Soup Review Time!

 

These are actually from last week (today I had leftover veggie stir-fry for lunch). Since getting back from vacation I’ve been busy. And what with having to watch the web usage while at work blogging just hasn’t been one of my top priorities. 

 

But I’m here now so let’s get started on the soup!

 

Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Savory Chicken and Vegetables

Good soup! Oh, you want more detail? Well, like the rest of the Select Harvest soups I’ve tried this one is chock full of veggie goodness. And amazingly enough the chicken in this one didn’t suck. The spice is flavorful without being overpowering as it usually is in “Light” soups. 

This one gets an 8 out of 10 and I’ll get it again.

 

Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Vegetable Beef with Barley

Now I am normally not a big fan of beef (excepting the occasional cheeseburger). But I really liked this soup. My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough barley. I am a huge barley fan – I even make my own dish with barley, mushrooms, peas, cream of mushroom soup and veggie chicken. Although I suppose I could always add extra barley if I wanted.

This one gets a 9 out of 10 and I’ve already picked up another can of it! 

 

Campbell’s Select Harvest Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla

This one is a decent soup but the weakest of the three. The rice, black beans, corn and chicken were yummy but I was disappointed in the lack of tortilla. I was expecting a little more oomph to the spices in this one but while flavorful it lacked heat and body. It’s a well-rounded soup but not really what I was expecting. 

This one gets a 7 out of 10. I’ll get it again and eat it with more realistic expectations this time.

 

Obviously I prefer the Select Harvest soups to all others so far. Keep tuned for more soup reviews in the future!

Vacation – Part 1

 

(I’m doing the vacation in multiple posts because it is just too much to put in one). 

 

Well, I’ve been back for just over a week and I already want to leave again. I’m sure being on perpetual vacation would be old after a while but man, would I love to give it a try! Of course there is the small problem of how to pay for that kind of life. Independently wealthy I am not.

 

For those of you just joining us, Dad and I went on a 7-day cruise of the Western Caribbean. We did round-trip to Tampa with stops in Key West, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. I’ve been calling this the Mayan Discovery cruise as we went to three different Mayan sites in Central America and Mexico. I have to say that even with a bum knee this was one of the best trips I have ever taken. I had a lot of fun, did things I’ve never done before, and saw some of the most amazing sites! I could easily go back – just give me time to pack!

 

The trip started out with Dad and I meeting up in Tampa. My flight was early, his was late, and so I went ahead to the hotel for lunch and icing down The Knee. At this point I was still really worried that I was going to end up a major party pooper because of my stupid bum leg. Hopefully I hid it well. Eventually Dad showed up and we were on our way. We met up with relatives Bev and Bill for dinner at a tapas place at Channelside (one of the entertainment districts in Tampa). The food was fabulous, the margarita was yummy and the conversation was fun. And easy! I am not a social creature by any means, nor had I even met these relatives, but they are so easy to talk to that I had a great time. The margarita probably helped. 

 

The next day it was off to the port and time to board the ship. We were on Holland America on the ms Veendam - same class of ship as the Alaska cruise, different name. Sunday evening was quiet as we just pretty much hung out on deck as we left Tampa and did dinner (no dinner companions this night – we got a table for four to ourselves). We also hit the bar where I had a mojito for the first time. If I remember correctly this was the night we drank a bit with drinks before dinner, a bottle of wine with dinner, and coffee drinks after dinner. We also met Evelyn, our server in the bar, and pretty much from this point on she remembered our names and our drink preferences. Amazing! 

 

Monday was Key West. We went kayaking in the backcountry between islands, that area with the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf on the other. Now I have been canoeing before (most memorable being the time in the Okefenokee swamp with alligators only a few feet away) but I have never been in a kayak.  Some of the people at Lazy Dog suggested doing a two-man kayak if you hadn’t done it before – Dad and I looked at each other, realized we probably wouldn’t work well together at that, and each got our own!   The first few minutes were pretty hairy as I tried to find my center and keep my balance. I wasn’t doing too well until Dad pointed out the things to put your feet on. Suddenly I was balanced, comfortable, and actually able to make the thing go where I wanted! We saw sea grass, sponges, pelicans, mangroves, an iguana up in the trees, sea cucumbers, sea stars, an upside down jellyfish…it was absolutely amazing. We were only out on the water for about an hour and a half but it ranks up there as one of the best experiences I’ve ever had (along with the alligators). And now that I know I can kayak you better believe I’m going to do it again!       

 

Want pictures? I’m putting everything up on Flickr like I did with the Alaska trip. Per Dad’s request the pics are set as private and by invitation only. If you’re someone I know if real life (rather than just LJ-life) I probably already have your e-mail. If your are an LJ friend and want to see the pics send me and e-mail at tanalia9 (at) Comcast dot net and I’ll send you an invitation. 

 

Next up: Belize and the Mayan site of Xunantunich.