Running With Quills: A Perk Up Potion

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Perk Up Potion

How are you feeling? Any aches and pains--a little queasy wiggle in the tummy maybe? Got a sore throat? Strep's horrible with that 'block of wood caught somewhere' sensation.

Today I found a potential cure for the whole shebang. Ginger Lemonade. I'm serious. I was with a friend who has strep throat, and a huge glass of ginger lemonade made a new man of him. And my glass sent me running from one end of Hanalei Bay to the other--twice.

Because I can't bear to think that one of you might need some of my new pick-me-up, I have braved the kitchens of a local (Kauai) eatery and begged for the secret recipe. This follows. Only problem is that these folks have been making the stuff for thirty years and they couldn't give me real quantities so I hope everyone will improvise, keep notes, and report back with details for the perfect brew.

Boil ginger roots until they're soft. You can hack them up first to speed the process.

Throw the whole mess in a blender and mash it up.

Strain carefully to get all the stringy bits out.

Stir in fresh lemon juice--as much as you think you need and please remember to include the quantity when you get back to us.

Lime juice (as above).

Maple syrup--the real stuff--to taste.

Get the whole thing really chilled and serve over ice.

Bottoms up!

Stella

Okay, I lied. I only ran along the bay once . . . I did think about running along the bay.

Do you have a family potion, something grandma always cooked up for what ailed you? Do share:)

Labels: A Perk Up Potion

33 Comments:

DFender said...: Hiya Stella!

I hope you're having a wonderful time in Hawaii. You deserve it :-)

Our family recipes? At my Mom's insistence and yes, she swears by 'em all:

For sore throats? Gargle with hot, hot, hot salt water. *shudder* I must say, it's always worked in my family.

Queasy stomach? Sip, SIP mind you, Coke syrup over a full glass of crushed ice. Yep, always works, too. Can one even buy Coke syrup anymore? lol

Earache? A drop of alcohol in each ear and stuff cotton balls in there until your earache goes away. Very attractive look, too! lol

Ha! Don't we all have this stuff from growing up? The only stuff that I refuse to use is that pink/red, burns-like-all-the-fires-of-hell, mecurachrome stuff? I think it was called mecurachrome. Gah! Traumatizing for all little children...lolol

I'll hafta keep that ginger-lemonade in mind. I love lemonade. Thanks, Stella!

Deb; 3:49 AM
Lori Foster said...: Deb, they now sell anti-nausea medicine that has the same ingredients as a warm coke. Why it needs to be warm, I don't know, but that's what the pharmacist said. It settles the stomach. We keep a bottle of anti-nausea medicine on hand at all times!

The gargling with salt water is something we've always done for sore throats!

Stella, since I'm now down with what the doc's are calling the 100 day cold, I just might give that a try, Stella! I like lemonade... not sure about the ginger, but it can't taste any worse than all the cold medicine, right?

My comfort foods when I'm feeling down aren't homemade. They store-bought. LOL

I like Progresso chicken soup with routini. Yum. It's steamy and salty and tastes homemade, and it usually clears up my head - temporarily.

I also like oatmeal with lots of butter and sugar. I feel pampered when I eat it.

It's amazing how bad this cold/flu season has been. Everyone across the country is reporting on it.

Lori; 3:59 AM
Lori Foster said...: I hate typos when they're mine. Grumble, grumble, grumble. But I was up all night with this idiotic cold and cough, so forgive me folks. Just look past them - y'all know what I meant. ;-)

(doc's instead of docs & they instead of they're)

Lori; 4:00 AM
DFender said...: Lori,
Hope you feel better soon! I had that 100-day-cold last year. Gah! The Coke hasta be flat because the carbonation doesn't work to settle your stomach. Coke syrup is super-super-sweet and completely flat. My Mom used to buy it at the pharmacy in a tiny brown bottle. Being a broke, single Mom when I was younger, I always used regular Coke, flattened it out in the microwave then poured it over crushed ice for my kids. Worked like a charm. LOL.; 5:51 AM
MichiganMom said...: Wow! Everyone sounds like they have what ever was hitting Michigan in February. I believe one of my grad students said it was like hacking up a lung... Yucky.

But.....warm Vernors and ginger brandy really really always makes me feel good when I am sick....I didn't say "better", just "good"!!!

