Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup with Orzo

Still chilly enough for soup weather?  

Ready to try a lighter soup after the heavier fare of the winter?  

Have I got a soup for you to try.  Easy to make with simple ingredients, but just make sure you follow the directions or you might just end up with a congealed mass - not quite what we want to have for dinner, now is it?

Here's the ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup orzo

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

        cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch thick

3 eggs

1/3 cup FRESH lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

salt and white pepper (okay to substitute black pepper)

2 tablespoons finely chopped FRESH parsley

Now here's what you need to do:

1.  In a stockpot bring the chicken stock to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the orzo and cook uncovered, until very tender, 15-20 minutes.  About 5 minutes before the pasta is done, add the chicken breast slices.

2.  Place the eggs in a mixing bowl.  Whisk the eggs while pouring in the lemon juice. Stir in the zest.  Whisking continuously, slowly pour a ladleful of the hot stock into the egg and lemon mixture.  Reduce the heat to very low.  Then, while whisking the soup in the pan, slowly pour in the egg mixture; the soup should thicken sightly.

3.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and ladle immediately into warmed bowls and garnish with the fresh parsley.

This soup is so yummy and fun to make.  Perfect for those chilly spring evenings. It's delicious with some peda bread (not pita bread), a green salad, and some pinot grigio or other white wine.

Oh and if you happen to go to Sweet Tomatoes and try their Lemon Greek Chicken Soup - there is simply NO COMPARISON!  We went there the other night and it was just awful.  (Sorry Sweet Tomatoes but I've got to call it like it is.)

Hope you decide to give this a try.  It is modified from a Williams-Sonoma soup recipe.  I can always count on one of their recipes - I've yet to have one be a dud.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope your spring weather is enjoyable, but just cool enough to enjoy this soup!

It's Foodie Friday!  Come join the party at Designs by Gollum!

Great Granny's Teapot

Do you see this bright teapot?  Can you believe how vibrant the color is?  

It is a lovely cobalt blue teapot.  Did you notice the adorable little flower on the handle and lid?  I think it's a pansy. 

This sweet little teapot belonged to my father's grandmother.  They called her Meemaw (I don't know how they spelled it) but I don't know which great granny that was.  Luckily I still have relatives who remember Meemaw but I need to write down her story before they are gone.  Now that I've told you that I don't completely know her sweet little story I'll HAVE to follow through with my family.  Right?

I popped in a bonus too.  Isn't this a sweet little teacup?  Did you notice the little cottages on the cup and saucer? (Yeah, I know, I only took about 50 pictures of it.)  This was made in Japan.  That's all it says on the bottom of the saucer.  I originally bought this for my wonderful master teacher, Mrs. D, but I ended up finding something I thought she might like better and gave it to her instead.  I just had to keep this little teacup for myself.  

Doesn't she look great with Great Granny Meemaw's teapot?

What stories do you need to write down about your vintage treasures?  Have you written them down?

If I write them, you will too, won't you?

I'm going to the party over at Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday.  

Won't you join us there?  Or maybe you'd just like to stop in for a quick visit?  No matter, you're welcome here any time! It's always such a delight to know you've stopped by!

It's Rednesday Everyone! It's Rednesday!

Sue's little Rednesday badges are so cute.  This week's led to a totally different blog post than I had planned.  

I would dearly love some of that restaurant ware Sue featured, but I'll have to settle for these for now....

I bought these on clearance from Pottery Barn at Christmas time about 3 years ago.  They are my favorite mugs for yummy white mochas.  Just perfect for double shots of espresso!

For a little more Rednesday glory I had to share my favorite iced tea/iced latte travel mug.  Starbucks used to have the most adorable and cheery mugs.  Now they seem a little dour to me.  Sorry Starbucks - I still love you!

This is the third tray of strawberries I've picked up this season.  More vibrant red!  

Well at the Sweet Bee Cottage Diner we're featuring Greek Lemon Chicken soup for dinner with a green salad and French bread.  Yum!  What's for dessert?  How about fresh strawberries on angel food cake?  Sounds good to me!

What for dinner at your diner?

Thanks Sue for always keeping Rednesday so fresh and fun!  Be sure to visit Sue's blog It's a Very Cherry World for a chance to visit all the other Rednesday posts!

Just Buzzin' Around

Whew!  

Things have gotten busy and I'm afraid it's going to get even busier.

One of my nieces is graduating from college in southern California one weekend in May......

 and one of my nephews is graduating from college in northern California the next weekend. 

 Road trip anyone?

The kitchen garden is sprouting!  So fun!  

This is Sam.  I belong to him.  Baby Bee belongs to our other cat.  Worker Bee does not belong to either of our cats.  Poor Worker Bee!  He at least has the six goldfish. I know one of them loves him dearly after he saved its life.  I digress . . . . . again . . . . .

