A bowl of soup on a table.

When chicken noodle soup just won’t do

By on July 4, 2013

Well my friends there is nothing worse for a person like myself than to be sick…yes, I should be grateful that I don’t have some life threatening disease or some other catastrophic black cloud over me. But when you have a passion for food like I do and just the mere thought of cooking let alone trying to find the energy to go grocery shopping seems like someone has just asked you to climb mount Everest, well it becomes for the lack of better words…overwhelming and daunting.

For the last couple of days I have been battling a pretty bad chest cold that has been sucking all desires to do anything food related, that for tonight I needed to find a solution! I really shouldn’t complain, I survived the winter months with hardly a sniffle and of course Murphy’s Law likes to pop into my life from time to time (just to annoy the crap out of me) and throw me a energy consuming virus right in the middle of summer. Go figure. Well I decided that I would fight fire with fire – literally. For me, the tried and true has always worked…I needed some spicy food to sweat this poison out of my system. Spicy food has always been my ‘old school’ remedy for colds. It hasn’t failed me thus far (fingers, legs and toes crossed).

I decided to go to one of my favorite Thai restaurants here in Ottawa, Singha Thai. This quaint and ever so charming restaurant has been serving patrons in the Ottawa region for several years (it recently closed its sister restaurant, Wang pad Thai in Hull,Quebec which was in business for over 15 years). Singha Thai’s consistency where food is regarded has been stellar over the years and that is why I knew I would be able to count on them to provide me with some savory, spicy and gratifying delectables that would no doubt kill this bug that I have become a host too.

I figured that I would first order a soup (now anyone that personally knows me, knows that I typically avoid soups at all costs. I’ll explain my reasoning behind this logic…I see soups as fillers and appetite suppressants. Fillers that can be replaced by what I consider ‘real’ food – which is basically anything other than soup. All kidding aside, I just find that soups cut my appetite in half which in theory isn’t a bad thing but when you are craving for some heavy protein and starch – a soup will just kill that dream). But when you’re sick, you do things that you normally wouldn’t typically do. So alas, my order of Tom Kha (a hot and sour soup with shrimp, lemongrass, mushroom, galangal and coconut milk) came to my table piping hot and ready to be consumed. This soup literally gave me goosebumps…not sure if it was the hot temperature of the soup or the fact that I was reawakening my senses but it was all good. The spicy flavors started to stimulate the taste buds..and this was just the beginning.

Tom Kha

Next up were my some of my favorites, I ordered a spicy Pad Bai Gra Prow (chicken with fresh chili peppers and basil leaves) and some Pad Thai (Fried rice noodles with chicken, egg, peanuts and bean spouts). I ordered the Pad Thai strictly for comfort reasons…how can you go to a Thai restaurant and not order this dish? Under any other circumstance, I would typically also order (don’t judge…leftovers are always good) some Gaeng Kheav Warn, a wonderful rich dish that consists of chicken or beef with some green curry, coconut milk and eggplant to which I absolutely love but I was trying to not go overboard on the dairy since its counter productive when you have a cold or at least that’s what they say.

The heat from the chili peppers in my Pad Bai Gra Prow was exactly what the doctor ordered. It instantly warmed up my core and got me reaching for the water right away. I had forgotten how much I love to eat the vegetables in this meal, especially when they are immersed in their own juices and sprinkled with chili peppers and basil leaves. The rich licorice taste of the Thai basil leaves was the true essence of this meal. As for my Pad Thai…sheer comfort noodles with its ever so flavorful sauce.

Not sure if this meal will help shorten the recovery time of this chest cold but at least it got my ever so precious taste buds back in working order and for a short time it gave this Food Tease her bounce back in her step.

