The Worst Meal Ever

If there was a show called, "The Worst Thing I Ever Ate," the soup I made today would have been in it. I was walking by the meat section and thinking about making a pot of soup for lunches this week, when I came across some smoked turkey wings. They were right beside the smoked ham hocks....which I SHOULD have bought.... but I was thinking that I could save a few fat points if the wing thing turned out. I carmelized the onions, carrots and celery, and added in the teeniest potato and 2 cloves of garlic. Then I put in the wings, chicken stock and dollop of basalmic vinegar and the dried peas, and let it go. YUK it was disgusting!! Sometimes a good idea goes horribly wrong.

Heard round our house yesterday. Paul: Hmmm...cornish game hens and a side of carrots. If you put in some noodles, this would have been a "deconstructed chicken soup." Robin: Ok, maybe we're watching too much food network.

Today I decided to turn over a new leaf so to speak... and save my egg shells and coffee grounds for the compost. Only problem was, I came to a sliding stop half way out because the whole compost bin is buried under about 3 feet of snow. Apparently, Paul ran out of room to put it. Next time.

We had baked porkchops for dinner, a good choice when you're busy because even the thickest ones only have to bake for 35 minutes after you get a good sear. But the star of the meal was the Swiss chard salad. I don't think we eat enough greens in this country because we don't know how to use them. Like spinach, chard requires a light sautee, and also like spinach, they are water-soluble so require just a touch of olive oil to bring out their great color and taste. The saute included a little bell pepper and small amount of onion, and then refrigeration until we were ready to use it. I added a chopped avocado and some raw red pepper and just a touch of basalmic. It was really good.

Dark greens like chard and spinach have phytonutrients (besides vitamins K, C, E and B) that ease the bodily inflammation that causes diseases such as diabetes. Greens are a natural way to fight osteoarthritis, and the beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin that greens contain keeps our eyes healthy as we age. So... if you have a good greens recipe please share it with us! Oh...and if you have a decent recipe for pea soup...that DOESN'T CALL FOR SMOKED TURKEY WINGS...please share that too. Happy eating!!