Week Two on the Atlantic Huron November 23rd to 29th
Follow along as we make our way through the Soo Locks, Superior anchorage, and then Superior, WI Featuring A New Recipe -Stuffed Butternut Squash Also including many meal ideas and tips.
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Sunday November 23, 2025
When I started my day, I saw that we had already quietly made our way through the entire river while I slept. I hope it will be during the daylight hours on the way back down. This time of year, there are many weather-related delays, so I will have to be patient. I like to make Sundays special, and making cinnamon buns makes another day on the ship feel more special than the rest. I have been on the Atlantic Huron three times over the past three years, and many of the crew were happy to see the cinnamon bun Sunday tradition return. I smiled when one crew member came up from the engine room for lunch and said they had been thinking about the cinnamon buns all morning. I placed the mound of cinnamon bun dough in a large bowl and set it in a warm spot close to the stove to rise. I made a Vegetable potage soup. Before I join a ship, I have a logbook printed. In the back of the book are menu suggestions and recipes I use frequently, with ingredients listed, so I can glance at them quickly for a reminder. I am not able to keep them all in my head anymore; there are too many. I also have a page for each day of the week to note the meals I made and any notes or information for myself: make more next time, make less. I also make a list of the plates I leave on the counter for those who are sleeping or working, and they ask for a plate to be set aside for them. I glanced back at my logbook to see what I had made for lunch on Sunday, but
the page was blank. Too busy to fill it in. I had to rely on my pictures to tell me the story, but I only had the picture of the shrimp rice and fresh peas.
Cinnamon Bun Sunday
I like to make a Turkey dinner, and it is well-received by the crew. I always make two turkeys, giving me lots of options for creating meals with the leftovers. The most obvious is to make Turkey soup. I usually separate the turkey
utensils, cutting boards, etc., to the side, then clean up after I have completed cooking. By the time lunch or supper is served on the ship, you can only imagine how high the stack of pots and pans is
I love dressing, and if I had to choose, I would forego the turkey and be happy with just a plate of dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, and homemade cranberry sauce. I get a lot of compliments on how moist the turkey I serve is. I learned the trick from my father. Dad was always in charge of making the turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the early 70s, he started using Look Oven Bags. He passed that tip on to me, and every time I join a ship, there are 20 to 30 packages in my suitcase. There are two bags in each package, and they are worth every penny. I cook all meat and stews in them. Everything comes out tasty and tender, and the easy cleanup is an added bonus.
carcasses and bones into two piles. I put one in a large pot to boil the next day for soup, and the other in the freezer to boil later. It makes a nice, rich turkey broth in the future. Seperating the meat from the turkey leg bones takes a little time, and I always tell myself, “You know it’s so much easier to do this task while the turkey is warm. Putting it in the fridge just makes
waiting for me. Most crews are surprised to see me in the galley washing dishes an hour after the meal has completed, and they often comment, “You’re still here?” I like this time, especially cleaning up after supper. There is no rush; the meals have been served, and I can just relax. I am usually thinking about what to make for the next day. I had the back galley door open, and this little friend
the task more difficult.” I say this same thing to myself when I am staring at 2-3 chickens at the end of a meal. Just do it! When I prepare meals for my crew, I am focused on cooking. Well, this is also true when I am cooking at home for family, friends, or just myself. I will cook, rinse, and set the used pots, measuring
flew in to visit me. I had heard about a bird visiting the engine room, and now he came in to visit me. He was very calm and hopped around looking for something to eat. Perhaps he heard about the cinnamon buns and was hoping to find a few leftover crumbs of the delicious cinnamon bun Sunday treat.
What is the difference between stuffing and dressing? Stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked outside it. I cook mine in the oven. Dad stuffed the turkey. Mom would hand him a darning needle, and he would sew the turkey skin together so the delicious stuffing would not spill out. Dad’s stuffing was more meat than bread; it was so delicious!
Monday November 24, 2025
I have sailed with our Captain on previous ships, and when I know that someone has a particular meal they like, I will try to make it for them. One of the meals he likes is my Beet- Meat Shepherd’s pie. I usually make the topping with mashed cauliflower, but I decided to use the leftover mashed potatoes that I had in the fridge. I had fresh beets (I have tried making this with canned beets, but it lacks the fresh beet flavor). I had everything else on hand to make this treat. I am always happy when I join a ship that has individual chafing dishes. It makes serving easy, and I think they look more inviting when you see them sitting on the tray, waiting for you to choose one. In the photo to the right, you can see that I use a fork to run over the cold mashed potatoes. I like the little ridges that the fork leaves, and they crisp up nicely in the oven. I had enough meat mixture and mashed potatoes to make 8 servings. I wasn’t sure how well they would go, since I had the ever-popular clubhouse sandwich on the menu board. I thought I could always use the leftover beet-meat pies for supper. I don’t have as many crew at lunchtime, but I always have 26 crew for supper, whether they come in to eat or I make a plate for them to enjoy later. Much to my surprise, all the beet-meat Shepherd’s pies were gone by the end of lunch. Some who had never had it before came back and said they didn’t know what to expect, but they liked it. I always thank a crew member who tries something new, saying, “If you don’t like it, come back; I will give you something else.” The beet-meat Shepherd’s pie is a recipe I created myself and is worth trying.
