In my last article I told that I had decided to try out the boat job.
I was scared to death.
All I could think about was what if I got sick? How would I get off the boat in the middle of the river? What if they didn't like me? What if I didn't like them? What if I ran out of cigarettes? I had no clue what I was getting into.
Was it going to be like "Loveboat " or "Pirates of the Pacific?" None of the above.
I showed up for work at the office at 7am.
I live two hours away so I was a little early.
There were two or three guys standing around with their suitcases, pillows, a stereo, and cases of drinks.
Boy, did I pack light! I had a suitcase full of cigarettes and Excedrins.
Shortly, a man in a van pulled up.
He opened the back doors and the guys all started loading their stuff.
One came up to me and asked if I was Cookie.
I said no, Patricia, I am the cook.
The driver started laughing and said "yep, that's the new cook.
" They call all the cooks "Cookie" I found out.
One grabbed my suitcase and put it in the van.
I asked where we were going.
They said we were going to meet the boat, which was five hours away.
This gave me plenty of time to find what the deal was.
They told me they didn't really care what it was, as long as there was plenty of it.
The captain liked biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
I was looking to impress the captain because he was my boss.
By the we time got to the boat it was late.
Everyone was sitting around the table talking and waiting on us.
When we got loaded and unloaded they all introduce themselves.
We talked a few minutes then I asked where the captain was.
One piped up and said "I am the captain".
My eyes and mouth flew open and I said "You are the captain?" Everybody laughed and I felt right at home after that.
The next morning I went to the "galley" to cook breakfast.
I made about three or four dozen bisquits along with bacon, sausage, fried bologna and, of course, gravy.
The captain came down to see if I had found everything.
He took one look at the bisquits and just died laughing.
When they all came in for breakfast, they all had something funny to say about me cooking a months worth of groceries at one meal.
So was my first day as a river boat cook.
What took me so long? I don't think there is a real recipe for "cathead bisquits" or "sawmill gravy".
But I will tell you how I do it.
It must be good because when I was ten years old my brother of seven years wanted me to make the bisquits on Saturday mornings.
The first thing is to get everything ready.
Turn your oven on to 350 degrees.
Grease a baking pan.
If you are going to roll them out, prepare your spot.
I use a piece of waxed paper with plenty of flour on it.
If you plan to make drop bisquits you need nothing else.
You can also use a bowl with flour in it and just drop a spoonful of dough in it.
Roll it around to cover with flour and make a small patty out of it.
My grandma always told me not to play the bisquits.
Mix them and be done with it.
According to how many you want, use about two cups of self-rising flour.
Add about one healthy heaping tablespoon of Crisco.
(Or another good quality solid shortening).
Cut this into the flour using a fork, two knives, pastry cutter, or better still, your fingers.
Don't make it like cornmeal but mix it pretty good.
Next, add about one half cup or so buttermilk.
If you don't have buttermilk, use regular milk.
Even water will do but the less fat content of your liquid, the tougher your bisguits will be.
Mix with the quickness.
Try to add liguid once.
You just have to do it a few times to get the feel of it.
Now you are ready to roll them out.
Turn a couple of times to cover with flour.
Roll out to about one half inch thick.
Dip your cutter in flour to keep it from sticking to the dough and go to cutting.
Place on a greased baking pan and top with a spoon of melted grease from bacon or whatever you got.
Bake until brown.
Now for the gravy.
Use the skillet you used for frying the bacon or put enough grease in a skillet to cover the bottom real good.
Add a couple spoons of flour, salt and a plenty of black pepper.
Cook on medium high to high until your flour is browned.
Add a couple cups of milk and turn the heat down to medium.
Add water if it is too thick.
Cook until it is as thick as you want.
You can also make the gravy with all water.
I think that is real sawmill gravy.
Did you know red-eye gravy came from the people who went west on the wagontrain? They used coffee to clean their iron skillets and sopped up the "gravy" with bisquits.
Interesting huh? Hope you enjoyed and learned a trick or two.
See you next time.
