Sick!

I am a big baby when I get sick. My ex-boyfriend knows this because he used to have to bring me red Gatorade, ginger-ale, and crackers while I laid miserably on the couch watching shitty reality television. The snacks may have changed, but when I am sick I still get pretty miserable. I came down with a cold on St. Patrick's Day of all days, and continued with my plans against my better judgment. Come Thursday morning, I was starting to feel really awful. Luckily, I had taken a bunch of vacation days to spend time with my sister. I always seem to get sick when I have already taken off of work for something important. I powered through a day of visiting on Thursday and managed to get my sister to the airport on Friday afternoon, but afterward I was completely wiped. I spent my Friday night in bed watching Garden State with soy ice cream, but at least I also had this amazing soup. It's made in a slow cooker, so it's really easy to throw everything in there and turn it on. Then, you can go back to sleep and wake up to the smell of health in a bowl. If you don't have a crockpot, feel free to use a heavy-bottomed pot on low. I use lots of carrots for their vitamin c and a healthy dose of garlic.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

Towards the end of January, I was lucky enough to spend Saturday morning perusing the farmers market across the street from my apartment. The Virginia Avenue farmers market is relatively small, but it's 100% organic. I'm really blessed to have one right across the street. On this particular morning, it was a little cold outside and I bundled up in a jacket, hat, and scarf. These are things that one doesn't usually get to wear in Southern California, so when it gets even a little chilly, I seize the opportunity. In line with my winter fantasy, I decided that I really needed to make a slow-simmered soup.
I went without a shopping list or any agenda in hand with the intention of browsing the produce and letting something "speak to me". Of course, the produce that did the most speaking was located in the stall of a man with a very cute British accent. In addition to the Queen's English, he also had a bin full of very tiny carrots and parsnips. Now, I wasn't sure that I really liked parsnips, but I do like carrots and I do like accents, so I was willing to take a chance. I also picked up some ginger. While I have only just begun to appreciate ginger for its medicinal qualities, I have always loved the taste. When I used to be able to hold my liquor, my signature drink was a whiskey and ginger ale with a maraschino cherry.