FReeper Canteen~Meals Ready To Eat~13 Nov 08

Serving the best Troops, Vets & Military families in the world! | Canteen Crew

[AZamericonnie]

The Freeper Canteen Presents

~Meals Ready To Eat~

The MRE was adopted as the Department of Defense combat ration in 1975. A large-scale production test began in 1978 with delivery in 1981. MRE I (1981) was the first date of pack.

*Recipe*

MRE Recipe
Ingredients:

1 MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat)

Directions:
Open and consume.
Heating optional.
Discard appropriately

During Operation Desert Storm, MREs were eaten by troops for far longer than they were originally intended. Originally intended for 10 days or less, many troops ate them for 60+ days. As a result, three changes were quickly made to supplement the MREs and enhance their acceptability: shelf-stable bread in an MRE pouch was developed, a high-heat-stable chocolate bar was developed that wouldn't melt in the desert heat (this had been attempted before but the bar had a waxy taste and wasn't widely accepted), and flameless ration heaters were developed as a quick and easy method for troops to heat their entrees.

The military makes a few changes to the menus every year so you will find a different menu listing for each year. In general, though, each MRE contains the following:

Entree - the main course, such as Spaghetti or Beef Stew
Side dish - rice, corn, fruit, or mashed potatoes, etc.
Cracker or Bread
Spread - peanut butter, jelly, or cheese spread
Dessert - cookies or pound cakes
Candy - M&Ms, Skittles, or Tootsie Rolls
Beverages - Gatorade-like drink mixes, cocoa, dairy shakes, coffee, tea
Hot sauce or seasoning - in some MREs
Flameless Ration Heater - to heat up the entree
Accessories - spoon, matches, creamer, sugar, salt, chewing gum, toilet paper, etc.
Each MRE provides an average of 1,250 calories (13% protein, 36% fat, and 51% carbohydrates) and 1/3 of the Military Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals. A full day's worth of meals would consist of three MREs.

*Recipe*

MRE Nachos
Ingredients:

4 – Packages of crackers
3 – Packages of jalapeño or regular cheese
1 – Main meal of chicken or steak
1 – Package of beans

Directions:

1 – Heat beans. Break crackers into dipping-size pieces and spread out on unfolded, main meal box.
2 – Chop chicken or steak main meal into small pieces.
3 – Once beans are hot, spread over crackers.
Repeat steps for cheese packages and chicken or steak main meal. Add seasoning or Tabasco sauce from accessory packet if necessary. Enjoy.

Some of the early MRE main courses were not very palatable, earning them the nicknames "Mr. E" (mystery), "Meals Rejected by Everyone", "Meals, Rarely Edible", "Meals Rejected by the Enemy", "Morsels, Regurgitated, Eviscerated", "Meal, Ready to Excrete", "Materials Resembling Edibles", and even "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians". Some meals got their own nicknames. For example, the frankfurters, which came sealed in pouches of four, were referred to as "the four fingers of death". Although quality has improved over the years, many of the nicknames have stuck. MREs were often called "Three Lies for the Price of One" - it's not a Meal, it's not Ready, and you can't Eat it

*Recipe*

Ranger pudding

When made with less water, Ranger pudding also can be baked into a brownie (but don’t try it with the new MRE stove, because the chemicals in it aren’t healthy. Use an alternate heat source).
MRE Cocoa beverage mix
Coffee creamer
Water

1. Mix all ingredients in cocoa pouch to the consistency of pudding and enjoy.

If you grew up like a lot of Americans, eating casseroles, Hamburger Helper and lots of prepared foods out of a can or a jar, then an MRE is a completely normal, completely acceptable meal for you. If, on the other hand, you are the sort of person who prefers a salad of mixed greens with essence of cranberries effused in a vinaigrette dressing, along with a filet topped with a caramelized red onion glaze, baby carrots and angel hair pasta on the side, finishing with a strawberry sorbet and mixed fresh berries for dessert, then the MRE menu is unlikely to suit you

~U. S. Army Ranger school diet -58 days to a leaner, meaner you~

~From GulfWar1Vet~

I remember the MRE’s when going out to field exercises in Germany. We had a hot meal one day, but for those two weeks, MRE’s were it. Spaghetti is the best one that you can get get. Heat it up in your tin can and what a feast. Get your cheese and crackers, and hot chocolate mix. Yep, what a grand meal! Chicken a la King can be great, but you have to heat it up. Eating it cold, YUCK! Chocolate bars...Mmm..mmm...good. BUT, you better watch out, for it is a great substitute for Exlax. LOL

The MRE’s of today are so much improved than it was 15-20 yrs ago. But it sure beats being hungry!

~From Radix (Alternative uses for MREs or Fun With Tabasco!)~

MREs include a small bottle of tabasco sauce. For whatever reason, Troops often save them up.

Take the tabasco stash and pour a bunch of them into the MRE heater (instead of water) and throw that heater in a humvee when your friends are sleeping in it. When they wake up the steam reaction from the heater makes the air hot like tobasco sauce. They start coughing.. (like a mild cs chamber) and jump out of the vehicle. You start laughing.....

~From Old Sarge~

I first met Mister E. (MRE’s) in 1985, while on maneuvers at Fort Bliss. The packs back then were the first-generation meals: about fourteen or so choices, hot sauce in every one, dark-brown bags that looked like Hefty Bags.

As the Mister E’s became more available, I began keeping a small stock of them for camping, survival, and emergencies. As my family got older and bigger, I managed to keep at least a case or so at home. Over the last two decades, they’re as much a part of life in uniform as the uniform itself.

~From Mylife~



*The C-Ration Cookbook*



*The Marine Dinner Date - MREs For Your Sweetie* (hysterical!)

~From M1911A1 (Laughter & Tissue Alert!:)~

Meals, Ready to Eat. They had so many names-
Meals, Rejected by Ethiopians
Morale Reducing Elements
And my favorite: Mr. E

They are a lot better now (or at least a couple years ago when I last had one) then they were when they first came out.
The infamous Pork Patty, Dehydrated was amazing. Dry, it had the taste and quality of Moleskin bandages that had been worn on blistered feet for a twenty mile hump, and then baked in the sun. If you added water, the result was the same, except the chewy crunch was enhanced with a slimy, retch-inducing exterior.

One of my fondest memories of dining with MR. E was being issued Chicken Ala King one morning when it was about fifteen degrees outside. The meal had been kept sort of warm in a tent, but when the pouch was opened the cold air hit it and produced a curious effect; congealed globules of fat rose to the top, and seemed to cling to the plastic spoon that was trying to maneuver between them. Yum!

I started my career on C-rations and in later days I would wax nostalgic about the fruit cocktail. “Lads, you could drink the juice from the can!” I would declare, as the young Marines munched on crunchy, dehydrated fruit. I would tell them about Gorilla Cookies, Pound Cake, Beans and ....well, this is a family friendly place, so I won’t use the real names.

One thing I do miss about being retired is the coffee. There was this wonderful concoction that could be made by mixing two coffee packets, a hot chocolate packet and several sugars and creams. Who knew that somebody would open Starbucks and make money on that stuff we stirred up in our canteen cups?

Something about getting your morning Joe from a Mr. Coffee in the kitchen just doesn’t compare to having the last firewatch hand you that wonderful brew in the frosty gloom of Zero-Dark Thirty, as he smiles and says “ ‘Morning, Top!” ‘cause he knows that the PFC wise enough to provide the old grouch that first cup is likely to have a choice assignment that day.

Yes, I remember Mr. E, but when I stop to think about eating that doubtful chow, the memories that really come flooding back are the Marines I broke bread (or Crackers, Saltine with Cheese Spread) with. I may eat better food now, or on rare occasions go to some fancy restaurant with fine decor, but I’ll never have better company at a well set table than I had eating MREs sitting on the ground.

To those Marines I knew, I hoist a Lemon Beverage Powder to you. Semper Fi!

MsBehavin & I had fun talking about & planning this thread & it is a joint effort so send your thank to Ms, B~!

Great thanks to GulfWar1Vet, Old Sarge, Mylife, M1911A1, Radix & Sandrat for contributing testimonials for this thread! *Applause*

[AZamericonnie]

~From Sandrat~

All reference to Ovens are Camping cast iron Dutch ovens.
1 charcoal briquette = 35 to 50 degrees

Raspberry Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:
4 cups pancake mix
2 ½ cups Squirt
1 can peaches
1 pack of fresh raspberries

Directions:
• Preheat a 8-inch Dutch oven to 350
• Mix pancake mix and squirt
• Pour into Dutch oven
• Add fruit to top and stir slightly
• Cover and bake for 45 mins or until done.


Stacked Pudding Cup
Ingredients:
1 package vanilla pudding
1 package lemon pudding
1 can of fruit
1 package Graham Crackers
Whipped Cream
Jar of Cherries
Milk
6 Clear plastic cups

Directions:
• Crush Graham Crackers
• In separate bowls prepare vanilla pudding per package instructions and lemon pudding per instructions
• Place a layer of vanilla pudding at the bottom of the cup
• Place a layer of fruit on top of vanilla pudding
• Layer lemon pudding over fruit
• Layer crushed Graham Crackers
• Dollop on Whipped Cream
• Top with a Cherry

Serves 6

Jambalaya
Ingredients:
4 big yellow onions finely chopped
8 cups of water
4 cups of rice
1 bell pepper – chopped
2 to 3 banana peppers – chopped
3 to 5 crushed garlic cloves
2 bundles of green onions – chopped
2 whole chicken breasts cut up
1 Kielbasa (or any other large sausage) sliced up
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp red pepper

Directions:
• Brown sausage and chicken then set aside
• Using medium to medium high heat; Cook down the yellow onion and crushed garlic while constantly stirring (add a little water if necessary so it doesn’t get dry in the bottom of the pot). Don’t burn them or the whole thing is ruined.
• Once this is Sautéed way down, add in the meat that you set aside.
• Add in water until all is covered.
• Season to taste and cook until the meat is good and tender.
• While that is cooking prepare the rice per the rice’s package instructions.
• As soon as the rice is done, remove from heat mix with the meat pot.

Serve Jambalaya with French bread white beans and salad.

SIMPLE COOKING IDEAS

Apple Delight — Core an apple just over halfway. Fill the hollow with cinnamon and marshmallows. Skewer it on a forked stick and hold it over the coals until the marshmallow melts and the apple is easy to puncture.

Banana Hot Boat — Cut a v-shaped wedge from the top of an unpeeled banana. Fill the wedge with pieces of chocolate and marshmallow. Wrap the banana in foil and place it on the coals for 8-10 minutes.

Chili Bag — Cook up a pot of chili (homemade or canned). Buy individual size bags of Doritos or something similar. Cut an X on the front of the bag and open. Put the chili on top of the chips, and shredded cheese. And you have portable lunchtime nachos/tacos.

Corn — Remove the silk and soak the ears in water. Lay the ears on hot coals for about 8 minutes per side.

Dog in a blanket — Wrap a wiener in biscuit dough, skewer it on a stick and bake over hot coals. Or slit the wiener and insert a piece of cheese before you wrap and cook it. Be imaginative.

Egg in orange peel — Scoop out the orange pulp and eat it, then grease the inside of the peel, crack an egg into it, and set it on the coals to cook.

Egg on skewer — Prick a tiny hole in both ends of an egg and skewer it, but be careful not to go through the yolk. Place on a forked stick and hold over coals. Or, coat the egg with a stiff mud paste and cook covered with mud in the coals for 20 minutes.

Eggs in Paper Cup — Fill a cup with water and drop in an egg, with or without the shell. Set the cup into the coals.

Eggs and Bacon in a Paper Bag — Put strips of bacon on the bottom of the bag, crack an egg or two on top of the bacon, fold over the top of the bag and hang it on a stick over hot coals.

Hang-um High Chicken — Hang a whole chicken on a string from a tripod over a bed of hot coals. Fashion an aluminum foil umbrella over the chicken to reflect the heat.

Hot Rock Cooking — Lay a flat, hot rock on coals and use it as a griddle to cook hamburger, eggs, steak, fish, bacon, or bread.

Kabob — Skewer meat, potatoes and another vegetable (tomato, zucchini, mushrooms) on a stick. Cook over hot coals.

No Cook Fudge — Try this one at a campfire while you tell a story, sing songs, etc. Have the boys pass it around to knead so everyone gets a chance.

½ gallon ziplock bag
½ cups cocoa
3 ounces cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place all ingredients in the ziplock bag. Work out the air. Kneed 25-30 min. Nuts or peanut butter may be added at the end.

Onion Oven — Cut an onion in half and scoop out all but the two outside layers. Crack an egg into each half, or fill with chopped, seasoned meat, cap, and place directly on hot coals.

Potato1 — Cut out the center of a potato. Fill with hamburger and diced onion, or with butter and cheese. Plug the hole with some of the pieces you removed. Coat potato with 2 inches of thick mud and place in coals. Cook for about an hour.

Potato2 — Slice off the top of a spud, hollow out a tunnel, and crack an egg into the hollow. Rub a bit of the egg white around the cut top, and then put the “lid” back on the potato. Wrap in foil and bake in coals.

Stick Bread — Press a wad of dough onto the end of a stick and bake over hot coals. Try cinnamon twists. Pat dough into a rectangle, spread with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar, and cut into 2” strips. Wrap strip around a green stick and toast over the coals.

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

In!

[AZamericonnie]

Supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen
at more than 1,000 places across the U. S. and around the world.

~Tribute to Our Troops~

[AZamericonnie]

WooHoo #1 dear Hope!

Thank you for our pledge....hand over heart & prayers up! *Hugs*

[Old Sarge]

In for a yummy thread!

[AZamericonnie]

Fancy running into you here! LOL

Dig In!!!

[mylife]

Nothin says lovin like a bag of dehydrated food from Uncle Sugar!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Meals Ready To Eat

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT
Showing support and boosting the morale of
our military and our allies military
and the family members of the above.
Honoring those who have served before.

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To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.
To our military readers, we remain steadfast
in keeping the Canteen doors open.

The FR Canteen is Free Republic's longest running daily thread
specifically designed to provide entertainment and moral support for the military.
The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

NOTE: CANTEEN MUSIC
Posted daily and on the Music Thread
for the enjoyment of our troops and visitors.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Ohh.....
YUM!!!
Tank U!

[AZamericonnie]

Evening Sarge! Thanks for your help! *Hugs*

No mention of your famous beans though!:)

Now.....how did you make those?

[MS.BEHAVIN]

LOL
Hello Dere, you!
*HUG*
How’s doing?

[AZamericonnie]

My, that Marine dinner date had me in stitches! Thanks for helping out. *Hugs*

[mylife]

Doing swell. One workday left!

[AZamericonnie]

Good evening Ma.....thanks for getting the testimonials together!

A good day for you? *Hugs*

[mylife]

I thought you might like that!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

*HUG*
Hiya, Ma!
How’s you?

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Me too!
Then a three day weekend!
Woo hoo!

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

MRES look and sound better than the C or K rations
we had in the late fifties.

They still had green packages of Lucky Strike
cigarettes in them.

[AZamericonnie]