It's Tuesday morning, my favorite day of the week. The internet was slow and did not allow me to upload my photos in Lake Superior and we were in and out of Superior quickly so here is my Sunday story. Greetings from the CSL Laurentien (Louis R. Desmarais). When I look at the past week, Saturday May 24th brings a smile to my face. I was excited and waiting for Lorraine's (my sister, best friend and publisher) visit in Quebec City. We arrived in Quebec City and tied up the night before on Friday. We had already unloaded and moved down to the loading dock Saturday morning where we sat for about 24 hours. It was the perfect opportunity for a visit. Lorraine and I spent the entire Saturday together. She left Saturday night around 8pm. We left fully loaded Sunday May 25th after lunch. We had completed loading earlier but we had to wait for the tide. It was a beautiful sunny day when we left the dock after lunch. We hadn’t seen the sun for days so it was cause for celebration to go outside as we left Quebec City. It is such a beautiful City and the Red Canada Coast Guard ships looked extra bright in the sunshine. I had heard that the portion of our trip from Quebec to Montreal would be a little slow. We were loaded and moving against the tide.

It was the first day of sunshine after days of rain. I sat outside taking in the beautiful views of Quebec City after lunch. We are currently on our way back to Quebec City.

The Sunday sun brought out the weekend sailors.

On the right of the photo you can see the Ferry that transports people and cars from Quebec City and Levis Quebec. Even though I sail on ships and can experience the beautiful views of Quebec City from the ship, I will take the Ferry to cross the river so that I can look at the City from the water. The view is spectacular.

We received groceries in Quebec city and amongst the multiple boxes that were carried in was a case of 20 fresh chickens that had never been frozen and I knew I had to use them right away. I cooked all 20 of them that night for Sunday supper. I was delighted the following Monday morning when I parted my curtains and saw Montreal and the sun. We were very close to St Lambert's lock and since we would enter the lowered lock I decided to wait until we cleared the lock to enjoy my coffee outside. The sun was warm and there was no wind. The birds were as happy to see the sun as I was and they sang extra loud. I have a great video, which I hope to share with you soon.

I was delighted to see Montreal in sight Monday morning from my forward-facing porthole. I live north of Montreal so sent out a wave to Lorraine. She lives one km from me and although I knew she would still be asleep at 06h00 I sent out a wave filled with joy.

Coffee outside was the perfect way to start my day.

The bonus of having my coffee outside was listening to the birds singing. I took video to share with you and will piece it together so you can enjoy it too. I like that you can see our shadow in this photo. It was such a beautiful morning.

When Lorraine came to visit me in Quebec city she brought me a replacement shredding/slicing blade for my food processor. I always travel with a food processor and have purchased the same Hamilton Beach model four times in the last five years. It has a strong motor and I like that it uses the same post to hold the chopper and the shredder blade. I pack the food processor in my suitcase when I join a ship. I wore out and broke my blade and asked Lorraine to look at my apartment to see if I had a backup blade from my extra food processor at home. I was so happy when she facetimed me holding up the slicer. I put the slicer blade into my food processor and made my Grate Hamburger Soup. All the vegetable are grated and it comes together very quickly.

I cooked all 20 fresh chickens and looked forward to the possibilities with the leftovers. We got carrots in the grocery order and they were really tasty. I will finish using the tasteless carrots that I got last order in recipes that do not relying solely on the carrot flavor.

I had defrosted hamburger meat and the sunny day looked like it would be a perfect day to make hamburgers on the BBQ. I usually make hamburgers for lunch, but using the BBQ makes the meal extra special. Fewer crew members come in for lunch so I planned to make the hamburgers for supper for all to enjoy. I made my homemade hamburger buns earlier in the day so they would be ready for supper. The sun was still out when I lit the BBQ. I had asked one of the deckhands to untie and remove the BBQ cover earlier. The BBQ is secured when not in use so I always ask for someone to untie and uncover so that I could use it. While I was cooking the first batch of burgers, the weather started to turn, and I encouraged the burgers to cook a little faster in case it started to rain. I had 30 hamburgers, and they were large so it took three batches to cook. I was cooking the last batch as the wind picked up and the skies darkened so I seared the last batch and decided I would finish them in the oven. BBQ hamburger night went well and crew members that don't usually come for supper came for the special event. One crew member asked for seconds and I happily obliged. I served mom's potato salad and after I offered "would you like mom's potato salad" to the first few. Before long the crew started asking "and I'll have mom's potato salad." I wrote to Lorraine that it was the best potato salad I ever made. The recipe was the same as my mom's but the little yellow flesh potatoes that we received in Quebec were the best tasting potatoes. Mom always used yellow fleshed potatoes. She would have loved my potato salad. While I was serving the hamburgers and mom's potato salad the rain clouds opened up and the rain poured down. I was happy it waited until I was back inside.

I cooked the 30 large hamburgers in three batches. by the time I placed the last batch on the BBQ, the dark clouds threatening rain. I seared the last batch and finished cooking them in the oven. It was a good choice because it started to pour rain.

Mom’s potato salad was so delicious and the bowl was empty at the end of the meal. The little yellow fleshed potatoes that we received in our grocery order reminded me of the taste of mom’s potato salad. She always used yellow fleshed potatoes.

