Avgolemono

Many years ago I grew tired of chicken noodle soup...even when sick...it just fell flat compared to all of the flavors of pho.  Plus siracha is a natural decongestant for me (too much?).

I do love chicken, and sometimes the lean/clean taste of chicken feels better to me than beef, so I started to look at other chicken soup recipes which lead me to avgolemono.  Avgolemono is a chicken noodle soup...but the noodles are reduced to orzo, with an addition of lemon juice to brighten it, and an addition of eggs to enrich it.  It also includes spinach and carrots, so you just feel good eating it.  We simply call it Lemon Chicken Soup and it was M's favorite soup for the longest time.

I have been making this soup for so long I do not follow a recipe and just make it up as I go.

• Cooked orzo
• Cook your orzo first and set it to the side, add it in per serving to have the best leftovers otherwise orzo will eat up all of your broth if you store it together.
• Cooked chicken
• Cook about 5 or 6 chicken thighs, set it to the side and shred, add it in when the soup is done.  You can also slow cook a chicken and use the liquid for the broth.
• Chicken broth, about 2 quarts
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, I use a microplane
• Carrots, 3 - 5 diced
• Spinach, 1 bag of fresh (arugula is good too)
• Eggs, 3 - 4
• Lemons, 3

Saute the onions and garlic until fragrant and transparent, then add the carrots and saute until softened.  Add the broth and while you bring it to a simmer, juice your lemons.  Now this next part I just thought of, and it has been a game changer for me.  In a small bowl or large mixing cup combine your eggs and lemon juice then blend with an immersion blender.  Move the immersion blender to the soup and use it while pouring in the egg lemon mixture.  I used to mix the eggs and lemon juice by hand, then tempered and stirred the soup by hand.  Using the immersion blender makes the soup much creamier than doing it by hand.  Next add your cooked chicken and spinach, once your spinach wilts pour into a bowl with orzo.

Mulligatawny

 I wasn't kidding about soup.

So another part of our Messy Middle is that my Mom is experiencing her own set of mobility and pain issues (not dwarfism related).  When I make a batch of soup, I like to bring some over to them as it is something easy that my Dad can reheat and serve.  I like to send it over in the reusable containers with the lids that twist on and off, that way if needed he can easily carry it upstairs without worrying about spilling.  

Soup is love.

We have a cooking routine, B cooks Mondays and Tuesdays, I cook Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.  Thursdays are for eating all of the leftovers, and Fridays are for tacos!  So each week I consult my sous chef "What kind of soup should I make this weekend or should I try something new?"  She has been enjoying this and encourages me to try something new as she says "Whatever kind of soup you make will be delicious!"  See, soup is love.

I was craving Indian flavors so I decided to try making Mulligatawny and used a recipe from Wanderlust Kitchen.  This soup met my cravings, it is creamy, spicy, fragrant and nutritious!  It is full of lentils, apples, carrots and turmeric.  And delicious coconut milk.  

We had to go into town earlier in the day, and I wasn't sure if just this soup would satisfy everyone's appetite so I picked up some Achari Chicken Tikka, Naan and Raita to go along with it.  All very good.  My sous chef especially loved the chicken, I thought it may be too spicy for her, but she surprised me.

One thing I found helpful was that I prepped all of the ingredients onto different plates before I started cooking, then once I started cooking all I had to do was toss it in.  Sometimes that dance of "while x is cooking, start chopping y" stresses me out.

Now I have two containers of soup, Naan and Raita ready to go and the house smells cozy and spicy.  

Gentle January

Many start off the new year with a list of goals and intentions and start acting on them right away.  I love a fresh start and have had that approach for many new years.  I started this year with lots of lists...and intentions, but then things happen for whatever reason and your due dates get extended...so I decided to be gentle.

Over Christmas a pipe burst in our basement, and we returned home to 2 - 3 inches of water.  The basement had always needed some work, but it was just one of those things we kept putting off.  During the pandemic I created an office in the basement which was a space I enjoyed.  The other room turned into M's room for remote learning and whatever else, however that room quickly became a dumping ground for her stuff and thousands of her pieces of papers.  So when the pipe burst, it was annoying rather than  devastating as we knew it was going to force us to make improvements.

Thankfully we were able to get the pipe repaired quickly and turn our water back on.  We were also able to get a remediation team to the house quickly to get the water, drywall and carpets out.  Insurance was booked, and it took two weeks to get them out to the house to do an estimate on the repairs.  During that I had an epiphany to move the guest room into the basement, move M into the former guest room, and then my office into M's old room.  That way pre and post surgery I would mainly be navigating two levels instead of three.  Also when we have family over they would have a more private space with more room, as we're all on top of each other on the top floor.  I was excited, I started my spreadsheets (for health and home) and we all started working on what we needed to do to prepare for this transition.  

