Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Tis' the Season . . . for Colds and Flu . . .

Yes, I've been under the weather, sore throat, runny nose, headache, cough, aches and pains.  I don't have the flu, but I do have a bad cold.  I had been wondering why they called it, "under the weather" when you are sick, and as I was checking out my favorite blogs this morning, I noticed that, Lucy, at  Attic24, who is also feeling, under the weather, looked it up for me.  She said that on British sailing ships, when a sailor was sick they would send him below deck, out of the weather, or under the weather . . . who knew?!


I have been drinking lots of honey and lemon, in chamomile tea, taking Mucinex, and staying warm.  I decided I would catch up on some of the shows I have been wanting to watch like, Downton Abbey, Doc Martin and Call the Midwife.  I love British T.V., so I have been kind of enjoying my time on the couch.  Today, I am feeling a little better, so I am hoping to be back up and on my feet by Friday!

I think I will cook a pot of ham and beans in my electric pressure cooker today, using this recipe.  Have I mentioned how much I love my pressure cooker?

Ham and Bean Soup

*6 cups pre soaked beans (I use 1 cup of dried navy beans and 2 cups 13 bean mix, also dried)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
ham hock or shank (I also used about a cup or so of chopped ham that I had)
water

Place the ham hock or shank, beans, onion and garlic into the pressure cooker.
Add enough water to completely cover the beans.  Place the lid in place, Set to high pressure and set time for 30 minutes.  When the timer goes off, let the pressure go down naturally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Because I am kind of a lazy cook, I hardly ever soak my beans overnight . . . :0)
I just clean them, put them in a pot, cover with water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let them sit for 1 hour . . .done!

I think I'm done for the day  . . . tomorrow will be better!

XXOO,

9 comments:

Vee said...

Hope the citrus and the comfort food gets you back on your feet soon. Kinda cool that you are making the best of it by catching up with Netflix programs and movies. We tried to watch a movie on Netflix and the audio was so bad that we couldn't on either the laptop or the iPad. The tv long ago fritzed out on Netflix.

Billie Jo said...

Feel better soon!!!!
Sounds as if you are close to the end of the yuckiness. Have a cozy evening, my friend. : )

Marsha said...

Sorry to hear you are sick. I was just thinking that I am so busy these days that I hope I don't get sick because I don't have time to be sick. It seems there's always something in the fire. Enjoy your British shows.....they're great. I'll have to try beans your way. The only way I've done them is soaking overnight. I will need to try the pressure cooker. My husband got me one for Christmas 2 years ago and it is still in the box. I guess I'm more than leary of the unknown.
Take Care...............

Barb said...

I love my pressure cooker - I make spaghetti in it, including the noodles, it's wonderful to cook chicken in, fresh or frozen, beef stew is amazing, rice is fluffy and delicious, and I always do baked potatoes in it. Our ham and beans were so good, and they cooked in 35 minutes, tasted like they had cooked all day! You really need to get it out and play with it, it's very safe, and so easy! I hope you find some time for yourself, or maybe you could just get snowed in!! I can't believe the snow you guys have, and more on the way!!

LeAnn said...

Oh, my dear friend; I am sorry you under the weather. I loved that you found out why that term is used.
Roger has had a sore throat the last couple of days. We use Airbronne a lot and it usually either ends it quickly or cuts the time in half. We take lots of Vit. C and one Zinc a day. It works really good and we have used it for years. I had the missionaries try it when I was the nurse and they all thought it worked really good.
I love British TV too. Of course, now we don't watch much. Mainly, a Hallmark movie once in a while.
Thanks for all your sweet thoughts that you send my way. Love you both and hope you can get well and stay well. Sending lots of prayers, love and hugs your way!

Jill said...

Feel better soon! Sounds like you are using all the right remedies :-) I'm just ready for summer to come back already, lol! No more nasty germs and more outside time.

Blessings,
Jill

Sue said...

Hi Barb, hope you feel better soon, I have not been blogging much either but for a different reason, I have been so busy cleaning, organizing, our garage! And what a major undertaking this has been!
Honey and lemon do wonders for colds,!

I must be the only person in blogland who hasn't seen DA, but that will soon change, I have gotten the first season from the library and plan to catch up!
Thanks for visiting me, always a joy to visit you, stay warm and healthy!
Blessings,
Sue

Shug said...

Hope you are feeling better.......this is a remedy that my Sam totally believe in. He has honey and lemon every day. I have heard so much about Downtown Abby....but have never seen it. Between all the hunting and traveling shows that Sam records....I don't think there would be time for me to get into DA. Hope you have a good weekend and I truly hope you feel better.

Kerin said...

Oh boo. Sorry to read that your feeling poorly. I do hope that you are starting to feel better now!!
I too love British t.v!! Have you watched Foyles War yet?? We just finished all the seasons. I saw it for sale at Costco {for $99.00} and I'm trying to convince myself to invest in the dvds ... **heehee**. We watched it for free on Netflix.

I also LOVE my pressure cooker!! It's perfect for us!! I need to give your recipe a try, as it sounds delish!!
We just bought us a big propane smoker and that's been my latest obsession. Tonight, it's smoked salmon on the menu...yum!

Take care of you, and sending warm and healthy wishes.
~K.

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