There’s something sweet about a child staying home sick (and something decadent about an adult staying home from work, even if a sore throat is involved). When I was young, and home from school with some illness or another, my mother would make chicken bouillon (with a cube, of course) if the malady was stomach related, and Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup if it was in the sinus region. No matter what the illness, she also provided a lovely brown, orange and yellow crocheted afghan she had made for comfort. Now a parent myself, I am just as predictable.
On a recent rainy Monday, my middle school aged son arrived home from school, dropped his backpack, and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Oooh, smells good. What’s for dinner?”
The slow cooker had been loaded up hours before, and a wonderful smell filled the kitchen.
“Chicken soup,” I answered.
“Yum! Who’s sick?”
Since my children are not unlikely to jump from one subject to another with no warning, I didn’t immediately see a connection.
“Nobody. Why?”
Apparently, I only make chicken noodle soup when someone stays in bed for the day. You know how it goes, one child or another wakes up in the middle of the night complaining of an ear ache, a sore throat, or an unsettled stomach. So you get out the thermometer and fire up the slow cooker, knowing the soup will be ready by the time they are feeling well enough to eat a little. At least, that’s what I do. Chicken soup is an easy choice, because the rest of the family enjoys it too, and they don’t even have to be sick.
Chicken soup made from scratch is an easy treat. My recipe is simple and delicious, just right for a cold day. (For the curious, it’s a riff on this one.) And that’s what I make when other people are sick, but old habits die hard. When I’m under the weather, my husband has to head to the store for Campbell’s, if I don’t already have a can stashed somewhere, and out comes the can opener. To this day, I swear Campbell’s cures whatever ails me, from a cold to a sprained wrist. Also? I still have the seventies-hued afghan.
What’s your choice for a sick day? Is it the same thing you expected as a child?
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Also Campbells chicken noodle plus saltines and hot tea. If I had a sore throat, my mother would make me gargle with salt water, which I hated SO MUCH that I resorted to keeping my sore throat a secret in order to avoid it. Now 20 years later I'll gargle because it does work, but it took me a long time to get over the trauma!
Since there's some evidence that chicken soup truly helps with a cold, I always do that and try for homemade. Or the really good gluten free chicken noodle canned. Otherwise it's licorice, rosemary and ginseng tea (for coughs). Also gluten free crackers, cranberry soda and a good tv show.
Gatorade in all of its food-additive-glory. I feel guilty for drinking it but I hate drinking water when I'm sick, and everything else seems too heavy, or hot. When ready to eat, toast with whatever I think I can stomach, either just plain, or just butter, or butter+jam.
There's always a stash of homemade chicken broth in the freezer for a quick soup (add sauteed carrots, celery and noodles) in case I'm sick. If the husband is sick I make a big pot from scratch and then it has the meat in it (the extra broth is frozen of course). I also crave citrus when i'm sick since the flavor is strong enough I can still taste it when I can't taste anything else. When I don't feel good and it's not a cold, I go for warm plain rice with a little butter and parmesan cheese. Soup was definitely a staple in our house when I was a kid both for sick and healthy days.
I have a sick one home right now, so before I came back to work I tucked her into my big bed with a bunch of DVDs and a big bowl of mac and cheese. I know I'll come come to a napping nine-year-old and a ton of dirty dishes, but it's worth it.
Mom always cooked pastina (tiny pasta stars) in cihcken broth, so it's what I do.
Ginger ale if we're craving cold liquids. Popsicles if even ginger ale is hard to get down.
Herbal tea & honey if we're craving hot liquids.
If it's me and I have a cold -- tea, honey, lemon, whisky!
My mom always used to make me toast with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. This is still a sick-day treat, and one which I actually enjoy enough to eat when I'm not sick, but never think of unless I am.
When I was a kid, my mom--a gourmet chef, by the way, who was editor in chief of a local foodie magazine--would make minute rice, and stir it into chicken bouillon stock, shake in some dried parsley flakes and I swear it cured me every time. Now that I'm a wife and a mom, I make soup from scratch whenever anybody is sick, but I'll admit, though I make real chicken soup even for mysf, I'm always a little disappointed when I take my first bite that it's not that minute rice and bouillon cube soup from my childhood. It worked! It really worked!
Always ramen (Oriental or shrimp flavor) with some hot pepper flakes and microwave popcorn. Dunno why!
I was a very sickly kid--preemie, asthma, allergies, etc. The one think I always made my mom cook for me was homemade french fries. The nutritional value isn't much, but the comfort factor is huge. I had to hear her cut up the potatoes and fry them up herself--no substituting fast food or frozen shortcuts. My poor mom!
These days, I make chicken soup from scratch most of the time (sick or not). Normally, I strain off most of the fat, but if it's for a sick person, I leave it in there (per my mother's instructions--she swears there's healing power in it). If I'm the one who is sick and I don't have the strength to cook, then I send hubby for takeout wonton or spicy ramen soup.
Little, when I had a cold, I would drink a lemon-honey-hot water mixture. Now, I put grated fresh ginger and vodka in the mug.
well, ginger and vodka on top of lemon and honey, of course!
Brown rice with lots of "butter" and salt.
And miso soup, it has the same homey savoryness of chicken noodle soup (to this vegetarian's chicken flavor memory at least).
I'm with Chanmeleon; chicken or cream of chicken Ramen noodle soup, in the styrofoam cup or the bag....don't know why either...must have something to do with all that sodium...but it really does work!
If I have a sore throat, a hot toddy right before bed usually does the trick. Warm, cozy, a little boozy, and simply perfect.
For me, it's porridge.... I made with leftover turkey, but you can always substitute with chicken:-) http://7th-taste.com/2011/12/02/turkey-rice-porridge-with-roasted-onion-and-pinot-noir/
Chicken noodle soup! Homemade.
