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Today I took the motorcycle into the mountains to explore the back roads a bit, and took along a Canadian IMP for lunch. I found a great spot next to a creek and settled in for a nice lunch. I also brought my Jetboil stove and US mess kit.
2013 IMP menu #15 is Chicken A La King. I laid out the contents for inventory.
It included the following:

1 Main entree - Chicken A La King
1 Side dish - Fruit cocktail
1 Dessert - Reese's Pieces
1 Piece of bread
2 Packets of peanut butter
1 Packet of hot chocolate mix
2 Packets of orange beverage
1 Beverage bag
1 Packet instant coffee
1 Packet coffee / tea whitener
1 Packet of gum (2 pieces)
1 Candy / mint
1 Packet sugar
1 Packet hot sauce
1 Long white spoon
1 Napkin
1 Moist towelette
1 Pack of matches
I heated the main entree via BIB method using the Jetboil stove.
While the entree heated up, I went ahead and got the beverage mixed up. The self-standing IMP beverage bags are great!

When the entree was sufficiently heated, I got everything plated.
The entree was great! Lots of white meat chicken pieces, peas and mushrooms. The sauce was very good, with a smooth, buttery taste. The orange beverage tasted like an orange sports beverage, and was refreshing. The bread was moist, easy to cut into two pieces, was just the right consistency and not too dense, and went great with the meal. It worked great for cleaning up the last of the sauce from the entree. The fruit cocktail was good, but was nothing special. It tasted like any canned fruit cocktail. With lots of protein, the entree was very filling. The Reece's Pieces were in great shape, and tasted just like they were new.
It was a beautiful day, and after lunch I ended up just staying there for awhile enjoying the peace and quiet.

Awesome review and spot in nature. It's just best time for offroad bike ride. And this also shows me how mess kits come handy lol, in this moment I don't have any. Just gave CRO CSO my JNA mess kit the other day because he is making his little museum. I was stupid not the buy the same one you had, we sell those in company where I was working.

You use bike sadle transportation bags or a rucksack? That plastic container on the bike have pockets or mesh or it's just one big space?

Love the outdoor photos! Thanks for sharing

Do you boil with the bag in or boil the water fuel off and entree in for 10 min?

Asger wrote:Awesome review and spot in nature. It's just best time for offroad bike ride. And this also shows me how mess kits come handy lol, in this moment I don't have any. Just gave CRO CSO my JNA mess kit the other day because he is making his little museum. I was stupid not the buy the same one you had, we sell those in company where I was working.

You use bike sadle transportation bags or a rucksack? That plastic container on the bike have pockets or mesh or it's just one big space?

Thanks Asger. I love the mess kits for when I'm operating out of a camper, vehicle, etc. When I'm just hiking I tend to eat straight out of the retort pouch to save space and weight. I use waterproof saddlebags, and the case on the back is just a mil-surplus Pelican case that I modified a little bit. I added some handles on the top so it makes it more versatile when strapping down gear. I also removed the handle and added some amber LED flashers on the rear that I can turn on in low visibility weather like fog or heavy rain, or when parked on the side of the road. I like the Pelican because it can be locked. It's just open space inside, but it has some soft foam as a floor so I can put more fragile items in it and it has a little cushion. Usually items like a small survival kit, multi-tool, air compressor, etc live in the Pelican, while extra clothing, food and water go in the saddlebags.

Here's a few pics of the saddlebags and rear case.

Name_not_found wrote:Love the outdoor photos! Thanks for sharing

Do you boil with the bag in or boil the water fuel off and entree in for 10 min?

Thanks NNF! I just boil with the bag in and have never had any problems with the bag burning on the bottom with the burner on.

WOW I like the way you think ahead and in the same time remain or increase safety, very cool thinking but since I know what you do it's not real shock for you to think like that. Anyways Pelican rocks, I always say to friends use Pelican for stuff and Otterbox for mobile phone. BTW I know US Armed forces use plastic cases for nightvisions If I remember corectly I tried to get one here in EU but with no luck. But you should snoop around for it in surplus stores for your camper if you have need for one - it's price friendly, at least it was some time ago.

Great review and nice, scenery pics!!
Chicken a la King was one of my favorite MREs. How was it? I still cook it at home from fricassee and just add the mushrooms, peas etc.

housil wrote:Great review and nice, scenery pics!!
Chicken a la King was one of my favorite MREs. How was it? I still cook it at home from fricassee and just add the mushrooms, peas etc.

Thanks Housil! It was good. I think it was a little bit better than the US MRE, but the US MRE one is still pretty good! I've never tried making it from scratch at home, but I always like to try cooking new things, so maybe I should give it a try!

Check this video (and German recipe):
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/68999117 ... assee.html

Man, this review just blew me away. Thanks so much for sharing - amazing work parafireboy!

*Edit* - just came back to look at this one again already. Boy, that is some gorgeous scenery - it just looks like the perfect little getaway for the day & enjoy some good food. Speaking of which, that Chicken A la King looked a tad perfected over our vintage MRE version. I'm sure it being perfectly fresh also plays a part.