I'm feeling remarkably better today, thank you. In the absence of antibiotics, I can only credit the big vat of chicken soup I made yesterday. (And it's a good thing my -cillin allergy doesn't include "Jewish penicillin.") I had three bowls for dinner and am having more today for lunch.
Everyone knows how to make chicken soup, but I will tell you one secret trick I do whenever possible. Any time I'm about to throw away clean, usable, but for some reason undesirable scraps from vegetables, I instead put them into a zipper bag in the freezer. (Yes, it helps that I have a full-size deep freeze in the basement for such extraneous items.) This would include ends left over after trimming carrots, celery, and onions; celery leaves; parsley stems; tough, outer leaves from leeks; etc. Stay away from crucifers (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.), but feel free to include things that are a little past their prime—a flaccid carrot or celery stalk never hurt anybody—and even an apple core or two. Then, one day when you have nothing else to do, put all the frozen stuff in a big pot of water on the stove. Add some extra onions, carrots, and/or celery if they're underrepresented, plus a handful of peppercorns and some salt. After it's cooked for a while, strain it out (and then toss all the veggie scraps), and you will have a nice, mild vegetable broth to use instead of plain water when you go to make your chicken soup. It just makes it a little more hearty and flavorful (and probably even a bit more nutritious).
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