On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:52:55 -0500, Michael Horowitz <Michael Horowitz
>> wrote:

>I had a week of some GI virus, two weeks feeling better, and the last
>week devoted to a cold. My appetite is good, but I need to bring my
>strength up. I can do some shopping later today.
>Anyone got suggestions for 'get back the energy' meals? - Mike

My old stand by here is garlic chicken soup, maybe with matzo balls
floating in it (or dumplings, I prefer dumplings to noodles). Garlic is
supposed to be good for boosting your immune system, though I can't say it
does that for sure, it sure makes the soup nice.

Everything is to taste in this but the ingredients are important for it to
have the restorative properties you're looking for.

chicken
(I usually cut it up into chunks before cooking it in the broth, instead of
cooking it whole then chopping it up)
broth
(I make mine with either Mrs. Grass chicken noodle soup mix sans noodles,
or redi-base chicken base, but that's just because I can't be arsed to make
my own broth most of the time)
potatoes
(nice waxy potatoes are best in this, yukon golds are very flavourful but
long whites are good too, I'm not as fond of the baby reds)
onions, coarsely chopped
garlic, at least 10 cloves, minced
fresh parsley
(important for the vitamins it imparts to the soup)
celery, finely chopped
carrots, finely chopped
scallions, chopped

optional: matzo balls or dumplings

I put everything but the chicken and the scallions into a giant pot of
broth and let it cook until the potatoes are starting to get soft. Then I
put in the chicken and let that cook thoroughly for a while. After it's
ready I'll toss in matzo balls or dumplings and let them cook. Then when I
serve it I sprinkle the chopped scallions over the soup.

This is a really hearty, rich, tasty soup that is comforting and still
gives me a lot of energy.

--
Siobhan Perricone
Humans wrote the bible,
God wrote the rocks
-- Word of God by Kathy Mar