Asparagus with Egg Sauce

Asparagi Con Salsa All’Uovo (Asparagus in Egg Sauce)

Asparagus is a sure sign that spring has sprung! Make a quick Asparagus in Egg Sauce to impress your guests aboard!

Ingredients:
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
2 eggs, hard-boiled
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. oil
1 anchovy fillet
1 tsp. capers (or 1 tsp. vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Cook asparagus in salted water (or in the microwave) until just done. Mash egg yolks with lemon juice, oil, and anchovy; stir until smooth. Add capers and diced
egg whites. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over warm asparagus.

By Lori Ross, Southern Boating April 2018

More Spring Recipes:

Spring Menu

Pasta in Fish Sauce

Kidney Bean Salad

Easy Broiled Scallops with Parmesan

Venetian Spritz

Steer by App: New products make steering easy

Steer by app: New electronic products make it possible to maneuver your boat with precision and ease.

Minn Kota

You’re in the back-country fishing at one of your favorite spots. Then a gust of wind moves the boat, and you have to reel in your perfect cast to reposition the vessel. For owners of Minn Kota® trolling motors equipped with i-Pilot® and i-Pilot® Link™, there’s a revolutionary new app for anglers that allows them to use their smartphone or tablet to control the motor via Bluetooth® (where there’s data coverage).

The goal of the apps was singular: to enable anglers to catch more fish. Brad Henry, brand manager for Minn Kota, says that controlling the boat is essential to that endeavor.

“The new Minn Kota apps help make that easier than ever,” adds Henry. “From setting speed and direction to activating Spot-Lock and our new Spot-Lock Jog feature, we are putting a host of features into the familiar, convenient interface of phones and tablets.”

Minn Kota programmed the apps with the most frequently used commands by anglers when they’re on the water: Propeller On/Off, Left/Right Steering, Speed Control, AutoPilot activation, and deployment of Spot-Lock and Spot-Lock Jog—a feature that maintains position in wind and current. Furthermore, High-Speed Bypass boosts the motor to rapidly accelerate if moving the boat quickly is required.

Updates to the app are communicated to users and can be activated as needed, even while out on the water. “Since integrating Bluetooth into select Minn Kota models, it has opened up a new frontier on upgrades and functionality. On-the-fly software updating is just one of many benefits,” Henry explains.

The Minn Kota apps for i-Pilot and i-Pilot Link were designed with a user-friendly screen layout that mimics Minn Kota’s handheld remotes with which anglers are already familiar. The navigational icons are the same, and the response time is immediate.

Some anglers have reported using the new app as their primary control or as a back-up to their wireless remote, while others prefer to use the foot pedal for control. Ultimately, it comes down to angler preference, and Minn Kota delivers options for anglers to choose how they control their trolling motor.

Simply download the Minn Kota i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link app to an iOS or Android device, then pair it with one of the Bluetooth-enabled Minn Kota trolling motors: Ulterra, Terrova, PowerDrive (i-Pilot only), and Ultrex models. The push-button task is fast and easy.

Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Outdoors and consists of the Humminbird®, Minn Kota® and Cannon® brands. Humminbird® is a leading global innovator and manufacturer of marine electronics products including fishfinders, multifunction displays, autopilots, ice flashers, and premium cartography products.

Minn Kota® is the world’s leading manufacturer of electric trolling motors, as well as a complete line of Talon® shallow-water anchors, battery chargers and marine accessories. Cannon® is the leader in controlled-depth fishing and includes a full line of downrigger products and accessories.

MinnKotaMotors.com/i-Pilot-App

SeaStar Solutions

You love your boat, your outboards have plenty of power and are in fine shape, but when it comes to steering, especially at certain speeds, the combination of the two leaves something to be desired. Maybe it’s the factory-installed electrohydraulic steering system that’s giving you grief. Or, perhaps, you’re driving your boat differently now than when you bought it and you haven’t adapted accordingly.

If you own a boat with Mercury® Verado™ outboards, there’s good news. You can now replace your factory electro-hydraulic steering system with SeaStar Solutions’ Optimus Electronic Power Steering (EPS), which provides an easier boat-handling experience with more precision and control. According to Tom Douglass, vice president of sales and marketing for SeaStar Solutions, the Optimus EPS system was developed in response to boat owners who wanted to upgrade to power steering in order to improve the handling of their boats and their boating experience.

“Now, we can extend the benefits of Optimus EPS to more boaters that are looking for ways to make driving a little easier—and a lot more fun,” says Douglass. The Optimus EPS system also offers speed-adaptive technology, a feature that enables programmable steering resistance based on the engines’ rpms. For example, it will make maneuvering your boat easier at low speeds around docks and in marinas, yet at higher speeds it will help to maintain a straight course while cruising.

