Cold be gone

Last week, I started to get an ominous tickle in my throat. Both my son and my husband had suffered with some kind of cold that included a sore throat, and I didn't want to get it. I remembered that red chiles are full of vitamin C and capsaicin and are supposed to be a healthy superfood, so I turned to my already-used ristra and pulled off a couple more.

I used my food chopper because I have discovered the hard way that if you attempt to chop a dried red chile with a knife, you will send itsy-bitsy pieces of dried chile all across the kitchen. Keep chopped dried chiles in a spice container for easier use so you don't have to raid the ristra every time you want to pack a little punch in whatever you're cooking.

Or brewing, as the case may be. I had several herbal tea varieties in my cupboard, and over the past week, I've added a teaspoon or so of dried chiles to cups of all three of these in an attempt to ward off that sore throat and cold. I haven't caught it yet!

I think the chiles taste best in an herbal tea that has mint in it. I know, it seems like a weird combo, but what can I say? I like it.

Last night, I was encouraging my hubby to eat horseradish to get over his stuffy nose, and he wanted to know where I got that information, so I turned to Google. Yes, I found a couple reliable sources that said horseradish was good for the common cold and/or sinus trouble. I also found this homemade concoction that's supposed to prevent colds. I may mix up a batch and see what it does.