Making it All Better....

 

Kate has a cold....

The kind with the faucet nose and chesty cough....  

She is a trouper and doesn't complain, 

however she has been waking me up at night lately with her own stuffy insomnia... 

We are both tired... 

Spring break is a week away and this girl needs to get better!  

Ask and you shall receive, I say...  

As I surfed my On Demand selections the other night, I came across a favorite:  

LSQ.... 

Mad Hungry is a cooking show hosted by one of Martha's long devoted talents, 

Lucinda Scala Quinn.  

I like her show because she seems down to earth and approachable... 

Actually, I can vouch for that since she personally responded to a question I had about a recipe once...  

And she was nice, too!  

Lucinda has three grown sons, so she can relate to all that mom stuff...

especially to the daily panic of what to feed said kids... 

Anyway, she recently aired an episode of home remedies, 

which was so perfectly timed for sick little Kate. 

Lucinda made a chicken broth "elixir", tortilla soup, soft boiled eggs and ginger tea.  

Wednesday was yet another no school day for CPS and I had to work... 

I begged my mom to watch the kids and make the elixir according to Lucinda's directions.  

Bossy, ain't I?   

Mom's broth turned out to be so incredibly tasty that the kids were actually fighting over it... 

Some people live to eat and others eat to live... 

I am the former, but the rest of my family are the latter... 

You'd think I'd have some converts given the effort I make into cooking, 

but that "elixir" struck a nerve... 

Once I added the ingredients to make the tortilla soup, eyes rolled into heads in a heavenly reaction...  

I loved it...  

The last time my kids were that excited about food 

was when they saw the cotton candy vendor walk by at Wrigley last summer....  

This morning I decided to try the soft boiled egg instruction...  

It's simply soft boiling the eggs and opening them over broken pieces of buttered toast... 

Salt and pepper, toss and that's it...  

My kids love soft boiled eggs...  

They usually steal mine as they are a staple on my perpetual low-carb diet... 

Anyway, this version is just as cozy as it appears on the show... 

The kids snarfed the eggs up... 

Kate seems to be peaking today with this cold thing, 

so I decided to give her the ginger tea at bathtime, (which is in five minutes...gotta hurry!)  

We will see if the curative powers have an effect... 

It tastes a little tingly, and it's good,  

but I think the curative powers of this Bud Light will suit me just as well....

 

Here are the wonderful recipes from Mad Hungry....

Chicken Broth Elixir

This broth is chock-full of ingredients to drive impurities out of the body; garlic has antibiotic properties, onions are an expectorant, and chiles and ginger wake up the senses while delivering a good dose of vitamin C. From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).  Makes 1 quart 

Ingredients

• 2 chicken backs, necks, and wing tips, cut from whole chickens used for other recipes
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a stockpot and barely cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. Skim and discard any foam as it rises to the surface. Strain the broth. (The cooked chicken can be used for chicken salad.) Return the broth to the heat and simmer to reduce it to 1 1/2 quarts. To store, place in plastic freezable containers, cool, and seal.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Tortilla Soup

   Fresh ingredients and a make-ahead broth are the keys to this low-fuss meal; serve with your favorite tortilla chips over top.
   Mad Hungry, April 2011

   • Yield Serves 4

   Ingredients

   • 1 recipe Chicken Broth Elixir, cooked chicken meat removed from bones and shredded
   • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
   • 2 radishes, thinly sliced
   • Fresh cilantro leaves, from about 4 sprigs
   • 1 lime, cut into wedges
   • Tortilla chips

   Directions

   1. Divide chicken broth between 4 bowls and top each with some shredded chicken, a few slices of avocado and radish, and a few cilantro leaves. Squeeze lime juice over soup, add a few tortilla chips, and serve hot.
      
      
      
      
      
      

      Soft-Boiled Eggs with Toast

      This filling, protein-packed meal takes just minutes to prepare.
      Mad Hungry, April 2011

      • Yield Makes 1 serving
      
      

      Ingredients

      • 2 large eggs
      • 2 slices bread, well-toasted
      • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
      • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Directions

      1. Boil a saucepan of water. Slowly lower the eggs into the pan on a slotted spoon (to not crack on the bottom). Cook for 4 minutes. Remove and place in cold water. Meanwhile toast the bread and spread with butter.
         
      2. Scoop the eggs into a small bowl. Break the bread into pieces and add to the bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir the eggs and toast together into the toast is coated with yolk.
         
         
         
      
       
      

      Fresh Ginger Tea

      This tea can be served with an Asian meal, hot, or poured over ice.
      Mad Hungry, April 2011

      • Yield Makes 4 cups
      
      

      Ingredients

      • 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
      • 4 cups boiling water
      • 4 teaspoons honey

      Directions

      1. Put the grated ginger into a teapot and pour in the boiling water. Allow the mixture to steep for 4 minutes. Strain and serve the tea with a teaspoon of honey in each cup. Stir and serve.