I can still remember my first trip across the Atlantic in January. To say it was rough would be an understatement. We were escorting the ‘Old Magnificent’ (our one and only aircraft carrier) and she could only make about ten knots wide open.
Of course we were not wide open. In fact even the destroyers were making about five knots, especially when it was very rough, which was every day and every night in the North Atlantic! Our reward at the other side of the pond, as us old suits liked to call it.
Ice bergs bigger than you can imagine, and lots of them. In fact, the ice flow all along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador is simply incredible—and scary. At one point on my maiden voyage we got stuck in the ice for an hour or so, and it was a weird feeling, especially when the skipper ordered two seaman over the side to test the depth. The ice bergs on all sides loomed over our puny little ship like a fifty story building. That was one of the few times I saw a seaman “swing the lead”—a method of judging the amount of water under the bow to see if it was safe to proceed.
Since nobody could sleep we made up a huge pot of key (hot chocolate) and by request of the boys on the upper deck, dozens and dozens of cookies.
So, in case you ever get stuck in an ice flow, here are a couple of recipes for cookies that would satisfy any seaman on the upper deck. The first is an all time favorite:
Ginger Cookies.
Ingredients;
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cup AP flour
2 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3 tbsp. molasses
Sugar for rolling
Method;
Cream the butter and sugar, and add the egg. Now sift in the flour, salt, soda and spices, then add this to the first mixture. Add the molasses. Roll into small balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at F. 340 for 12 – 15 minutes.
Next we have: Brown Sugar Cookies.
Ingredients;
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup corn flakes
Method;
Mix together well, roll into balls and flatten with a fork. Bake in a F. 340 oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Fast, easy and tasty.
See Ya Next Week!
