kilikini wrote:
> My hubby and I were looking forward to being alone on Valentine's Day
> when all of a sudden an old friend of mine from Maui contacted me and
> said she was coming to visit. I was soooooooo bummed; we're
> newlyweds after all and it was going to be our 5 month anniversary.
>
YAY!

> Anyone have any good ideas on something to serve and how to serve it
> to make it simple, yet give it some sort of ambience? I need help!
>
Asparagus Soup? (slurp)

1 lb. asparagus
5-6 c. vegetable stock
1 egg
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbs. dry sherry or rice wine
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 small palmful of chopped ginger
1 Tbs. light soy sauce

Separate the tips of the asparagus from the middle stalks and set aside.
(Freeze and use the tough ends to make more stock later.) Bring vegetable
stock to a boil. Add the asparagus stalks and stir. Cover the pot and
simmer for 30 minutes until the stalks are tender. Add the asparagus tips,
ginger, sherry or rice wine and soy sauce. Simmer about 15 minutes. Beat
the egg and stir it into the pot very slowly while stirring (think egg-drop
soup). Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and add this
slowly to the soup to thicken it. Keep the soup simmering about 2 minutes.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Jill