I think it is almost expected to make a clubhouse sandwich the day after turkey is served. However, the toasters here are very slow, and I like to make the sandwiches to order. Like other ships, I made homemade rolls, and on the menu board -Clubhouse sandwich, toasted or on a double homemade roll. The homemade roll often wins out over the toast, and once that is decided, I start with the questions. Mayo? Miracle whip, Lettuce, Bacon, Tomato? I am surprised how many ask for no tomato. I served them with deep-
fried home fries and offered a basil mayo dipping sauce to go with them. I took the photo above before heading out to the galley to start my day. It was early, so there was nobody at the viewing center. I was there with Lorraine in March, and now I can visualize what it is like from the center, looking out at the ships. It’s a great place to see ships. I am always hopeful when we leave the Soo Lock that we will have a smooth crossing of Lake Superior. This time of year can bring some nasty weather. I overheard in the lunch line (the place where I pick up most of my galley gossip) that there was a storm coming on the 26th, I thought ok, that should be good because we should already make the trip to Superior by then. I don’t get seasick, but bad weather makes the job more difficult. There are usually ships ahead of us in Superior, and I thought perhaps we would have to anchor.
few that are not fond of curry. Oftentimes, I make either turkey a la king or chicken a la king as the second choice. I had leftover turkey from Sunday’s supper, so I used it to make Turkey a la king. I usually give the option of having it with puff pastry, rice, or potatoes. I think peas go great with both dishes, and at the end of the meal, I will add them to the leftover turkey à la king. I always make more sauce than I need, so I have extra to freeze for an emergency meal. It makes a great turkey pot pie. We don’t have a lot of Basmati rice on board, so I was serving the standard Uncle Ben’s rice every day, saving the Basmati rice for the butter chicken. There were some very happy crew members when they read the words “Basmati rice” on the menu board. When you see photos of Lorraine and me, Lorraine is usually wearing three layers, and I have my jacket open. I very seldom put the heat on, but on Monday, as we crossed Lake Superior, I gave in and turned it on in my room. I’m sure Lorraine would find it funny that I was cold.
And if you can’t decide which to eat, I always say, “Why choose? Have both.”
Butter Chicken I love serving butter chicken because it is so good, and the crew loves it. It is always well received. I like to serve it with my GPS sauce (ginger pepper sauce). I always make a double batch, and before I add the chicken and cream or coconut milk, I remove a third of the sauce and save it to make a vegetarian dish with the butter chicken sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and spinach. I call it sweet potato spinach curry . You can find butter chicken and ginger pepper sauce in both my books. The regular Butter Chicken version I make for my crew, and the Paleo-inspired Butter Chicken version, prepared without sugar and with a tomato sauce made from scratch. Both are equally good. When I make Butter Chicken, I always make an option for the
Tuesday November 25, 2025
go with the tomato soup. I also made a pizza pinwheel. I love making the hamburger pinwheels because you can
didn’t roll much. I made Singapore rice and baked salmon as a second choice. The Singapore rice got rave reviews.