The dry Lipton packet of chicken noodle soup with EXTRA noodles. Scrambled eggs. And toast. Oh, and apricot juice. Because that's what my mom served.
Campbell's Tomato Soup with Cheez-Its and ice cold Vernor's Ginger Ale with a straw. "The Real Stuff" as my Mom called it. Even though you felt yucky, it was kind of a treat to stay home from school and watch The Price is Right and Little House on the Prairie and sip ginger ale. To this day, I swear by Vernor's for any ailment.
homemade chicken and rice soup. or the Campbell's version if I'm the sickie. Simpson Springs Ginger Ale for a tummy ache.
I'm a strange fella for not usually being a fan of soups, so if i'm craving soup i know i'm getting sick. Out of the can Chicken Noodle Soup hits the spot (Progresso is my favorite). Otherwise a teaspoon of instant chicken boullion in a mug of boiling hot water does the trick.
Another staple if i have the energy for the stove is Bring a cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add a teaspoon of instant chicken boullion, stir well then add a teaspoon of white vinegar*. Stir, bring back to a rolling boil and stream in one beaten egg while stirring constantly. Voila! One of the best egg drop/flower soups I've had plus it's homemade. Sick comfort food at it's best.
AJ
* the addition of white vinegar in soups is something i picked up being raised in Asia. When we would go to our local Chinese restaurant, every table would have a small condiment jar filled with sliced green chilies in white vinegar. A spoon of the vinegar with the pickled chilies would add the just the perfect brightness to the soup that i still add to this day even if i'm doing canned chicken noodle soup.
AJ
If someone is kind of enough to pick up some veggie Pho for me, I am well on my way to feeling better!
Argh, I meant "kind enough" not "kind of enough."
My sick day dish is always a pungent curry with lots of ginger and coconut milk. Like this one: http://and-here-we-are.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/comforting-suppers-warming-coconut.html
Somewhere along the way I became crazy about wonton soup when I'm sick. If I'm sick enough to stay home, there's very little chance that I'm cooking, so the takeout factor is nice. I guess it's the combination of hot broth, saltiness, and nice big bites of dumpling. Yum.
Growing up, my sick and snow day favorite was Snow's clam chowder. Best canned clam chowder! But I can't get it where I live now, so I just have to make do with other soup - usually tomato soup and grilled cheese.
For stomach bugs, for me, there's a progression. Once the, er, worst has stopped, I start with water. Gatorade. Then 7up or ginger ale with saltines. Then rice with soy sauce.
For colds, this is so gross, but aside from real Chinese hot & sour soup, which I love, I also adore that disgusting in-styrofoam ramen you buy at drugstores, with the hot chile pepper on the container.
It's totally horrible on a healthy day -- and in styrofoam to boot! -- but somehow, when I'm sick, it just hits the spot: spicy and hot and salty. Helps clear my nose and makes me want to drink more water. I usually keep a couple in the house for a virus emergency. They last forever since, you know, they are not really food.
My parents' remedies include: dry toast, orange juice and hot toddies. Lol no chicken soup for me unfortunately! As an adult that's still what I turn to!
Hot Vernors ginger ale and wavy potato chips. And the Vernors has to be in a silly mug that my grandfather bought me as a child - it is rainbow striped with my baby picture on it, inscribed with "This is my mug". I miss living right by a decent deli with matzo ball soup, though!
Pho.
Ramen with lots of hot sauce (usually tapatio). I like the salty broth and spice.
I used to always get one of the Safeway Signature Soups. But now that I'm not near a Safeway, I always go get soup from the Whole Foods soup bar. Also, lots and lots of tea and hot cocoa.
And it usually ends up being clam chowder or something else creamy. And no matter how bad my throat hurts, I always end up getting a mini baguette to go with it...
@lrupa, I'm totally with you! Lipton's noodle soup is my favorite when I'm sick but I add carrots, celery and scallions! The best sick soup! And extra noodles are a mut.
My mom's chicken and dumplings will always make me feel better. Chow mein (made by my sister's mother-in-law) has become a comfort food in recent years. So either way I think I crave that motherly touch when I'm sick.
Quick Mac and Cheese
http://www.cookingatcafed.com/2011/09/4-minute-mac-n-cheese-yes.html
Homemade chicken soup with lemon juice and fresh grounded blackpepper.
I spent the last three days at home sick! But I really don't like soups, especially not ones with noodles in them, and I don't really remember what I would get when I was little, so I have only a few standards. Jello is always a must (not sugar free, because I need the calories when I am sick), and applesauce makes me feel better immediately. I also have boxed mac & cheese sometimes, or plain noodles, or rice (rice is my favorite!). Today I'm back at work and trying to be a regular person, but still had applesauce and jello!
It used to be McDonald's cheeseburger, fries and an orange drink. But I was sick a while back, got that and nearly gagged.
Now it's all about Asian soups: pho, tom yum, wonton, ramen, hot and sour, or even just some plain chicken broth simmered with a little ginger and green onion, splash of soy sauce.
Broccoli and cheese soup or chicken noodle soup.
If I'm already feeling horrible, I send my husband out for Thai chicken noodle soup from our favorite local place plus a squirt or two of rooster sauce. That stuff plus some gatorade seems to get me up and running next day.
However if I feel a cold coming on... I go with my mom's standby: campbell's chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese. If I couldnt eat anything (she usually tried to see if we were faking by offering up ice cream for dinner) then we got 7up - only time we were allowed soda. I still dont drink soda, unless my stomach is upset and I keep emergency stash of 7up in the fridge for this reason.