I participated in a fun swap put together by Sarah at the lovely My So Called Junky Life and received these little charmers from Carol at Heirlooms for You.

Oh that Baby Bee, she absconded with these before I could do anything about it.

Can you see the sweet box she made?  I forgot to take a good picture of it.   So pretty!  And look at these goodies!  Roses and lace - so lovely.  Hmmmm....I'm already thinking little projects with these.  

And how sweet are these?  Baby Bee tried to run off with these too but I grabbed 'em back.

And (oh dear I hope this isn't bad swap etiquette) this is my favorite part.  Isn't that lock and key so sweet?  It went right on my inspiration board in my "studio."  Oh and the box is in the background again.

And Progress Reports go home this Friday.  I've gotten a wee bit behind on my grading so I've been catching up.  

So what have you been catching up on?  Anything keeping you buzzy?

Oh yes and I feel like a wee bit of a tease, but I'm looking for a little something to add to my next giveaway so it's not quite ready yet.  Soon I hope!

Cottage Cheese Please?

Just wanted to share my absolutely favorite depression glass pieces.

Dear Worker Bee gave them to me for Christmas about fifteen years ago.  I had taken him to look at them but I never dreamed he would buy them for me.  The shopkeeper told me that they were used to hold cottage cheese.  

I once had fourteen of them, but one fell on hard times.  (Oh dear - I think I just made a pun.  Please don't groan too loudly.)

As I pulled them out for their picture I thought, I have to throw a little party (only 12 can be invited after all) and serve ice cream sundaes in them.  Doesn't that sound sweet? Would you come?  

        

Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing my

Please be sure to stop in and visit everyone else sharing at Suzanne's blog, Colorado Lady!  I'm sure you're in for some vintage treats.

C'mon by again soon!  I feel a giveaway coming on soon!

Welcome in to Sweet Bee Cottage

Why Sue, I'm so glad you made it all the way out to California to see me and my little cottage.  You brought some friends?  Why how delightful!

Oh do come in!

Oh this little quilt?  Why my Worker Bee's dear sweet auntie made this for us.  She knew how much we loved prints from the 30s and 40s and made it out of reproduction feedsacks.   

Oh you want to know about this little shelf?  Each cubby holds our keys, sunglasses, and "junque."

Why are there three pears?

Why there are three of us in our little Sweet Bee family.

Oh this rug?  You like it Sue?  I thought you might. 

 

You know I got it on ebay.  Why just the other day I found a matching pillow.  I'm afraid it got too expensive for me to keep on bidding on it though.  

Well Sue and all of you other darling Rednesday participants, I am so glad you stopped by for a little visit.  I love to see your rosy cheeks.  Don't forget to stop by and see all the reds at It's a Very Cherry World. 

Umm - Worker Bee thinks this post might have been over the top, but I still had fun.  

Write your own blog Worker Bee!  

Be sure to come back soon.  

I'm feeling a giveaway coming on!

Visitors from the Past

Sweet Bee Cottage

Saturday we had the most interesting drop in visitors.  People I've never met before and I let them into my house and it wasn't that clean.  Why would I do such a thing?

Our surprise visitor (and his wife) was a son of the family that built our house.  We were working in the front yard when they pulled up and we started chatting and next thing I knew I invited them in.

What a treat it was.  Our house was built in 1951 when he was in sixth grade, I believe, and it was one of the first in our neighborhood.  He told tales of digging tunnels and caves under all the open land.  He told of sending morse code over lines his father strung in the backyard.  He told of flashing signals with flashlights to neighbors across and down the street.  He showed us where he and his two brothers and parents ate dinner every night.  He told of the dog that laid in front of the wall heater in the kitchen and would then fart.  He showed us where his brother and mother played the piano.  (Funny, I've often thought our piano would be just perfect in the same spot.)  

His tales explained mysteries about our house.  Why were there so many electrical outlets on our garage workbench?  Why was there a hole in the ceiling of the workbench area? How old is our huge Modesto Ash in the middle of the backyard?  Why are there two sets of wiring in our house?  

We are the fourth owners of this house and most of the previous owners have passed on.  What a delight it was to meet someone who could share its stories with us.  

I wish I had thought to take pictures.

Do you wonder what stories will be told about your home?

 

From Stump to Crazy Quiltish Table

For those of you that visit my blog often I've been talking about this project for quite a while -

and now -

a reveal......

All those broken dishes and stumps from our tree removal have turned into a funky little side table in our kitchen garden.

It was a fun project and easy to do, but I have a lot to learn.  I think a pair of tile nippers might have helped a little and boy did I put on way too much grout.

I had the perfect pillow to use on the bench thanks to Amy at Into Vintage.  

And the kitchen garden is nearly completely planted.  

I'll be linking up today 

with Between Naps on the Porch for

I hope you can see some of the other amazing projects and transformations at both these blog parties.

And thank you for stopping by!  Your visits are always such a treat!