I have to pay more attention to the fine print on product labels. I keep buying crap that says no salt, low fat, and is godawful. I want salt. I want fat. If I followed a low salt diet, I’d be in a coma.

Yesterday, I made after a period of several years, egg-lemon soup. One boils chicken (or lamb or beef) and uses the stock, except I add broth from cans. I don’t know how Mom made it without using canned stock – I don’t remember her ever opening a can. Maybe I was using too much lemon before because I had a spasm in my esophagus the last time that was almost life threatening.

Anyway, it came out okay taste wise but the foamy part was not as good as it should have been. When you order this in a Greek restaurant, it comes watery. That is because it should be eaten right away and to get it right, would have to be made to order. It is made by beating egg whites, adding the yolks, the lemon, and gradually adding the rice that is cooking in chicken stock so that the final dish is foamy and not curdled. I think I rushed this part. Maybe some Greek chef somewhere cooks to order, but I haven’t found one yet.

I was using no salt chicken stock, to my dismay, because that is what I bought without looking. So I added salt. Foo. And I was able to eat it without problems.

Ed doesn’t much care for it, which is another reason I don’t make it a lot. I boiled some potatoes for him to have with the chicken. He loves them and has them at every meal. I will have the remaining rice but it is no longer soupy as it thickens up, but us egg-lemon lovers don’t care.

The first time I made it all by myself, it was in New York in the loft, after I was widowed. I had invited a friend, Marge, over for dinner. I used to help my mom by beating the egg whites for her with a hand-held non electric beater from the dark ages. So in a semi self-hypnotic effort, I cast my mind back to childhood and recreated being in the kitchen with Mom and following her directions. I was able to make a very credible soup. It was a mystical experience. I also baked a strawberry pie. My friend was impressed. Thought I was a genius cook. We all know better, but that long-ago dinner was, indeed, a success.

xx, Teal