Best dishes for sick girlfriend

[maggiethecat]

I think I might have mentioned this somewhere here ages ago. In his 20s my father was hospitalized with life threatening pneumonia, as bad as respiratory gets. The good Sisters at the Hopital St.-Joseph is Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, put him on "diete genereuse," rare filet mignon and a glass of burgundy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your Love can be persuaded, she might heal faster.

(A couple of years ago in "The Lancet" or "Jama" this approach got some cred.)

[Alchemist]

One nice thing to clear out the sinuses is tom yum soup...that's what I always gravitate to when I'm congested. Hot and sour is indeed another one of my standbys. Pho sounds scrumptious too.

As for the dairy thing..I've always adhered to it when I've got stomach complaints, but I've never heard of it being an issue when you've got a cold. Personally, I love having a little bit of yogurt or something bland and comforting like that when I'm down.

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What is Tom Yum soup???

I totally agree about the dairy thing when my stomache is acting up - then again the hot and sour seems to be like a chicken soup for me - it cures all illness even the grumpies!

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Dtom Yum Usually Goong(shrimp) is a Thai Hot sour soup. Usually eaten with a little bowl of white rice. It is wicked hot and has such bold flavor that it's great when you have a cold or flu. Also good is dtom kha gy (chicken) a milder coconut milk mushroom soup.

Toby

Edited December 2, 2007 by Alchemist (log)

[Bree20]

What is Tom Yum soup???

Dtom Yum Usually Goong(shrimp) is a Thai Hot sour soup. Usually eaten with a little bowl of white rice. It is wicked hot and has such bold flavor that it's great when you have a cold or flu. Also good is dtom kha gy (chicken) a milder coconut milk mushroom soup.

Toby

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[KatieLoeb]

I'll second or third the suggestions of Hot and Sour and/or Tom Yum Soup. The best thing in the world to blast out your head and chest. Makes you sweat too.

A hot toddy of Theraflu (the hot apple cider flavor) with a healthy dose of booze in it (I usually go for healthy dram of Stroh 80 rum which I only keep in the house for when I'm illin') also makes you sleep, sweat like a beast and wake up feeling renewed. At least it always works for me.

[SheenaGreena]

I think that it's really sweet that you are surprising your girlfriend with a homecooked meal when she's not feeling so hot. Unfortunately if I asked my boyfriend to do this for me, he'd go to burger king and buy me a whopper....... (:

I second (or is it third) the recommendation on jook or congee. My mom always made me jook when I wasn't feeling so hot and it was the best when the rice was slightly toasted. You can achieve this if you cook rice over the stove top as opposed to cooking it in a rice cooker.

If your gf isn't into plain ol rice and water, then it's nice to make a good jook with heavily garlic laden chicken stock.

good luck and I hope your girlfriend feels better

[Sony]

Sorry your gilfriend isn't feeling well. Something Ilike to eat when I'm not feeling well is dahl. Usually, I eat it over rice, but when I'm sick, there's nothing like keeping the consistency very thin and sipping it out of a cup. To add some additional nutrition, I might throw in a few choppped tomatoes and a shower of spinach shreds and chopped cilantro stirred in at the last minute, Oh, and a good squirt of some lemon juice right before eating.

Here's a rough recipe (there's dozens out there, but this is one of the simplest):

Put one cup of red lentils in the bottom of a heavy saucepan. Add enough sea-salty water to cover the lentils by 1 inch. Throw in 2 bay leaves, 1/8 tsp ground tumeric, 1/8 tsp ground red pepper and 1/2 of a large onion, sliced. Cover and bring to a simmer. (Side note- lentils have an awful tendency to boil-over, so make sure it's at a gentle simmer before walking away!)

Cook about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are falling apart. Fish out the bay leaves, add a little water to cool/thin it out and puree with an immersion blender, adding more water if necessary, so that it's smooth and the consistency of heavy cream. Throw in 1-2 chopped tomatoes (good canned ones can work just fine) and bring back to a simmer.

Now, for the flavoring: heat 2 TB neutral oil over medium-high heat. Throw in your other half-onion, thinly sliced. Stir around until onions just start to brown. Then add 2 dried chilies. Keep stirring till the onions are darker brown and the chilies smell toasty. Add 4-6 cloves of thinly sliced garlic (I like a lot of garlic when I'm not feeling well) and stir until the garlic is slightly toasted. Then, add a ladle of the hot dahl into the onion/chili/garlic pan. It will sputter ferociously for about 3 seconds and send up a rush of steam.

Then, add the flavored dahl back to the pot. Stir, and add in about 2 cups of thinly shredded fresh spinach leaves (or 1/2 cup thawed, well drained frozen spinach) and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Stir to wilt/warm through. Add enough water to adjust consistency and salt to taste. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon or lime.

Hope she feels better soon (with your help, of course )!

[Alchemist]

I'll second or third the suggestions of Hot and Sour and/or Tom Yum Soup.  The best thing in the world to blast out your head and chest.  Makes you sweat too.

