sickness reigns supreme

sickness has well and truly torn through our house. the week before last i had joseph home for 3 days and maddie for one, then both of them off the following monday (thankkfully they went back the next day and haven't been off since) and doug, then we had to take alex to the emergency department of perth childrens hospital because he was wheezing so badly, only to discover he had bronchiolitis... and by the end of that week - i was down with something too. as a mum, you are always end of the line for being looked after, so by the time i got to the dr, i was told i had a severe (drs words, not mine!) sinus and chest infection. no wonder i couldn't flipping breathe! it was terrible, every time i would lay down to try and sleep, i would actually be able to hear the wheezing of my chest and i'd start coughing again. being sick is the worst, especially with a baby who keeps waking up because he is sick too! :(

here is hoping that we are all on the mend, because i am well and truly over it. this being sick and having to be a mum sucks so bad.

chicken and sweet corn soup

it's winter. it's cold and i wanted chicken soup because everyone around me is getting sick. i figured it really couldn't be that hard to make, so i asked my good friend google and he found me this recipe from taste australia. i did my usual and made it work with what we had and it was yummmm, so here's what i did below. 

i remember when we were younger and would go and have dinner at the chinese restaurant in town that we would always have chicken and sweet corn soup and i loved it, this brought me way back to my childhood and i'll definitely be making it again for my family.

chicken and sweet corn soup

ingredients

4 cups chicken stock

400g chicken breast

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 teaspoons crushed ginger

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/4 cup water

1 x 420g can creamed corn

1 x 300g can corn kernels, rinsed, drained

100g shaved ham, thinly sliced

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon sesame oil

6 green spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally

salt & pepper

method

put the stock and uncut chicken in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. transfer chicken to a heatproof bowl. set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. finely shred.

add the soy sauce and ginger to the stock mixture. place the cornflour in a small bowl and gradually stir in the water until smooth and combined. gradually stir the cornflour mixture into the consomme mixture. cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until consomme thickens slightly. add the chicken, creamed corn, corn and ham and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until hot.

use a fork to whisk the egg whites in a small bowl. gradually pour the egg whites into the soup, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

cook for 2 minutes or until white ribbons swirl though the soup. remove from heat.

add the sesame oil and half the green shallot and stir to combine. 

curried lentil soup

a few weeks ago (when we were rehearsing a musical item for our ward conference) my friend kate made this delicious soup and served it up to us on a rainy day. it is so yum, that i had to get the recipe and have already made it again since... you should totally try it!

curried red lentil soup

1 tablespoon oil (i used coconut)

1 diced brown onion

1 teaspoon minced ginger

3 teaspoons minced garlic

squeeze of lemon juice

1 tablespoon mild curry powder

1 1/2 cups dried red lentils

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups liquid chicken stock (i used the vegan brand)

1 can coconut milk

chopped coriander leaves

1. heat oil in large saucepan. cook onion, garlic and ginger for 3-5 minutes until onion is soft. add curry powder and cook until fragrant.

2. add lentils, tomatoes, squeeze of lemon, stock and coconut milk. bring to the boil. reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until soup has thickened and lentils are cooked.

3. spoon into bowls with a little sour cream, top with chopped coriander and serve with crusty bread. 

original recipe pre kate's modifications can be found here 

it's raining... it's pouring!

it's raining again!

hopefully - it won't end up as bad as the last storm we had - but i just heard a "severe weather warning" for the perth area, and i must confess, i did visualise my computer being soaked again and my carpet in my house going back to it's wet dog smell. what an overreactor! I'm sure it'll be fine... eep. fingers crossed.

the rain always reminds me of a quote by

elaine cannon (the yw's general president at the time,) from a talk “agency and accountability,” in the ensign, nov. 1983, p.88 -

"we are like children walking a path in the rain. we can walk straight down the path... or play in the mud as we desire, but with our choices come the consequences, with time the stains become harder to remove, and we are rapidly becoming what we are choosing to be for all eternity.
maturity is understanding that we cannot blame anybody else for our actions. being accountable for how we use our agency means being answerable for our own behaviour..."

something to think about - isn't it...?