Pam; 10:27 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Oh, no, Lori and Deb, I had that 100-day cold last year. It was the absolute pits. Unfortunately this year it was food poisoning/tummy flu that laid me low for weeks! Bummer.

Stella, whenever I feel queasy I crave ginger ale. (Not the sugar free kind. But the real stuff.) Not an old-family recipe, but I still remember drinking it when I had my tonsils out at the age of five.
~EG; 10:28 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Stella: Actually that ginger/lemon drink sounds very interesting. I'd have paid good money to see you run along the bay...

Lori, I sure hope you turn the corner on that 100 day cold soon. Bummer. That's one of the few drawbacks to our careers -- no sick leave. You get sick, the work just doesn't get done. So what do most of us do when we're not feeling well? We work.; 11:22 AM
Tina said...: I have a chronic stomach thing that flairs up every so often and HURTS like someone has stabbed me in the gut and is twisting the knife like a key off of a canned ham. These flair-ups are precipitated for any of the following reasons: stress, too hungry, got in a bad fight with the husband, ate the wrong thing at the wrong time, and (the ever popular) just because. Consequently, I've tried about every possible stomach remedy, both prescription and over-the-counter. Know what works pretty well for upset and/or queasy stomach? Candied ginger. (Ginger root capsules work well, too, but they're huge and can be hard to swallow.) I can chew a piece of candied ginger right when I feel a little off and it'll often help settle my stomach. Mind you, this doesn't work with the bloating/pain/etc, but then, nothing really does. That said, ginger is really great for when you're just nauseous or queasy.; 11:24 AM
Stella said...: Deb: Quick! What kind of alcohol in the ear for earache:) Can it be rum, brandy, bourbon? Or does it have to be some thing much less interesting. I'll try it.

We always gargled with salt water which had the unfortunate result of making me need to use coke syrup:):)

Stella; 1:52 PM
Stella said...: Lori . . . Boooooo! Like you, oatmeal is my ultimate comfort food. In fact I eat oatmeal several times a week regardless.

On the ginger--just to make it simple, do what Sue recommends and have the ginger ale. Also a good ginger tea, or ginger and camomile is really good and soothing.

And I almost forgot the biggest biggie of all:

PHO
(pronounced Pha)
This is fabulous fresh chicken soup--Vietnamese and available from most decent noodle shops. It's magical. I'm a vegetarian but make an exception for this. You add fresh bean sprouts and the chicken to the broth separately. Nothing to it. I don't cook and I love this stuff.

Love, Stella; 1:56 PM
Stella said...: Deb--I've flattened Coke in a microwave, too:) Stella; 1:58 PM
Stella said...: Pam: Sounds fabulous. Do you think a warm Mai Tai would work?

Stella; 1:58 PM
Stella said...: Sue and Jayne:

Now there's a thought. If we're sick, the work doesn't get done. Now why didn't anyone tell me that before:)

Love, Stella; 2:00 PM
Stella said...: Tina:

Hmm--I wonder how many of us would point to similar triggers for unset stomachs.

I love ginger in any form. In fact I think it's really good for you to eat dark chocolate with candied ginger regularly--probably daily . . .

Stella; 2:04 PM
DFender said...: Stella,
RUBBING ALCOHOL. One to two drops in each ear. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE of choice right down the gullet.
;-)
Deb; 2:52 PM
AgTigress said...: Ginger is wonderful stuff. Ranks up there with garlic as a natural cure for all sorts of things. Lemon is pretty good, too.
The ginger lemonade sounds excellent, although I have to say I might be tempted to add a dash of whisky as well.
:-); 4:10 PM
Stella said...: Deb:

Rubbing alcohol? Boo--that doesn't sound very sexy but I'm going to do it when I need to. Thanks for the tip.

Stella; 6:03 PM
Stella said...: A Tigress--The whiskey does make the drink sound more potent:)

Stella; 6:05 PM
talpianna said...: From my WiP:

Whimpering, Roland flew across the room; he fetched up against a table and slumped onto a bench, burying his head in his hands and moaning most piteously. "One corpse reviver coming up!" bellowed Barnabas cheerfully.

He strode over to the table with a glass containing a moldy-looking greenish-gray mixture, which steamed greasily and smelled like wet mole. With a practiced motion, he tipped the hero's head back, pinched his nostrils closed, and poured the contents down his throat. Roland gagged; his eyes bulged and flashed briefly in rainbow colors; his ears changed shape three times before returning to their original form. Then he heaved a long, blissful sigh.

