Mama Soup and other ways to move forward.

Well... we did it... our country made its choice and now we must make a decision as people and as a nation, to move forward and work together or sit down and give up. I choose to move forward.
I choose to move forward for many reasons. 

1. I love my country and I want to be able to hold my head high as a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter and a friend.
2. I believe I have a purpose. I have purpose as a woman, wife, mother, daughter and friend.
3. I believe moving forward has a purpose. That purpose ranges from standing up for "basic" rights such as the right to be valued, seen and heard, as a person, to the purpose that ALL lives matter... Moving forward shows myself, my husband, my daughters, my friends and my country there are reasons to move forward and both battle for and instill these reasons in our own generation and in those to come...
4. I believe in my mind, heart and spirit that somewhere, out there, there is a way to move forward.
5. I believe I can be of service to those around me and help to counsel and guide the lost masses toward a path of "light" and assist to maintain the freedoms ALL of us take for granted and may no longer be afforded. I can do this with my voice. (My speaking voice and my writing voice.) I can do this by choosing when to use my voice and how I use it. 
6. I have hope. I have hope in people...
7. I have faith in people. I must and so must we all...
8.. Lastly, I believe, in some small way, food will help...

WOW! Those statements may well be the most profound and important I will write - ever. 

Each of us is allowed a space on this small planet we ALL call home. We ALL have that in common. (Well, at least it's a place to begin.) ALL of us must eat. (A second commonality.) ALL of us is different. (A third commonality.) Different in our minds, hearts and appearance. Okay. Now what? From the most basic of commonalities, great foundations may be built in the same way that a great recipe may emerge from basic ingredients. Like life, a recipe is more than the sum of its parts. A recipe is more than its ingredients. To be truly great, a recipe takes knowledge, experience and heart in much the same way our life can be great if we just take the time to gather experiences, grow from those experiences, combine our knowledge and experience to move forward and then to live with heart. 

All right! Enough! I've said my say! Thank you for indulging me... Your reward? A fantastic, soul-healing comforting recipe, Avgolemono Soupa! What? Never heard of Avgolemono Soupa? Some cooks/chefs you see on television refer to this soothing Greek soup as Greek Chicken Soup or Greek Lemon Soup. It is both actually. Can you think of anything more comforting than comfort food? What is comfort food anyway? Comfort food provides a feeling of well-being, a feeling of "home," a sense of calm. I think I will take a generous helping of that thank you! Avgolemono Soupa, or "Mama Soup" as it is called in my house, is a "must-know" recipe. It is a creamy concoction of chicken broth, rice, eggs and lemon. Sounds pretty comforting and yummy right?

I created Mama Soup when our daughter Alyssa was tiny. Alyssa was a picky eater so I used to make this soup for her. Since she could not say Avgolemono, (I mean come on... what two-year can) I just called it “Mama” Soup and still do. Alyssa was an active toddler and we still lived in California, our home state. We purchased our first home in Tracy, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley. We had a lovely, happy home that was nearly empty. Like a lot of young couples just getting started in their first home, purchasing the home was more important than having the furniture to fill it up. When you have toddlers, little furniture is a blessing actually. I mean how else can you play soccer in the living room or tag or duck-duck-goose or hopscotch? Anyway, I let Lyssy run around and play while she ate. She happily returned for bite after bite of Mama Soup. Mama Soup is still one of her favorite comfort foods. 

The soup is protein rich and economical to make. It works equally well with a homemade stock or the (low-sodium, organic) store bought variety. To make Mama Soup requires a bit of patience and skill BUT the recipe you will find on my Recipes Page is one I created and is time-tested. "Mama Soup"  is a recipe that is DEFINITELY part of my upcoming cookbook! I hope a warm, creamy bowl of Mama Soup will help you to move forward and give you some comfort. Food can connect us and unite us. We all should be searching for ways to connect and unite with one another. Food crosses barriers that neither thoughts nor stones can. Make a bowl and then make a thoughtful list of ways you can help yourself and the world move forward. It will heal your spirit.