Popping Up

Are you a snacker? I certainly am. If I'm busy working, I can go for hours without eating. Sometimes I forget about meals entirely (rare). But if I'm just hanging around the boat reading or putzing, I'm noshing constantly. If cookies are close, they're crumby history. With a New Year's resolution to eat less junk food, it's important to find and stock a reasonable alternative. Trying to eat healthier on the boat is sometimes difficult if we can't get to a store for freshies. Popcorn seems to fit the bill. That and the fact that it's cheaper and easier to stow than most any other snack, makes popcorn a regular snack item on the boat.

Away from the marina, there's no microwave oven unless we start the generator or the engine and that won't happen...not for popcorn anyway. Not to mention microwave popcorn is very expensive here comparatively speaking. We don't own any other electrical appliances, so a hot-air popper, the healthiest preparation method, is not an option. Nope, I heat a little oil in the bottom of a saucepan, pour in the popcorn. It starts sizzling and exploding and voila...fresh popcorn. Evidently it's the moisture in the corn kernels which gets pressurized and then explodes when it's heated in oil. No matter. It smells heavenly when it's popping and it's not unusual for a passing sailor or two to stop by to check it out and sample the fruits of my labor.

I remember popping corn as a kid. We'd make sticky sweet popcorn balls with corn syrup for Hallowe'en treats and string popcorn and cranberries to decorate the Christmas tree. When a new JiffyPop product was introduced, my sister and I fought over who could jiggle the disposable aluminum popper over the burner. We watched with delight as the crinkled foil expanded and expanded until we thought it would burst. Who cared about the popcorn? It was the whole, fascinating experience.

Popcorn has been around for millennia, originating from Central America. The Native Americans knew all about it. In fact, archaeologists found evidence of popcorn in New Mexico dating to 3600 BC. The English who arrived in America in the 17th century learned about its value from the indigenous people. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, popcorn became popular because it was so cheap and available. During the war years that followed, sugar was rationed and candy was rare, hence popcorn saved the day. Popcorn is the “official” snack food of Illinois. Really?

There's a whole website devoted to corny facts on line which I found quite interesting like:

• October is National Popcorn Month and there's actually a National Popcorn Day coming up soon … January 19th
• Popcorn can pop up to three feet in the air
• The world's largest popcorn ball weighed in at over 2.5 tons in Sac City, IA in February 2009.
• Popcorn comes in two primary shapes: snowflake and mushroom
• And the most incredible tidbit of all...if you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels! (Who the heck figured that out and were they snowflake or mushroom shaped?)

When we were back in the States recently, we noted there are lots of different flavors now: caramel, cheese, kettle corn, light butter, heavy butter, no butter. We're purists … no flavors, no butter, thank you; but sprinkle a little salt on the batch, would you?

Anyone got any ideas for other low fat snacks that are easily obtainable and might be stowed on a boat? I'd appreciate hearing about them.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

The Festival of Sleep

was created to allow folks to get some rest and relaxation after the chaos of the holidays. After the Christmas shopping marathons and the New Year celebrations, it's time to take a nap.

Tasmania's Taste Festival

Midst all the hubbub in Hobart with the Christmas holidays, the arrival of the Sydney-Hobart race boats and the upcoming New Year's celebration, Tasmania's Taste Festival, a summer waterfront celebration, is in full swing from 28 December through 3 January. How much excitement can one little city, its inhabitants, a half million visitors and the Nine of Cups crew handle in one week? Evidently a lot … we're overwhelmed.

The long daylight hours of summer make this celebration Tasmania's largest. In its 24th year, the Taste Fest highlights all things Tasmania … wine, produce, food, crafts, entertainment. All along the waterfront, Princes Wharf and into Salamanca Place, booths and marquees were set up, beckoning visitors to stop by and “taste Tasmania”. It was crowded and crazy.

Parliament Park had been turned into “The Kid's Park” and kids really seemed to be enjoying themselves. A few kiddie rides like Teacups and Swings were set up as well an inflatable bounce castle, but mostly it was things to do. Thousands of Legos spread out on a huge tarp engaged some kids. Others “fished” in little wading pools while some toddlers worked hard to get a hula hoop going. Bright colors and music pervaded the scene. It was brilliant.

The throngs of people were absolutely amazing. Hundreds of food stalls offered everything from Parisian food to all things chicken to seafood to every ethnic option imaginable. The mix of aromas was nearly overpowering. Cadbury Chocolate offered a live cooking show in one area and chocolate samples in another. Wine, beer and spirit tastings had waiting lines .

The day was breezy, but beautiful. Picnic tables and chairs were set up and fully occupied. Brightly covered bean bag chairs had been placed strategically on the lawns and astro-turf covered medians. People lounged and relaxed, ate and drank, chatted and played.

