Little Rags

About a month ago I was browsing through different food blogs and came across what seemed to me to be a perfect dish.  Not Chinese Egg Drop Soup, which is thickened with cornstarch and, to me, rather unappealing.  Not Greek Lemon Egg Soup, which I love, but didn’t have the taste for at lunch – though I do love lemon, and have lemons on the counter top.  What I wanted was something simple and quick and made with ingredients on hand.

Enter Stracciatelle – “little rags” in Italian.  A simple soup that takes about 5 minutes if you have stock, some greens or parsley, an egg, and some Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Besides being easy to make, it is damned fun to say!  The Italian language just lends itself to enTHUsiasm!

Stracciatelle

I made this for myself at lunch – just multiply the amounts for each person if it going to be main meal, or maybe a little less for an appetizer.

1 – 1.5 c. chicken broth
handful of spinach, or some parsley, or some basil
1 egg
2-3 T. grated Romano cheese

Beat together the egg and cheese. Set aside. Put broth in sauce pan, bring to a simmer, dump in the green vegetables. Stir. As you stir, pour in the egg-cheese mixture. Cook until the egg is done and looks like its namesake – little rags.

Serve with fresh pepper and perhaps, if you want, a bit extra cheese.

 

 

 

The Studio

I’ve had a room I call “The Studio” for years now – but somehow it has never felt especially complete until yesterday.  Why?  I bought a sewing table.  For the last 30 years I have had to clear off the drafting table or take over the dining table to sew.  It’s a nuisance for someone who really enjoys sewing but hates clutter.  Take things out.  Put things away.  Hate the mess of clutter.  Hate the urgency to put things away.  Thus, on a whim, when I saw this table, I bought it.  Because it was a floor model, it was marked down, but even better, it was already assembled!  At last, my sewing urges can be allowed to stay out in the open, at my whim and will.

Sewing has its corner.

Painting has its own corner.

Computer has its own corner.

Cameras and supplies are on the shelves, as are books and paper and paint and thread.

All is right with the world.

Summer Grasses

I was in a park to use up the rest of the first roll of film through my Cosina CX-2.  I rather liked this one because – well – hmmm.  I think it’s the DOF and interplay of lines by the grasses.

As far as the Cosina goes, I am not sure how much I like or dislike it.  I might like my Trip 35 better for a film point-and-shoot with a fixed lens, as well as the Olympus XA4.

The Cosina is not a “pretty” camera, being boxy and black and totally unattractive to my eye.  Despite that, it really is a handy little camera to dump in your pocket.  The fact that the lens is protected by a turning lens cover makes it better than a snap-on.