Tag Archives: cold

Uncategorized

The best cold remedy: A Hot Toddy

Leave a comment

 

We all know the feeling, the scratchy throat, the headaches, the general malaise and fatigue. Oh no, here comes a cold! Even if you get a flu shot, exercise regularly, eat well, always wash your hands, and avoid human contact, sometimes you’re going to get sick.

There are oodles of home recipes and remedies, some of which do help (boiling water and tea tree oil, breathing in that steam is the best!) and some that are totally bogus (I don’t know if chewing garlic actually works but it tastes awful). If you are able to make chicken soup, there really is something about it that’s magic.

But when you can hardly leave bed, and DayQuil just isn’t working, this may help you out: A Hot Toddy. As old fashioned as it sounds, it’s a classic for a reason. Honey is soothing to a sore throat, and may be an effective cough suppressant. Lemon juice is antibacterial and antiviral, which may help reduce the time you’re sick by weakening the bug that’s weakening you.

Cold & Flu Fix: Hot Toddy

And as for whiskey, alcohol helps dilate blood vessels, making your membranes better able to deal with the mucus. Of course, alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning it pulls water from your body, so be sure to limit yourself to ONE per day, and also keep drinking plenty of other hydrating fluids (see: soup.) like water, tea, or sports drinks with electrolytes.

Hot Toddies: The Best Cold & Flu Remedy

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 oz whiskey
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 oz hot water

Hot Toddy Ingredients

Step 1: Put the lemon juice and honey in a glass. Heat the water to not quite boiling, and pour over. Mix until honey dissolves. Add whiskey and enjoy warm*.

*Obviously, please drink responsibly. Of course, if you have a serious cold or the flu, you likely aren’t leaving the house, let alone driving heavy machinery. Hope this helps you feel better soon!

 

Healthy, Main Dishes

Supercharged Double Turkey BLT

2 Comments
.
I had some turkey lunchmeat that needed used, plus 1/2 an avocado, salad makings, and turkey bacon. I had wanted to make a BLT, but now I knew that I could make it super-extra delicious!
.
Ingredients:
2 oz turkey meat
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 slice cheese
1/2 tomato
Handful torn romaine
3 slices turkey bacon
1/4 avocado
4 slices cucumber

Step 1: Cook the turkey bacon, turning once.

Step 2: While cooking, pile on the meat, cheese, tomato slices. On the other piece of bread, add the greens, cucumber, avocado chunks and lettuce.

Step 3: Add the cooked bacon. Very carefully, flip the pieces of bread together. Excellent combinations of flavors, lots of fiber and vitamins from the veggies! As always, just omit the turkey for a vegetarian lunch option.

Pasta, Soups, Vegetarian

Shrimp & Bell Pepper Linguini Alfredo. Bonus dessert: Peach Soup

Leave a comment
This is a recipe I invented last year. I was in my apartment and starving. Red bell peppers had recently gone on sale, so I had about a dozen. Plus some pasta like most college kids, a jar of alfredo sauce, and half a bag of shrimp in the freezer. That’s how this came about, and it was so good, it remains one of my favorites.
It’s easy to customize too, you can use any kind of fresh veggies, and if you don’t want meat then you don’t need to add shrimp. Also you can flavor the shrimp with whatever you want. This recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb linguini
1/2 lb shrimp, thawed
2/3 jar alfredo sauce
1/2 red, yellow and orange bell pepper
1 tbsp butter
pinch Thai spices
garlic powder

Step 1: Boil the noodles in salted water with a tbsp oil to keep the noodles from sticking.

Step 2: Add the butter to a frying pan, begin cooking the shrimp. Add whatever spices you like, and stir occasionally.

Step 3: Once boiled, drain the noodles and return to the pot. Add the alfredo sauce and mix. Set aside.

Step 4: Once the shrimp are pink, with a slight brown crust on both sides, add the diced peppers. Mix and put the lid on, cook for ~5 minutes or until tender.