Strains of music varied from bagpipers, to blues bands to rock to jazz to mellow guitar and filled the air, lending a carnival spirit to an already high energy day. Stages and bleachers were set up throughout the venue and come evening, the place would be hopping with party goers and live entertainment.

We observed. We listened. We sniffed. We felt the energy and the closeness of the mob. We felt the sun on our backs and we tasted the day away.

Just Desserts

Australians like their sweets. Why should they be any different than the rest of us? We've run across some traditional desserts that are uniquely Australian and, in the interest of cultural exchange, we've tried and enjoyed.

There are no cookies in Australia, but they do have oodles of sweet biscuits. Same thing, different name. Tim Tams are very popular and come in a variety of flavors which we've tried on numerous occasions... again purely for our cultural edification.

My personal favorites are ANZAC biscuits. Named way back in WWI for ANZACs (Australia-New Zealand Army Corps), these easy traveling, long lasting cookies became associated with wives and mums sending treats to their men overseas during the war. The basic ingredients are oats and coconut. We tasted them the first time on ANZAC Day at a tiny celebration on Pitcairn Island and thought they were the ultimate oatmeal cookie. ANZAC Day, celebrated April 25th each year, is comparable to Veteran's Day in the USA and in my mind, having a cookie specific to the holiday is an excellent idea although they're available commercially all year long.

When we were in New Zealand, we sampled Pavlova for the first time. There's an ongoing battle between the Kiwis and the Aussies as to which country first introduced the Pavlova. Evidently the prima ballerina, Anna Pavlova, visited both countries in the 1920's and this dessert was named in her honor. No matter who claims the title of origin, the resulting dessert is lovely. Made with a meringue that's crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, the whole thing is covered in whipped cream and studded with fresh fruits like strawberries, kiwis, passion fruit and blueberries. Pre-made meringues can be purchased in the stores, so all you need to do is top it with cream and fresh fruit. Pretty easy. It's typically served on special holidays like Christmas and it's delish.

They also have something called White Christmas and Chocolate Crackles, both made with rice bubbles, aka Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Though the recipes are different from the ones we grew up with in the USA like Scotch Treats and Original Marshmallow Krispie Treats, the process is similar. Kids make the recipe because it's an easy, no-bake, chill-in-the-fridge, hopelessly sweet kind of treat.

Then there is Lamington Cake or Lamington Cream which is definitely Australian in origin. I've seen them in pastry shops and the grocery store bakeries, but not yet tasted them. There seem to be several variations on the theme. It's a yellow sponge cake topped first with a chocolate cream icing which soaks into the cake, then it's dipped in shredded coconut. A filling of cream and/or strawberry jam can be layered in the middle according to some of the recipes I've read. It's on the “to make” list.

I saw “brandy custard” in the dairy case at the supermarket the other day. It comes in 1-liter waxed cardboard containers like a quart of milk or eggnog, so it's obviously liquid. The containers were decorated in Christmas colors and I thought perhaps they might be akin to egg nog. I had to e-mail my Aussie friend, Marly B., in Melbourne and get the scoop on custards. They come in powder or liquid form though making them from scratch is the best, she says. What she describes sounds like a rich vanilla pudding which can be drizzled on Christmas pudding or served with fruit or made into cream tarts. Evidently a myriad of choices. Egg nog, by the way, is not very popular here...brandy notwithstanding.

The traditional English plum pudding is still a Christmas favorite here. At least I've seen lots of them in the stores on sale. And, of course, fruit cake is available. I prefer waiting till after Christmas to buy our fruit cake. They're heavily discounted then and are great for celebrating January 7th... Fruitcake Toss Day. We know folks who have used them as dinghy anchors. They seldom drag.

Being from New England, my favorite Christmas dessert recipe is Cranberry Pudding. Though neither fresh nor frozen cranberries are available here in Tasmania (dried cranberries do not work well), I thought I'd share this old Martha's Vineyard recipe with you anyway. It's easy to make and tastes scrumptious when served warm and topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cranberry Pudding a la Nine of Cups

2 cups whole fresh cranberries, washed

¾ cup white sugar – separated ½ cup and ¼ cup

¼ c chopped walnuts 6 tbsp melted butter – separated 4 tbsp and 2 tbsp

½ c flour 1 egg, well beaten

Place cranberries in a well-buttered 8” pie plate. Mix ¼ cup of sugar and the walnuts with 4 tbsp of melted butter and drizzle over the cranberries. Combine the remaining sugar with the flour and add to the beaten egg; stir well. Add the remaining melted butter; stir well again. Pour over the cranberries.

Bake about 40 minutes at 350F (180C) till the top is lightly brown and the cranberries are bubbling. Serve warm or cold. Top with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Please bake one for me. Send me a picture. As you're eating it, savor the taste. Think about those of us poor folks who have no fresh cranberries. Sigh! I know I could substitute another fruit, but it just wouldn't be the same.