Jun 23, 2013
I love eggs. I love soup. And I’ve always loved egg drop soup, just never tried to make it. This week on a whim, I decided to do a little research and see how hard it was. As it turns out, it’s not hard at all. In fact, it’s ridiculously easy!
Ridiculously Easy Egg Drop Soup
4 c. chicken broth
1/4 t. ground ginger (even if you don’t like ginger, trust me)
2-3 T. chives or chopped green onions (either option is tasty)
kosher salt
white pepper (optional, I don’t like it, but several of the recipes I consulted listed it)
1-2 eggs
soy sauce (just a splash)
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
In a medium stockpot, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the ginger, salt, white pepper (if desired) and chives (or green onions). Reduce the heat to medium.
Note: If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, you can always “make” some with chicken boullion cubes and water. If you’re going that route, use 2 cubes.
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water until smooth, set aside. Pour the cornstarch/water mixture into the broth and stir well (this just helps thicken it up a little). Rinse out the small bowl you used for the cornstarch (fewer dirty dishes), and crack the eggs in it and whisk. Slowly add the eggs, using a whisk or spoon, to the chicken stock and stir. Repeat until you have the desired amount of egg “threads” (I ended up using 3/4 of the egg mixture). Add just a splash of soy sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind that the broth is salty by nature, so, although I’m a salt freak, season carefully and taste as you go.
Pour into bowls and serve. Ridiculously easy, right? I told you so. Now that I’ve made this warm, delightful soup from scratch, I’ve been kicking myself for ever paying for a bowl… It takes less than 10 minutes to make AND it’s delicious. Might be my new favorite go-to dinner!
Any other egg drop soup fans out there?
Jun 14, 2013
I found a lot of great paper items this year at the National Stationery Show, so I just had to post a few more of my faves. Love this greeting card (isn’t it so true?) from Ladyfingers Letterpress
And these lovely monogram flat notes from 9th Letter Press
And this Southern-inspired thank you card from 1Canoe2
And these fun floral notebooks from Rifle Paper Co.
Don’t you just love them all?! Coming soon to Calligraphy Etc.!
Jun 11, 2013
A few weeks ago, I ventured from West Texas to attend the National Stationery Show in New York. On the plane, someone asked if it was my first time in NYC and I said no, but it got me thinking… Since I graduated college and started working in the invitation/paper gift industry, I’ve traveled to New York for the National Stationery Show (NSS) 11 times now! Eleven times! It’s hard to believe that time has flown so quickly! I’ve only been a buyer for the last five years (before that I worked for a vendor and learned the ins and outs of show set up, tear down, and the grueling hours of “show feet” in between). All that to say, I’ve been around the block a time or two at the show and I don’t have time to waste when I’m there. I’m kind of a speed-shopper, so I can pretty much get all my buying done in about a day and a half (which allows me a sliver of shopping time in NYC and helps me get back to the store to wrap up graduation season pretty quickly).
Since the business at Calligraphy Etc. has shifted from blank stock to more custom invitations, I don’t buy many invitations at the show. I still get a little (just for the sake of variety), but by and large, most of the invitations we’re doing are our own. So this year, I was mainly on the lookout for unique greeting cards, gifts, stationery and wedding albums.
Here are a few of my favorite finds:
1. Fun letterpress cards from Hello Lucky like this one. It’s perfect because zombies are so hot right now (a phrase I never thought I’d say)! The Walking Dead and Warm Bodies fans, this card’s for you.
2. Rewined candles. Their concept is really clever! The candles are hand-poured in recycled bottles, and each “flavor” has the same notes in the candle that are in that particular wine. So if your friend loves Pinot Noir (like I do), she’s going to love the Pinot Noir candle (and no, it doesn’t smell like wine – just the NOTES, remember?).
3. Adorable letterpress calendars from 1Canoe2. Each month has really cute graphics AND a unique “stump” holder. Come on 2014, hurry up and get here so I can use this pretty little baby!
Happy to have found lots of other great items coming to the store soon! You can see brand new items as they arrive if you’re a fan on Facebook or follow us on twitter (@calligraphyetc) or on Instagram (@calligraphyetc). On a side note, I didn’t find *exactly* what I was looking for at NSS to broaden our custom stationery selection, so I’ve decided to make my own program. For awhile it’ll just sit on my big fat “To Do” list… but once it’s on the list, it WILL get done. Eventually.
Did you attend the show? What were some of your favorite finds?