It's really cold this morning — just barely above freezing. Out the windows, I can already see some blue sky and the first pink light of sunrise, which means that for the first time in a few days the sky isn't overcast. Meanwhile, what I took for allergy symptoms yesterday — watery, itchy eyes, a runny nose, and a lot of sneezing — now feels like a deep chest cold. I'm coughing.
Onion soup with slices of bread floating on top, covered with grated cheese that goes under the broiler to melt, was the perfect lunch for yesterday. Well, I say perfect, but it didn't stop this cold from settling in. I guess travel fatigue left me vulnerable to some bug. In French this specialty is called soupe à l'oignon gratinée. Notice the nice heavy stoneware bowls we recently acquired for cooking two big servings of soup in the oven.
With my cold and cough, besides walking the dog, it's a regime of rest, liquids, and hot, comforting foods for the next few days. Luckily, I don't have anything I really need to do this coming week. Right now, the heat is going full blast and the radiators are rapidly warming up the house.
I can't wait to get the new boiler, scheduled for installation on Wednesday and Thursday, so that we don't have to let the house get so cold overnight. This morning it was 12ºC (mid-50s in ºF) upstairs when I woke up. That's too cold, but if we leave the old boiler going all night the house gets way too hot. A new thermostat should help with that problem.
You might have picked up the cold virus on the plane. The soup looks wonderful, just the thing for cold weather, especially when you're under the weather. The bowls look nice too.
ReplyDeleteMaybe on the plane or maybe in North Carolina itself. I was in contact there with a lot of people. I rarely catch colds here in Saint-Aignan, but Paris, planes, and N.C. are a different story.
DeleteThose oven-safe soup bowls are practical, nice-looking, and not expensive. We got them at the Facile shop over in Noyers-sur-Cher. Facile is worth looking around in if you find yourself in the Saint-Aignan area.
Sounds as though you may have picked up what I've had; it's making the rounds here in the U.S. and the incubation period sounds about right. Make sure there's plenty of moisture in the air or it will take forever to recuperate!
ReplyDeleteHuzzah for the new boiler!
I heard talk of a bug going around in North Carolina where I was, but I didn't encounter anyone with obvious symptoms. I guess I picked up the bug anyway.
DeleteOld English saying ' Feed a cold: Starve a fever.' Do you have the same saying in USA?
ReplyDeleteI have heard it said that the stale air pumped around and around during long airplane flights means that anyone's cold becomes everyone's cold!
The onion soup looks very tasty and should help to clear your head. Thinking of you and do hope you feel better very soon.
We use that expression too. I don't seem to have a fever, so I guess I don't need to go on a diet. Hot, comforting food is the order of the day. Plus some salad, of course. And maybe a stray glass of wine...
DeleteThat was my husbands cure .. sweat it out and drink red wine.
DeleteIt might be a lot more fun that my hot soup and tea recommendation.
I am sorry you got sick, it is always the same with me ... flying = catching a germ. Airplanes are like a large flying petri dish lol everyone coughing and spreading germs.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother used to say that, feed a cold, starve a fever .. Hot soup and tea ... you need to keep hydrated and tummies don't take well to a lot of food in them when you don't feel good .. drink lots of liquids.
If you don't feel better in a couple of days, call me, I will come bring you some homemade soup lol ...
ps ... for some reason ... my husband loved spicy food when he felt poorly- he loved Indian soups that were hot .. he said it made him sweat out the fever .
Hope you are feeling better already !
I made a big pot of black-eyed peas today and I have been eating them with Texas Pete hot sauce and Tabasco Smoky Chipotle sauce, both of which I brought back from N.C.
DeleteYou should be feeling much better by Mon .. if you don't have a terrible case of heartburn :)
DeleteNo heartburn, glad to report. Other digestive side effects though, but nothing serious.
DeleteI'm making that soup one day soon!
ReplyDeleteIn a few days you will have steady heat for the winter. I know you will enjoy it after the cold snap you are having. I was in Orlando for a short trip visiting old friends. I drove down with friends and flew back from Disney World's airport that was full of kids of all ages who are great spreaders of colds lol. It was just a short flight to B'ham whereas your flight was longer. I'm always happy to have the cold at the end of the trip rather than the start. Carry on....
Good point, E. It would have been miserable to be sick in Morehead. Here, I can sit still and just get better.
DeleteYour soup looks delicious and I love those soup bowls.
ReplyDeleteSorry you are under the weather. I came down with a cold last month. The first one I've had in years. I had forgotten how miserable they make you feel. A couple weeks later I came down with one of those nasty virus bugs. There is definitely stuff going around in NC! I've decided to avoid ALL gatherings for a while.
I woke this morning to pouring down rain. It's suppose to get down in the the 30's tonight. By the end of the week the daytime temps will be back in the 70's. NC weather!
Hope you are feeling better soon!
I rarely catch colds since I've lived out in the country. I called my mother today and she's had the same cold. That would seem to confirm that I caught it in Morehead.
DeleteWish I had that soup sitting here in front of me this morning. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon!
It was 92 degrees here yesterday, almost a record. It was 93 in 1924 per the almanac.
I have to say that I would not enjoy that kind of heat. Bon courage. No onion soup with melted cheese for you guys.
Delete1924 was the best year, ever!
DeleteLOL -- j'étais pas né !
Deletechm that made me lol, mdr!
DeleteI suffer from allergy,too
ReplyDeleteAllergies are a terrible affliction.
DeleteRest well and get better Ken.
ReplyDeleteI' trying to do just that. Hope you and A. are well.
DeleteHome renovations are making us crazy right now, but we are both well. I think.
DeleteThat onion soup looks delicious! I was trying to find some of your other recipes (amongst others those for the slow cooker - a kitchen appliance we recently acquired), but I can 't find a search button/option. Strange, 'cause I seem to remember using it before. Have you removed that option maybe?
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't removed or changed anything on the blog. If you scroll up to the top of the blog, you'll see a search field with the Blogger B in front of it. Hope you can work it out. Let me know.
DeleteHi Ken, thanks for your help! Your instructions are very clear, however, when I scroll to the top I can't see any serach button ... and then it dawned on me. My default browser is Chrome and that's what I'm viewing your blog in. For some reason Chrome sometimes acts up, as I call it, in that it won't open certain links, or show particluar things. So I started up Firefox and hey presto: there was the search bar; right where you said it would be. Thanks again, off to browse through some recipes now.;)
DeleteKen, glad you returned safely. Nothing better on a cold pre-winter day than hot soup (except maybe a hearty chicken stew). Looks delicious. By the way, take that vitamin D3! Studies are starting to show that this vitamin is critical in maintaining good health. It's tough to get enough of it in a normal diet. I've been taking it (fall/winter months 4,000 to 5,000 IU/day, spring/summer months 3,000 to 4,000 IU/day) for many years and I can definitely say that I've had far fewer colds and those that I've had are, by far, much shorter in duration.
ReplyDeleteTerry, I've had fewer colds since I moved to France. I still have the allergy stuff but less than in California. My current cold is slowly getting better, but the frigid weather here isn't helping much. Tomorrow or the day after rain is supposed to move in again. Ouch.
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