Waffles !

Belgian or otherwise, Love em :-) x

To be honest the best waffles i ever tasted Were in Gent, Belgium,

a lovely late breakfast plate served up with fresh Chantilly Cream,

topped with a homemade Compote of apples with cloves,

Very similar to the one pictured below.

You can, of course, serve them just on thier own,

with butter, jam or honey,

or with any thing you like,

just enjoy...

They can make quite a good healthy option breakfast,

so long as you combine them with the right things.

In my opinion good coffee is essential wit them though,

if not hot chocolate maybe.

I make mine at home now from this great, very simple and quick, recipe,

found on this very helpful Waffle sight.

crispywaffle.com

You can now get many different types of waffle irons to keep in your kitchen,

mine are just like the ones above,

if your looking for some you could also try on,

Amazon

Ebay

And anything else you may need you can get from

belgianshop.com

and so, Back to work.

Airplane Flu !

And some remedies...

Place the following in a mug:

- the juice of half a lemon
- one peeled clove of garlic
- one tablespoon of honey
- "as large a pinch of cayenne pepper as you can stand"

Add boiling water and steep for a few minutes.

Drink. Go ahead, drink it. It's surprisingly good. The taste actually grew on me and I continued drinking it for several more days, which I'm sure contributed to the speed at which I managed to kick my cold (well, except for this ridiculous lingering cough, but I think that has more to do with my late in life tendency towards breathing trouble. I should go brew up a mug right now,

or,

Lizard Soup,

"The lady at the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shop explained that the lizards are best in a soup, and set out collecting all the bits and pieces to make the soup with. The soup ingredients (herbs) are yam, chinese dates, ginseng, medlar, and something called tragacanth. About 10 grams of each.... You cook these herbs with some pork bones and the lizards. The TCM shopkeeper told me I could eat the lizards (snap off the head and limbs and toss them out) and that the tails are the best, as in beneficial, parts to eat. They're reported to be good for asthma, colds, lungs and heart."

Echinacea,

This is the best herb to take during the early stages of cold.

Although, it's not an antibiotic and doesn't kill germs,

it stimulates the production of white blood cells, which fight off the virus.

Garlic,

This truly natural antibiotic destroys foreign bacteria with the help of a substance called allicin.

Garlic is best when fresh.

RivkA (the one with the capital A) recently recommended eating fresh garlic on toast every day as a way to stave off colds, twice a day when you're actually sick.

Ginger,

either freshly grated or powdered, taken as a tea induces sweating and elimination.

It boosts the immune system and respiration.

It provides relief for virtually all cold symptoms,

like fever, sinus congestion, sore throat, stomachache and nausea.

Elderberry,

has been used for centuries as a (natural remedy for cold and flu).

It deactivates cold and flu viruses by preventing them from replicating.

It’s best taken at the first signs of a cold.

Chocolate,
tickly cough is bugging you ?

treat yourself to a bar of chocolate. (Rococo Dark Chocolate with Chili)

Theobromine, found in cocoa, suppresses sensory nerves,

which will help soothe your throat.

Chicken soup,

otherwise known as "Jewish pennicillin".

I would recommend you make your Own,

Home cooking is very therapeutic,

(however good granma is)

Tip, Delia will help,

Chicken soup recipe

If all else fails...

Hot Toddy !

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

A Truly extraordinary Film,

The story follows an immortal thousand-year-old master name Doctor Parnassus

(Christopher Plummer,

He was not originally an immortal, though, but became so after besting Mr Nick

(Tom Waits)

in a small little bet.

He travels all over present day London with with his ‘family’,Anton (Andrew Garfield),

a wise little dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer),

and Parnassus own daughter, Valentina

(Lily Cole).

In their possession is a magic mirror,

one that gives their audience members a chance of going into a magical reality that reflects their innermost desires

(but also one that could easily turn around to blow you up).

As they go about trying to make ends meet day by day, they come across a young man, Tony

(Heath Ledger, and later by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell),

who was found dangling from his neck under a bridge.

Things becomes more than just a little complicated when Mr Nick turns up, intending to collect on an earlier arrangement made between him and Doctor Parnassus.

You have to see it,

its just great,

a feast of wonderful design which details the story beautifully.