On Saturday my task was to bring food out to the runway station. The runway houses all the C-17s, C-130s, Hercs and science planes. One scientist explained to me how he was doing Ross Sea survey via his plane and sonar. They will use satellite measurements to verify their survey. The sonar is useful because it can penetrate through the ice, which can be a couple miles thick in some areas. Once they get a depth reading with corresponding coordinates (GPS) and record all the information with data loggers. Back in the lab they can unravel all the numbers with cartography software (GIS) and create digital elevation maps of the sea floor beneath the ice. Anyways...
On our way we saw Erebus puffing a bit.
It's amazing how last year this exact same galley was 2 miles North of us at the Willy Field airfield. Nothing lasts on the Ice without skis.
The back of the beloved cook truck.
First thing we do is unload and unpack.
I check out the line and make sure it's clean, put ice in the ice bath, turn on the steam-tray line, etc.
Since Saturday was Turkey burger day I brought out onions, tomatoes, and lettuce to slice.
Let's eat.
Haha my fork-antena rig job is still in operation.
The view from runway.
The big red building below is the runway kitchen, dining room, and morgue.
A splendid day on the Ice :)
Upon arriving back to the station I grab a bite to eat of the eggplanta strata, delicious!
After work I made my way to the gym. What do some do on their day off... play frisby in 20 degrees.
The gym is more eco-friendly this year. In fact, the entire station is way more eco-friendly. I will do an entire post on McMurdo's conservation efforts.
Volcanic dust eh?
Late Night Boxing has started again. Saturday nights I get the gym all to myself.
Next morning my task in the kitchen is to make homemade mac n' cheese :)
20 lbs. of dry elbow macaroni... cooked in a 60 gallon steam kettle.
I plan to make the cheese sauce out of three different cheeses: swiss, havarti, and gouda.
Messes are attracted to me, or am I attracted to them?
Remember this side dish has to be for 1,000 people. I plan to make 22 2-inch hotel pans.
I layer it as following: scoop of macaroni and cheese sauce, shredded cheese, another scoop of macaroni and cheesesauce, shredded cheese, broken up potato chips, lots more shredded cheese, and top it with paprika and finely chopped chives (or you can use parsley).
After it is baked I put it into the shams (hot boxes) to stay warm.
There she is.
With that we had salamon...
Brisket with rosemary sauce.
Pizza.
Walnut brownies.
Peach Cheesecake Pie.
After work my sous chef tells me she is going to be out tomorrow. She tells me we are all out of fresh vegetables and tomorrow is stir fry night. She points out that the menu calls for a sweet and sour seiten stir fry of some sort. Everyone except Leon is new to the PM crew... she said I'm in charge. I dug through our freezer, if lucky there should be enough frozen veggies to piece together a chicken and seiten stir fry tomorrow. We will be cutting it close on our ration of shrimp (150 lbs.), but have leftover brisket, chicken, and mac n' cheese. Ontop of that we have to get the place cleaned up for the food inspector who is comming shortly and prep for tomorrow. I'm excited. On my way out of the kitchen I saw the first Skua of the season.
Did I mention that it's currently -5 degrees with windchill and snowing?
On our way we saw Erebus puffing a bit.
It's amazing how last year this exact same galley was 2 miles North of us at the Willy Field airfield. Nothing lasts on the Ice without skis.
The back of the beloved cook truck.
First thing we do is unload and unpack.
I check out the line and make sure it's clean, put ice in the ice bath, turn on the steam-tray line, etc.
Since Saturday was Turkey burger day I brought out onions, tomatoes, and lettuce to slice.
Let's eat.
Haha my fork-antena rig job is still in operation.
The view from runway.
The big red building below is the runway kitchen, dining room, and morgue.
A splendid day on the Ice :)
Upon arriving back to the station I grab a bite to eat of the eggplanta strata, delicious!
After work I made my way to the gym. What do some do on their day off... play frisby in 20 degrees.
The gym is more eco-friendly this year. In fact, the entire station is way more eco-friendly. I will do an entire post on McMurdo's conservation efforts.
Volcanic dust eh?
Late Night Boxing has started again. Saturday nights I get the gym all to myself.
Next morning my task in the kitchen is to make homemade mac n' cheese :)
20 lbs. of dry elbow macaroni... cooked in a 60 gallon steam kettle.
I plan to make the cheese sauce out of three different cheeses: swiss, havarti, and gouda.
Messes are attracted to me, or am I attracted to them?
Remember this side dish has to be for 1,000 people. I plan to make 22 2-inch hotel pans.
I layer it as following: scoop of macaroni and cheese sauce, shredded cheese, another scoop of macaroni and cheesesauce, shredded cheese, broken up potato chips, lots more shredded cheese, and top it with paprika and finely chopped chives (or you can use parsley).
After it is baked I put it into the shams (hot boxes) to stay warm.
There she is.
With that we had salamon...
Brisket with rosemary sauce.
Pizza.
Walnut brownies.
Peach Cheesecake Pie.
After work my sous chef tells me she is going to be out tomorrow. She tells me we are all out of fresh vegetables and tomorrow is stir fry night. She points out that the menu calls for a sweet and sour seiten stir fry of some sort. Everyone except Leon is new to the PM crew... she said I'm in charge. I dug through our freezer, if lucky there should be enough frozen veggies to piece together a chicken and seiten stir fry tomorrow. We will be cutting it close on our ration of shrimp (150 lbs.), but have leftover brisket, chicken, and mac n' cheese. Ontop of that we have to get the place cleaned up for the food inspector who is comming shortly and prep for tomorrow. I'm excited. On my way out of the kitchen I saw the first Skua of the season.
Did I mention that it's currently -5 degrees with windchill and snowing?