Happy Father’s Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads, Uncles, Brothers, and Mentors to young people. My Dad has been gone for three years but continues to live on in my heart. I cherish the memories of him and my mom and sharing stories of them with you gives me a moment to live in my memories. I am planning to make a special meal tonight for the crew on the CSL Laurentien today to celebrate Father's Day.

Happy Father’s Day to all. This photo shares what my dad loved: my mom and his daughters (we were all there when the photo was taken, eating good food, making music and a good beer.

I started the special Father's Day celebration Saturday night. Early Saturday morning, I sat outside on the swing bench and calculated where we would be at supper time and whether I would be able to use the BBQ for the Saturday night steak dinner. The 4-8 wheelsman descended the outside stairs after his morning watch shortly before 08H00 and I asked for an update. He said there is a ship ahead of us but thought we would be in the Soo Lock before noon. With that information, I estimated that we will probably be in Lake Superior by supper so I would have to reassess the idea of a BBQ after lunch. I am a fair weather BBQ'er, so I don't BBQ in the rain, snow or wind and decided to wait and see how the weather was later in the day.

I love to look out at the ever-changing scenery. I caught this as I was getting my coffee before I put my laundry in.

It was a beautiful morning in the St Mary’s River. I sat there while I did my laundry.

I tried setting my laundry out like last week wondering if someone would pick it up again and carry it to the laundry. If you have shopped at IKEA you may recognize the bag. It makes a perfect laundry bag

When I came back with my coffee in hand my laundry was still there so I carried it up to the laundry myself.

I enjoy going through the rivers during the daylight. I looked out the porthole at the beautiful scenery as I was preparing lunch: homemade tomato soup, grilled cheese, pinwheels stuffed with either cheese or spinach and cheese, and garlic parmesan cauliflower. I looked up from my cutting board a couple of times and realized that the scenery had not changed and I thought we must have slowed down for traffic. Not long after, during the 10h00 coffee break, I overheard that we had dropped the anchor because there was a ship in the channel that had stopped . The hours passed by sitting at anchor; I had finished preparing lunch, served lunch and started cleaning up the lunch dishes. I updated the calculation in my head for the time of supper and the possibility of a BBQ . Before I left for my afternoon break I heard the engines start and knew that the timing would be good for the BBQ. I thought it was funny that we were making our way into the Lock during the time I was using the BBQ. It was perfect, there was no wind and the temperature was ideal. I laid my steaks down on the grill, set my timer to remind me of the exact time to turn the steaks, closed the BBQ lid and went to wave at the onlookers and webcam.

I thought it was funny that we were in the Lock while I was Grilling the steaks. I set my timer, closed the lid and waved to the onlookers and webcam.

The Soo tour boat passed right behind our stern and it was fun to see the passengers wave. I wondered if the aroma of the steaks drifted over to the observation deck. In the Lock next to us was the US Coast Guard ship and I searched their deck to see if they were getting a BBQ for supper too. To make the Father's Day weekend Saturday night steak dinner special I decided to make a few changes to my usual steak dinner sides of fried onions, mushrooms, roasted asparagus, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, or baked sweet potatoes and rice. Everyone likes onion rings (even the people who don't like onions) so that was my first idea. When I opened one of the boxes of mushrooms the other day I noticed that they were jumbo mushrooms and thought to myself that they would be great for making stuffed mushrooms. ( I share a version of stuffed mushrooms in my second cookbook). I was hesitant to make the stuffed mushrooms, but after some thought decided that some will really like the idea of clam stuffed mushrooms and some might think the opposite. The asparagus were so nice when I took them out of the box, I thought even the asparagus are going to make my Father's Day Steak dinner more special. The second cook made a big caesar salad using the caesar dressing that we had made together. He was delighted at the end of supper when one of the crew came in with his empty tray and commented on the delicious caesar salad. The crew member continued on to say that the meal we had put together would rival a 50$-60$ steakhouse meal. On his way out of the galley he eyed the beautiful cheesecake that the second cook had made. He said "He shouldn't" I reminded him that it was Father's Day weekend and he was happy to hear the valid reasoning and picked up one of the pieces of raspberry cheesecake. The feedback from the stuffed mushrooms was good and some of the crew who I didn't think would like the idea of the stuffed mushrooms said "put a couple of those mushroom things on my plate" (I smiled inside). It was a great night and there was a festivity in the air with lots of laughter

It was fun to see the tour boat passengers wave.

The coast guard ship is faster than us and made its way into the lock and was already being raised while we were getting in position for the lock doors to close.

I made clam stuffed mushrooms and onion rings to make our Saturday Steak night a little more special for the Father’s Day weekend.

