Sick

Somehow I managed to get sick . I contracted something that started as a case of the sniffles, became a fierce sore throat and then turned my voice from low and husky to Mister Moose on Captain Kangaroo who can only squeak in a whisper. I rarely get sick. I think it is about 3 years since I had my last cold. As a kid I went through non stop bouts of tonsillitis and ear infections , and then bronchial athsma which oddly enough stopped when I took up smoking. It's not a cure I would recommend, but for me it worked. I quit smoking about 25 years ago and since then it is rare that I get even a sniffle.

Needless to say my biggest exercise at the moment is sneezing and hunting the kleenex box. As a mom it means that you still have to feed people when you are sick. Yes the guys can cook, but by the time I attempt to tell them where things are and what to do with them with my non existent voice, it is just easier to get up and make it. One thing I made yesterday was strawberry rhubarb crumble. Crumbles are a good way to use fruit in a dessert, and they can be made fairly healthy with some changes in the ingredients

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble



3 cups rhubarb, sliced
1 cup splenda
1 carton strawberries, sliced
1 t vanilla
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
-----topping-----
1 cup splenda
1 T black strap molasses
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 /2 cup walnut oil

Combine rhubarb, strawberries,vanilla, splenda and flour.
Place in a greased 9x13-inch pan.
Combine splenda,molasses, oats and flour. Cut in oil and crumble ontop
rhubarb mixture
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Rhubarb is an old vegetable that has fallen out of favor as less and less home gardens are planted. It has been called "Pie Plant", and was at one time featrured on many a table in the spring months. Botanically it is in the buckwheat family, and while the leaves are toxic, the red stem is quite edible, and the roots have some medicinal value, but should not be used by those unskilled in herbal medicine. It's a tricky one! Rhubarb helps not only the digestion but operates directly as a conveyer of bile salts- meaning it helps the liver to process foods and nutrients.
This helps the intestinal tract to absorb fats more efficiantly.Rhubarb is used as a laxative, antiphlogistic, and homeostatic in the treatment of constipation, diarrhea, jaundice, gastro-intestinal hemorrhage, menstrual disorders, conjunctivitis, traumatic injuries, superficial
suppurative sores and ulcers. It is also applied externally for thermal burns. In short, it's good for you !

I am hoping the magic of rhubarb, rest and lots of liquids kick this thing out of me quick, or I am going to have to give myself "The Garlic Cure" to knock it out. What's the garlic cure ? Take 4 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 cup of water, blend it and drink in one gulp. It kicks most bugs out within a few hours, but....