Read, Eat, Sip, Repeat

We all have our rituals when we're sick. Mine include eating lots of ramen because my body starts craving carbs. Plus the hot broth helps soothe the throat. Right? No. In real life Top Ramen (only the red "beef" flavor) is a comfort food to me. It sends me back to the summer days when my brother and sister and I stayed home watching Matlock and Perry Mason, waiting for our parents to come home from work. We took turns making lunch and the selection revolved between macaroni and cheese, cans of pork and beans, cheese sandwiches (not grilled), and Top Ramen. I like mine with a little broth, not too much, seasoning packet thrown in first. This process was always a point of contention. These days I'm throwing in extras, a fried egg, some green seaweed for crunch.

Usually I want to drink clear pop all day long, but decided against all the sugar. Above is a ginger, lemongrass, and lavender tea made by chopping the herbs up and letting them steep for a good while in a French press. It was very soothing.

My throat was pretty sore for a couple days, so I stuck to soft foods, like this avocado, banana, and rice milk smoothie. That's a little cocoa powder on the top for good luck. Please don't be frightened of the next picture, but I am going to show you my nightstand.

If you got scared, it's ok, my husband goes through stages of shock at my messiness. The Herb book was dusted off to find some natural cold and flu remedies. And clearly, I've got quite the stack of books to get through. I've recently finished The Memory Palace and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for a book club. I've read my way through everything Abigail Thomas has ever written. And now I'm sinking my teeth into a collection of books by M.F.K. Fischer called The Art of Eating. In the very first chapter of this book, she talks about her Aunt Gwen. It was meant to be.

Today is the day I need to feel better!