I had also reached out to a community of individuals with dwarfism that had similar surgeries.  Many had posted on their experiences, including their experiences with the doctor I had seen.  Some were good, some were bad, of which I took with a grain of salt.  People in general are more likely to share a complaint than a compliment.  However someone reached out to me directly and advised getting a second opinion as now they needed surgery to undo everything this doctor had done.  After some thought and discussion, I thought a second opinion would be best.  Unfortunately there are not doctors that specialize in dwarfism in every major city...and the next closest doctor is in NYC, so I'm still trying to figure that part out.  And while I'm figuring that out I'm trying to check off my other health to do's.

Last week B had followed up with our insurance company on the estimate and he was told you'll have it in two days.  On Monday I received an email that our claim had been transferred to another agent, and they needed more time to review it.  So now we're on hold there too.

There is still a lot that is unknown and it can be heavy and hard.  I feel like I'm handling everything fairly well, but I have my moments too.  

Currently, I'm choosing gentleness.  If I start to cry, let myself cry.  If I want a piece of bread, have a piece of bread.  If I rather crochet than work in the basement, crochet.  Gentleness includes being gentle with others, and learning to care for people in new ways and frankly - letting shit go.  I'm hoping these choices of grace and gentleness will equip me to be fierce in February.

Yes soup for you!

I guess over the past five years or so I have grown a deep affinity for soup and making soup.  

Besides baking, making chicken noodle soup with my Mom was one of the first things I remember cooking with her.  We boiled the chicken then pulled it apart, then chopped vegetables and added noodles.  Soup is nostalgic, healing and comforting.  My Grandma made a beef vegetable soup that my Mom now makes for us.  When my Grandma would stay with us during the holidays she would make me tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.  As I got older I fell in love with pho, and pho often came with the company of my favorite coworkers, processing the week and what we're watching or reading.  Miso soup reminds me of sushi nights with my Mom or meeting my college roommate for lunch.  French onion soup reminds me of meeting my friends at Panera for dinner before church.  And of course ramen began as an after school snack, then a college staple, and now I enjoy my husband making it for us with lots of fancy upgrades.  

Reading all of that I suppose I have always had an affinity for soup whether I realized it or not.  I'll likely use this space to share some recipes that comfort and delight me - and hopefully they will do the same for you!

Quirky

This week I met with my PCP to digest the notes from the neurosurgeon.  He was great in walking me through the recommendations and assuring me that these were my best options.  He also advised me to take my time in getting the surgery and to get myself into the best physical, mental, and emotional shape that I can before it.  So I made my spreadsheet of all of my appointments and health to do's and tackled the easiest one first...an eye exam.

I walked in to a new to me eye doctor and as I told the receptionist I had a 9 o'clock, the eye doctor popped out of an office and boomed "It's the legendary Heather -----!"  It was unexpected and quirky, and while I didn't have any anxiety about the appointment it made me laugh and loosen up.  As I continued to work with the receptionist I realized it was Friday the 13th and she preceded to tell me about theatres where you could watch the movie for free and her love of movies (especially Avatar).  Again unexpected and quirky, but both interactions charmed me and made me happy.  

It made me want to be the quirky person in someone's day (I realize I may be that person already for different reasons).  To talk to a stranger and say something unexpected and kind or silly.  You never know it could be that little nudge to help someone cross the line from a bad day to an okay day or an okay day to a good day.

The Messy Middle

Last week I was on my way to a hospital to consult with a neurosurgeon.  The hospital is a little over a two hour drive from our home, so I had some quality car time to listen to podcasts.  

I had an idea of what was ahead of me, a suggestion of uncomfortable change and possible hardship.  Preparing to hear that, I had been trying to improve myself in the areas I could control which sometimes includes listening to "We Can Do Hard Things".  

The same day as the appointment they released the first episode of the new year, in which Glennon had received some uncomfortable news and was still very much going through it, but at the advice of her therapist decided to share it with her listeners.  She said often we share what we've been going through after we've been through it, so we can present it in the way we want to, leaving out the unpleasant days and bits.  Glennon called it "the messy middle" which is exactly where I am right now, and I felt compelled to document my journey.  

I think capturing this messy middle will help me mentally and emotionally prepare for what's to come, and although my story isn't unique to individuals with dwarfism, perhaps it will educate others that dwarfism has more complications than height.  I remember years ago talking to someone who told me that I did not have a real disability, that I had a cosmetic disability.  It still stings and sadly I didn't say anything in return.  If you were to do a quick Google search on achondroplasia, the previews may lead you to believe it is cosmetic and appalling.  However the complications with achondroplasia can include respiratory, ear and dental issues, but the chief being spinal stenosis.  Which is what I am now experiencing, and because of it a decline in my mobility.  The scariest thing to me is that since it is the spine, the spine controls every part of our bodies, so if my spine fails, other functions or organs may fail.  

....

Anyways, here we are, thank you for meeting me in the middle and hopefully accompanying me to the  end of this.