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16 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, March 14, 2008 Im with Ted. Last week Independent & Free Press columnist Ted Brown told us about the last straw for him in his relation- ship with our charming winter and I must say, although I tend to try and enjoy the winter months now Ive had it! The last straw for me was a week or so ago when Id been sick for about 10 days five of them laid out flat with a high fever and a throat so raw that I could hardly breathe let alone talk. Anyhow, imagine, get- ting out of bed for the first time to head in to the office for a few hours and get some stuff sorted out and what do I get greeted by? A driveway to shovel and a car covered in ice. Nice! Im not a go-into-debt kind of girl but Ill tell you, Im about an inch away from walking into the nearest travel agency and getting them to book me a flight some- where anywhere as long as its hot! Whoever has been sick this winter, my sympathies. I dont normally get sick very often so this one really took me by surprise. Anyhow, having been sick in varying degrees for about two and a half weeks now, I am an expert on home remedies because everyone has told me theirs. I thought Id share them with you, since most of them relate to food. 1. Number one remedy homemade gin- ger honey tea. Put several slices of fresh gin- ger root into a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil and allow to steep for a bit. Add some honey and drink while hot. I dont think this cured anything, but it was very soothing. Dont let it steep too long or the ginger caus- es it to become quite spicy and it hurts instead of soothes. 2. Vitamin C 500 g, two times per day. This is what I was told by a friend; it is NOT what the bottle says. I dont know if this one has helped or not, but Ive been taking it, figuring it cant hurt. 3. Popsicles brilliant! 4. Flat gingerale I think this one is intended for people who feel sick to their stomach. It didnt do me any good with a cold. 5. Vicks Vapour Rub on the chest this feels good and seems to relieve some conges- tion. 6. Vicks Vapour Rub on the neck not so good, it burns and feels sticky and not nice. 7. Vicks Vapour Rub on the bottoms of your feet, then put on wool socks, then go to bed you have got to be kidding me; I would suffocate and not be able to sleep! A person has to have their feet free! 8. Continue to eat healthy: fruits, vegeta- bles, etc. this is probably very good advice, but I wasnt very hungry and there is no way that I am going to be this sick and not get some popsicles and ice cream! Anyhow, this weeks recipe is sugar cook- ies. This versatile little recipe can be used for all the major holidays and is a ton of fun for the kids. For some cookies you may want to colour the dough if so, then put in a cou- ple of drops of food colouring at the stage where the butter and sugar are getting creamed together as this will give you better colouring results than trying to add it once the dough is complete. The colours will fade a little in the oven, so colour up the dough a bit brighter than normal. Have fun and keep cooking! (Lori and Gerry can be reached at whatscookin@independentfreepress.com) Lori shares some remedies for a bad cold Lori Gysel & Gerry Kentner Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda Method 1. Cream butter and sugar together. 2. Beat in egg and vanilla. 3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, soda and bak- ing powder together. 4. Gently blend dry ingredients into the butter mixture. 5. If dough is a bit soft, then refrig- erate for 1 hour before rolling. 6. Roll dough one quarter inch thick. 7. Cut with your favourite cook- ie cutters. 8. Decorate with sprinkles or coloured sugar. 9. Lay on baking sheet one inch apart. 10. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 5-8 minutes. Once lightly browned around edges, remove from oven. Allow to cool on pan for one or two minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Sugar Cookies Advertorial