Pad Bai Gra Prow
Pad Thai

Friday night, I had the privilege of attending the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championships - Mystery Wine Challenge - People's Choice Award🥇🥇@greatkitchenparty
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Congratulations to all the chefs involved in this intense competition. The chefs needed to create a dish to pair with the mystery wine. Each chef was given a tricky budget of $550 for the 250 guests. I was witnessing creativity at its best!!😋
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The winning dish🥇 (centered in the middle of the photo) was created by JP Dublado: Red Deer Resort and Casino, Red Deer AB
Dish: beet & soy cured albacore tuna - ponzu gel - tomato water - puffed wild rice - beet green oil
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Amazing talent from all the chefs as they paired with the mystery wine (a 2021 Lailey Vineyard Zweigelt)🍷🍷
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#foodblogger ##foodgram #foodcompetition #travelblogger #CCC2024 #greatkitchenparty #peopleschoice #peopleschoiceawards #underpressure #foodandwine #underbudget #onbudget #culinarycompetition #thefoodteasedrinks #thefoodteaseeats #ifwtwa1 #tmac
Planning for your BIG wedding day💍 and looking for something different than the traditional bachelorette party? 🎉🎉
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Then you need to read my solo Montreal getaway article featured in the latest issue of @ottawawedding magazine.
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Special thanks to @montreal for the beautiful experiences.
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Amongst the amazing activities:
● High Tea at the Ritz-Carlton 🍾🥂
● Pampering at the Scandinave Spa 💆🏼‍♀️and at Le Germain Hotel 
● Visiting the beautiful light show at the Botanical Gardens ⚘️✨️
● Culinary experiences at the Foxy restaurant and discovering local restaurants during a food tour😋😋
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Solo getaway or with a friend or two, any reason to visit and experience Montréal is a good one!! 😍🤗
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With its countless cultural activities and experiences, one can easily enjoy this beautiful city! And let's not forget their food scene... that alone is reason enough to visit!!😍😋
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I think it's time for you to discover, and for some, REDISCOVER Montreal! 🤩🤩
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#travelblogger #foodblogger #travelgram
#mtlmoments #mtl #mtlfoodies #published #presstrip #passportready
#alwaysexploring #travellikealocal #localbusiness #ifwtwa1 #tmactravel #thefoodteasetravel #exploremontreal #touristattractions #solo #solotravel
I am very proud to share my culinary "observer" perspective regarding @lecordonbleuottawa culinary workshops in the latest issue of @luxeottawamagazine 😊
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Visiting my alma mater and watching the culinary workshop from a different lens reinforced the rationale as to why I pursued my culinary education…the pleasure of savouring the fruits of your labour. 😋
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It is this journey that ignited my passion for cooking, helped hone my skills, and introduced me to a world of flavours and techniques that continue to inspire me to this day. And perhaps it will inspire you as well!👨‍🍳👩🏼‍🍳
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Check out the article and the new culinary workshops being offered. Enjoy the adventure!!😊🤗
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#foodblogger #travelbloggers #foodlovers #foodgram #culinaryinstitute #workshop #lcb #lecordonbleu #lecordonbleuottawa #alwaysexploring #alwayslearning #published #luxemagazine #ifwtwa1 #tmac #tmactravel
Where's my rubber ducky 🐤😉?! 
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A year ago this week, I was enjoying some bath time while in @discoverdominica 🏖🏝😍
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Dominica's lush scenery is extraordinary, and I'm grateful to have been invited to visit their beautiful island😊😊
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Visiting Wotten Waven Sulphur Springs was perfect to relax and rid of some unwanted stress. And the outdoor bath surrounded by all that green landscape was simply the BEST! An unforgettable experience! 🤩
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Dominica's adventure activities - diving, snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, swimming - are just some of the many ways to enjoy this tropical island.🤿🙂
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Put Dominica on your travel list. You'll love it!!❤️❤️
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#foodblogger #travelgram #travelblogger #passportready #presstrip #discoverdominica #dominica #sulphursprings #lush #bubblebath #outdoorbath #newdestination #newexperiences #tmactravel #ifwtwa1 #thefoodteasetravel #tmac #tropical #zen #wottenwavenhotsprings
What goes better together than Champagne and lobster?! Nothing, except MORE Champagne...hence the magnum of Veuve!🍾🥂🦞
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This is the definition of indulgence. 😉
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Why wait for special occasions?! Enjoy what makes you happy whenever the mood strikes! 
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Carpe diem!!🍾🥂😍
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#foodblogger #foodlovers #travelbloggers #travelgram #champagne #champagnelover #lobsters #lobsterlover #carpediem #indulgence #anyoccasion #seizetheday #lobsterdinner #splurge #thefoodteasedrinks #thefoodteaseeats #bubbles #more #moreplease #specialoccasions #anyday

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