The Summertime Chicken Soup Substitute

Yes, I know it's not technically summer yet, but as it is currently 78 degrees with significant humidity, it sure as hell feels like summer. And as we all know, summer is a wretched time to have a cold.

Yup, I am indeed sick again. This is my second cold in a month, and I'm having a bit of trouble eating with this one. That's because when I'm sick, I don't want to eat anything crispy, crunchy, or chewy. It must be soft or liquidy. In the winter, that's no problem: big bowls of  soup or mashed potatoes with melted cheese are perfect. But now? No, I do not want a big steaming bowl of soup when it's almost 80 degrees, thank you.

As I was sitting outside in the sun this morning watching the children systematically demolish an old piece of foam with screwdrivers (enrichment! we are all about it!), I was glumly contemplating my invalid food options for lunch. Tortilla with melted cheese? Meh. Yogurt? Double meh. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Too chewy.

And then I remembered the vanilla ice cream in the freezer. And THEN and then, when we went inside for lunch I spotted the blender still on the counter from when I made fruit shakes* earlier.

As soon as the children were down for their naps, I blended up the ice cream with a scoop of cocoa powder, a bit of leftover coffee, and some milk.

That's right. That's a mocha milkshake. It was enormous and glorious and I drank every last bit.

I feel better already.

* The rest of the world calls these smoothies, but for some reason I cannot stand that word. So we call them fruit shakes.