Welcome to the fourth edition of ‘I recommend’. As the name implies, this is a share to recommend just about anything you like or have tried. It can be a book, drink, food, movie, music CD-anything. Mister Linky will open to another page (that’s how it works on WordPress). Please add your link there and don’t forget to leave me a comment here.

It’s that time of year when we are closed up indoors and subject to getting sick, especially with a cold or the flu. Brian and I got a flu shot a few weeks ago, the first in many years. It’s not a bad idea. That lead me to think of other things that help with your colds and bugs.
First of all, found this on elise.com–

Mom’s Cold-Season Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
4 cups of homemade chicken stock
Fat from the homemade chicken stock
1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly diced
2 carrots, sliced in half-inch slices (about the same amount as onion)
2 celery stalks, sliced in 1/4 inch slices (about the same amount as the onion)
1 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbsp of chopped greens from a green onion (green part of the green onion).
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) of crushed red pepper flakes (or a small pinch of cayenne)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method

In a 4 qt saucepan, heat a tablespoon of chicken fat (that has risen to the surface and solidified from your homemade stock) on medium high heat. If you don’t have enough chicken fat, you can add some olive oil. Sauté the vegetables in the fat until the carrots are almost done. While you are sautéing the vegetables, add the seasoning – the poultry seasoning, the crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Seasoning like this during the cooking of the vegetables brings out their flavor. According to my mother, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne is very helpful for a cold, which is why it is part of this recipe. Add the 4 cups of stock. Bring to a low simmer. Add the fresh parsley and green onion greens. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.

Serve with (at least) day old crusty French bread.

Serves 3.

My Grandmom Ruth swore by this:

When I took Sean to a local pediatrician, she thought that using this was funny-an old wives tale! I still use it in the wintertime-it’s really soothing in my opinion. It opens up your head. You rub a little dap of it around your collarbone.
My grandmom also used a ‘mustard plaster’ for severe chest congestion. She swore it saved her mother-in-law’s life one time. You take an old sheet- (about 2′ x 2′) and folded it up to the size of a small pillow. I believe she mixed veggie oil with dry mustard in a pot to warm it up into a paste (the link uses egg whites or flour). She then spread it on the inside of the folded sheet. She probably wrapped in it plastic wrap or a small towel and placed it on your chest. It got warm, but it does break up mucus.
We just added this to the medicine closet:

I may have used it once, but Sean used it when Brian and I got the terrible sinus colds around New Year’s (this year) and he didn’t get it!
Upping your Vitamin C intake is good. Get some hand sanitizer and keep some in your car too.
I swear by Sudafed for a stuffy head as a last resort. I also use BioAllers spray, a homeopathic nasal spray. Salt water spray is good too.
Hope these help you out! And do share other remedies here.

It’s your turn: