Northwoods Woman

And the stars of the show:  hamburger, onion, cream of mushroom soup (I use 2 cans, I’ll explain why later)  and bread.

The dish:  Meatballs.

Yeah, yeah, I know, meatballs are for spaghetti.  Whatever.  Not in my house.  There are a meal all their own, my friends.

Now, there are other “add-ons” like spices and such, but we’re talking main ingredients.  You know, the ones that “make” the dish.

There’s nothing fancy to this:  throw the raw burger in a bowl along with the chopped onion, now finely crumble up that butt of the bread that nobody wants and combine.  Get in touch with your naughty side and throw both hands in there and squish that stuff together until it’s all happy.

You want to spice it up a little?  Throw in some seasoning salt, garlic, or whatever trips your trigger.  It’s your dish, make it how you like.

After everything is combined real good, start forming those golfball-sizes meatballs.  I generally get 16 out of one pound of hamburger, so about an ounce each.

Now comes the fun part.  Take your baking dish and spread about 1/2 a can of soup on the bottom.  Plop those babies on top of the soup and then spread the rest of the soup on top.

Here is where I get a little creative with the recipe.  I put a couple dollops of sour cream on top of that.  Think I’m gonna stop there?  Yeah, right.

Time to pull out the dill weed and sprinkle about a teaspoon over the top of the sour cream.

These last 2 ingredients add just a little “kick” to the sauce when it’s all done.

OK, now it’s ready for the oven.  Let’s say 350 degrees for about an hour or until the sauce has started to bubble.

That’s it.  Done.

This is great served over rice or noodles (buttered noodles, or course).

Now this is where you are going to see why I used 2 cans of soup.  The juices from the hamburger have mixed with the soup to make a wonderful gravy, and you’re going to want to have extra to spread over your rice or noodles.

Heck, sometimes I make this dish just for the gravy!

So if you need something simple to make for supper tonight, give this little dandy a try.

If it passes my family’s inspection, you know it’s a keeper.

Yep, it’s that time of year again.  Runny noses, sneezing, coughs, general ickiness.

It happens every fall:  we love the season but hate the change in the weather that brings about coughs, colds and flu.

Many people misinterpret all that sneezing as their normal allergy symptoms, but let me tell you, I’ve been around too many people that misdiagnose themselves right into pneumonia.

So let’s cover a few bases to help you not end up all miserable and achy.

Know your symptoms

Hey, you’ve been on this planet long enough to know if your allergies are acting up or if it’s something else.  There are subtle signs;  remember what they are.

Sneezing and watery eyes generally signal a problem with those allergies, and the normal procedures you take to alleviate them get them under control.  If they aren’t working, you can probably bet your bottom dollar that it’s something else.  Pay attention, it will be worth it, k?

The 5 day rule

If you aren’t feeling any better after 5 days, hightail it to a Doctor.  I used to have people come into my store and say that they’ve been battling “such and such” for 2 weeks and still feel like crap.  HELLO!?!  Hey, I hate the Doctor as much as the next person, but if push comes to shove, I’m gonna go to the doc.

Pneumonia hits hard, folks, and I’ve seen it happen to too many people that could have avoided it if they would have caught the symptoms early on and nipped them in the butt.

Prevention

There are tons or preventative measures that can be taken to help you make it through the cold and flu season virtually unscathed.

When it comes to my health, I’m doing this year round with the holistic approach that is incorporated into my daily life.  My little secret?

Garlic.

Yep, love it and use it alot.

No, I’m not the kind to chomp on a clove every day, but I do like it in and use it on most of the foods that I eat.

Garlic = love in my book.

Water

LOTS OF IT!  You gotta cleanse that body of yours, and there isn’t a better way to flush out any bad toxins than with pure, clean water.

Vitamins

Don’t know what to take?  There is a product that I have used for years and I have passed on to others:  EmergenC.  This stuff is fantabulous!  One packet a day gives you a ton of vitamins and minerals, plus a huge boost of Vitamin C.  When I don’t feel 100%, you know, like I may be coming down with something, I take 2 of the packets and mix them with a small glass of water and slam it down!  I get a boost of energy and kick whatever was trying to hit me right on it’s keester.

Cough it out

If you have a cold, don’t suppress it, EXPRESS it.  The only way to get that crap out of your lungs is to cough it out.  Too often we take cough medicine to stop our coughs, but that is something that is best left for when you want a good night’s rest.  During the day, take an expectorant that will loosen that stuff and help you get it out of your lungs.

Kid’s cough medicine is the best that I have found for this, but there is some adult stuff out there that has it too.  Do the research and read the labels.

Rest

This is the duh factor people.  If you’re not feeling well, kick back and give your body some rest.  Don’t go spreading those germs among your friends, family and colleagues.  I know you were taught to share, but not this kind of stuff.   We love you and would rather spend time with you when you are healthy, so eat Grandma’s chicken noodle soup (always a proven winner for illness) and curl up with your favorite book/movie marathon/kitty cat.

There are tons more that I could share with you, but I’ll bring them about in future posts.  So for now, let’s try to get through the changing of seasons with as little downtime as possible.

Is there some special secret you have to getting through the cold/flu season that you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear it!

I am not a Doctor nor do I pretend to be.  This information is from personal insight only and not intended to diagnose or treat any illness.   Please, please, please, always check with your physician before starting a health regimen.  Let them know what you are planning to do and take so that proper care and monitoring can be taken.

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