ABSILVER's World

It is Chicken Soup Season.  Yes, my fearless readers fall is upon us and that means cold and flu season is not too far off. This leads to the need of the ultimate elixir that cures colds and nourishes the soul when not feeling up to snuff. Now, I know there are a few options to find chicken soup in a pinch.  Ordering in, from the local Chinese restaurant or deli, may work in a pinch.  But, it doesn't replace the warmth from homemade soup.   And, with a little thought you can have some in the freezer waiting for friends and family when they catch what you had! You may think making chicken soup requires a Julia Child degree, or detailed culinary skills.  I say not.  It is actually one of the easiest things to do, and since it also includes great tasting chicken you can't go wrong. That is if you follow a few simple pointers to start with: 1) Make it the best chicken you can find.  A nice organic or kosher bird will make the best soup.  It may seam obvious, b

The saying goes that chicken soup is the Jewish elixir that can cure the common cold, and who knows if it may help the new vaccines. (Just kidding on the last one.)  I get asked fairly often how I make chicken soup.  The recipe started years ago from a recipe on the Empire Kosher Chicken Website.  It has since evolved and been updated from experience and watching cooking shows/ To the left is my latest batch, and I will take you all through it step by step.   If you have access to kosher chickens, I would recommend them.  The koshering process, which is salting the chicken, actually adds flavor and helps the chicken meat hold up, so it is flavorful in the soup being served.  If you choose to use kosher chickens, you can skip the first step below.   This recipe is for two chickens. If you have less or more, adjust accordingly. Step 1: Brine the chicken.  For each chicken, select a pot big enough to hold the chicken and enough water to cover the chicken.  Pour in enough water and add en

I was asked by Sara, for some good chicken recipes. It turns out during the pandemic we may have been ready to build a coop as there are a number of recipes we have tried and I thought I would share with you all. We try for healthy recipes, but not all of these are.  We have been enjoying chicken thighs a great deal, but I know breasts are leaner and healthier.  For those that are curious, not all of them are from the Barefoot Contessa, and some of the healthier ones are actually Weight Watchers. My go-to chicken recipes: Let’s start with my go-to recipe for chicken breasts. This is from the Barefoot Contessa.  I found it as part of her chicken salad recipe.  The key here is these are bone-in and skin-on breasts.  I have never made the chicken salad, but consider it as a bonus.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-salad-contessa-recipe-1938131 Next is a roasted chicken and this one also comes from Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa.  Really is quite easy.  For a kosher alte

How does m y cooking Chicken Soup , drive business discussions?  How do they relate, and not talking about ingredients and instructions, but how can they help progress business and personal relationships? These business discussions on golf courses, ball games, and entertainment venues help progress business relationships as well as personal ones.    But what if you don't play golf?   or sitting through a professional baseball game makes you root for the winning team just to get out sooner?   or what if you want a more quiet and friendly environment to get to know your colleague that isn't the usual bar or loud restaurant?   Well, one avenue less discussed, is inviting these colleagues and friends to your home for a dinner.  It may not have the same "excitement" of a Steelers' Box seat, or a seat in the stadium of the US Open watching Serena Williams play.  But, in our hustle and bustle world, a simple meal at your home can be a unique approach to

I drove around last night for a while, and thought about the choices of my life. Frankly, there is one consistent theme as an adult. My therapist, Linda, said it started at the age of 8 that I had a drive to be independent and protect myself. I realized as I drove around, and in discussions over the weekend there is a price for my kind of independence. Even though it is quite personal I thought it would make an interesting blog entry as we head to the new year. When I was in college, after my first year, I lived alone. I had my own room at the Fraternity house always. Even when I moved back into the dorm in my senior year, I actually had a football player for a roommate and so he was only there in title. When I left school, I lived alone in Jacksonville except for a pretty pathetic 30 days where I tried to live with two other friends and that just didn't work. My memory is the challenge was not with them, but with me. I missed having space to call my own beyond a bedroo

There are roads less taken in this world.  I find, in my life, that has tended to be my path. I sit here this morning in Fort Lauderdale, looking at fogged over windows because I keep the AC on way cold at night, and this is a sign that summer and its humidity is truly here.   Looking around the condo, that started as my home in early 2011 and in a city, I have called home since 1992 I know the dauntless task of packing begins. Except for a few years in the mid 2000’s I have had part of my life and much of my heart in Fort Lauderdale for 27 years and in this building for 25 of those years.  Along the way have shared my home with others, dogs and split lives with New York, New Jersey and Provincetown but always had my foundation here in Fort Lauderdale and in this building. I sit here, with more coffee, after going to Home Depot for moving boxes, tape, and markers to put off the start of packing, and another sign that we are moving away to Austin, TX.   311 is under contr

I sit here on the day that hell appears to be freezing over.  Not really sure how this is happening and nor will most people reading this care that we will complain in the morning cause it will be 48.  Imagine, you haven't tried your heat in about a year and you realize you will have to try it and smell that heated smell once again.  As many of you try and keep warm through ungodly temps here I sit wondering when it is cool enough for me to open windows and then wait for heat tomorrow. But, honestly other than a slight amount of bragging, this is not the point of this blog post.  It is truly more about a concern I have about my patience for entertainment this past year.. and as of yesterday in the new year this concern of mine is that I appear to have little patience for theatre or movies as of late.  ( I am wondering if this is me... or the quality of the shows and so I want someone to comment.) Let's go backwards, as I have written before about a year ago seeing Bill