stuff them with whatever you have in the fridge. I had pepperoni left from the Pizza I made on Friday, so I made pizza pinwheels. I made potato skins with the leftover baked potatoes from Saturday night. They were gone by the end of lunch, so I took a picture of my pizza pinwheel with a grilled cheese sandwich. At the end of lunch, the Captain called the galley and asked us to secure everything, as it might roll when we turn the ship to anchor around 14H00. I was making boiled dinner and added an extra pan so that everything would stay in place. Thankfully, it
I was grateful for the nice weather as we made our way across Lake Superior. The location was from a photo I had taken; we were not on land. I started my day making homemade tomato soup. They are soup eaters on the Huron, and I love making soup, so the crew and I are well matched. I always make grilled cheese to
Wednesday November 26, 2025
gentle rolls and not much was moving around. “What could happen?” We were at anchor. I was quickly educated that YES, a ship can roll a lot at anchor. He looks casual, but was actually moving quickly to secure everything. The big pot on the stove has turkey soup in it, and in the pan were the leftover carrots and turnips from the boiled dinner the night before. I made a baked Reuben Roll with homemade Russian dressing and, for the first time, made a stuffed butternut squash. The recipe and its inspiration are on page 26. Thankfully, a deckhand was sweeping the hallway, and I called out for them to come quick and hold on to something when we made the first big roll. It came around 11h00. The second big roll came just before 15h00. I was by myself getting supper ready. I had changed my menu of Spaghetti dinner with homemade garlic buns to Hamburgers on homemade buns earlier in the day. I didn’t want a big pot of boiling spaghetti on the stove. Watching the big pot of turkey soup was enough excitement for one day. The afternoon was rolling but not too bad, so I set out to make my hamburgers on homemade buns and a few things to go with them...until the second big roll came. The second cook heard items come crashing to the floor and ran to help. I cut all other ideas and just made hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and rice. The third and biggest roll came shortly after 17h00. The second cook was holding on to the pan of burgers and buns. I was holding on to anything in reach that was moving. I knew it was a really big roll when the crew who had been sleeping came up and asked, “What’s happening?” It’s the gales of November! It’s the second biggest roll in my sailing career.
The above photo is courtesy of Schauer Photo Images. They kindly agreed to let me share this image with you. We were anchored waiting for a ship ahead of us at the dock in Superior, WI. These waves would explain the rolling we experienced while at anchor.
On Tuesday, I overheard a crew member with an update that there was a storm coming, and I knew right away when I woke up Wednesday morning that the storm had started. I was amazed that we were rolling while at anchor. Some of the crew who have been here for years say this ship rolls easily and a lot. I took this little video at 10h00, thinking it was kind of a fun roll. Not long after my “fun
video of the rolling,” it started rolling further from side to side and lasted longer. On the opposite page, the photo on the top right is the second cook quickly putting the roll bars on the stove. We were caught off guard because up until then,
Thursday November 27, 2025
The photo on the top left is a photo of the spinach frittata I made for lunch. We were sitting low in the stern, so you can see that my frittata did not cook evenly. One end was thick and the other very thin. Beside is a photo of lunch, Octoberfest sausages on homemade buns, served with boiled mini potatoes and sauerkraut. Above is the photo I took after lunch. If you zoom in beside the yellow crane, you can see the Duluth ski hills. Below are pictures of Thursday’s supper. I made chicken legs with gravy and hash brown casserole (very popular, and I will share the recipe in the future). My second choice was cheese tortellini with homemade tomato sauce, and I cut in the leftover sausages. It smelled so delicious as I passed the plate of pasta over the counter.
Thursday morning, we were still at anchor, but it was much better. The storm was passing. It was so nice to be able to walk out to the galley like usual without having to catch things that were flying off the counter. I opened the back door and saw the new snow and the little bird footprints. The bird that came to visit the other night was back, perhaps looking for another treat. It would have to wait until next Sunday for Cinnamon buns. I started my day at anchor, making Tomato, cabbage, and rice soup. I often use the cooking liquid from the boiled dinner to make the soup, but the pot of tasty liquid was a casualty of one of the big rolls the night before. I had it sitting on the counter when I removed the carrots and turnips for lunch. Thankfully, it slid into the sink, so there wasn’t a huge mess to clean up.
Friday November 28, 2025
I was also surprised to learn that we were almost finished loading and would be gone well before lunch. The day before was American Thanksgiving, and I wasn’t sure if they would start loading us late in the evening. I decided to make something I had never made before, in the theme of the American Thanksgiving. I have never made it before, but I know it is often found on menus when I am eating out at breakfast diners... Biscuits and gravy. I looked up three recipes for Biscuits and gravy and took something from each recipe to create my own. I will share this recipe in the future. I also tried a new biscuit recipe that I was very happy with, and it’s shareworthy. On the bottom is one of the many photos of the calm water that I took. The calm after the storm, and I hoped it would last until we crossed Lake Superior on our way to Quebec City.
Just as I was going to bed the night before, I heard the engines start. I knew the “Galley gossip” I’d heard in the supper line was true: we were making our way into Superior, WI, to load around 21h00. I had a lovely surprise when I went out to get my morning coffee. The 4-8 Wheelsman was there and asked if I had received my package. What a lovely surprise to find a large red gift bag filled with local goodies and a Christmas card from Marilyn from Port Transportation Services. It was such a lovely gesture. She mentioned that she was available to pick up groceries or take me ashore. It’s nice to know that I can call if I am running low on an important staple or need some shopping therapy. I do enjoy looking through a grocery store.