I made hamburger buns earlier in the day. I think hamburgers are better on homemade buns.

I received a message from someone who was harvesting an abundance of fresh asparagus. They asked if I had a recipe for Asparagus soup. I mentioned that I had received asparagus with my grocery order and would make the soup. I took notes and will share the recipe in a future project. You can see in the photo that I use the ends of Romaine lettuce and the out leaves that you usually throw away. The romaine lettuce adds a nuttiness to the asparagus soup.

I had a lot of chicken leftover and made a version of Merry Me Chicken from the first cookbook. I didn’t have sundried tomatoes and made it with roasted cherry tomatoes. It was very good but my first choice is to use the sundried tomatoes.

I made something for the first time for last Tuesday's supper. Usually, I work 30 day jobs. I have a list of meals and redo the ones that are favorites and well received. Since I am here for three months I am exploring new menus to add to my meal rotation. I had a lot of chicken left over and told the second cook that I have always wanted to make chicken and dumplings. We discussed dumplings vs biscuits and I decided on biscuits. The second cook showed me a picture of chicken stew that she found on the internet, and I liked how it looked. Her cell phone provider has better service than my bell service, so I was happy that she could call up the recipes. The nice baby yellow flesh potatoes that we received in our grocery order would be perfect. They looked like the potatoes in the chicken stew photo. I got positive feedback and will make it again in the future with a few adjustments that I think will make it even better.

I was happy with the chicken stew and biscuits. I will make it again with a few adjustments.

I calculated the time from leaving Montreal and knew that we would be passing my hometown of Brockville while I was asleep. I woke throughout the night and wondered if we had already passed Brockville. We were about 30 minutes east of Brockville and I happily fell back to sleep knowing I was close to home. I also realized that I would be able to go outside and enjoy some of the 1000 islands. The day before I mentioned to our passenger/visitor who was doing a short trip with us. He was visiting from Australia, and I mentioned to him that I hoped he could see the beautiful part of the seaway. The second cook joined me on deck shortly before 06h00 and we shouted good morning to Meg hoping we didn't disturb her neighbors.

I was so pleased that I would be able to enjoy a part of the 1000 islands. The water was mirror calm

Good morning Meg. The second cook joined me outside shortly before 06h00

It was a spectacular morning and I hoped that our visiting guest from Australia was up at such an early hour to enjoy the view.

I went into the galley to get my morning coffee to enjoy outside

such a beautiful morning to have coffee on deck as we glided through the last section of the 1000 islands.

I had a friend visit in Hamilton. I was on this ship in 1983 and invited a friend that I met on this ship 42 years ago. The dock in Hamilton where we unloaded the Gypsum from Quebec City is a nice clean dock and easy to visit. I had put my friend's name on the list so that they could be cleared with the security gate. It was a fun and we chatted like 42 years had not passed. We had seen each other over the years but there was something special about visiting the past where we first met. My friend is a great storyteller and there was a lot of laughter. He brought up stories that I hadn't thought of in years. We knew that we were limited in time and listened to the unloading of the ship, knowing that as soon as the unloading stopped and the ship was quiet, we would have to end our visit. Once the unloading is complete, the boom is swung back in and we are on our way. It was a great visit.

I made cauliflower falafels and this was my lunch. It was delicious.

This is always a popular meal. Beef with noodles.

We were just making the short trip over to the Welland Canal. There was a lot of anticipation when the wires were let go in Hamilton because the final countdown for those going home on vacation began. I was so happy that I could stay and start my second month onboard. It is always nice when crew change is during daylight hours and the timing was perfect. The regular second cook was leaving on vacation and a relief second cook was coming. I was happy to hear the relief second cook had already been here before. My first month here was easy and it looked like my time here would continue to be enjoyable. I met the second cook as I was doing the floor, the last task of my day. He said we met before. I asked him to remind me when. He said he saw me in passing as he came on the Assiniboine and I was leaving. He said he looked forward to working with me and learning some of my recipes. I said I would be happy to share my favorite recipes and tips. I was happy for the regular second cook to start her vacation and said I would see her in July. When she returns from vacation beginning of July, we will spend my third month together. When I went to bed I knew that we were stopping for fuel after completing Lock 8. I thought that we would still be in the Canal when I woke and hoped that it would be nice out and I could have my coffee outside Thursday morning. I got my wish Thursday morning and thought it was funny that we were docked right in front of "The Pie Guy" in Port Colborne. It was very early so they were not open yet, but sitting with my coffee looking at the cafe's terrace almost made me think like I was sitting there. I have sat in the Pie Guy Cafe many times watching ships and now I was on the ship looking at the cafe. I often think about how much I would like to live in the condo building with the canal view. There would always be something to see

We stopped to fuel in Port Colborne. There is a sign placed on the door to remind that we are fueling and not to smoke on deck during the time that we are fueling. There is no smoking inside the ship.

The Pie Guy Cafe is located in the bottom right hand corner of this condo building. I would love to live in that building. There would always be something to see and a great cafe downstairs. I sat inside there many times watching ships.

