Numerous years ago my nephew was in town working a convention. He'd lost his mother, my sister, to cancer, way too early. His time here was short and he was consumed with his job, so we were only able to have a brief minute together. Suddenly the winds began to howl here in Colorado as a cold front moved in, and he was from the warm east coast without so much as a jacket. He was shivering. After our short meeting I ran over to the nearest department store and bought a couple of sweaters that he could wear while he was here and on to the next convention location. I left them in a bag for him at the front desk of his hotel with a note that I signed "From your Other Mother".
Recently one of my Twitter buddies complained of too much travel, too little sleep, and a cold coming on. "You must eat some chicken soup!" I said as I replied "from your Other Mother." Then it occurred to me I didn't even know this person, if he would care to follow my advice, or if he even knew how to make a good chicken soup.
There are many very busy people out there just like these. They have too little time, or are too distracted and overwhelmed, or spend too much time on Twitter or Facebook to care about themselves or the others they love.
They need a virtual kick in the pants, or a hug, or an idea that will get them through the next battle. I hope they, and you, will let me help a little -- with snippets of ideas for living that you might not have thought of before. I've raised two children to successful adulthood and am now blessed with five grandsons that you might hear about from time to time. But mostly I'll call on my many years of experience as a mom for all kinds of solutions to life's little (and big) dilemmas.
I'm starting with the magical elixir for all things virus-related.
MOM'S CHICKEN SOUP
One whole chicken
Water
1 tbsp salt
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup rice
1 tsp herbs de provence
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. seasoned salt
Clean out the chicken and rinse under cold running water. Cut off any fatty areas. Place it in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until chicken is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (This will allow you to work on your computer for a while). Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly. Add the other ingredients to the pot along with 2-4 cups additional water, depending on how much soup you want to make. Bring to a simmer.
Remove all the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and fat. Cut meat into bite-size pieces, and return it to the pot. Simmer an additional 30 min. until veggies and rice are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Serve immediately or keep warm until lunch or dinner. This soup keeps and reheats well and should help you through any cold.
May it warm your insides and your heart.