To install the Optimus EPS system, remove the factory helm, hoses and power assist pump and replace with the Optimus electronic helm, NMEA2000® harnesses, CANtrak display, hoses, and hydraulic pump. Take note that on typical hydraulic steering systems (and on the Mercury Verado system), the autopilot controls a separate steering pump and actuators that steer the boat when the system is engaged. With Optimus, you don’t need that second pump as these autopilot systems that are compatible—from Garmin, Raymarine or SIMRAD— just plug into the Optimus system and use its pump and controls. This makes installation very easy and much less expensive.

For boats with two helm stations, adding a second station is simple because this is a drive-by-wire system. All you have to do to is run a wire from your network up to the second station and plug it into the Optimus electronic helm. The Optimus EPS system is now available for boats powered by up to four outboards.

seastarsolutions.com

By L.N. Evans Southern Boating Magazine August 2017

Black & Blue Petrified Cheese Log

Eeek out this ghostly menu and invite your favorite goblins for Halloween
festivities on board. This Halloween cheese log is sure to get a scare!

Ingredients:
5 oz. blue cheese
5 oz. softened cream cheese
½ cup black sesame or poppy seeds

Serve with:
crackers, fruit jam or sliced fruit (apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, etc.)

Directions:
Mix blue cheese with softened cream cheese. Roll cheese into a log, and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Unwrap and roll log in seeds until completely covered. To serve, place cheese and fruit on plate, and put crackers in a bowl or basket.

Other Halloween favorites:

Haunted Pumpkin Bars
Black and Blue Petrified Cheese Log
Vampire Blood Chili
Sea Monsters with Hellish Cocktail Sauce
Bloody Mary’s

By Lori Ross, Southern Boating October 2017

Mother’s Day Cruising Menu

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and if your mom is anything like mine, there is nothing she’d enjoy more than a cocktail cruise around the harbor (complete with a radish-topped appetizer).

So indulge mom this weekend, and say thanks with a boat ride to her favorite spot.

With a little luck, we’ll have sunshine and warm weather. Bring just a few ingredients on board, and you’ll be able to craft these simple drinks and light bites for an unforgettable Mother’s Day!

Rosa Rubino

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Amaro Donna Rosa
0.75 oz Don Ciccio Prickly Pear
Prosecco
1 Maraschino Cherry
1 sprig of thyme

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a wine glass with several cubes of ice. Stir quickly with a bar spoon. Serve immediately.

Menta Fresca Spritz

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Amaro Don Ferne’
0.75 oz C3 Carciofo
Prosecco
Orange slice
Two sprigs of fresh mint

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a wine glass with several cubes of ice. Stir quickly with a bar spoon. Serve immediately.

Drink recipes courtesy of Don Ciccio & Figli.

About Don Ciccio & Figli: Founded in 1883, the Amodeo family’s distillery enjoyed nearly a century of liqueur production on the Amalfi Coast. Today, the tradition lives on in Washington, D.C., where Francesco Amodeo produces spirits in small batches using traditional methods. Don Ciccio & Figli currently offers 13 nationally available products, including amari, aperitivi and cordials.

Radish & Feta Toasts

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch watercress, thick stems discarded
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices of peasant bread
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
8 to 10 radishes, thinly sliced
6 ounces feta cheese (preferably goat), crumbled

Heat a cast-iron grill pan.Brush the bread with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and grill over high heat, turning once, until toasted.

Top the toasts with the feta, radishes, and watercress.

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

TIP: Use any assortment of radishes for these toasts, like watermelon, pink beauty, cherry belle or d’Avignon. If you slice the radishes ahead of time, keep them in a bowl of ice water, which makes them extra cold and crispy.

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine.

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Puree Toasts

INGREDIENTS

5 red, orange or yellow bell peppers
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Four 3/4-inch-thick slices of rustic or sourdough boule (12 ounces), cut in half on the diagonal and toasted
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, brush the peppers and garlic all over with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes, until softened and browned in spots. Transfer the peppers and garlic to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam until cooled, about 30 minutes; peel the garlic.

Peel, stem and seed the peppers. In a food processor, combine the roasted peppers with the roasted garlic and puree until smooth. With the machine on, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil until incorporated. Season the puree with salt. Spread the pepper puree on the toasts, garnish with parsley and serve.

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine.

