Tasty Tuesday: A New Year, and a Cold Remedy

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had tons of fun last night. I've been fighting a cold for a few days, so I kept it low-key at my parents' house. We went out to dinner beforehand with some family friends, and I pulled-out one of my Christmas dresses for the occasion.

Christmas shoes, too.

My boyfriend is in St. Louis with his family, but we had our midnight kiss, thanks to Skype.

Actually, we had two, thanks to time zones.

Now, let's talk about Tuesdays. The theme is "Tasty," and each week I'll be highlighting a recipe, restaurant, indulgence, or whathaveyou. I love to eat, and I have a LOT of opinions about food. Hopefully, you do, too.

The number-one item on my Christmas list was an apron from Anthropologie, and I was thrilled to find it under the tree. I love cooking, and (shh, don't tell!) I actually love cleaning the kitchen. I'm a slob in every other room, but an immaculate kitchen is an absolute must. Normally, I get covered in cooking oil and water when I spend time in there (our faucet is, um, enthusiastic), but with this darling garment, my clothes stay nice and clean! Who ever would have guessed?

But would you believe I forgot to wear it for today's kitchen adventure? Ridiculous.

What's that, you ask? What was this adventure? Let me explain...

There's a great juice shop nearby called Nectar, and they offer a drink they call "The Flu Shot." It's 2 ounces of lemon, ginger, and cayenne pepper, and it - supposedly - kicks congestion right in the hindquarters. Since I could definitely use some sinus relief, I broke out my own juicer and whipped-up a flu shot of my own. 

If you have a juicer, this is ridiculously easy. If you don't, I highly recommend you head to Nectar the next time you feel sick. It may not completely reverse your cold, but it will definitely give you some relief. Remember: fresh juice is nature's medicine. (*musical trill*)

Ingredients:

• 1 Lemon
• Fresh Ginger root
• Cayenne Pepper

Now make it!:

1. Juice that lemon! The whole thing! Yeah, it's not a TON of juice, but that's the point - it's a shot, remember?
2. Shake some cayenne pepper over the top of the lemon juice. Not too much! Your tastebuds are about to touch it.
3. Juice a piece of ginger root. A section roughly 1 - 1.5 sq. inches will do.

See, so simple! Now, Shoot it! That's right - one big gulp! Just like college! If your eyes burn and your nose runs then, congrats! You win!

Now, I have to wash my juicer. And I'll put on my apron to do it!