"That's the stuff to give the troops," murmured Barnabas to himself. "I don't know if it's the oleander root, the Purple Dragon pepper, or the maple syrup; but it does it every time."; 6:40 PM
psuedonyms said...: well i went ot the hospital once witha cough that i have had for five months and one of the nurses there gave me a recipe for a concoction that is pretty vile but works it's ginger, lemon juice, honey and hot water. basically i think it's a tsp of honey, a half tsp of ginger, a tsp of lemon juice and a mug of hot water mix well and drink in sips. like i said it's vile but works.; 7:20 PM
susan andersen said...: Deb, I drank Coke for breakfast when I was preggers--and it did help the nausea. I didn't flatten it, though. Just drank it from the can.

My mother was a demon with the mercurachome and a long swab when we had sore throats. I hated seeing that thing coming at me, but it worked!

Tina, don'tcha hate that just because one? I swear, though, ginger is a wonder tuber! I've taken ginger pills for arthritis and it works really well.; 9:39 PM
susan andersen said...: Rats. I hit the publish button before I added: LORI!! Hope you feel better real soon.; 9:41 PM
Tina said...: Tina, don'tcha hate that just because one?

Yeah, IBS sucks in many wonderous ways and the "just because" attack is merely one of them. Thankfully, ginger will help with the relatively minor symptoms and, if I can catch it early, it will often not get any worse.

Yay, ginger! There's a reason it's been a natural cure for 1000's of years.; 9:56 AM
Stella said...: Tal! You're for waterboarding?

Stella; 2:46 PM
Stella said...: Thanks, Pseudo. Fabulous--an actual part to part recipe. Fortunately for me, it sounds good!

Real honey (the best stuff) is very good for you btw--a tiny bit each day is a good idea.

Stella; 2:48 PM
Stella said...: Thanks, Pseudo. Fabulous--an actual part to part recipe. Fortunately for me, it sounds good!

Real honey (the best stuff) is very good for you btw--a tiny bit each day is a good idea.

Stella; 2:49 PM
Stella said...: Susan: I hadn't heard ginger was good for arthritis. Hmm. What form?

Stella; 2:50 PM
Stella said...: Stella, smiling smugly--or whatever. This ginger thing is turning into a winner. I got more of the brew yesterday and really did have lots of energy afterward. Funny thing was the place was actually out but had the ginger already reduced so they mixed up a glass that was VERY heavy on the giner:) I shall be leaping tall buildings in single bounds shortly.

Stella; 2:53 PM
Anonymous said...: I bought a Red Ginger Limeade from the local "healthy" market. I believe the company was Colombia River Organics - or some combinations of those words - great stuff, but I can't find it all the time. Maybe if you live in Oregon.

Zeusly; 4:46 PM
Stella said...: Zeusly:

I bet we can get this is Washington State--shall try.

Thanks, Stella; 11:51 PM
talpianna said...: Stella, that's not waterboarding--that's how you medicate an unwilling puppy!; 1:44 AM
lori not Foster said...: So glad i'm feelin fine at the moment; but when I have a sore throat, I like my dad's old time recipe in place of OTC meds.
In a widemouth jar place a couple of pieces of rock candy, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup worth. Pour about the same amount of honey over the candy, local if you can get it, (local honey helps to inoculate against common allergins), then pour the same amount of whiskey over that. Let it sit till the candy has started to melt, stir it up and use it a Tbs. at a time. Works better than anything i've ever found at the store or even RX.
Speaking of tummy aches, my mom used to make us take Paragoric. Ugh!! Anyone as old as me remember that stuff? Just thinking about it, I can smell it.
Nasty stuff, but it did do the trick.
Ginger is great stuff! Works for motion sickness too. I'm definately going to try that lemonade!; 11:04 PM
Errin Ricketts said...: my family uses and will swear by oil of oregano as will i just put two drops underneath your tongue don't put it on your tongue or lips or anywhere but under the tongue because otherwise your tongue or lips will go numb. it works really well though have some bread or crackers and water with you to have right after you take it or the vile taste will saty in your mouth forever. and usually the 80% works just fine the 100% is very very very strong.; 1:27 PM

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Perk Up Potion

33 Comments: