Avgolemano

Tonight I made my favorite soup. It's Greek and it's kind of like chicken and rice and kind of like egg drop and it also has lemon, my favorite ingredient in any dish, ever.

Avgolemano Soup, serves 2
1 large chicken breast, trimmed of fat and cubed
3 C chicken stock
1 small yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 C (dry) long-grain rice
1 egg
1/8-1/4 C fresh-squeezed lemon juice (MUST be fresh-squeezed! My first trial had Whole Foods 100% not-from-concentrate jarred lemon juice and it was most definitely not the same)
a few sprigs of oregano
a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a swirl of olive oil in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions begin to get translucent, add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breast and poach for 20-30 minutes. Strain and put broth back on stove. Add rice and cook until done (I used brown rice and it takes longer than white). Meanwhile whisk together egg and lemon juice. Once the rice is done, strain again, and s-l-o-w-l-y pour the hot soup into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Add back in chicken/rice/onions/etc, garnish with flat leaf parsley, and serve with a dry, lemony white wine.

OPA!!!

OK, seriously, y'all, I am SO FAT! This job is killing me. I'm only 5'1"... I can't just freely gain 5 lbs. without it making a serious change in how my clothes fit. And right now I have an extra 8-10. Ugh. My entire problem is willpower: I eat well at home because I only keep healthy food in my house. But give me an option between a chicken breast and a hamburger? Well, I'm going to choose the hamburger everytime. Hello, there are french fries!!

Sooo, I have a week and a half at home, and I'm going to see if I can't flush out (so to speak) some of these excess lbs. before I leave again. My focus this week will be soup and fresh produce. Last night I had french onion soup (with a dusting of parmesan, because honestly, who can eat dinner without cheese?), and replaced my evening glass of wine with a cup of chamomile tea. This morning I had two soy lattes (unsweetened soy milk) and currently I'm chowing on a bowl of watermelon and blueberries, with a tablespoon of lime juice and a teaspoon of wildflower honey. Yum! My dinner will more-than-likely be a zucchini and onion egg-white fritta, or maybe tomato soup. If I can get done with my schoolwork, I also intend to do some yoga. Go me, go!!

Please send good thoughts. Our dress code at work just changed from uniform to business casual, and I haven't worn my "work clothes" in well over a year. I doubt most of it still fits me!!

long time no cook

I know I haven't posted much lately, but I've been on the road, thus eating out exclusively. I'll be home at the end of the month and plan on cooking a lot, but for now, I'll tide you over with one of the best appetizers I've ever experienced- a tiny trio of bisques, in onion, carrot, and celery. They were so cute! And delicious! (As, by the way, am I.) I love soup anyway, but these tiny explosive tastes of smoky onion, hearty carrot, and delicate celery was a fantastic combination, and a lovely lead-in to my filet mignon (medium-rare) with spinach and homemade macaroni and cheese. Oh, and a lovely tiramisu. Is it any wonder I am happiest when eating??

Yum. Sorry the picture is poor; I took it with my phone. For size reference, those 3 spoons are of the demitasse variety: