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If you ask me, January is the height of soup season. It starts in the fall with pumpkin soup or butternut squash soup. But by January we need chicken soup pretty much weekly either to fend off colds or to help us recover from the ailment de jour. There are many variations, but this Greek version is my personal favorite. I found the recipe on the always wonderful Dinner: A Love Story. 

Listen, gang. I love this soup. Soooooo much. And it only takes 15 minutes to make! The recipe below is for a double batch because you're going to want leftovers. 

INGREDIENTS
(halve for a single batch)

• 8 cups chicken broth (2 boxes)
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 2 handfuls of chopped fresh dill
• shredded or cubed rotisserie chicken (optional) 

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil.
Add the orzo and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low; let simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.
Ladle about 2 cups of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, whisking to combine. (This step is important!)
Pour the mixture back into the simmering pot. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add dill, salt and pepper (to taste), and chicken if you have it, and serve.

It's a really quick dinner. Grab a French baguette and toss together a small green salad and you'll be set. Enjoy! 

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I love tea. And not just in an occasional cup kind of way; I drink anywhere from 2-5 cups on weekdays. And on the weekend? Too many to count! My love of tea has resulted in a kitchen shelf overflowing with staples such as English Breakfast and Chai and I go through more honey than your average bear. To celebrate Hot Tea Month here's a roundup of some of my favorites which I hope will inspire you to try something new!

Let's start this off with a nod to Smudge Ink's hometown: Boston. Harney & Sons flavored black tea blend is a soft, aromatic surprise for anyone used to drinking a traditional, stiff cup of black tea. I favor it with just a dash of honey but you might find that it's subtle flavor is best enjoyed without any additions. I received a pound of Boston for Christmas—have you ever seen a pound of tea? It's a glorious sight. And it takes up most of my cupboard.

Another Christmas gift was Jasmine Pearl Tea's Red Hot Hibiscus, a spicy herbal blend that brews an inviting bright pink. I love tea with a nice kick and this doesn't disappoint! The tang from the hibiscus is also refreshing. For those of you looking for a caffeinated option, do yourself a favor and try Hot Cinnamon Spice. It's one of most flavorful teas I've ever encountered and is sweet enough that you don't need to add a thing.

Cold and flu season is upon us again and this past week when I came down with a cold I went through a lot of lemon, ginger and honey tea. For the best tasting concoction I chop up some ginger and half a lemon and let it simmer in water for several minutes before straining and adding lots of honey. But another favorite is Yogi Throat Comfort. The licorice taste is quite strong so it's certainly not for everyone! Tip for winter survival: adding a dash of brandy to a cup of Throat Comfort is just the thing—the sweetness of the brandy compliments the warmth of the licorice perfectly.

So of course we just got through the holiday season, but to be honest I stock up on holiday blends in November and December and enjoy them year round. My favorites are Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet and Harney & Sons Holiday Tea. The Nutcracker Sweet aroma is enough to please any nose and with a spoonful of honey tea bliss is complete. I prefer the Holiday Tea with a dash of milk and honey and love adding more orange pieces from the mix to the tea infuser when I'm feeling the need for more citrus. Looking for a great tea infuser? Check out these fun ones from the Fred!

I'm obviously a Harney & Sons fan and as a result I have quite the tea tin collection. For any of you who have tins that you'd like to reuse, here are some suggestions: they make handy tins for smaller treats (truffles! small cookies!), work well as small herb or succulent planters or you can spruce up your outdoor space with lanterns!

I hope you enjoyed these suggestions and that you find some time to savor a cup of tea today. Cheers!

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Soooooo, I may be guilty of unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) singing in the office. I can't help it; I get in a work groove and singing to my heart's content seems to be the only way to express the emotions brought on by the good feeling of productivity. This playlist is for all those who feel like going a step further, and really want to let it out. Windows down, volume up, deep inhale, and go! Warning: some songs may cause passenger embarrassment if seen singing in traffic.

 

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Like so many people, I use the beginning of the year as a time to plan for the next 12 months. It's exciting to put goals down on paper and to review what worked and what didn't work last year. So, with no further ado, some plan and goals for Smudge Ink in 2017:

CONTINUE STAFF LUNCHES! We started this in the second half of 2016, and it was a lot of fun and a great bonding experience for the whole team.

LOOK FOR MORE WAYS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY. This includes finding alternate or additional way to store inventory and packaging supplies.

MORE PLANNING. In 2016 we started planning our Instagram posts a few weeks out and doing batch days to take lots of photos at once. It's been great! I'd like to 1) continue doing that for IG, but also apply the same idea to some other aspects of the business (planning ahead plus batch days to get it done).

OPTIMIZE OUR WORK SPACE. 2016 was a year of transition for the company and for the staff. We've done a lot of reorganization in the main office and fulfillment area, and this year we're going to tackle the print room. We're going to move a few things around, bring in some new equipment, and embrace change where it's needed.

DEVELOP A STANDARDS MANUAL. We're always in design meetings working on new card ideas and thinking about potential new products. It's a lot of fun, but it can be challenging to stay focused on our design goals and aesthetic with so many creative minds in a small space. This year we'll be putting together a standards manual to help us stay true to our design goals and to our mission as a company. I'm excited about that (even though a manual sounds a little boring)!

That's a little of what we'll be working on this year!

 

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I find it energizing to break open a new calendar every January 1st. It's almost as though you gift yourself 365 new days of possibilities. As we turned the page on 2016, I asked everyone here: what's one thing you’re excited about doing/getting done in the new year? 

CLAYTON. Where to begin? My bucket seems so full. If I'd have to choose one thing from my very heavy bucket (list) for 2017, it would have to be to make better use of the sewing machine some of my friends gave me for my birthday last year (thanks Emma, Jen, and Mike!). First things I'm going to sew in the new year will be for them!

ZOÁRD. 2017 will be the year I master the Risograph I bought last year, and then assemble some other like-minded creative types and start a small publishing house. We would publish mostly collaborations as small books, zines, pamphlets, editioned artworks from artists of all concentrations and of all communities focusing on the Boston area, but also the global community. 2017 is hopefully also the year my wife, Erica, and I finally get out to Europe again and put our eyeballs all over as much art as they can stand.

HALEY. This year, I really want to improve my skills in the kitchen. I say this every year but I'm already off to a good start, so I'm excited to see how I do!

ALLISON. I would like to hike at least 5 trails in New Hampshire and Maine. This will be my first full year after graduating college so I plan on getting my hobbies back and adding some new ones! 

GEORGE. My big goal for 2017 is to finally start saving for the restoration of my 1968 Porsche 912. I inherited the car in 2012 after it had been parked for 30 years or so. The floorboards are a little tender, and the seals and fuel lines will likely need to be replaced, but the body and interior are solid. I'm hoping it might be roadworthy by the summer of 2018! 

SARAH. I ran my first half marathon in 2016 and would love to do a couple more in 2017 with the goal of improving my time and overall running ability. 

SABRINA. 2017 will be the year my husband and I buy our first home. We've been looking for longer than we'd like to admit. Others started searching after us and are now way past their first housewarming party. I still get listings and tips from friends every other week. If they haven't given up on us, then we certainly can't lose hope!

APRIL. This year I want to 1) meet my new niece, 2) take a for-real-non-working vacation, and 3) make at trip to the west coast! 

ERIN. This year I'd like to do more art for fun. I have a lot of artistic projects I need to work on, but I think it's important to take the time to do something I enjoy—whether it's painting seaweed or finally making those Star Wars paper dolls I've been thinking about for years. Also, I moved three months ago and I'd love to finally get those last few boxes off my floor!

 

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