[center][b][h2]A Warm Meal Goes a Long Way[/h2][/b]
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Joe Hooker returned to the Galley after leaving the disaster of a card game in the Skye’s shuttle. His hands in his pockets as the cold was not quite deep to the bone, but ever present, nonetheless. He regretted leaving his jacket in the galley.

Once he opened the door, he saw the doc and the captain sitting at the table. The captain was drinking what must have been cold coffee. He made a mental note to make another pot. But the first thing he did was retrieve his jacket and then head into the pantry to grab a sip of whiskey on the shelf. “Mmmmm. That hits the spot,” Joe sighed as he recapped the bottle and returned it to its place.

[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySb1f9zWJkQ]Cold as Ice[/url][/center]

The dishes were stacking up in the sink including a few of the items he used to bake the pies and cookies earlier. First, he unplugged the coffee pot, pulled out the basket containing the used grounds and dumped them in the waste basket. Next, he tipped the pot into the sink emptying what was left of the old coffee. He then refilled the vessel with fresh water. Then he rinsed out the percolator basket and filled it with appropriate amount of coffee grounds. Once the pot was back together, he plugged it back in and set it to brew a fresh pot.

The mounting stack of dishes beckoned him to the sink. Before washing the dishes, he turned some music on the cortex. He rinsed every item off as he stacked them on the counter. Then he filled the basin with soapy water and began washing the dishes. Each item was returned to the drying rack. Once this task was complete, he walked into cold storage and retrieved a few green and red peppers, onions, red kidney beans and packages of prepared spices. The spice package consisted of chili pepper, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic.

He returned to cold storage with a few pounds of ground beef. After placing a skillet on the stove, he dumped the ground beef inside and began slowly browning it up. He set up a cutting board on the counter and chopped up the peppers and onions. He placed a large stew pot on the stove and added some extra virgin olive oil. He turned the eat on medium to allow the oil to heat up. Then he chopped up a few garlic cloves and added the chopped onion to the stew pot. Using a wooden spoon, he stirred the onion in the oil to soften it up, then added the chopped peppers.

While the vegetables heated up in the medium heat and the ground beef continued to brown, the returned to the pantry to take another sip of whiskey and grab some cans of chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. After opening the cans, he emptied the contents into the large pot and stirred them up. He added the spice package to the pot and stirred the contents. Once the ground beef was thoroughly browned, this too was added to the pot. When the pot began to boil, he covered it with the lid and turned the heat back down.

The kidney beans were pre-softened and would be added after the vegetables and beef simmered for one hour. It was better to add them last just before the meal would be consumed. It helped to preserve some texture to the beans.

He then left his quarters to retrieve his M1 Carbine and HK 770 rifle along with a cleaning kit, towel and rags. He spread the towel over the table and began to disassemble the bolt section of the rifle. He pulled each piece apart carefully and rubbed them with oil and one of the rags. He insured there were no carbon deposits on any surface. Then he assembled the barrel rod, put a small oil-soaked patch of cloth in the eyelet and ran it through the barrel a number of times or until a clean patch would come out about as clean as it went in. When he was satisfied with the cleanliness of the rifle, he completed the same task with his long-distance rifle. Finally, he cleaned his Ruger Redhawk as well. It was re-holstered at his side and then he returned the rifles to his quarters.

When he returned to the galley, he washed his hands thoroughly to insure no burnt carbon or oil remained on his hands. Then he picked up the red kidney beans and dumped them into the stew pot. He left the heat on medium with the cover on. The pot of chili would simmer for at least 20 minutes or until someone wanted to eat some. He considered cooking some hot dogs in case someone wanted a chili dog.

He returned to the pantry, took a sip of his whiskey and  then out to cold storage to retrieve some shredded cheese, which he placed in a bowl along with a pair of tongs. He then grabbed a stack of empty bowls, placing them carefully on the counter near the chili. Crew and passengers could help themselves to coffee, hot chili and/or a hot dog if they wanted.

When the meal was complete, he washed his hands again, then the dirty dishes. He finally, sat down at the galley table with a deck of cards to play solitaire.