Onboard Security for Your Vessel

Siren Marine stands guard to protect your vessel with onboard security

On a quiet night in a sparsely populated marina, a 50-foot unoccupied trawler may seem like an easy target for thieves. The would-be criminals may already know the owner is away and few people are around. The timing for stealing a boat—or just getting inside to hunt for valuables—seems ideal. All that’s needed is to gain entry to the vessel.

Not so fast, however, if the boat is equipped with Siren Marine’s Pixie unit. This electronic boat monitoring system can send a text alert to up to four different mobile phones if an entry sensor is tripped or if the boat’s shore power is disconnected. In addition, a loud “Bloodhound” siren can be programmed to emit, scaring off any intruders.

“If the boat moves or someone gets in, you are going to know,” says Van Anderson of Fort Lauderdale, who installed a Pixie on his 2005 Nordhavn 55 Sunday Morning. Anderson set up a “GeoFence” for his boat so if it moves out of a specific range, the automatic GPS tracking of the Pixie lets him know. “I type in ‘POS’ in a text to my Siren Marine cell number, and in a few seconds I get a text back telling me where the boat is. There are also apps for iPhone and Android phones.”

Siren Marine is the creation of Dan Harper, a lifelong sailor who also has a long history with electronics and computers. Harper wanted to combat two problems that plague wooden sailboats: batteries and bilges. “A good, healthy battery can run bilge pumps,” says Harper, the founder and CEO, who runs Siren Marine out of his home office in Newport, Rhode Island. “The alert allows you to stay ahead of problems. A dead battery will not allow a boat to be started, or the bilge pump or other ‘vital systems’ to be operated in the event of an emergency.

“For Southern Boating readers a big concern is someone breaking into the boat rather than stealing it,” Harper continues. “Knowing that no one has gained entry and that the power is on is what a great majority of our customers tell us they like.”

When Harper launched Siren Marine in 2011, smartphones were not nearly as popular as they are today. Text messaging was the easiest and fastest way to communicate, and almost all cell phones had texting capability. “At the start we focused on a text-based system,” says Siren Marine’s chief operations officer, Jonathan Banks, who notes that the Pixie sells for $499, with a $180 annual subscription plan to Siren’s mobile network. “Fast forward five years and it’s a very different dynamic. Everyone has a smartphone or iPhone, and pretty much every product you buy comes with an app. The catalyst is the smartphone, as consumers connect through the Internet of Things (IoT) to their homes, cars and boats. The forecast is by 2020 there will be 5 billion consumer devices connected to the Internet.”

Each Siren Marine unit has a unique phone number and data is transmitted over GSM cellular networks. GSM conforms to a global standard, devices roam seamlessly with excellent coastal coverage, and the technology is extremely stable. Cellular modules are affordable and draw very little power. With the growth of IoT applications, the cost of cellular components and data is coming down.

“We have sold about 1,200 Sprite and Pixie boat monitoring units since the products were launched in 2011,” Harper says. Powered by the boat’s 12- or 24-volt battery, the unit can be easily installed in a locker by placing the Pixie (a little larger than a deck of cards) where it best fits and test the signal strength of the unit’s internal high-gain antenna. “If the signal strength is acceptable, that’s where it goes. Then you connect the leads to the monitoring unit to monitor battery voltage, bilge water level, motion, shore power status, temperature, and more.”

With the planned phasing out of 2G cellular networks, which the Pixie and Sprite use, Siren Marine is designing next-generation 3G and LTE devices, which will be launched in fall 2016 and will include added functionality. A NMEA 2000 interface, image capture, engine monitoring, and wireless sensors are new functions that will be introduced, and data can also be shared with boatbuilders, engine manufacturers and others through a customized Siren Marine portal.

“We take security of the data transmitted very seriously,” says Harper. “The company that is developing our cloud services and user apps also helped develop the international defense system after 9/11. Any crowdsourcing function is always opt-in by the user, and data will be stored locally on an owner’s device.”

Siren Marine’s greatest benefit, however, may still be those simple text alerts. Knowing right away that the shore power is disconnected can save boat owners a lot of hassle in terms of spoiled food and a horrible mess.

“My boat Sunday Morning was docked in Charleston at a marina and I was away,” says Anderson. “I received an alarm that the power was disconnected, so I called the marina and asked them to check on it, and hung up the phone.” It turned out another boat had come into the slip next to Sunday Morning and somehow disconnected the shore power. The marina attendant simply hooked the power back up.

“I knew right away the problem was solved,” Anderson says. “The Siren Marine unit sent me an alert that power was back on, so I knew the boat was good to go before the marina called me back.”

INFORMATION: sirenmarine.com

— By Don Minikus, Southern Boating Magazine June 2016