Randuwa II

Made a favorite soup: Avgolemono! A Greek tradition that I have added to my repertoire.

At its heart, Avgolemono is a soup made from Chicken broth, rice, lemons and eggs. But, of course, anything so simple will always get modified. And I am nothing if not a modifier of a chef!

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts of Chicken Broth

1/2 cup of Rice (Kasmati is my choice)

7 Tbsp of freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

2 Eggs

1 Chicken Breast (from a Roasted Chicken)

1 large Leek

a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Black Pepper (freshly ground)

I start by putting 2 quarts of Swanson's Chicken Broth is a medium soup pot and bringing the liquid to boil. Then I add the rice, followed by the Chicken Breast and Leek.

To prepare each: 1) I pull the Chicken Breast apart by hand into shreds of various sizes, and 2) I cut off the root base of the Leek, and then the outer layer of leaf, and finally remove the remaining top of the plant just above where the stalk turns green. Calling this the core, I then cut the core into rings about 1-2mm thick. Then I cut the rings across their diameter and add them to the boiling broth.

After about 20 minutes I cut the heat and a few minutes latter ladle out a cup of the broth and let it continue to cool for another 10 minutes or so.

While the broth is cooling, I squeeze out the juice of a couple of Lemons to get 7 Tbsp. I place this in a small mixing bowl and add in two Eggs. I whisk the juice and eggs until they are well mixed and a little frothy. Then I very slowing pour in the chick broth vigorously whisking all the while. By slowly, I mean VERY slowly. I take about 2 minutes to accomplish this. If you go too fast, it can lead to a lemony egg drop soup catastrophe. When well done, you have a custardy creamy mixture that you can then add to the rest of the soup, mixing it well as you do.

Serve it with a drizzle of good Olive Oil and some freshly ground Black Pepper and have some good bread on hand for sopping, too! It's an amazing soup.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums just published the winners of their annual photography contest. The winner in 2017 is Grahm Jones of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. The image is of a mother and cub Polar Bear swimming. Jones is a professional photographer who owns amazing equipment.

I am not. I do not own an amazing camera. In fact, I think of my Kodak PIXPRO AZ251 as a piece of shit. I really need to buy something else. But be as it is, here are some of my pics from some of zoos that I've visited over the past couple of years.

When I go to a zoo I have only one plan: to see ANIMALS! And I try to see them all. I really don't rank one animal as more interesting or noteworthy than any other.

DENVER ZOO
Denver, Colorado - est. 1896
Highlights of the Denver Zoo include there brand new (March 2017) Amur Tiger habitat, the expansive Toyota Asian Elephant Passage with habitats for several Asian species. They also have a Tropical Discoveries building simulating tropical jungle habitats for birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and small mammals, as well as an impressive habitat for California Sea Lions and Gray and Harbor seals. It is a zoo that will provide many wonderful opportunities to see a wide range of animals that are well cared for.

Meller's Chamelion, chameleo melleri

Harlequin Tuskfish, choerodon fasciatus

Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodoensis

Somali Wild Ass, Equus africanus somaliensis

Indian Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis

Grizzly Bear, Ursus arctos horribilis

Mandrill, Mandrillus sphinx

Spotted Hyena, Crocuta crocuta

GREAT PLAINS ZOO
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - est. 1963
Highlights include a guest exhibit space featuring a pair of Koala Bears on loan from the San Diego Zoo in California, and a new education center and habitat space for the Eastern Black Rhinoceros complete with a mated pair and 14 month old male still nursing from his mother.

Japanese Macaque, Macaca fuscata

Red Kangaroo, Marcopus rufus

Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi

Wild African Dog, Lycoan pictus

Eastern Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis

HENRY DOORLY ZOO

Omaha, Nebraska - est. 1894
Highlights could go on for pages! One of the finest and most elaborate zoos in the United States. A member of the holy trinity: San Diego Zoo, Brooklyn Zoo, Henry Doorly Zoo--not an overstatement. Some, The Geodesic Desert Dome, Leid Interior Jungle, Hubbard Gorilla Valley, Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, Bernice Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavillions, the new African Grasslands, etc.

White-handed Gibbon, Hylobates lar

Black Howler Monkey, Alouatta caraya

Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao

Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus

Yellow-backed Duiker, Cephalopus silvicultor

Western Lowland Gorilla (infant), Gorilla gorilla gorilla

African Lion, Panthera leo

Reticulated Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardus reticulata

Southern White Rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum simum

Sable Antelope, Hippotragus niger

KANSAS CITY ZOO

Kansas City, Missouri - est. 1909
Highlights include a new Orangutan Canopy (opened 2014) habitat, expansive African Elephant habitat, thriving Chimpanzee colony, the Helzberg Penguin Plaza and a large collection of endangered bovidae, including Addax, Eastern Mountain Bongo and Scimitar-horned Oryx.

Emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae

Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius

Common Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes

Common Warthog, Phacochoerus africanus

LINCOLN PARK ZOO

Chicago, Illinois - est. 1968
Highlights include its practice of free admission, and series of habitats under the financial auspices of the Regenstein family foundation including Africa in general, and Macaques, African Apes, Birds of Prey, and a small mammal and reptile house. Additionally the Kovler Sea Lion pool with its under water observatory is also quite nice.

Chilean Flamingo, Phoenicopterus chilensis

Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi

MARYLAND ZOO

Baltimore, Maryland - est. 1876
Highlights include animals from Africa and North America predominately. The zoo has the most impressive and state of the art African Penguin habitat in the world, and leads the nation in species survival for this delightful animal. Other highly successful breeding programs include the Sitatunga, Reticulated Giraffe and African Elephant. There is also a new North American Aviary to join the existing African Aviary. Full disclosure, I am a member of the Maryland Zoo and have been a fan for the past 24 years. It is my preferred home zoo. (Also explains the many photos!)

Dama Gazelle, Manger dama

Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus

Pink-backed Pelican, Pelecanus rufescens

Sitatunga, Tragelaphus spekii

Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus

African Elephant, Loxidontus africanus

Blue-bellied Roller, coracias cyanogaster

Reticulated Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardilus reiculata

Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis

Wood Duck, Aix sponsa

African Penguin, Spheniscus demerus

Panama Golden Poison Dart Frog, Atelopus zeteki

Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Cynomys ludovicianus

Southern White Rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum simum

PHILADELPHIA ZOO

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - est. 1874
Highlights include Zoo 360 that is a series of overhead habitrails open to various feline and primate species on different days giving them access to the larger zoo. Truly amazing. The new rare small animal/primate conservation center, the finest herpetarium I have ever seen, the McNeil Avian Center, PECO primate research center, and the Keybank Big Cat Falls. This zoo is the stellar example of how a zoo confined by its geographic circumstances makes the most of the space it has been given.

Pygmy Marmoset, Cebuella pygmaea

Ringed Teal, callonetta leucophrys

Amur Tiger, Panthera trilris altatica

Amur Leopard, Panthera pardus orientalis

Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus

Yellow Rat Snake, Elophe obsolete quadricittata

Bumblebee Poison Dart Frog, Dendrobates leucomelas

PITTSBURGH ZOO

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - est. 1898
Highlights include the PPG Aquarium with its exterior habitats that include Polar Bears, Sea Otters, and Seals which are called the Water's Edge. In 2015 a new area for critically endangered species called The Islands opened. The zoo lost it's AZA accreditation due to it's harsh management treatment practices with animals like their African Elephants. It's a simple fix and I'm not fan for their bull-headed refusal to comply.

African Elephant, Loxidontus africanus

Amur Leopard, Panthera pardus orientalus

Cheetah, Acinonyx jubata

Western Lowland Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla gorilla

SALISBURY ZOO

Salisbury, Maryland - est. 1954
Highlights include the zoo's long-standing relationship with the Andean Speckled Bear species and a history of successful breeding. A new William E. Morgan Conservation Center opened in 2017.

Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao

Alpaca, Vicugna pacos

Greater Rhea, Rhea americana

Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochoerus

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO

Washington, D.C. - est. 1889
Highlights include the Expansive Asian Elephant House, Amazonia interior jungle biome, Great Ape Habitats for both Western Lowland Gorillas and Bornean Orangutans, Asian Trail featuring Panda Bears. The Smithsonian National Zoo is another local zoo for me.

Red Panda, Ailurus fulgens

Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Red-ruffed Lemur, Varecia rubra

Prevost's Squirrel, Calosciurus prevosti

Cuban Crocodile, Crocodylus rhombifer

Red-rumped Agouti, Dasyptocta leporina

Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale parvula

African Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis

Sumatran Tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae

Andean Spectacled Bear, Tremarctos ornatus

VIRGINIA ZOO

Norfolk, Virginia - est. 1900
Highlights include the Asia Trail of the Tiger, African Okavango Delta, the Australian Walkabout and the new Reptile House (February 2018).

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Equus hartmannae

Masai Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardis tippelskirchi

Cheetah, Acinonyx jubata

Eastern Mountain Bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci

Meerkat, Suricata suricatta

WOODLAND PARK ZOO

Seattle, Washington - est. 1902
Highlights include Tropical Asia/Tropical Rain Forest, Humboldt Penguin exhibit, North American Trail, multiple aviaries, and an expansive Orangutan habitat.