A hot toddy of Theraflu (the hot apple cider flavor) with a healthy dose of booze in it (I usually go for healthy dram of Stroh 80 rum which I only keep in the house for when I'm illin') also makes you sleep, sweat like a beast and wake up feeling renewed.  At least it always works for me.

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My Grandfather, Mr. Maloney, a good Irish man, had a cure for the common cold. Put a hat on one bed post. get in bed with a bottle of Irish Whiskey. When there is a hat on both bed posts go to sleep. The next morning, after sweating like a beast, you wake up with a splitting headach, dyhyrated like the Gobi, but not sick. Kinda.

Where I would not reccomend Mr. Maloneys cure, Katies seems to have some merit. If you can add some ginger to that toddy it makes it tastier and better for you, and helps that sweating thing. And i might not say, as you are giving your girlfriend any of these cures, "My friends on the E say this should make you sweat like a beast!"

[KLwood]

Ill add to the Hot & Sour soup chorus, and Ming Tsai has a Ginger Soup recipe that falls into the same category - google or food network should have it .

One home remedy for nasty colds that has always worked for me is a cup of strong, Hot Lemonade.

just think of it as Lemon tea. Dissolves throat snot like Drain-O and Id Imagine that its pretty good with a little Vodka.

[mojoman]

I think that it's really sweet that you are surprising your girlfriend with a homecooked meal when she's not feeling so hot.  Unfortunately if I asked my boyfriend to do this for me, he'd go to burger king and buy me a whopper....... (:

I second (or is it third) the recommendation on jook or congee.  My mom always made me jook when I wasn't feeling so hot and it was the best when the rice was slightly toasted.  You can achieve this if you cook rice over the stove top as opposed to cooking it in a rice cooker. 

If your gf isn't into plain ol rice and water, then it's nice to make a good jook with heavily garlic laden chicken stock. 

good luck and I hope your girlfriend feels better

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She's worth it.

[foodie52]

Where are you?  If you're anywhere near the US southwest, she needs some chicken-tortilla soup.

I've got a quicky version that's good for tucking away in the cupboard and mixing up when you need it.

Take one family-style can of Campbell's Chicken with Rice soup and put it in a saucepan.  Dump in a small jar (or to taste) of salsa - either your own or some good store-bought brand like Herdez Casera.  Add one small can of white chicken chunks.  Heat through.  Ladle into individual serving bowl.  Top with a generous handful of tostadas and a small mountain of grated "Mexican blend" cheeses and eat immediately.

Chicken Tortilla Soup, a perfect marriage of traditional chicken soup and spicy salsa is the number one go-to dish when you get the sniffles down here, pardner.

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This is simply brilliant, Jaymes.

Edited to add: when you're sick you want comfort food from your CHILDHOOD. Keep that in mind when cooking for sick folks.

Edited December 2, 2007 by foodie52 (log)

[faine]

I fully admit that when I'm REALLY down (thankfully rarely,) I tend to get an overwhelming desire for yellow jello. This may prove true the whole "food from childhood" hypothesis...

Daal when sick sounds like an excellent idea! I think I'll try making an extra-spicy batch next time I'm congested.

On that note...I bet a big bowl of chili would be similarly comforting and clear-out-them sinuses hot.

[ChrisOC]

Make some strong, hot tea in a mug. Add, two Tbs. honey, 3 or 4 whole cloves, a chunk of ginger root, the juice of half a lemon and a shot or two of rum/whiskey. It'll do the trick every time.

My wife usually has two.

[KatieLoeb]

...And i might not say, as you are giving your girlfriend any of these cures, "My friends on the E say this should make you sweat like a beast!"

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Yeah - probably not the best thing to say to her in her present condition...

Toby, I did enjoy the graphic description of the "Maloney Cure". Grandpa definitely sounds like my kind of guy.

Mojoman - the other thing that always helps me is a prescription for Promethazine w/DM cough syrup, called in to the pharmacy by my very sweet doctor of many years, who knows I get URIs twice annual without fail. A couple of days of this stuff and the Theraflu hot toddy cure and I'm generally mobile again, if not completely at 100%.

Hope she's on the mend. You're a sweetie for taking such good care of her.

[randomwalk]

I think I might have mentioned this somewhere here ages ago. In his 20s my father was hospitalized with life threatening pneumonia, as bad as respiratory gets. The good Sisters at the Hopital St.-Joseph is Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, put him on "diete genereuse," rare filet mignon and a glass of burgundy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If your Love can be persuaded, she might heal faster.

(A couple of years ago in "The Lancet" or "Jama" this approach got some cred.)

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you've got me persuaded to get sick!!!

[amdellutri]

Italian Antibiotic Soup

Mr. Food's Garlic Soup

5 to 7 servings

8 garlic cloves, minced

3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) ready-to-use chicken broth

1-1/2 cups water

4 slices stale or toasted bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1. Coat a soup pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until light brown, stirring constantly. Add the broth, water, bread, and pepper; mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

2. Remove 2 tablespoons of the soup to a small bowl and combine with the beaten egg. Using a fork, slowly stir the egg mixture into the soup, forming egg strands. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until heated through.

3. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, top with the scallion rings and serve immediately.

Angela