Warm, rain possible and fish chowder!

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy for this afternoon. High 43°F. Winds are W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy skies with a low of 22°F. Winds will be from the N at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 84%, the Dew Point is 33.8°F and the outdoor temp is 38.1°F.

The wind direction is   Southwest between 1.1 MPH and 1.5 MPH, generating a wind chill of 38.1°F.

The Relative pressure is 29.96, the Absolute pressure is 29.75 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 7:01 a.m. Sunset is 4:43 p.m., Moonrise is 1:42

p.m., Moonset is 4:02 a.m. and the moon phase is Waxing Gibbous being 87% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 281153Z AUTO 22005KT 10SM CLR 05/01 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP198 T00500011 10061 20039 53018

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.0 kilometers with clear skies.

We had 0.25 Inches of melting/rain here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 67, the solar wind speed is 355  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Since summer and that all important swim suit season isn’t all that far off, let’s work on slimming down.

How about some:

FRESH FISH CHOWDER

Serves:  6

You can use almost any fish in this chowder recipe —I suggest halibut.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 lb. crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp. tomato paste

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ cup dry red wine or white grape juice

Dash of salt and pepper

½ cup uncooked white rice

½ lb. fresh halibut, cubed

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

• Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan. 
• Add garlic, onion, and green pepper; sauté for 10 minutes over low heat until vegetables are tender.
• Add the tomatoes, 1 tbsp. tomato paste, ½ tsp. basil, ½ tsp. oregano, ¼ cup dry red wine, dash of salt and a dash of pepper.
• Let simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rice and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the halibut and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until fish is cooked through.  Garnish chowder with chopped parsley and serve.

Exchanges:  1 carbohydrate, 1 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat

Calories:  181; fat:  6 g; cholesterol:  12 mg; carbohydrate:  22 g; fiber:  2; protein:  10 g; sodium:  72 mg