Mom’s Rosol - Chicken Soup

I dug out my mom’s old Polish chicken soup - rosol - recipe about a month ago. There really wasn’t much to it except the basic ingredients. She always had to cook things without pepper or spices because my dad had a stomach ulcer. So we made the soup but didn’t really do everything that we were supposed to. This I found out after it was made and had spoken to a cousin and aunt about how they make it. Apparently you never cook the noodles in the soup. The egg noodles are made separately and the soup is then poured over the noodles. And, I didn’t put the pot in the refrigerator overnight for the fat to float to the top and then be removed. So the next time we made the soup we weren’t able to get a soup bone, but did get something like it - but the marrow was not enough. But this time we did put the pot in the refrigerator over night and we made the noodles separately. After the first serving there was enough to last for another meal. So the second time we added in some spinach to give it some color. Her original recipe called for vegetable flakes - not something that we could find anywhere. So we ended up using bits of celery, onions and carrots. All I know is that it tasted wonderful regardless of the way we made it. My cousin suggested using a whole chicken rather than just the chicken breasts - the kind you buy that’s already cooked. She said it adds more flavor after first munching on the wings and other bits. Maybe we’ll try that next time. It’s the kind of thing that reminds you of home. What could be better than that? 

Flu, Friends, and Chicken Soup

I knew something was wrong the minute I got up yesterday morning. My husband looked and felt like he had something dreadful. Just because he was sitting in the chair rather than listening to his early morning programs in his usual spot was a clue. He was listless, had a fever, a rapid heart rate, a slight headache, and was nauseated. He is rarely, if ever, ill. So this was very unexpected. We both get flu shots every year, and I heard that there was an uptick in flu cases this month. So he slept the day away, and I checked on him every hour or so. The last time he was like this we landed in the emergency room, but he was congested and really sick then. Luckily he is much better today and his appetite has returned. I sent a note yesterday to our friends to let them know we would have to cancel our planned get together this evening. They responded in kind by delivering a container of home made chicken soup this afternoon, and he - and I - enjoyed every last bit of it. One can feel quite helpless at times like this, and it can be a reminder of what the future might bring. But it's also a time to reflect on friendship. Nothing can be more important. 

McLean Family Restaurant, Newt, and Chicken Soup

We were away last weekend so we were looking forward to our routine Saturday breakfast outing to the McLean Family Restaurant. We've been going there consistently over the last year. It's a great drive down the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and we like the atmosphere. Everyone knows us well enough that the coffee and tomato juice arrive as soon as we sit down. It's not unusual to see well known folks hanging out there. Today Newt Gingrich was sitting with some guy instead of Callista and several people stopped at his table to wish him a Merry Christmas. The place reminds us of Ma Fisher's in Milwaukee, a typical Greek establishment. We tend to bring our out of town guests there for a kick. My husband and I both love the chicken soup. Afterwards we planned to go to the grocery store and the wine shop, but the traffic and activity was a bit too much. After all it is the last weekend to get whatever you need for Christmas, but we just weren't that desperate. So we came home and plan to enjoy the rest of this wonderfully warm day in DC. It sure beats the cold and ice in Milwaukee, which was the best reason to move - even if it's Christmas.