Recipes

Scamper’s Favorite Flu Busters


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tea

Flu season is upon us. You may want a few days off but you don’t want it to be because you had the flu.

You can stock your medicine cabinet with every cold and flu gimmick in town but you’d be much better off stocking your refrigerator instead.

You can fend off most of the nasty business that your rude coworkers sneeze upon you with some very tasty recipes.

Magic Tea

This one is both preventative and curative. It's one of our favorite beverages but in all honesty, we never bother to make it until someone gets sick.

It’s a cure all. Ginger helps with nausea and has been proven to reduce pain, swelling and risk of infection and honey is a natural antibiotic. Google it if your curious but drink it if you’re sick. 

FYI, it’s not really magic, it’s science but if you do a little hand gesture as you serve it and say that it’s magic tea in a low voice, like it’s a secret, it works even better. 

Everybody feels better when they feel nurtured. 

tea

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp grated fresh ginger root
  • 3 c boiling water
  • 3 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice

Preparation

  1. Place the ginger in a teapot or pitcher
  2. Pour the boiling water on top
  3. Let it steep for 15 min
  4. Strain it and whisk in the honey and lime juice.

Chicken Soup

Your Grandma wasn't kidding. Chicken soup really does help fight colds and flu. Plus, who doesn't love a warm bowl of homemade chicken soup?

tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 whole, big, fat, chicken
  • 3 tomatoes, quartered
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 2-3 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1-2 parsnips, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small turnip, quartered

Preparation

  1. Throw it all in a pot and barely cover it with cold water
  2. Make sure it’s at least cool to the touch. Starting with cold water makes the bones release more cartilage. It may sound gross but it’s the difference between good chicken soup and yellow water.
  3. Bring it to a boil then reduce it to a simmer
  4. 2 hours will do but the longer the better. We always try to go for 6, 4 in a pinch
  5. The one bummer is that you’ll need to pick through it when it’s done. Leaving bone bits in your chicken soup is not ok. It’s not a big deal but you need to be thorough.

It yields plenty of soup and you can freeze the extra

You’ll be so glad that you invested that little bit of effort. Homemade chicken soup beats the dickens out of cough syrup.

Mushroom Soup

Mushrooms are another one of nature's healers. They boost the immune system and reduce swelling. Garlic works wonders too. This simple recipe is filling, delicious and shortens the duration of a cold.

mushroom soup

Ingredients

  • 3 pints of mixed mushrooms
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1-2 quarts of good quality chicken stock

Preparation

  1. Throw the mushrooms, garlic and herbs in a pot
  2. Barely cover them with stock
  3. Simmer for 1-2 hrs
  4. Purée
  5. Some people like it completely smooth but we prefer it with a little more texture. Start with pulse on a food processor and blend it to the texture you like.

As you probably know by now, earthy is not our thing. Sadly, we don’t have much patience for hippy types. These recipes actually work. Eat well and avoid germ spreaders whenever possible.

Enjoy your Flu Busters.

About the author

The Scamper

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