the big chill

How I wish this photograph was from this year's sailing.  It is from last March, the 18th of March to be exact and the weather was much warmer than this year.  Right now it is 33 degrees outside.  Yesterday we had snow flurries.  The high this weekend will still be somewhere south of 50 degrees.

I'm noticing more and more "pouch" meals, sauces and side dishes at the grocery store.  Rice, from plain (Uncle Ben's) to Big Easy dirty rice New Orleans style (by Zatarain's); soups; tortilla stuffers with steak, rice and black beans (Old El Paso); and now sauces including Campbell's Fire Roasted Tomato with red bell peppers and chiles Skillet Sauce.  It seems to me that mixing some of the sauce with a package of poach of rice, then adding a little meat would make a pretty fine, quick meal on Spartina.  Reasonably priced, easy to stow and generating no more trash than an empty pouch, they seem perfect for cruising.

Bruce will be in charge of the menu on this coming trip.  When I see something like this on the shelf at store I send Bruce a note about it.  Last I heard he was experimenting, mixing and matching.  I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

steve