Post
by rattattoo » Sat Dec 12, 2015 8:45 pm
Delighted to report that a 2006 Mexican Mac & Cheese [out of the Chicken Breast meal] was still good, and just as delicious as Mrs. Housil reported back in 2008.
The photos above, still speak plainly as to exactly what this side/meal looks like. So I won't bother with posting any new ones.
It slid out [to be microwaved] as a fairly unprepossessing slab of yellow-orange gunk. But once heated and stirred, it proved to be every bit as good as the other [newer] packs I have had. Mrs. Housil is to be given propz for her sound judgement and discerning taste.
I will have to admit to having doctored it up once I tasted a sample... Not because it was lacking, but rather to bulk up the portion size a dite. Every couple of weeks I make up a jar of sautéed mushrooms, onions, and mixed peppers so as to have them on hand for burgers, dawgs and the like. Anyway, the MM&C got a decent spoonful of that mix, and a couple of spoonfuls of hot dog chili that I also keep on hand. As I said, it certainly was not lacking in "Mexican" flavor and a reasonably good level of heat before the additions. Flavorful and hot enough that I did not add any seasonings at all; just bulk to the quantity. With the additions, it was taken to the level of "really-pretty-d**m-good". Always a pity that we don't take along that fridge full of "stuff" when we go out into the field.
Then, after couple of more spoonfuls down the hatch, I also crumbled on some blue corn chips.
Like with most of the south-of-the-border flavored MRE mains and components, the crumbled corn chips added that bit of crunch to the otherwise somewhat pasty consistency. Don't get me wrong, the macaroni was still quite firm, recognizable, and intact. However, the gram-weenie, ultra-light hikers who do the AT and the Pacific Coast Trail swear that Fritos are the perfect energy food for weight. They have just the right combination of taste, caloric energy per ounce, and they don't suffer at all if they end up crushed up. I almost always make sure I throw in one of the minibags of Fritos anytime I'm taking an appropriate MRE along. That crunchiness makes all the difference in the world.