As predicted, we finished loading in Superior, WI, and were on our way mid-morning. The photos on the previous page were taken inside the breakwaters, and the water was calm. I was more than happy when we made our way out onto the lake, and it was still calm, looking like a smooth crossing of Lake Superior. Friday is usually Fish and Chip night, and with the calm water, I felt good turning on the deep fryer to make my famous Fried Fish and French Fries. I made a batch of my homemade tartar sauce. I usually add dill pickles and green onions to Hellman’s mayonnaise. We didn’t have any green onions left, so I used regular onions. I was careful not to add too much. I love tartar sauce. For those who prefer to avoid fried foods, I made baked Haddock and offered it with chimichurri. Before I joined the ship, I asked the regular cook to please order four boxes of parsley so that I could make the delicious green sauce. It is made with olive oil, so you have to take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. I take it out of the refrigerator for almost every meal. There is one crew member who does not like fish, so I made a tomato tart, something for everyone. I used the last of the mozzarella to sprinkle on top. The fresh basil on top added a nice extra flavor. I love cooking with fresh herbs, and usually order fresh basil, thyme, and cilantro when I order groceries for the ship. The parsley, thyme, and basil are on the order sheet. Cilantro is a special-order item. When I am home, I like to buy fresh dill too.
It was a beautiful evening, and I kept taking photos as the sun set. It definitely was the calm after the storm. I appreciate the calm, especially after the rolling we experienced on Wednesday.
The bottom-right-
hand photo made me take a second look. There was just a sliver of pink sky. Even though it was just a sliver, in my mind I recited the familiar phrase pink sky at night, sailors’ delight...
Saturday November 29, 2025 I use marinetraffic myself to see
where we are, and I noticed that we still had a way to go on Lake Superior. It felt smooth, and on my way to get the hot water to add to my ground coffee in my French Press, I took a quick look out the side door, and it looked as smooth as it felt. I started my day making bread dough. I enjoy making bread, and as long as the crew continues to enjoy eating it, I will happily make it daily. After I finished making the bread, I tried a new cookie recipe and put a note on the board asking for feedback and whether it was worth making again. I received a unanimous yes! Make them again. As the cookies were baking, I started the bean and bacon soup. Usually, I use dried Navy beans, but we don’t have any, so I used canned white beans. I took two of the cans, drained and rinsed them, then added water and emulsified them to give the soup a nice texture. I was actually happy we didn’t have the dry navy beans because it made me try something new, and it turned out to be a success.
The Atlantic Huron has a convection oven, and everything you put in comes out perfect. It bakes/cooks evenly. I wish each ship had one of these convection ovens. The bottom and top of the bread cook evenly, giving the best results. The Spruceglen has a convection oven too. I have to change my timing for everything when a ship only has the traditional stoves. They are usually as old as the ships, and they often have a hot spot, so it is important to move the food
around so it cooks evenly. Moving side to side and from back to front. It took me a couple of days to figure out the stove top on the Huron. Now I walk in and don’t have to think about where I place my pots. In the photo above is a photo of the meatball subs I made for lunch. The second choice was meatballs on pasta. The third choice was a fried egg sandwich on a homemade bun.
This week I used the following recipes from my two cookbooks.
Beet-Meat Shepherd’s Pie...........184 Boiled Dinner................................ 43 Butter Chicken..............................146 Cinnamon Buns............................259 Chimichurri...................................220 Dad’s Hamburgers.......................188 Fried Fish.......................................138 Frittata............................................111 GPS.................................................144 Gravy.............................................216
Hamburger Pinwheels....................180 Homemade Buns.............................166 Reuben Russian Dressing...............223 Sweet Potato Spinach Curry..........238 Tartar Sauce......................................221 Tomato, Cabbage and Rice Soup..212 Tomato Sauce...................................186 Tomato Tart......................................192 Turkey/Chicken a la king..............179 Tomato Soup....................................215
Saturday night is steak night. I initially thought that we would be in the Soo Lock at supper time, but I was happy when 17h00 came, and we still had a little way to go. This meant that everyone could come in and enjoy their supper before they went out to work when we got to the Lock. It was a beautiful evening, and I looked out as I was finishing my dishes. I had one less pan than normal because we didn’t have enough mushrooms to serve everyone. I wasn’t sure what I would do with the mushrooms, but it would have to be something that didn’t require many. Another perk to the Atlantic Huron is the washer and dryer right beside my room. I needed to do my laundry, so I put it in after supper. The second cook had something in the dryer but I thought he would come and get his clothes by the time I needed it. As it turned out, he did not come back to get his things. There are no counters in the closet laundry room, so I decided to dry my clothes in the morning and went off to bed. It was the end of a great week.
