Hi friends!
I hope that wherever you are, spring is springing. I am so over winter, and if you live in a place, like me, where it’s still dumping snow, I would highly advise you get the hell out of dodge and go on vacation somewhere warm - just like I did.
Yes, I ditched the snowy city of Denver for sunny, quirky Key West, and I am still experiencing that post-vacation glow.
Our week in the Keys provided the escape and relaxation I so desperately needed - as well as the family time I am so grateful for. We ate pounds of peel-and-eat shrimp every day. Started every meal with a piña colada or Miami vice. Ate countless fish tacos and fish sandwiches, and devoured several slices of key lime pie.
And if you’re thinking to yourself that that sounds wonderful, you’re right. It was wonderful. But if you’re also thinking that a week straight of that would make your body feel like shit, then you are one smart cookie.
After a week of non-stop drinking and eating, I am in desperate need of a cleanse. I need food that makes me feel light and refreshed. I need fruits and veggies. Water. God, so much water.
I’m trying to cook foods that make me feel better, not worse, and so this week’s newsletter is for Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. It’s bright, comforting and doesn’t leave you feeling heavy. It’s exactly the soup I need after a week of vacation, and I hope it’s the soup you’ll make as weather starts to warm up. Enjoy!
Here’s what you’ll need—
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 whole carrots, peeled and diced — I recommend chopping your veggies to be about the size of the Orzo pasta. This makes for a better eating experience, IMO
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large chicken breast
1 cup orzo
½ cup chopped parsley or dill
1 lemon
Start by melting your butter in a large dutch oven, over medium heat. Add your carrots, celery and onion, sautéing for 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the flour, stirring so everything is coated. Cook for another 30 seconds.
Add your chicken broth, Italian seasoning and chicken breast to the dutch oven. Season again with salt and pepper. Stir so everything is combined.
Increase your heat to high, bringing everything to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
Using tongs, remove the chicken breast and transfer to a cutting board. Chop your chicken into bite-size pieces, similar to the size of your veggies and orzo.
Add the chopped chicken back to the pot as well as the cup of uncooked orzo. Stir, and cook for another 10 minutes, or until orzo is cooked through. Stir frequently to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Remove from heat. Add the chopped parsley or dill and the juice of one lemon. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed.
For what’s been giving me life recently, it was obviously spending a week away in Key West. If you’re ever headed to the ‘Southernmost Point,’ you have to get the royal reds at Conch Republic, stone crab claws at Eaton Street Seafood and brunch at Hot Tin Roof. Visit the Key West Garden Club (it's free!), Books & Books, and kayak through the mangroves. And do yourself a favor and go listen to Mr. Ronnie Lovely at La Te Da.
Back in Denver, we have two new house guests staying with us. Everyone, meet Charlie and Benny. Both certified good boys. They love to play and snuggle and sleep — jazz! They love jazz music. It seems to be one of the only things that calms them down.
And since the last newsletter, we’ve also been doing a lot of celebrating. I was in St. Louis, celebrating my gorgeous Grandma Kitty’s 90th birthday. I am the woman I am today because of her, and I’m so grateful to have gotten to spend her special day with her. We flocked to St. Pete’s to celebrate our friends Tyler and Paige’s marriage. We toasted to our besties Care and Bos as they said ‘I do,’ and my girl Caroline Gallagher got her masters!
Wish I was with you,
Maddie
Maddie brought this soup to me while I’m recovering from surgery & it’s just what my body needed!! Warm & comforting. It’s delicious 😘