It was another fun, fast week. I feel like I'm repeating myself every week about how fast the time is passing, but that feeling is there each week when I look through the photos to share with you. It is so nice working on the same ship and not having to leave after 30 days to join another ship. I enjoy being in one place and find myself inspired to try new recipes and ideas. As I mentioned last week, I usually have my 30 day rotation which includes the meals I make with the leftovers. Being on the same ship for 100 days pushes me to try and serve even more variety. We had meatloaf earlier in the week, and I thought I would like to try a meatloaf sandwich the following day for lunch. I had never offered that but liked the idea of it. I took out a loaf of the sourdough bread from the freezer and it was almost the same shape and size as my meatloaf. I wanted to make it extra special and made something I have never made before. I had an onion jam about 40 years ago and have always wanted to try making it myself. I looked up three recipes online and thought how simple it was. I peeled 15 onions, chopped them in my food processor, sautéed them in a little olive oil, added sugar, cooked them, and then added balsamic vinegar. Wow. It was delicious. I knew not everyone would share my opinion of the most delicious onion jam so I offered the meatloaf with the onion jam on the side. There are some crew members who like to try new things so for those I made their meatloaf sandwiches with meatloaf, swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, onion jam and after buttering the outsides of the sourdough sandwich grilled it. This was a successful sandwich and I will add it to my rotation of what to do with leftover meatloaf.

I served the grilled meatloaf sandwich with cheesy rolled potato cakes. The onion jam was on this sandwich but I suggested they may want more.

For those who are looking for a lighter choice I offered a spinach salad with the sauteed mushrooms, bacon onion jam and for this crew member they had asked for two sunny side-up eggs. ( I love making sunny side up eggs. My dad made them on Sundays and I always think of him when I slide them out of the pan onto a plate)

This was the meatloaf and mashed potatoes before it was transformed into the sandwich and cheesy potatoes.

I served this as a second choice with the meatloaf. I had served butter chicken the day before and used some of the leftover butter chicken sauce. The sauce is so good I can’t throw it away so I strain out the chicken and use it to mix with the leftover rice. The flavorful rice smelled delicious and went really well with the baked rainbow trout.

I always make a lot of sauce when I make butter chicken. It’s good on it’s own and has so much flavor.

I ordered 20lb of pork butt to make pulled pork. I made my blueberry BBQ sauce and served pulled pork sliders for supper. I also had regular BBQ sauce for those who didn't trust me when I said how good the blueberry BBQ sauce was. " I got a case of beautiful kale, and the second cook made the kale salad using the recipe in my cookbook. I thought it would be fun to add something else to my menu that I have never done before. Sometimes, when we place a grocery order, we have a problem that we cannot order one thing and have to order a case. I saw 12 large bottles of REALLEMON lemon concentrate. That is a lot of lemon concentrate to cook with. I thought maybe I could make lemonade and was surprised when I looked closer at the back of the bottle and there was actually a lemonade recipe. I don't have a pretty punch bowl on board, but I used a big pot and made my lemonade. It was a hit and something fun to have for supper.

I thought a corn chowder made with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes would go well with my pulled pork supper.

pulled pork sliders with Blueberry BBQ sauce

This kale salad recipe is so delicious. I shared with the second cook that he had to make it early in the day so that the kale has a chance to softened in the vinegar dressing.

My fancy lemonade punch bowl/pot

I separated the pulled pork from the drippings/liquid and put it in the fridge overnight. The following day I skimmed off the layer of fat and was left with a flavorful broth to make a gravy. I added in the left over pulled pork and served it over rice or noodles.

The other choice was a pizza pocket and I made an antipasto salad to serve with it. One crew member asked for two pizza pockets probably thinking of the store-bought version but when he saw the ones I was about to put on his plate he said, “just one please”

We are on our way to Superior and will take that load to Quebec City. If the timing is good Lorraine will come and visit. After Quebec City we have a trip that is still on the trip list and I am looking forward to it. I will attach some more photos of some of the meals I made and some fun photos. (Tuesday morning update we loaded in Superior and are on our way back to Quebec. We will be in the Soo today)

I like serving this plate. I call it my Tropical crispy chicken salad plate with black bean and mango salsa. I offer maple mustard dressing with it.

We saw the Quebec City tour boat go out multiple times to show the passengers the area while we were unloading.

We had to anchor for a few hours before going in to unload. Usually we anchor West of Quebec City before the bridge but this time we passed Quebec City and dropped the anchor East of Quebec City, close to Isle d’Orleans. You can see the Montmorency Falls (tourist attraction) in the distance. When I looked up the correct spelling of the Falls, I read that it is 272 feet high and 90 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

There were lots of sailboats out taking advantage of a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

The view of Quebec City from our anchorage

There is always lots to see when we are in Quebec City. There is a pilot change in Quebec City so you can see the pilot boat go out to make the pilot change. If you zoom in you can see the little pilot boat alongside the ship. The gangway is lowered making it easier than using the rope ladder.

When we finally got to the dock we were right in front of this ship. I sent this photo to Lorraine and she thought I added the toothy smile, I said “No” it is painted on the ship. The name of the ship is Nordic Oshima.

Homemade cream of mushroom soup is always popular. I think making it with leeks gives it that extra good flavor.

I love making soup and there are lots of soup eaters onboard. This is the before and after of the roasted pepper soup. I used red, yellow and orange peppers.

I try to offer salad plates for lunch as the weather gets warmer. The salad plates are popular with the crew which inspires me to create new combinations. This salad plate was a julienne salad and I offer it with the choice of three homemade dressings: maple mustard , ranch or Russian.

