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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Each day

Too many thoughts are swimming around my head and I can't just pick one to blog about.  


I'm working from home the rest of week, and I'm still not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one. With everyone at work sick, I'm afraid I'll just drag it here and I swear each morning I wake up not feeling like total crap I'm kinda grateful.  Really though, part of me wishes I would just get it and get it over with.



9 comments:

selkie said...

or better still, get RID of it entirely! echenecia ..... great for boosting the immune system.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping your system is strong enough to avoid the virus. Working from home can be a blessing some days while others a nightmare.. Be well my friend!!

Hugs,
kitten

Jz said...

I have an unpleasant but justified reputation for going up to the people who come into work all sniffly and sick and giving them a verbal bitch-slap.
It's entirely possible that words like, "inconsiderate moron" may have passed my lips.
(Unlikely tho' that may seem...)

But really, people. This is why we have sick time. Not so you can garden on a glorious day, but so you can stay the heck away from the rest of us when you're contagious.

turiya said...

You know, the cure for the woes of working from home is a 4 year old. You can borrow mine for a day. LOL

If everyone is sick at work, though, it's probably better if you're home. At least you won't be around them to catch anything... and you can get plenty of rest which can also help keep it away.

My favorite thing to make when everyone around me is getting sick is chicken soup loaded with fresh veggies. I've got a good recipe for homemade chicken soup. It can be made without the chicken too... tastes great as a vegetable soup. Let me know if you want to give it a try!

spirited

mouse said...

selkie and CK...Thanks I'm going to get some of that stuff...

Jz I'm the same way and I hate it when people actually feel they are too important to call in sick. YET have no issue with taking one of those sick days to extend their vacation....

Spirited one....please share the recipe!

turiya said...

Absolutely... just keep in mind I cook by taste. Don't really have a recipe and the soup tastes different each time cause I add different things in different amounts depending on what's in season and what we feel like having, but here it goes.

First thing you'll want to do is make the broth... yeah, I make my own broth... none of that canned stuff for me. LOL It's easy, though. Just boil some water in a big pot with the chicken you're using and some whole veggies (cut to fit in the pot if necessary, but they don't have to be cut small) like carrots, celery and whatever else you want to add. These veggies are for flavor and you're going to be throwing them out afterward, so don't use what's going into the soup. I generally use stuff that is going to need to be thrown out soon if it's not used. Let it boil until the chicken is completely cooked and the veggies are very soft.

Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit... about an hour or so. Then you'll need to strain the veggies and chicken out of the water. I usually put a colander over another pot and dump it into the new pot. Then just throw out the veggies and set the chicken aside to cool further.

While you're waiting for the broth to cool, cut up the other veggies you want to put in there. I vary it each time, but it really tastes good with celery, carrots, zucchini (although if you use zucchini add it when the cooking is nearly done (about 20 minutes or so) or it gets overcooked), corn, green beans. I generally try to add a veggie of each color in there. Sometimes I'll even add a can of diced tomatoes... that's really nice too.

Okay... now you just need to take the original pot you cooked the broth in. Put the veggies into the pot and pour enough of the broth into the pot to cover the veggies. I usually add enough so that there is about an inch of broth over the veggies. The rest of the broth (if there is any left) can be frozen for later use.

Turn the burner on high to bring the broth back to a boil. And while you're waiting for that you can add some herbs. You can add whatever you like, but I love sage, dill and parsley. It just makes it taste soooooo yummy and the parsley is particularly good cause it's loaded with anti-oxidants. Then add salt and pepper to taste. When it starts to boil, turn it down so it simmers and cover it. The veggies should cook in about an hour to an hour and a half depending on what you add and how big you cut it.

Next you need to start either cutting the chicken into cubes or breaking it into strips. You'll add it back into the soup toward the end of the cooking (about 10 minutes before it's done). Another thing is to decide if you want to add either rice, pasta (you know like the little stars or something) or barley to your soup. I love adding barley... if you want to try it with barley, you'll want to add it right after the soup starts boiling. The raw stuff takes a while to cook (about an hour). Just make sure you rinse it real good before adding it to the soup. Just keep in mind it will almost triple in size, so for a medium pot of soup you shouldn't need more than a cup of dry barley. Same goes for the rice or pasta if you prefer that.

Oh and another hint if you're going to use rice or pasta.... precook it and add it to the bowl when you serve the soup. When the rice and pasta are stored with the leftover soup it goes all mushy... yuck. So it's better to cook it separately and add as needed. The barley won't go mushy, though.

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. I've got tons of other things I love to cook... damn I should start a blog to post my recipes. LOL

mouse said...

spirited...omg thank you thank you thank you...

mouse

mouse said...

Oh and btw Omega is very fond of barley in his soups...

I'll be going with that.

m

turiya said...

Hehe... you're welcome. Oh... I forgot something too... Onion and garlic taste really good in the soup also.

Let me know how you guys like it. :-D Hope he's feeling better soon. Being sick sucks.

spirited