To combat burst pipes and frigid temps

While I'm grateful for a snow day today, I did not move to New Mexico to endure -20* windchills and ice-slicked roads. It seems that Mother Nature is less than concerned with my reasons for living here, though, as these are exactly what I awoke to this morning.

I couldn't decide whether to make miso soup or Greek Lemon and Rice soup, so I solicited some Facebook feedback. Overwhelmingly, my friends advised that I choose the Lemon and Rice. One friend wrote, "The sunniness will be such a wonderful contrast to the weather!" Kristin-- you are a genius, and could not have been more right. Plans in place, I started search recipes, intending to eat lunch at a reasonable hour.

Once again, the powers that be failed to notice my intentions. Even though we left our faucets dripping last night and all day today, one of the pipes in our ceiling burst. Thankfully, we rent this house-- so our landlord has been vacuuming up the water, and the plumber was able to get here this afternoon. After helping to control the damage a little bit, I threw some brussels sprouts and a sweet potato in the oven, then got started on this soup. I think it's the perfect thing to combat burst pipes and frigid temps. I hope it brings some sunlight to you, too!

Greek Lemon, Rice and Egg Soup

Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable stock (I used one quart of rich stock and one quart of a lighter, bullion-based broth because I wanted a lighter flavor)
8 tbsp. short-grain brown rice
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and white pepper

Method

1. Reserve one cup of stock; set aside.
2. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil in a soup pot.
3. Add the rice, and stir well. Reduce heat to a light simmer-- cover and let rice cook for about 35-40 minutes (this is high altitude timing. You might reduce the cooking time at sea level.)
4. Juice the lemons (I used three and a half, but best to measure) over a strainer-- you don't want any seeds in this soup.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and lemon juice together until frothy. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
6. Add the reserved broth to the egg and lemon mixture. Stir the mixture into the soup pot.
7. Remove from heat, and whisk the soup continually for a few minutes. You want the eggs to thicken, but not to scramble.
8. Serve immediately, drizzled with good olive oil and preferably with both sunlight streaming through the window and a slight self-delusion that it is actually warm outside. :)

Enjoy!

*As a slight aside-- I'm working on buying a camera to post better photos, but things are suddenly tighter around here financially. Anyone with tips for buying a good digital camera on the cheap is encouraged to comment.