So, I’m back after a long hiatus. My Master’s is done, I’m all “gradumutated,” and perhaps there will be a little more free time in my life now. (Hah.) I’ve decided for the New Year to have an adventure with food. My goal is to try a new recipe nearly every day of the year. Some of that I will be chronicling here. I’m especially interested in finding easy to prepare foods (especially those that families with young children could safely prepare together) and meals that bring nutrition, health, and healing (by the time spent together in the kitchen). But then again, I also just want some fun foods to make.
And so for today, I tried a for-kids-to-make recipe from a book I’ve had on my shelf that I bought at a thrift store years ago: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking with Kids. There was a fun and simple little “Oriental soup” recipe that I sampled. I worked it into something that is quick, easy, and variable on the seasonings. But the base idea came from that fun cookbook, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking with Kids, by Joan Cirillo. What follows is my own little variation.
Mock Oriental Egg Drop Soup
- 3 – 14 oz. cans chicken broth (I used Swanson’s 100% fat free/no msg added/33% less sodium)
- 1 egg
- 1 pkg ramen noodles
- Garlic powder (to taste)
- Celery flakes (to taste)
- Celery seed (to taste)
- Amena’s Organic herb salt (to taste)
- Parsley to garnish
- Heat the chicken broth to a boil.
- Add a pinch or more (to taste) of the garlic powder, celery flakes, celery seed and the organic herb salt, and lower the heat to medium.
- Break the ramen noodles into bite-sized chunks and add to broth. Cook, stirring until noodles are al dente (or in other words, not yet soggy). This really only takes about 2 – 4 minutes.
- Periodically stir the broth, but while you are waiting, crack the egg into a bowl and whisk till blended.
- When the noodles are ready, turn off the heat.
- Gather your kids and let them watch the magic of the next part. Slowly drizzle a thin stream of whisked egg in circular motions into the broth. Kids will get a kick how the egg swiftly bakes and changes form as the heat of the broth cooks it.
- Stir the soup gently one last time and ladle it into the bowls. Allow the kids (after washing their hands) to add green “snow” to the soup by taking a pinch of parsley and sprinkling it on top.
- Serve with warmed bread sticks. (Yah, I know. Not very oriental. But my family’s weird like that. Actually, for this soup we just toasted some heels from a loaf of bread, buttered them, then sliced them into thin “sticks.” It’s my family’s favorite form of bread sticks.)
Of course, for some, this soup might be too bland. My kids really do not like spicy or salty foods. You may want to add salt and pepper to taste. That’s the joy of flexible seasonings.
Well, that was our food adventure for today. May your food be terrifically tasty and awesomely healing—whether from the food or the fun time spent together!
For the Love of the Written Word 