Moms Get Sick Too-Our Family "Cure"

I hate having a cold. I don't know how something so minor can make you feel so awful. I'm blaming this one on my flu shot. I got my first flu shot on Wednesday, and by Friday night I was starting to feel a bit off. I'm sneezing, coughing and trying not to think about Swine Flu.

In our house when someone has a cold, it always means a trip to the grocery store for 2 items. SunnyD and Sprite (7Up will work too). You need to know that under normal conditions I wouldn't drink SunnyD if you paid me. I also don't drink Sprite (it's Diet Coke for me). When I'm sick with a cold or sore throat, nothing tastes better. I have no idea of how or why we started making this cocktail for the infirm in our house. I fixed it for my kids from the time they were small, and now that they both live on their own...they make it for themselves. I know it can't really make you better, but it does seem to have some hidden medicinal qualities. So, fill a glass with ice and pour in half Sprite and half SunnyD. I promise you'll feel better. I will also be making my 5 minute chicken soup for lunch. See, I even take my own advice!

*Mom hint-I still think a flu shot is a good idea this year for most people. It was quite easy and I didn't even feel it.

Cold Season Is Coming-Have 3 Ingredients In Your Kitchen

I tend to be a bit old-fashioned when it comes to cooking. I like the real deal. Sometimes you just don’t feel well enough for the good stuff, and you really just want something to make you feel better. I know that when I have a cold or sore throat, I just wish my mom would appear with a bowl of chicken soup. Well, my mom lives 1000 miles away and while she is sympathetic when I’m sick, she can’t make the soup. In an earlier post I gave you the old-fashioned recipe for chicken soup, and it is delicious. It is also the last thing I’m going to do when I’m sick. Instead, I keep 3 ingredients on my shelf during cold season. I can make a fairly tasty chicken soup in less than 3 minutes. It opens up your head, soothes your throat and certainly is better than anything you will get out of a red and white can.

Ingredients:
1 package ramen noodles (remove the seasoning packet, and throw it away)
1 can chicken broth or ½ of a 32 oz. carton (I use low sodium, but any will do)
1 can chicken (on the store shelf near the tuna)

Boil the broth either in a pan, or in the microwave. Crunch up the block of noodle and put them in the boiling broth. Drain the can of chicken and dump it in. You have chicken soup, and you will be amazed how good it tastes when you are sick. If you have time and feel good, make the good stuff from my other recipe.

Mom’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

The first thing to know about cooking with chicken is to be very careful with sanitation. Rinse the chicken in cold water before cooking it. Wash your hands and all surfaces that come in contact with raw chicken with hot, soapy water and/or a product made for kitchen clean-up.

For this soup you can use whatever form of chicken you want. You can buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces (I don’t think it is worth the effort), frozen bags of boneless breasts, or assorted fresh chicken pieces from the meat case. I like to use a whole chicken already cut in pieces. The skin gives the broth more flavor than the boneless, skinless bagged pieces. I generally cook the gizzard, liver, heart and back in a small pan of water and give it to my dog. Some people actually eat those parts. We don’t.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut in pieces. Do not use liver, gizzard, or heart for soup.
1 cup chopped carrots (baby carrots or whole carrots peeled)
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
15 cups water (I have a big pot)
7 oz. dry egg noodles (I try to buy the most homemade looking I can find)

Rinse the chicken and place in large pot. If you are cooking for one or two people, and don’t have a large pot, just use one or two pieces of chicken and cover it with water. You will need to cut down the other ingredients as well, including the salt. You really can’t mess this up. Cover the chicken with the 15 cups of water, add the carrots, celery, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let cook for about 2 hours until the chicken is very tender. Remove the chicken from the pot to cool. Remove the bay leaves.

At this point in the process, I remove 5 cups of the broth and put it in a freezer container. Let it cool, and freeze it. You will be very glad to have it on a different night. Bring the remaining broth back to a boil, and stir in the noodles. Reduce to simmer and cover. The package should give you the amount of time for your particular noodles to cook (mine took 20 minutes). While the noodles are cooking, remove the chicken from the bones and skin. Cut or shred into bite size pieces. Measure 2 cups of chicken and add to the cooked noodles and broth. Add salt and pepper as needed. The remaining chicken can be placed in freezer bags and frozen, or you may refrigerate it for sandwiches the next day.

At a later date you can thaw the frozen broth, add the frozen chicken and simply place in a pan and bring to a simmer. Add a handful of rice, pasta or noodles and you have a second meal.
　
*Mom hint-Bay leaves are not poisonous but they do have sharp edges and can be a choking hazard. Make sure you always remove them before serving the food.