meals, freeze-dried and otherwise

Weighing in at 8.5 pounds, costing about $110, a box containing the 20 freeze-dried meals arrived from Campmor last night.  A pretty good deal, I think.  The prices were certainly cheaper than the local outdoors stores, and then with the purchase of 20 meals we got a 10% discount on each dinner.  With a few leftover meals from the fall sail, I should have enough dinners for about three weeks of sailing this year.  The meals - beef stroganoff, chili-mac, Louisiana Beans and Rice, Dijon Chicken and Breakfast Skillet Wrap with eggs, and a few others - will be tucked away in the gear closet until spring.

As for non-freeze dried meal, here's the timeline.....

• 5:10, take the thick 1.1 lb. Angus NY strip steak out of the fridge, pat dry and season with fresh ground pepper and a little salt, coat with a light layer of olive oil, set aside
• 5:25, turn on the gas over to 375, the slice the potatoes into long wedges, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, then drizzle Cajun Sunshine (with its subtle heat and full flavor, the best hot sauce you can find)
• 5:35, steak fries go into the oven
• 5:45, rinse the grape tomatoes, chop up green olives, add a little olive oil and set aside on a cast aluminum platter
• 6:00, put the heavy cast iron griddle over the biggest burner, set burner to medium high, also slide the platter of grape tomatoes/chopped olives into the over
• 6:05, sprinkle drops of water on the griddle, it should be hot enough to make the drops disappear almost instantly
• 6:06, steak goes on the griddle, searing one side for two minutes, then flipping to sear the other side
• 6:10, add butter, laced with bits of garlic and basil, to the steak, turning the steak occasionally to sear the outside and cook interior to medium rare, no more than 10 minutes
• 6:15, open the twist off top on the bottle of merlot so it can "breathe"
• 6:20, set the steak on a butcher block and let it rest so that the juices settle
• 6:22, pour a glass of wine
• 6:25, steak fries com out of the oven and go onto a cast aluminum platter
• 6:27, steak goes on the platter along with some spicy cocktail sauce for the fries, sprinkle roasted grape tomatoes and olives over steak and fries
• 6:29, turn on the tv - (who needs pre game??)
• 6:30, kick off time, enjoy

steve