I Did Not Fall Down a Well....

...but I did go dry.

As in, I stopped drinking. BUT WAIT...before you call 911, I started again.  Drinking--- so it's all good.

But for two weeks-OK, 13 days- I stopped drinking, eating sugar and bread. Yeah, I know, it was as miserable as it sounds. But, I did it to lose a few holiday pounds and to prove I could do it. So I did it. Big whoop. How much fun is to write about drinking water and eating eggs and Canadian bacon and low-fat Swiss cheese? No fun- and that's why this blog has been dark since the World's Best Sandwich. (Which is posted twice by mistake..or is it?)

Anyway, it just so happened that the last day of my purge, was my birthday and we had friends and family over and I cooked and we ate and we drank- oh THANK GAWD!

It was a beautiful day and I dove headfirst into entertaining. I whipped up a giant bowl of Cali-Mex guacamole, and a fantastic dip made from Plum-Rosemary jam Ms. Lydia sent me for Christmas poured over cream cheese- oh yummy

I served a spicy and hot albondigas soup I made early in the morning, Salad Nicoise with grilled tuna which I  Tossed on the B-B-Q, Dutch Boeter Koek (that's butter cake if you can't figure it out) some other stuff and, well, lots and lots of wine.

After dinner we headed to town where they celebrate my birth every year with something called Fire & Ice- wine walks, ice sculpturing, a parade- ha- and fireworks- lots and lots of fireworks. Which is how every one's birthday should be celebrated, don't you think?

“I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in fourteen days I lost two weeks” Joe E. Lewis

 

Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball)

Ingredients

Servings: 8

Meatballs

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb chorizo sausage, casing removed (not the fully cooked kind)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 carrot, minced
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaf, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Albondigas Soup

• 6 cups chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 3 stalks celery, cut in chunks
•   2(16 ounce) can diced tomatoes-Ro-Tel is the best
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 large zucchini, sliced
• salt
• pepper 
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Directions:

1. 1 Make the meatballs first: Combine everything and mix thoroughly.
2. 2 Form meatballs and roll between your palms (Otherwise, meatballs will fall apart in the soup).
3. 3 You should make around 20 to 24 meatballs, set aside.
4. 4 Combine chicken broth, onion, celery, tomatoes and their liquid, cumin, oregano and cilantro leaves in a large pot.
5. 5 Bring to broil, and reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. 6 Drop meatballs in the soup (Make sure the soup is slightly boiling, the meatballs need to be cooked quickly).
7. 7 Return to simmer and cook another 10 minutes.
8. 8 Add zucchini and cook 10 minutes.
9. 9 Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
10. 10 Serve with cooked rice, or just by itself.