Down with the Sickness!

I know it has been a torturous long time since my last foodie post. The good news is I have full time AND part time work to keep me busy and to keep my pockets from becoming completely empty.... 

The bad news is that I have come down with a cold. And it sucks. A lot.  But it has inspired me to think of some nice "feel good" foods to tell you about. 

First- Chicken Noodle Soup. Of course, I've already given you a recipe for stock and maybe chicken noodle soup too. This week I made the soup first. I used store bought sodium free chicken broth and a pre-roasted whole chicken from the super market. I sauteed up some carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Then I added my diced potatoes, thyme, pepper, a couple bay leaves, and the stock. I let that come to a boil and simmer all nice for about 30 minutes while I picked the chicken (I saved the carcass to make more stock today) . I tossed in the chicken and checked to see that the potatoes and carrots were soft-ish. Then I knew it was time. I had a can of white navy beans in the cupboard and forgot why I bought them in the first place, so I drained them, rinsed them, and threw them in. I also added a pile of egg noodles, and some frozen peas and corn. I let the soup simmer for another ten minutes or until the pasta and veggies were cooked perfectly to my liking, and served it up. This was a thick and hearty soup and it hit the spot, did the trick, or whatever. Next time I want to try sweet potatoes in it as well for added richness.

Second- Oatmeal. Lovely oats. Nice hot-and-creamy-smooth-breakfast-or-anytime yumminess. I made my oats like this:

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

2/3 cup water
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Mix all that together in a bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes.  Then add:

1 ripe banana, mashed
1TBS maple syrup
1/2 tsp butter/margarine (just a little nob if you want it at all)
a dash of nutmeg and/or cinnamon

It's like banana bread and oatmeal had a baby. A delicious one. When the banana and the hot oats mix together, and then the maple syrup and the spices... a delicious aroma fills your nostrils. The oats are easy on the sore throat and very comforting.

Third- Anything a friend or loved one makes/gets for you. I was absolutely miserable last night. I had no appetite and I didn't think I wanted to eat anything, let alone cook it. So Robert went out to get food from our favorite Pizza Place, Basha Pizza and Donair. I haven't written a whole post about them yet, but I assure  you, it's coming.  Robert returned with a steak sub for himself, garlic cheese fingers for us to share, and a donair supreme with all the fixin's for me, sauce on the side. The food was lovingly made by dear friends at the shop, and even with barely working olfactory senses I knew it smelled good, tasted great and made me feel better. It's simply nice that someone is thinking about you and wants you to feel better, so much so that they will drive half an hour (one way) to get one of your favorite foods, and that the person who makes it makes it knowing it's just for you, and makes it just the way you like it. That's special.

If any of you have a cold or are ill, or just feeling down, I hope you feel better and can find some food to comfort you and give you fuel for the road to recovery! 

Cheers!