This week, we were blessed to be able to visit my Gramese in the bayou. It’s been 3 years since we’ve been able to visit at Christmastime and over 2 years since we’ve been here. The last time we were here was in September 2015 for my Gramese’s 80th birthday. It takes 6-8 hours to drive here so we usually try to come when we can stay about a week, but that time we came in for the weekend for her birthday.
We were going to have a surprise party for her, but I guess the secret was kept too well because she decided she would throw herself a party “since no one else was going to.” It was a good party and we were glad for the excuse to visit even if it wasn’t as long of a visit as we’d have liked.
My Gramese has lived in the same house since I was a baby. It’s been beat up and repaired a few times during various hurricanes, but it’s still there and it’s still my favorite spot in the whole world. It’s always been a place where I’ve felt loved and I’ve felt like I belong. My Papa was one of my favorite people in the whole world. He’s been gone over 7 years now, but his memories are still here, with the rest of my people that I dearly love.
We’ve been planning this vacation since before October, but right before we left I started to feel like I had a cold coming on. We had a choice to come now with the beginning of a cold or not come at all and not be able to come again for at least a year. So I drank some elderberry syrup and loaded up on vitamin c and prayed to God I wouldn’t make any of my favorite people sick. We made the drive pretty uneventfully, but once we got here, Gramese had lost her phone and had her house locked up tight. It was pretty cold and I was tired so I didn’t think to knock on her window until my cousin suggested it and then we got in, but the cold didn’t help my cold get any better.
The next day, my Gramese introduced me to her special cough and cold recipe. The first time I drank it, it made me snottier. The second time, it got rid of my snot entirely. The third time, we drank it as a family because Rory needed a second dose and it ended in everyone but Izzy drinking it and Izzy throwing an epic fit because it was gross.
It is gross. I’m not gonna lie. But it’s medicinal and medicine isn’t meant to taste good. It’s meant to help you be well. As I type, Izzy’s drink is sitting on the counter while she takes a nap and she’ll have a second chance to finish it when she wakes up. So I guess in our case, it’s helping get rid of cough, cold, and stubbornness.
Izzy can be difficult. She’s stubborn and willful and determined and all of those things will be good one day when she’s an adult, blazing new trails and leading the way, but when it’s time to eat or drink something she decides she doesn’t like or want, it’s not a good attribute these days. Hopefully if she’s ever offered drugs, she’ll resist them with as much fervor as she resists food and drink now. That’s all to say that when I post a recipe and say that it’s Izzy approved, it’s kind of a big deal in our house. Because if anyone is not going to approve of food or drink, it is usually Izzy and it’s usually epically dramatic.
This recipe is not Izzy approved, but it does get rid of a cold. It is good for the body and boosts the immune system. But it does not taste good.
Cough and Cold Relief Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup warm green tea
- 2 squeezes fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions:
- Prepare green tea, steep a few minutes then squeeze out and discard tea bag.
- Squeeze lemon twice over small strainer (to catch seeds) into cup.
- Add baking soda, stir and chug.
- Repeat until your cold is gone.
Note: You want the tea to be warm, but cool enough that you can drink it without stopping. It’s not something you want to sip or hold in your mouth for a long time, but it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste when you’re done. It’s simple to make and will boost your immune system and won’t have any bad side effects so you can drink it if someone else in your family is sick to help you not catch whatever bug they have. It also helps you to empty your bowels so keep that in mind. Just like any medicine, hopefully you won’t need it, but if you do, it’s nice to have something that works.
If you have a stubborn kiddo and you have any tips for getting them to drink yucky medicinal stuff, is love for you to share in the comments. If not, I’d appreciate your prayers. Having an Izzy is not for the faint of heart.
Made from Scratch 