BBQ Chicken Pizza

Oh finally! Inspiration and the time to write a non-pregnancy blog post! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Last night, after hemming and hawing in the car about "Eat out? Ooh, Chinese sounds so gooood! But we shouldn't spend the money. And we're having Asian tomorrow night, etc.," we finally decided to make another grill pizza. We had one on Thursday night, and while it was delicious, I was in the mood for something really savory and salty. I suggested BBQ Chicken Pizza. Jake got giddy with excitement. BBQ Chicken Pizza it was.

When we got home, Jake turned on the grill and I immediately pulled some of our cooked chicken from the freezer. Seriously, preparing meat in advance is the BEST. THING. EVER. Meals come together in no time at all! I cut up some onion, cheese, and pepperoncini fresh from the garden. Jake mixed our leftover pizza sauce with some BBQ sauce, and trust us--it doesn't take much to give it a BBQ flavor. He then mixed a bit of this with the chicken. I was skeptical of this method at first, but it really did help keep the chicken from drying out. I stretched the dough. I didn't do any fancy twirls with the dough, but I think my dad still would have been proud. Then we assembled. Here is the pizza before baking:

 Then we put it on a pizza stone that we use exclusively for the grill. If you try and use one for both your oven and your grill, your house will get smoky very quickly (trust us!). It's best, we've found, to NOT heat the pizza stone up before hand on the grill. Since the heat source is bottom heat, it has a tendency to burn very quickly before the rest of the pizza is done. And about 12-15 minutes later, here's the beauty of a pizza we turned out:

Dad, you taught me well :-)

And because we had some garden greens to use up (beet and kale), I sauteed those up with some onion, garlic, and creole seasoning for what turned out to be a delicious Southern meal--pizza style. Delicious!

Cheese Explosion

So funny story: over 2 weeks ago, I walked in to volunteer at the East End Food Coop for my usual Tuesday afternoon shift, when I noticed that all of the cheese coolers were empty.  Apparently some pipes had some leaks in them, and so they had to take everything out.  Even though the merchandise was still good, they couldn't sell any of it.  But they could give it away to employees and loyal volunteers (aka me).  After my shift is done, and I've been told by at least 5 different people about the free cheese and tofu products they have, I make my way back to the veggie cooler to find the holy grail of cheese: an entire cart full of local artisan cheeses, from Monterrey Jack to Cheddar to Swiss to Colby to Mozzarella to Provolone to Smoked Gouda to Sage Jack.  They encouraged me to take as much as I wanted and to not forget my friends who might like some too.  I walked out of there with well over 20 bricks of cheese.

Needless to say, we've been working through the cheese bit by bit, but we still have a lot left.  Tonight, I braved my fears and made homemade macaroni and cheese.  My fear lies in the fact that I grew up on the blue box stuff, so my view of Mac n Cheese is rather narrowly limited to that.  My fear is that I don't know what real Mac n Cheese should taste like.  But fear no more, I say.  I found out tonight!

I adapted a recipe from allrecipes.com.  Here's what I did:

Preheated the oven to 400 degrees.  Greased a 9X13 casserole pan.  Boiled for 8 minutes in a pot too small (note to self for next time) 1 pound (16 oz.) wheat elbow macaroni.  Drained pasta.

While that was boiling, I combined the following in a large bowl, almost too small for the end product (note to self for next time):
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1 1/2 cup shredded colby
1 cup shredded swiss
1/2 cup shredded smoked gouda
1 cup shredded monterrey jack

Mmmm....cheese explosion....

Next I made the sauce:
3/4 cup plain yogurt (subbed for sour cream which I didn't have)
3/4 cup heavy cream (arteries began to clog at this point in the night)
1/4 cup chicken broth (the recipe's reviews said it was a little dry, so I added this)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. Jamaican jerk seasoning (probably could've used more)

Wait...there's nothing in here!  Because Alyssa forgot to take the picture when it was full :-(

Finally, I combined the drained pasta and cream/yogurt sauce with the cheese.  Stirred thoroughly, popped it in the pan, and topped with a little bit of cheese I reserved and bread crumbs. 

Popped it in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese was melted.  Then put it under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes, and voila!

Cheese explosion turned yummy goodness, topped with fresh parsley.

The only thing that slightly redeemed the health factor for this meal was serving it alongside steamed broccoli and sliced tomatoes.

But take my advice: don't go back for seconds (note for next time).  Your tummy (and arteries) will thank me.

When life hands you unbaked cake, make a truffle!

First, HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!  To treat Jake and I, I decided to make a most delicious looking cake that I saw in the October issue of Better Homes and Garden, a "Walnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream."

Right?  Doesn't it just make your mouth water?!!?

But I should have followed one of my most basic life principles: if you go into something with low expectations, you'll always be pleasantly surprised!  Now, on first glance, this defeatist tenet seems absolutely at odds with my generally positive optimism.  However, I look at it the other way around: I always want my outcomes to be better than I would have thought.  Hence, no or low expectations = happiness!

Yet I did not follow this rule this time.  From the recipe, it was going to be one of the most involved cake making efforts of my life.  And I was psyched.  I wanted my cake to look just like the picture.

The Hotdish

Where I come from, we don't have casseroles.  We don't have goulash.  We have hotdish.  Hotdish is exactly as its name suggests--a hot dish full of goodness and comfort.  The ubiquitous "Tator Tot Hotdish" remains perhaps the most well known of all hotdishes, but any variety of hotdish can exist because--and here's the best part--there's really no recipe for hotdish.  You can make it out of anything you have on hand, although typically one of the following is needed:

• large baking dish
• grain or substantive vegetable (potato, rice, wild rice, zucchini, eggplant, bread)
• meat or beans
• "sauce", most typically one or more cans of condensed soup (cream of mushroom and tomato being the old standards)

 Now sure, there are plenty of church cookbooks with hotdish recipes in them, and certainly I have used these recipes before.  But these "recipes" are nothing more than "guidelines" as its pretty hard to mess up hotdish, as evidenced by my improvisation of hotdish for last night's dinner.  I'll call it (ready for my stunning originality) "South of the Border Hotdish."  It was my attempt to use up end-of-season peppers and tomatoes from our garden, potatoes that were starting to get soft, the bottom-of-the-bag tortilla chips, and dehydrated black bean dip that has been sitting in our pantry for years.

I started out by slicing 5 potatoes very thinly and layering on the bottom of a greased baking dish.

Then I spread one can of Campbell's cheddar cheese soup mixed with a tablespoon of milk (to thin it out--it could have used a bit more) over the potatoes.  I popped this in a 350 degree oven while I prepared the rest.

Chopped lots of onion and pepper and tomato.  Fried that up with two links of chorizo.  Set aside.

Made the black bean dip by mixing it with some water and popping it in the microwave for a minute or so.  Then I mixed in a can of drained black beans.   I took out the potatoes from the oven, then spread the black bean mixture over the potatoes.

Then I put the chorizo/pepper mixture over that and topped it all with shredded cheddar cheese and the crushed up bits of tortilla chips left at the bottom of our near empty bag in the pantry.  Popped it in for another 20 minutes, and success!

Another hotdish proudly made for consumption by hearty Midwesterners everywhere.

Domestic Goddess

I am proud to say that over the last few weeks, I've been a bit of a Domestic Goddess.  I had the loftiest of intentions back in August, looking forward fondly to the days when I could work at home--both for my "jobs" and for general homemaking--and then frankly failing miserably at my goals in September (see previous post for why the failure happened--too much going on!). 

But now, I feel like I can breathe.  I'm starting to get into a groove, and while I know there will be hectic times in the (unfortunately all too near) future, I've at least begun somewhere.

So what does it mean to be a Domestic Goddess (DG),  you wonder?  I suspect that DG's are homebodies.  DG's take pride in doing things around the house, as menial as they sometimes are.  DG's probably have a to do list that they relish ticking off items from as the day progresses.  DG's find ways to save money, to maximum time, and to take a deep breath all in the matter of a moment.  They prioritize.  They create.  They feel joy.

And thus, given that I fit this description to a T (surprise surprise--I created it!), I really love my life right now.  My real jobs are going great, but being a DG is enlightening.  Here's a few things of what I've been up to:

1. Making homemade yogurt (next time when my camera doesn't decide to die on me I promise to document the whole process and post about it).  I used the directions on this page, www.makeyourownyogurt.com/.  They have a wonderful pdf with pictures that explain how to make yogurt with a HEATING PAD!  How cool is that?  And it works!

Heat milk to 185 degrees, preferably in a double boiler to prevent scorching.  Stir often!

Put the pot of milk into an ice bath, cooling to 110 degrees.  At this temperature, "pitch" your yogurt by adding your starter--2-3 Tbls. of PLAIN yogurt.

Plug in your heating pad on medium, cover it with a towel, and set on a cutting board.

Place your pot of milk on the heating pad, cover with towels, and wait 7 hours. At that time, spoon into containers (it will be runnier than store bought yogurt) and put in the refrigerator to cool and set up.  

2. Baking pumpkin and roasting pumpkin seeds

Baked pumpkin for a Pumpkin, Barley, and Sage Soup (it was DELICIOUS!). You can find the recipe in the October edition of Better Home and Gardens magazine, or on their website at www.bhg.com.

But I couldn't let those seeds go to waste!  I found a new recipe at Simply Recipes, and it was the best recipe I've ever used for pumpkin seeds!  Definitely recommend it.

3. Made a reusable grocery bag out of recycled jeans and the leather backing from a belt that came off recently.  I love having scrap fabric and a sewing machine :-)

Sorry for the pictures being sideways, but you get the idea.

4. Baking bread--and failing.  Not quite sure why.  I'm following the directions in the book.  I'm "cloaking the loaf" for a good minute (and no, it's not nearly as dirty as it sounds).  But then it always blows out the bottom (seriously, get your mind out of the gutter).  I think I *gasp* need my husband's help on this one.  He really is the baker in this household.  Perhaps someday my bread won't look like this...

Attack of the Zucchini, Part 4

Oh, it feels so good to be back blogging! I took a few days off, or rather my days took off to the point where I had no free time, but the joys of a relaxing Sunday at home in my p.j.'s--ah!!  So I'll now be taking this time posting yet again, and perhaps even later again today if something pops up.

The Zucchini are still coming in droves.  I froze some more grated zucchini on Friday, but saved part of it for some delicious stuff Zucchini pancakes:

We found the base recipe on Food Network for a Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Pancakes with Tomato Sauce.  We didn't have goat cheese, so we substituted Feta instead.  And the Tomato Sauce looked a little to time intensive for our tastes, so instead, we served them on thick slices of an heirloom tomato from our garden, the Pineapple Tomato.  Sprinkled with Parmesan, it was delicious.   The only thing that I would do differently next time is make the pancakes as thin as I could in order to get them to cook all the way through--not that they were not done, but I would have liked them a bit more done if that makes any sense.

Also, I want to say a special and huge "CONGRATULATIONS!" to my dear friend Emily (or Awillix on the blog) who just had a beautiful baby girl, Lily.  While you likely won't be on the blog for a while now that you've got your hands full, know that I'm thinking of you and wishing I could send you some of the zucchini :-)

Attack of the Zucchini, pt. 3--getting creative!

I'm taking creative license here. I'm including yellow squash in this post.  Please forgive the culinary transgression.

I'm happy to report however that we have even more summer squash of both varieties.  So let me count the ways we've dealt with this lovely turn of events:

1. Freeze it--in slices and grated.  We are making Ziploc one very happy company this summer.
2. Pickle it--yummy zucchini pickles loaded with ginger--sounds delicious!  Can't wait to try them.
3. Pasta it--every kind of way you can imagine, including a surprisingly simple and easy linguine with zucchini, raisins, walnut, and Parmesan cheese.  Delicioso!
4. Grill it--oh, what a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper can do to bring out the flavor.
5. Load it--sadly I don't have picture for this one, but two weekends ago on our ill-fated trip to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Arts on the Allegheny (in Kittaning--it got stormed out...boo...), we had a great picnic before hand consisting of a pseudo Tex-Mex dish.  Use thick zucchini slices as your base, top with a black bean spread, avocado, tomato, pepper, and pepper-jack cheese.  Surprisingly, this was scrumptious, if messy.  The only thing missing was tequila in our lime juice.
6. Bake it--very tasty muffins and bread!

Put za zucchini in za batta and a stir stir stir (until just moistened).

Final product: 6 muffins and 1 small loaf.

7. Stuff it--finally cool enough to turn on the oven, we decided to give the stuffed thing a try.  So glad we did!  I sort of mashed a bunch of recipes together, and here's what I got:

3 zucchini or yellow squash
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 medium red onion, diced
3 small peppers, diced
3 large roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Fresh cut 1/4 cup basil and 1/8 cup oregano
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste
Broth if the mix seems too dry. 

Slice open the squash (if using yellow, will have to deseed).  Scoop out pulp onto a cutting board until you have a 1/4-1/2'' left int he shell.  Roughly chop up the pulp and put into bowl.  Cook the zucchini halves in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.  Place in a greased pan that tightly fits the halves in it (you don't want the stuffed halves to be rolling all over the place, do ya?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring 1 cup quinoa mixed with 2 cups of water to a boil; cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.  Brown hamburger together with onion and peppers; drain if desired (I didn't--it was pretty lean and added good moisture to the dish).  Mix quinoa, hamburger mixture, pulp, herbs, tomatoes, and seasonings in a bowl.  Mix thoroughly. 

Scoop your filling into your halves.  Press down firmly to fill as full as possible.  Sprinkle liberally with parm cheese.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until "crispy" and the cheese is browning on top.

Finished product:

I like to think all the fresh veggies cancels out the burger and cheese.

Oh, and did we forget to mention the double zucchini?

Please share below what you think this looks like ;-)

Don't see this every day! 

We are Granola

If you are what you eat, we are granola.  We only recently began to eat a lot of it once we started making it ourselves.  And I think the only reason we started making it is because people were calling us "granola" and "modern day hippies" and the like and it seemed weird that while in many ways we aptly fit these descriptions, we did not in fact consume granola.  I had also been under the mistaken assumption that granola was somehow "bad" for you.  While being a high-calorie food, thanks to complex carbohydrates, honey, and nut fats, it's also chalk full of nutrients, protein, and fiber.  So the lesson here: moderation is key.

Well that's all been changed thanks to a wonderful foundation recipe that came in one of the Penzey Spice Catalogs.  The recipe has been used so many times there's oil blots on it.  It's very well loved.  And let me tell you: moderation is hard.  It's our morning staple cereal, and we top it off with yogurt and fresh berries if they're in a season.  Delicious.  But we also have a handful during the day if we need a pick me up.  Delicious.  Or as a little bedtime snack.  Delicious.  Frankly, it's hard not to eat it all the time.

This recipe is for a double batch.  Store half in the freezer.  Trust me--you'll need to make a double batch.  It goes that quickly.

• 6 cups old-fashioned oats (not quick oats)
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 2 cups nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans, cashews, etc.
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 6 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruit (raisins, craisins, pineapple, apple, etc.)

First, mix together the oats, oat bran, flaxseed, wheat germ, and nuts in a large bowl.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Then take a small saucepan and combine the honey, water, sugar, vanilla, and oil.  Cook over low heat until it just begins to bubble.

Pour the honey over the oats and mix thoroughly, scraping up the bits and pieces from the bottom of the bowl.

Divide the mixture between two large jelly rolls pans and spread out evenly.  Baking for approximately 20-30 minutes (depending on how well you like it done--I like mine crunchy!).  Stir every 8-10 minutes while baking.

Let the oat mixture cool completely.  Once cooled, add in your dried fruit and store in refrigerator or freeze. 

I've adapted this recipe to suit whatever I have on hand.  I love to add cinnamon to it.  I added steel cut oats (about 2 of the 6 cups) when I mistakenly bought them one time and then had no idea what to do with them.  And I even have put in quick oats on occasion when I'm just a bit short (gasp!).  And that's what I love about this recipe--it's versatility.  And if it means that we--like the granola that we eat--are versatile, I'm flattered.

My Return to Cooking

Cooking is in my genes.  I was predestined to want to cook.  I took every advantage when I was younger to help my mother in the kitchen, to be inspired by my dad's magic hand, and to try every recipe I could manage from the Kraft Kids cookbook.

Admittedly, however, I have been long stuck to the recipe on the page.  Only recently have I begun to feel confident enough to go by instinct, by feel, by smell, and by taste.  This is in large part thanks to Jake.  Part of the reason I fell madly in love with him--and what keeps me happy to this day--is that he can cook even better than I can.  When I found out he made homemade chicken wild rice soup from scratch, I was S-O-L-D.  Throughout the first few years of our relationship, we cooked many a meal together.  It was something we both enjoyed doing, and we'd try new things out on each other all the time.  But more often than not--and more often from my own choosing--I would do the "prep work" while he'd do the rest.  I was more than okay to watch him work his magic over the stove.

And the fact that he know show to cook has served our little family particularly well over the past year when my work schedule meant I didn't get home until 7 pm.  He really stepped up to the plate and made more dinners than I can even recall, especially after I started making him a "menu" so he didn't have to answer that eternal question "What's for dinner?" all by himself.

But now that my schedule has shifted and I'm home by the shockingly early hour of 4:30, I now can cook dinner.  And not just the prep work because as soon as we get home Jake usually bolts for the garden to work out there.  We're talking about me cooking the entire thing.

It's been glorious.  Apron on, hands washed, I feel I'm on a culinary adventure nowadays.  The constant influx of things from the garden presents an intellectual challenge.  How can I make zucchini different again??  I look forward to seeing what I can come up with, and it feels really good to be able to produce something not only from scratch, but using produce and herbs you've grown.  Satisfying in the stomach, satisfying in the soul.

So what was for dinner last night?  Warm weather Couscous.  The title sold me given how awfully hot it's been recently, but when I saw all the garden veggies in it, my heart pitterpattered.  I had found the recipe to use up the glut and make it all come together in a tasty creation.  And even though I didn't have everything on the list, I improvised.  I made it work.  Substituted roasted cumin for cumin, coriander powder for coriander seeds, added some carrot and garbanzo benas--you know, the standard ;-)  Here's the link to the recipe, but here's the basic idea:

1. Cook couscous by pouring boil water over and steaming it for 10+ minutes (or whenever the other stuff gets done)

2. Chop lots of vegetables (onions, peppers, zucchini, green beans, carrots, etc.) and saute in olive oil.

3. Add spices, including tumeric which instantaneously turns the dish a vibrant yellow, and some broth and simmer til vegetables are done (5-10 minutes).

4. Top with fresh cut parsley and raisins.  Voila!

The Attack of the Zucchini

How many different ways can you cook a zucchini?  How many different ways can you cook a zucchini?  My fearless husband and I set out today to answer that question after we were robustly and offhandedly caught in "The Attack of the Zucchini!"
..............................................................................................................................
(moonlight, mist over the garden on a humid summer night)

Zuke 1: Ha!  They'll never know what hit them!

Zuke 2: That's right!  They'll have no choice but to pick us now!  How much did you grow today?

Zuke 1: 4 inches.  How bout yourself?

Zuke 2: Like always, I beat you--I'm 5 inches longer today.

(cut to kitchen where Jake is doing...inappropriate gestures...with zucchini)

Alyssa: Jake, cut it out. Please stop that!

Jake: Just comparing, that's all!

Zuke 1 (voiceover): This was not exactly the kind of afterlife I had in mind.


Alyssa: What are we going to do with all of this zucchini?

Jake: (in song) We could chop it, fry it, dry it, freeze it, pickle it!  We could shred it, bake it, sautee it, but most of all EAT IT!!!!

Zuke 1 (voiceover): Yeah, they definitely didn't warn us about this in school!  Run!  Oh, wait.  That won't work.  Hhmm....What to do now? I know!  I'll send a secret telepathic message to all my friends to tell them to grow, grow, grow!  These schmucks will never know what hit them in a few days.  Muhahaa ha ha!!
 ..............................................................................................................................

Well, Zuccini, we're giving you a run for your money.  First up yesterday--a lovely Vegetable Frittata.  I've never made a frittata before because I've been afraid the egg would stick the the cast-iron pan, but lo and behold with enough butter and oil, it just slid right out!  Here the general recipe (and what's great--you can swap out veggies as you have them on hand!)

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 3/4 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 handful of swiss chard or spinach, chopped
• 1 small zucchini (5-7'' long), chopped in half-moons
• 1 Tbs. each of fresh basil, rosemary, and chives, chopped
• 1/2 Tbs. each of fresh oregano and thyme, chopped
• 5 large eggs, well beaten
• 4 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
• cheese for topping (we used cheddar and parmesan)
• salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste (we ran out of onion, so we pinch hit!)
• fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in cast-iron or oven-safe fry pan.  Saute green pepper and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add zucchini--saute another 4 minutes.  Add swiss chard and fresh herbs.  Saute just until the greens are wilted.  Turn heat up on veggies to medium-high heat for one minute. Add eggs, lifting edges to allow runny egg to run to the pan.  Keep doing this until the egg does not run any more.  Quickly top with sliced tomatoes and cheese.  Pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes, or whenever the egg is set and the cheese begins to brown.  Slice and serve hot or cold.

Final product?  Deliciousness...

Sick!

It hasn't left.  This thing.  Whatever it is that has possessed my chest.  I slept for 13 hours last night.  Who does that??  Then I stayed home today from work and rested and tried different remedies.  I'm hoping that this did the trick.  I'd really like to accompany my classroom on their field trip tomorrow.  I'm like a child--"I don't want to miss the field trip!!!  I don't care if I'm sick!"

Here's a bit more about the remedies I tried:
1. Unsure of the eucalyptus steam bath (see previous post), I decided to do a chest rub instead. 

• 30 drops jojoba oil
• 5-10 drops eucalyptus
• Mix thoroughly.  Apply liberally to chest.  Cover with cotton towel or flannel.  Top with heating pad.  Snuggle up under the blankets (or sheet as the case may be for me as it's the middle of summer) and rest.

The eucalyptus is supposed to be an expectorant to get the gunk out (as opposed to what's in most cough medicines--a suppressant--which limits or suppresses the cough), but also is said to help thin out the mucus as well.  I must say, after using both last night and tonight, it worked on both accounts!

2. Chicken noodle soup--my husband looked at me like I was crazy last night when, after he'd been out in the garden til 8:30 pm, I told him I wanted chicken noodle soup.  I knew we didn't have any chicken noodle soup in our pantry.  But I didn't care.  I wanted chicken noodle soup. Even if it meant that he might have to run to the store to buy his poor ailing wife some chicken noodle soup.  I wanted chicken noodle soup.  Lo and behold, though, the man manages to pull chicken noodle soup out of the pantry using:

• one can low sodium Campbell's chicken gumbo soup
• one can cream of chicken soup
• can of white chicken breast chunks
• a handful of broken linguine noodles
• a carrot
• two celery stalks

What would I do without him??  It tasted great and exactly what the doctor (or me) ordered, especially served with yummy whole wheat bread from a local bakery all slathered in butter.  I proceeded to replicate this meal for both lunch and dinner today. 

But there absolutely must be something to chicken noodle soup (or soup in general) being good for illness. I swear, I was running a low-grade fever before last night's soup feast, but after--gone.  My shirt was soaked after eating lunch today, just drenched.  Sure, perhaps this was also because, as aforementioned, it's the middle of summer and hot outside anyway, but I'm just going to imagine that it helped cleanse my body of toxins through the old fashioned way--sweating them out. 

3. Tea--and lots of it.  I'm not kidding--I was trying to hit this thing from every angle.  Lemon balm tea (from our very thriving plant; this calming herb, when steeped for long enough, is said to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties), chamomille tea (helps to calm and relax muscles), echinacea tea with fresh ginger (helps to boost the immune system), and green tea with honey (provides general antioxidants).  Next up: I'm thinking of trying thyme before I go to bed.  It's known to clear up coughs.