This is the second time I made macaroni and cheese. The first time it didn’t go very well so I was a little hesitant but this time it went very well.

Thursday night I made Thai basil beef. I bring my favorite Thai red curry paste. I knew that some crew members wouldn’t like it so I made another option that I knew they would enjoy.

My second choice to offer with the Thai beef dish was swiss steak. This is the first time that I made swiss steak. I had talked about it with the regular second cook before she left on vacation. She mentioned that she liked it so I ordered the swiss steak. I thought I would do a practice run so that I could make it for her when she comes back for the month of July.

Friday the 13th started off with the dishwasher refusing to work. Luckily for us we travel with with an electrician. He had the machine repaired and operating again in no time.

The Tuna sandwich was a popular choice for lunch. My second choice was chili.

There are a couple of crew members who don’t like fish so I made chili fries or chili nachos for supper.

I like making fish and chips. I prepared this tray for a crew member who was on the bridge and could not come down for supper.

After clearing the eight locks in the canal we stopped for fuel. I was sitting outside enjoying the beautiful morning. The MA (mechanical assistant) came to take a reading of the fuel in the tank.

I love a shadow photo. I like how our boom is shadowed on the passing Algoma Discovery

There is always lots to see in the canal. Port Colborne is a nice little town. I have eaten at the Minor Fisheries (red building) and it was delicious.

I took this photo with the daisies at the bottom of the lamppost. I spoke to Lorraine a few days before and she shared with me that there were so many daisies. Daisies always remind me of my mom and dad. I was delighted to see daisies as we went through the canal.

I want to thank you for all the comments about the interview/podcast that I shared with you on Saturday. It was fun to speak with Patty on her show "The Shift with Patty Handy" (Spoiler Alert). During the interview, I mentioned the project we (Lorraine, my sister, and best friend) are working on. I have been looking for a format to share more recipes, a place to answer your questions and share more details of stories of life on a ship. Lorraine and I thought it would be fun to do this through an e-magazine. We plan to have the first issue available for September. The e-publication will be interactive with links to videos. Like my previous two cookbooks, the quarterly seasonal e-publication will feature recipes, Sailing stories, Road trips, my favorite things, New product discoveries, what to do with leftovers, and more. Recurring in every edition will be some fun and interactive pages. During a visit with friends last summer we had a nice leisurely breakfast/brunch and shared stories. Our hostess told us the love story of their grandparent's meeting. I Love a Love Story and asked if I could share the love story of her grandparents in the first edition page, "I Love a Love Story". She agreed. I invited a lifelong friend/retired Captain if he would be a part of our e-publication and was delighted when he agreed to share his sailing stories. He is a great storyteller and his humor in his storytelling always makes a fun read. His years of journaling has helped me on occasion to remember details that I could not recall on my own. He recently reminded me of the first time we met when I joined the Louis R Desmarais in Essexville. I came as a porter. He was the third mate and shared with me that the crew was placing bets on how long the new porter would last with the Chief cook and second cook husband-wife team onboard. (The full story will be in the September e-magazine). I get many questions about "life on a ship," and now I will be able to address the things that you are curious about. I recently received a message from a teacher. She explained that she follows my stories and shares the details with her class. She said there were a few questions that her students had for me. I mentioned to her that I was planning on publishing an e-publication and asked if they would like to pose their questions in the first September issue on the page "Ask Catherine." She thought that would be fun and I was excited when she said she would share a photo from her class which I can share with you. It was fun to read the questions from the students. I had suggested they narrow it down to three questions. She mentioned the class agreed on three questions but there was a little paragraph asking if it was possible to answer two more questions that did not make the cut. I wrote back and said not a problem, the e-publication gives me the flexibility to add an extra page without worry.. I am currently working on the September issue and if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see in this e-magazine, you can email to us at sisters@shiptoshorechef.com

I love a love story. I started building the page of the love story from our friends grandparents. She sent me some actual photos too that will accompany their love story. My mom would love this. She always enjoyed reading the stories in Reader’s Digest. She loved a feel-good story.

Thank you Phillip! What a surprise when I saw the package outside my door early one morning. It arrived with the Detroit mailboat. It is so interesting and I am reminded of meals my mom made when I read the German book. I feel like I am sitting in a German restaurant reading items that I hadn’t thought of in years.

I hope you have a nice Father's Day weekend. It is now Tuesday morning. I was unable to load my photos while we were sailing on Lake Superior, and as in the past, the internet is very slow at the dock. Over the past two days I was able to load my photos and can now share. Enjoy the photos and the story.  June 16 was my Dad's birthday so it was a special day too. I wish you a lovely day and week.

One of the crew shared with me that he couldn’t believe that he saw my book in a store in Duluth. You can find a list of stores that have the book on the following link. Shop In Store — Ship To Shore | Chef Catherine Schmuck | Author, Entrepreneur & Cook | Canada You can also order online and Lorraine will be happy to mail it to you. Just click on the following link.

Shop Online — Ship To Shore | Chef Catherine Schmuck | Author, Entrepreneur & Cook | Canada