Step 5: Once cooked, add to the noodles and mix everything well. Enjoy!

 

 

Bonus dessert: Peach Soup
From: Cooking for 2, summer 2008, pg. 25.
1 1/2 cups fresh peaches
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp almond extract

Blend all ingredients together until smooth, and refrigerate until serving. Add a dash of cinnamon on top. Makes 2 servings.

Peach soup: cold, sweet and refreshing!
Appetizers, Dips and Sauces, Side dishes, Vegetarian

Radish, onion & herb cheese dip

Leave a comment
.
Sadly I don’t remember where the inspiration for this dip came from, but I read on another blog about putting fresh raw radishes into a dip, and decided to make my own version based on what I had in my house.
.
Dip:
1 package cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup radishes, diced very small
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried onion
~1/2 tbsp sea salt

Step 1: Mix room temperature cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl until blended. The dip should be spreadable but a spoon could stand up in it.

Step 2: Add in all the other ingredients, and mix well. Serve with whatever crackers you like. This was a hit at a small gathering I had!

Addictive farm fresh dip!
Side dishes, Vegetarian

Kohl-slaw!

Leave a comment
.
I work on a CSA farm (http://www.facebook.com/schoonerfarms) and this week we harvested a TON of radishes, red, pink, and French breakfast, plus I got a spare kohlrabi. I’ve never had kohlrabi before, so I googled recipes, and found this gem on the goodbowl.com which makes a coleslaw from kohlrabi, turnips, and radishes. I still had some turnips left from 2 weeks ago too. I decided while making it to make it a little more colorful, so I threw in some carrot and cucumber too!
Slaw:
1 cup shredded kohlrabi
1/2 cup shredded radish
1/2 cup shredded turnip
1/3 cucumber, shredded
1/2 large carrot, shredded
Dressing:
1/4 cup miracle whip
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp mustard
pinch black pepper

Shredding the kohlrabi was a bit difficult, I did not know how stringy the interior was. Maybe mine was too young or too old, or I should have cooked it first?

Step 1: Put all shredded vegetables in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix all ingredients of the dressing, and pour over veggies. Mix well. That’s it!

This makes about 4 small servings. Refrigerate before serving. The dressing is deliciously tangy, and it’s a good mix of textures. It only gets better as you let it sit. It would be a great side dish to take to a picnic or party, with fresh spring flavors. Very healthy, and vegetarian.

Bonus: My tomato plants that I’ve been growing in pots outside for months have produced their first tiny ripe tomatoes! They were amazing, and tasted like my childhood. =)

Uncategorized

Chili cheese dogs

Leave a comment

Well, now I am all moved in to a new apartment, and ready for a new semester. I will do my best to keep up with posting between teaching a different class, juggling 3 jobs and school, and as always trying my hand at anything and everything in the kitchen.

Now that the weather has taken a turn for the colder, it’s time to shelve the hazy days of summer and start enjoying one of the few benefits of fall/winter: chili, soups and stews! Most people gain a little weight over winter not only because it is too cold to run outside (because that IS the only reason we aren’t out there training for a 5K right?) but also because winter is stick-to-your-ribs type food to warm us up. Comfort food at its best.

And what better as a comfort food than chili? There are a million ways to tweak a basic chili to make the recipe your own, and I will put my own personal version up soon. However, I will first tell you what poor college kids do with left over chili: slather hot dogs with it!

The best way to fancy up an all-American winter treat:
2 hot dogs
1 cup of chili
1/4 cup (or more) shredded cheese
2 buns or pieces of bread

Step 1: Cut the hot dogs long ways, but not all the way through, so it’s like a hinge. Put them in a pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side, till they just turn brown where they touch the pan.

Step 2: Put the dogs on the bread or buns. You can also toast the bread/buns first in the pan. Pour the chili on top, and top with shredded cheese of your choice. You can make the chili yourself or buy a side from a fast food place. Relish, diced onion, or jalapenos optional.