boneless chicken breasts
1 Tbls olive oil
2 C chopped onions
4+ garlic cloves, minced
2 4-oz cans chopped mild green chiles
2 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp cayenne
8 cups chicken stock
1 12 oz can beer
3 C Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Salsa
Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Soak beans overnight.
Bake chicken breasts with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, dried Italian dried spices and the juice of 1 small lemon. I add the zest as well. Cook until tender. Cool then dice into cubes.

Drain beans. Heat oil in pot. Add onions, cook until tender, 10 minutes. Add garlic, green chiles, cumin, oregano, cloves and cayenne. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add beans and beer, and stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 hours. Add additional water if necessary. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Add chicken. (You can add Monterey Cheese at this point also, which I didn’t do but is excellent.). Stir until cheese melts. Ladle chili into bowls. Serve with remaining cheese, sour cream, salsa and cilantro leaves to sprinkle on top.

GARLIC – SAGE SOUP

Serves 6 Mediterranean – The Beautiful Cookbook

6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 large or 6 small fresh sage leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
6 C water
6 oz vermicelli
6 egg yolks, lightly beaten (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
6 Tb freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 2-qt saucepan over high heat, combine garlic, sage, thyme and water and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Add vermicelli and cook until the noodles are tender, a few minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the oil and serve at once. Sprinkle each with serving with Parmesan, if desired

Upscale Macaroni and Cheese

Bon Appétit Serves 12

2 Tbls butter
3 large red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch pieces
5 celery stalks

1 ½ cups whipping cream
1 ½ cups half and half
1 pound blue cheese, crumbled
1 tsp celery seeds
Cayenne pepper
3 large egg yolks
½ cup chopped celery leaves

1 pound penne
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and celery and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine cream, half and half and blue cheese in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Add celery seeds. Season sauce with cayenne, salt and pepper. Beat yolks in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in half of cheese sauce. Return mixture to saucepan and whisk to blend. Add celery leaves.

Butter 13 ¾ X 10 ½ X 2 ¾ inc oval baking dish (4 quart capacity)
Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, Drain. Return to same pot Add sauce and vegetables; stir to blend. Transfer to baking dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing. Preheat oven 400°. Sprinkle parmesan over top. Bake to heat, about 25 minutes.

Curried Shrimp with Banana

The 15 Minute Single Gourmet Serves 1

Curry Sauce:
¼ tsp. Lime zest
2 Tbls. Fresh limejuice
½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. Curry powder
Dash of ground cloves

Shrimp:
½ tsp. Olive oil
4-5 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ tsp. Minced garlic
½ medium banana at room temperature, cut into 8 strips

Garnish:
Sprig cilantro or parsley

In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, scallion and garlic; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, making certain the shrimp are cooked on both sides. Reduce the heat to low, add the banana strips, and continue to cook, stirring gently for 1 minute.
Pour the sauce over the ingredients in the skillet. Heat for about 30 seconds; the sauce will be absorbed and reduced.