Just wanted to drop a line to everyone who reads this.  I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays!  I have not been completely diligent with my diet, but I have not dived off the deep end either.  My main goal is to get to January 1st without gaining any of my lost weight back then to hit it hard again. 

So please be patient with me, and I promise to have more recipes posted soon!

I have no idea how this recipe holds up to a truly authentic recipe, since the only Italian wedding soup I'd ever eaten came out of a can.  I've been craving soup lately with the cold temperatures and needed a change from clam chowder (though I still love that recipe).  I whipped this up last weekend and was very pleased with the results.

Italian Wedding Soup
For the meatballs:
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (ground)
1 lb hamburger
1 cup parmesan cheese (I used the canned, not fresh)
1 tbs dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 large eggs

For the soup:
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional but I think it added a nice touch of flavor)
10 cups chicken stock
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
3 large eggs
1 bunch of fresh baby spinach, approx 5 oz, roughly chopped (I just bought the prepackaged stuff in the salad section)


To make the meatballs:
1) Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2) Mix all ingredients in a big bowl, until everything is fully incorporated (I just use my hands).
3) Form into roughly 1 inch sized meatballs.  The size is really personal preference.  While I actually enjoy the soup with a bunch of very small meatballs, I had no patience to follow through and made slightly larger meatballs.  You really want them to at least be small enough to fit on a spoon.
4) Place meatballs on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until browned.

To make the soup:
1) While the meatballs are browning in the oven, add the olive oil to a heavy stock pot and heat on medium heat.
2) Saute the onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes.
3) Add the dry white wine and chicken stock to the pot and stir, bring to a low boil.
4) Whisk the eggs in a bowl.  Once the soup is boiling, slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the soup while stirring in a circular motion.  The egg will form thin strands that substitute nicely for pasta and also thicken the soup (just like Chinese egg drop soup).
5) Once the meatballs are brown, add them to the pot and stir.
6) Reduce heat, add the remaining spices and spinach and simmer until the spinach is limp.

I do not have the nutrition information yet, but this makes about 8 good size servings of soup and there are aren't many carbs in the entire pot. 

Nothing terribly new to report.  I didn't lose any weight and didn't gain any weight, though I lost another inch in my waist, so that's good! 

Work is busy, as is usual this time of year.  I've never quite understood why companies schedule massive deadlines at year end when everyone is in a merry, want to goof-off, holiday mode.  Not to mention that our vacation days don't carry over, so most are scrambling to use up the rest of their time, leaving the cubicle farm fairly empty in December.

I've been in a sort of diet ennui lately.  In summer, I crave salads and light fare, but in the winter, I just want to hunker down with a big bowl of stew and half a loaf of bread in my fist and dig right in.  I've tried to make a few new dishes but nothing has been good enough to post, in my opinion. 

I've been making the clam chowder quite often--I really love that recipe.  I've varied it a few times depending on what I have in my crisper that needs to be eaten.  I made it with asparagus once and that turned out really nice.  My mom says she's made it with turnips and liked it, but I honestly don't miss the potatoes or potato texture at all.  I've also made the crab cakes as tuna cakes, which I really enjoyed (Mom's idea--she's a better cook than I am!).  I followed the same basic recipe, using three cans of tuna (drained well), adding the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 stalk of celery, finely minced.  The cakes didn't stay together too well, but they were extremely tasty with some tartar sauce.

Hope everyone else is enjoying the holiday season and keeping to their diets as best they can. 

This is my list of the strangest places I've found high fructose corn syrup.

1) Horseradish!  I literally could not find a jar of horseradish at my grocery store that did not contain it.  What the heck??
2) "Authentic" braunschweiger.  Again, all brands at my grocer had it.  Doesn't seem very authentic, does it?
3) The seafood spice rub I mentioned in a previous post (I can't remember the brand now) had HFCS solids in it.
4) Stove Top Stuffing.  Not that I was planning on purchasing this or consuming it, but when I was shopping for Thanksgiving I picked up a box and looked at it out of curiosity.  Seriously, why would you think stuffing needed some extra sugar on top?
5) Sara Lee's "Heart Healthy" whole grain bread.  Well, we knew the 'whole grain' in these breads was a myth anyway and not so good for you in the end, but to add HFCS to it as well?
6) Most 'savory' type of salad dressings.  The brands are too numerous to list.  It's difficult to find a bottled salad dressing that doesn't contain it.  Sure, we expect it from the French and Catalina varieties, but this includes Italian vinaigrette, ranch dressing, Caesar dressing, among others.

I will add to this list as my shock and awe continues.  I knew how widespread the use of this product was, but some of these truly surprised me (like the horseradish).