Butter Chicken.............................202 Chimichurri..................................134 Dad’s Hamburgers......................169 Frittata........................................... 86
GPPS.................................................205 Hamburger Pinwheels...................167 Tomato Sauce..................................182
I f you would like to order a cookbook, simply click on the cover of the book you wish to purchase. An E-Book version will be available in the New year.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
The inspiration for this recipe came when I saw how many butternut squashes we had on board. Each cook has their favorite ingredients to cook with, so there was an abundance of butternut squash when I arrived. I like butternut squash, but don’t usually add it to my grocery order, often selecting other favorites like eggplant and zucchini, all while trying to stay within my budget. I made a Turkey dinner on Sunday night and had dressing leftover. I love using the leftovers from turkey dinner to make a Turkey dinner grilled sandwich, a personal favorite. Extra Mayo and cranberry sauce for me, please! I have the assembly instructions for this sandwich in my PDF micro book What to do with Holiday Leftovers. It is automatically sent to everyone when they purchase a book from our online shiptoshorechef store. I have added Turkey dinner poutine to my lunch menus. Some crew members weren’t sure, but once they tried it with the melty curd cheese, french fries, turkey, and gravy, they were convinced it was a good choice. I don’t always have the right bread to make a grilled Turkey dinner sandwich or the cheese curd that is an essential ingredient to make a Turkey dinner poutine, so I was looking for another option of how to use up my leftover dressing. When I came across the butternut squash, I thought it would probably be very good stuffed with the leftover dressing. I noticed that we had a lot of walnuts in the pantry and thought this would be a good place to use some of them, too. The sailing season is almost over, and I didn’t want to leave them over the winter.
I love where inspiration comes from and how it can lead you in a direction you may not usually reach on your own. The stuffed butternut squash was such a positive experi- ence that I will add it to the tried-and-true recipes I like to cook for my crew.
Stuffed Butternut Squash 2 butternut squash ends or whole 1 cup cooked sausage, ground 2 cups cooked bread stuffing 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 -1/2 cup cold gravy 1 tsp poultry seasoning Prepare the butternut squash. I chose to use the end of the butternut squash because it was a lunch option. If you are making this as a main course, you can use the entire butternut squash. It makes a nice presentation. I use an ice cream scoop to remove the fibers and seeds. It makes the job easy. Lay your butternut squash, cut side down, on a greased baking sheet and bake until tender. I baked at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. While the butternut squash is baking, prepare your filling. Chop the nuts by hand or in a food processor. If you use a food processor, do not chop them too fine. Place them in the bowl. Add the leftover bread stuffing. Break the stuffing into small pieces. Add the cooked ground sausage meat. (In my recipe, I used leftover cooked ground hamburger, but the recipe is much better made with cooked ground sausage. My choice would be Jimmy Dean sausage. I don’t have access to that, but I like to use breakfast sausage patties, which come already cooked.
On the menu board, I wrote stuffed Butternut Squash with the option of gravy, maple syrup, cranberry sauce, or a combination of the three. I was so pleased with how popular it was. I had four left over and put them on the menu board for supper, and they didn’t last long, with the crew asking, “Do you have any of that stuffed squash left?” I had another crew member tell me that I was the first person to get him to eat butternut squash. I like it when someone tries something new. much filling you put in. I was serving mine as a main course, so I put a lot of filling in. If you were serving this as a side dish, you could use less filling. and I put them in my food processor and pulse until it resembles ground hamburger meat.) Bind the ingredients together with cold leftover gravy. I like to use an ice cream scoop again to scoop the filling into the cooked butternut squash cavities. Using the ice cream scoop ensures that each portion is equal. Bake the filled butternut squash at 350 degrees until hot and a little crisp on top. The cooking time will depend on how
Lorraine (Pictured on the left ) and I hope that you enjoyed the first edition of The Galley Girl’s Diary. In this photo, Lorraine was visiting me in Quebec City while I was working on the Spruceglen. We are sisters and best friends. She will often drive for hours to come for a visit, even for only a few hours. Those visits highlight my day and always bring renewed energy. We love working on projects together and have written two cookbooks and a Children’s book, The Adventures of Mitchel Mouse. We enjoy visiting different towns and cities for book signings and meet-and-greets. They are always fun, and we love meeting people who love the same things we do: ships, great food, and making new friends. I will be back with another edition of The Galley Girl’s Diary next week. See you soon.
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