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The cartoon above made me laugh, then made me start hacking my lungs out. The resulting chest pain was totally worth it. I love The Far Side.
There is absolutely no getting around that fact that having a cold is gross. Nothing says "hot stuff" more, than a picture of you, lying in bed, surrounded by a pile of dirty kleenex and a drippy nose. The same addage applies to suffering through cold weather. Combine the two and, well, it's just better to stay in bed, am I right?
I'm currently on day two of my cold/flu/whatever it is that's making me cough, sneeze, phlegmy and feel like absolute shit. I haven't been sick in a long time and I forgot just how crappy you can feel. Plus the weather ooutside has been truly frightful, adding to the overall misery.
You're shivering one moment and then sweating the next. That's just from having a cold, never mind about the frigid weather outside. Plus, there's no way you're winning Next Top Model with your red eyes, puffy face and swollen nose from constant nose-blowing.
No doubt about it, having a cold is rough. Forget those stupid commercials that tell you to take a 24 hour pill and you'll feel fine. HA! Yeah right, who is fooling whom here? What I do know, is that there is one true remedy that can pull you out of your misery and makes you feel semi-human again when you're feeling like hell.
Chicken soup.
Anytime you research home remedies online or in books on the best way to deal with a cold or the flu, all signs point to chicken soup. There is just something about the hot broth, the steam, the flavour, the smell that just instantly makes you feel better.
This is my favourite recipe for chicken soup, courtesy of my mom. I mean c'mon, who else makes better soup than your mother? And although I've said in a past blog posting that it's ok to use instapowder or bouillon cubes to make stock, don't do it in this case. Do yourself a huge favour - go to the meat department of your local grocery, ask for some chicken bones and make your own stock. The soup will taste so much better and your body will thank you for it.
Mom's Chicken Soup
3 cups of warm chicken stock
1 cup of cooked chicken meat - white, dark or both, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot - chopped
1 Celery stick - chopped
1/2 onion - fine chop (or use a microplane for that extra fine chop)
1 clove of garlic, fine chop (again, use a microplane)
Two white potatoes or sweet potato - peeled and cubed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dry thyme or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 bay leaf
3 tablespoons soya sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
salt and pepper
Cook carrots, celery, onion and garlic in oil for five minutes on med high heat. Add chopped potato, cayenne and chicken, cook for an additional five minutes. Add thyme, soya sauce and vinegar. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Add the stock and bay leaves, and simmer, covered, on low heat for half an hour to 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. *And here's a pic of it!
Et voila!!
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