Patricia Hunt
I was scared to death.
All I could think about was what if I got sick? How would I get off the boat in the middle of the river? What if they didn't like me? What if I didn't like them? What if I ran out of cigarettes? I had no clue what I was getting into.
Was it going to be like "Loveboat " or "Pirates of the Pacific?" None of the above.
I showed up for work at the office at 7am.
I live two hours away so I was a little early.
There were two or three guys standing around with their suitcases, pillows, a stereo, and cases of drinks.
Boy, did I pack light! I had a suitcase full of cigarettes and Excedrins.
Shortly, a man in a van pulled up.
He opened the back doors and the guys all started loading their stuff.
One came up to me and asked if I was Cookie.
I said no, Patricia, I am the cook.
The driver started laughing and said "yep, that's the new cook.
" They call all the cooks "Cookie" I found out.
One grabbed my suitcase and put it in the van.
I asked where we were going.
They said we were going to meet the boat, which was five hours away.
This gave me plenty of time to find what the deal was.
They told me they didn't really care what it was, as long as there was plenty of it.
The captain liked biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
I was looking to impress the captain because he was my boss.
By the we time got to the boat it was late.
Everyone was sitting around the table talking and waiting on us.
When we got loaded and unloaded they all introduce themselves.
We talked a few minutes then I asked where the captain was.
One piped up and said "I am the captain".
My eyes and mouth flew open and I said "You are the captain?" Everybody laughed and I felt right at home after that.
The next morning I went to the "galley" to cook breakfast.
I made about three or four dozen bisquits along with bacon, sausage, fried bologna and, of course, gravy.
The captain came down to see if I had found everything.
He took one look at the bisquits and just died laughing.
When they all came in for breakfast, they all had something funny to say about me cooking a months worth of groceries at one meal.
So was my first day as a river boat cook.
What took me so long? I don't think there is a real recipe for "cathead bisquits" or "sawmill gravy".
But I will tell you how I do it.
It must be good because when I was ten years old my brother of seven years wanted me to make the bisquits on Saturday mornings.
The first thing is to get everything ready.
Turn your oven on to 350 degrees.
Grease a baking pan.
If you are going to roll them out, prepare your spot.
I use a piece of waxed paper with plenty of flour on it.
If you plan to make drop bisquits you need nothing else.
You can also use a bowl with flour in it and just drop a spoonful of dough in it.
Roll it around to cover with flour and make a small patty out of it.
My grandma always told me not to play the bisquits.
Mix them and be done with it.
According to how many you want, use about two cups of self-rising flour.
Add about one healthy heaping tablespoon of Crisco.
(Or another good quality solid shortening).
Cut this into the flour using a fork, two knives, pastry cutter, or better still, your fingers.
Don't make it like cornmeal but mix it pretty good.
Next, add about one half cup or so buttermilk.
If you don't have buttermilk, use regular milk.
Even water will do but the less fat content of your liquid, the tougher your bisguits will be.
Mix with the quickness.
Try to add liguid once.
You just have to do it a few times to get the feel of it.
Now you are ready to roll them out.
Turn a couple of times to cover with flour.
Roll out to about one half inch thick.
Dip your cutter in flour to keep it from sticking to the dough and go to cutting.
Place on a greased baking pan and top with a spoon of melted grease from bacon or whatever you got.
Bake until brown.
Now for the gravy.
Use the skillet you used for frying the bacon or put enough grease in a skillet to cover the bottom real good.
Add a couple spoons of flour, salt and a plenty of black pepper.
Cook on medium high to high until your flour is browned.
Add a couple cups of milk and turn the heat down to medium.
Add water if it is too thick.
Cook until it is as thick as you want.
You can also make the gravy with all water.
I think that is real sawmill gravy.
Did you know red-eye gravy came from the people who went west on the wagontrain? They used coffee to clean their iron skillets and sopped up the "gravy" with bisquits.
Interesting huh? Hope you enjoyed and learned a trick or two.
See you next time.
Patricia Hunt