Eurgh.

[taimatsu]

I'm back from Manchester. My darling loves have given me some lovely birthday presents including a WEBCAM and paid Livejournal time - unfortunayely I have also acquired a cough/sore throat. It's not too bad right now but I desperately need to avoid it getting worse before my first exam on Saturday afternoon, so let me know your favourite old-wives'-tale remedies, please. And if they don't involve cayenne pepper that'd be favourite.

I got up at a sensible time this morning and am dressed and everything, but I haven't had breakfast because there's nowt in the house. I've just cleared out and reorganised my food cupboard (which is tiny and crammed. Why does bloody housemate Hubert get twice the bloody space? I should ask him to swap.) which means I should find it easier to make quick meals while I'm working over the next three weeks. I have cleared my stuff from the fridge too. Unfortunately my food stocks now involve a lot of baking ingredients, porridge, rice pudding, two tins of emergency soup, jam, teabags, huge matzos crackers, half a jar of pesto and a shelf full of rice, pasta, noodles and slightly sprouty potatoes. A meal, particularly a breakfasty meal, is not really possible from these ingredients. I'm off to the corner shop in a minute, therefore, and later today I'm heading into town to pick up a parcel and also go to Sainsbury's. So if you have any tips for fabulous, tasty, easy and quick meals to make while revising, please comment.

I miss Dave and Eve :(

Comments

[j4.livejournal.com]

It was lovely to see you & I'm glad you got back okay.

Porridge = breakfasty meal! Especially with golden syrup NOM NOM NOM.

Cough/sore throat remedies: hot honey and lemon; drink lots of fluids generally to stay hydrated; get plenty of VitC.

Quick/tasty meals: I'd go for variations on a theme of pasta & pesto, pasta & soup, pasta bake, etc. I am a complete pasta-monster, though, & rarely get tired of pasta! Egg-based things are also good for quick meals: omelette, scrambled eggs on toast (chuck some ham in as well), that kind of thing. Now is probably not the time to start worrying about whether you're creating fabulous dinner-party food: eat things which keep you sensibly nourished & make you feel happy.

NB there's no shame in buying ready-meals for the days when you really don't have time/energy to prepare things! Sainsburys do some nice ones.

Oh and get plenty of fruit in for vitamins and snackage.

*hugs*

[taimatsu]

No MILK for porridge :( but i will buy some at the corner shop as it will be nice for the throat as well.

I am a pastamonster too! Yay pasta!

It was fantastic to see you yesterday - thank you for a lovely evening. I have been munching on part of your present :)

[j4.livejournal.com]

You can make porridge with water (lower-fat, and doesn't actually taste much different IMHO).

Milk generates more mucus, which might not be ideal for coldy throats, but IANADoctor and if it makes you feel better then go for it.

I hope you're not eating the sushi plasters! :-)

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I had porridge with water for breakfast today (and every day for the last couple of weeks, come to that).

Can I recommend you try porridge with salt, rather than with sweet things? Much nicer.

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

Onions tied to the feet is supposed to cure colds and sore throats. I've no idea WHY, mind you and have not tried it.

My grandmother swore by whiskey toddies - it was the only alcohol she would ever drink.

Echinacea (sp??) to prevent it becoming a chest cold, however, I'd swear by.

Good luck!

(Easy recipe - tin of chicken ala king, over pasta, squeeze on lemon juice and add thyme - surprisingly good).

[rainbowskye.livejournal.com]

My Mum does something involving leaving onions cut into rings to steep in milk, dunno about the tying bit! I've never been able to bring myself to try it, mind.

I've heard whiskey and honey/hot lemon is good too.

Have tried sage tea in the past and that is quite good for sore throats.

And I miss someone else in the same household so sympathy!!

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

Rice pudding for breakfast? It's almost like porridge!
When revising I used to make loads of my own rice pudding 2oz rice, pint of milk, sugar and raisins to taste, teaspoon full of vanilla extract. Mix together, either boil in pan, or bung in oven at gas mark 4 for up to 2 hours (check every now and then as revision break), eat when you are desperate for it. DEeeeelish, and much cheaper than the tinned kind.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

You have pasta, and half a jar of pesto? There's a meal right there.

[angeoverhere.livejournal.com]

Quick and healthy pasta dish (http://angeoverhere.livejournal.com/48011.html) (you can also use philadelphia type soft cheese, which is cheaper). Good for getting green veg in you when overworked.

[imc.livejournal.com]

My old-wives'-tale remedy involves soluble "Vitamin C and Zinc" tablets from Tesco.

I think the above posters are correct that you can make porridge with water (though I usually make it with half water half milk), but if you obtain a tub of instant skimmed milk powder then you won't have to have actual liquid milk to make it with in future.

What does emergency soup taste of?

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Sirens, truncheons, bandages and fire hoses?

[taimatsu]

Cock-a-leekie or condensed cream of chicken.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

I did a really nice, easy potato dish the other day:

Finely dice some potatoes, into 1cm or so cubes. Chop an onion & a clove of garlic & fry off in a pan. Add the potatoes and sautee, with some turmeric, paprika, black pepper and salt. When the potatoes are nearly done, add peas/sweetcorn/edamame. Num!

[mistress-carrot.livejournal.com]

Lashing of orange juice, maximum amount of lemsip/random painkilling table of choice and plenty of bed rest. Do that for a day and you should start getting better.

[v15u4l-3rr0r.livejournal.com]

Squeeze the juice of a whole lemon into a cup, add honey to taste 9I usually add about a tablespoon) and a dash of whiskey. Mix it up and then pour in boiling water. Let it cool a bit and then drink it. Best sore throat cure there is in my opinion. It's gotten me through many a bleugh patch.

Also buy packets of those simmer soups. You can use them as bases for things like stew or just add more vegatables into them. I found that adding rice to it with a few vegatables and the meat of your choice makes an awesome meal and there's enough made for two and a bit meals. ro you could add pasta to it instead of rice.

Tinned tomatoes on toast topped with cheese is another good one and takes minutes to make.

[wednesday]

WEBCAM. Does webcam also mean headset or just camcamcamcamcam?

[taimatsu]

I have bought a cheapy headset thingy, but both it and the webcam need some tweaking to make the whole thing work. The end goal is the whole videophone thing, though, and you will be among the first to know when it happens ;)

[wednesday]

SQUEE!

[cigamerisedi.livejournal.com]

Hey, hon! So sorry, but I won't be able to be in London on the 9th. Will be in Oxford. London on the 4-7 of June. Lemme know if I can see you sometime in there!

[taimatsu]

Hmm - my exams don't finish till the afternoon of the 7th, so I don't think I can manage London at that point.What are you up to on the 8th? I can make it to Oxford, London or anywhere round about...

The picnic on the 9th is actually in Reading which is 25 minutes on the train from Oxford, if that helps at all :)

[cigamerisedi.livejournal.com]

Oh! Alright then. I believe we may be able to make that, then! :D