As promised, I shared my favorite cake recipe with the second cook on his first day. We made mom's cherry pie filling cake. I suggested he make rice Krispy squares for lunch and we would serve the cherry pie filling cake for supper. I suggested to him that he could make a little salad bar. I like the option to build a salad with the ingredients of your choice. Friday morning at 05h27 I parted the curtains of my forward-facing porthole and saw that we were in St Clair River and I would be able to wave at the Blue Water Bridge webcam. The timing was perfect. I put my clam chowder on and used the potatoes that we got in our last order. Peeling the little potatoes was worth the work because they are so tasty. Friday night, Fish and Chip's night went well.

I shared my mom’s cherry pie filling cake recipe with the new second cook.

Italian wedding soup is always popular. My mom always liked hearing little funny stories from the ship. She would have loved hearing my Italian wedding soup story. I write the menu on a chalk board and I try to write nicely but sometimes it is a little hurried. My first crew member who came in asked quietly What is Alien soup. I quickly went over to the chalkboard and wrote the soup Italian wedding soup again. I can hear my mom laughing about this.

For lunch I made a baked chicken and spinach sandwich or ham and cheese baked sandwich. I made a marinated salad and served the sandwich with a homemade ranch dipping sauce.

I got three huge bags of parsley in our grocery order and made a big batch of chimichurri.

The chimichurri went well with both the salmon and the roast pork.

Saturday morning, when I parted the curtains, I saw the sun shining and thought I might take my coffee to enjoy outside on the bench. I knew we were in the St Mary's River because of the sound of the ship. It is quieter when we are in the river with the occasional vibration when we make a turn or are in shallow parts of the river. I looked at my phone, and the little weather symbol agreed with me that it was sunny, but right beside the yellow sun was the single-digit number 4. The 4 degrees C is 39F, so I set my coffee up inside. I received a message to come out and wave at the campground before the lock and when I stepped through the door on the starboard side close to my room I felt the warm sun and thought it's not that cold...until I made my way over to the port side. It was much colder and the wind was cold. I waved to the onlookers and snapped a few pictures before going back inside to warm up. I started my day making buns for meatball subs. The second choice was pasta with meatballs and sauce. I like to make something fun on Saturdays. I also made egg salad for those who wanted something lighter. We have a few extra crew and we are now 25. I cut 25 steaks for steak night and decided to make my new favorite twice baked potatoes. I served onion rings and thought together it made a really nice plate. It was too cool to use the BBQ but maybe next Saturday.

I waved at the couple who were at the campground and sent me a message earlier. It was a chilly morning

We waited below the lock for almost four hours and were in the lock during lunch time. I managed to pop out for a quick wave.

You can see the second cruise ship just coming around the building.

I think the twice baked potatoes made the plate look extra good.

I shared with the new second cook that I think it’s nice to have a special dessert for Saturday night. I suggested he make a deconstructed coconut cream pie. He said he never heard of that. I explained that I liked serving it this way because the crust is crispy and it looks fun on the plate. It also tastes delicious.

Sunday morning was my first cinnamon bun Sunday. The regular second cook makes cinnamon buns and while she is on vacation I will resume my cinnamon bun Sundays. One of the crew said his friend who I sailed with before said he should make sure to get up for cinnamon bun Sunday. My Sunday brunch offered: Corn Beef Hash, Coco Catherine (smoked salmon, eggs, spinach, bechamel), bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, egg muffins and hash browns. I really enjoy making Sunday brunch.I decided to attempt a BBQ Sunday night. I knew we would be close to Superior, and the weather looked promising. I had thawed chicken pieces and soaked navy beans for Baked Beans. I made a hashbrown casserole, which went very well, and made mom's buttermilk bread, which was still warm when I placed it on the counter for the crew to help themselves. I enjoy serving a plate of food that is a theme, and I thought this BBQ plate looked nice when I passed it over to each crew member. The second cook made a pasta salad, and the crew could help themselves

Cinnamon Bun Sunday morning started with a beautiful sunrise.

One of the crew wanted to make his friend jealous so he took this photo. I leave some of the cinnamon buns plain without the cream cheese frosting.

The smoked salmon Coco Catherine had spinach, bechamel, eggs, smoked salmon, sliced red onion and capers. I also offered corn beef hash.

The BBQ chicken dinner with hashbrown casserole, home baked beans, corn and my mom’s buttermilk bread.

Mom’s buttermilk bread was still warm when I placed it on the counter for the crew to help themselves.

It was another great week and we are now Tuesday morning June 3rd. One month is completed and I have two more months to go. I have seen the list of upcoming trips and although I cannot share them with you I can say that I am excited with some of the ports we will be visiting. I am trying not to get excited because I know the trips can change. It is too early to know when we will arrive in Quebec City but I hope the timing is good so that Lorraine can visit me. We will only be unloading in Quebec this trip so it will have to be the right time. Have a wonderful day.

Greetings from the CSL Laurentien

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Greetings from the CSL Laurentien

Superior, Wi to Quebec City, Quebec

Lorraine comes to Quebec City for a Visit

EXPLORE

INFORMATION

GET IN TOUCH

FOLLOW ALONG