#MEwx Cold, clouds, fish chowder and Strawberries Romanoff

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have mostly sunny conditions with highs in the mid 20s. Light and variable winds, becoming northwest around 10 mph this afternoon.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies with lows around 7 above. Light and variable winds.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

The Wind Chill is 18.0°F, Dew Point is 11.5°F, the humidity is 75%, and the outdoor temp is 18.1°F.

The wind direction is North Northeast between 0.2 MPH and 2.5 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 30.02, the Absolute pressure is 29.82 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with Clouds to 3,800 ft / 1,158 m.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is 7:03 A.M., Sunset is 3:59 P.M., Moonrise is 9:40 A.M., Moonset is 7:04 p.M. and the moon phase is waxing crescent being 10% illuminated.

Augusta’s RAW METAR readings are:

METAR KAUG 101153Z AUTO 04007KT 10SM FEW038 M08/M10 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP188 T10781100 11050 21094 51017  | 

We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.

This chowder is a re-post from a few weeks ago, but I’ve been asked to put it up again in honor of it’s low fat content and our current single-digit temperatures.

FRESH FISH CHOWDER

Serves:  6

You can use almost any fish in this chowder—we 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 stew 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

 

Dessert or something “bad” for you must also be made, after all, it IS the holidays. This usually comes about during the summer months, but again, some folks have asked for it, so here it is.

Adult/Kid versions of Strawberries Romanoff

(This version for when kids are around)

1 quart fresh whipping cream

2 quarts fresh cleaned and sliced strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup strawberry Schnapps

1/4 cup white chocolate shavings

First, heat up the Schnapps and reduce to one half cup.  This cooks out the

alcohol and concentrates the flavor.  After it has cooled, add the

strawberry slices and let set a couple of minutes.  Meanwhile, whip up the

cream in a medium bowl with the sugar until you have stiff peaks.  Slowly

fold in the berries and juice then ladle into individual glass serving cups

and top with some white chocolate shavings. 

The Adult version uses:

Repeat the above with the following exceptions;

 

Do not cook down the Schnapps, simply warm it up a little. This will retain the natural alcohol content.

Next, soften up a half gallon of French Vanilla ice cream and whip it together with the whipped cream mentioned above in the children’s version. After well- mixed to “stiff peaks”, begin to layer into a large bowl the Strawberry mix on successive layers of ice cream/whipped cream, then sprinkle shaved white and dark chocolate on top.  

 

(this is NOT what one would call a “healthy” dessert. But who cares!)