When you’re sick, try a Chai Hot Toddy to ease some of your cold symptoms. The lemon and honey should help soothe your throat and loosen congestion, and if all else fails, it’s hot, tastes good, and has alcohol. 😉
Happy Halloween! Whatever your plans are, I wish you many monstrous monster mashes, polite trick or treaters, and a scary good evening!
Since we are nearly past Halloween, I thought today would be a good time to post my Cold-Soothing Chai Hot Toddy.
I know, I know. I don’t want to think about cold season either, but trust me, pin these to a tucked-away Pinterest board, and when the sniffles find you this winter, you can drop back by for a visit and make yourself one of these. You’ll be glad you did.
Most years, I get one good cold that knocks me flat. And when I do, I always drown my sorrows in a few of these babies, because they genuinely make me feel better.
I’m not going to say a Chai Hot Toddy will cure your cold, but indulging in one should ease some of your cold symptoms. There are lemon and honey to soothe your throat and loosen congestion, and enough whiskey to gently help you on your way to slumber. The chai doesn’t do anything, but it sure does make it taste good. 😉
I’m not much of a whiskey drinker, so I save these exclusively for cold season, but they are tasty enough that I could definitely see curling up by the fire with one of these at your elbow.
And lucky for ill and woozy you, they are simple to make, so you only need to leave your nest of blankets for about two minutes to throw one together.
More Hot Drink Recipes
- Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Homemade Mocha
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Caramel Macchiato
Chai Hot Toddy Recipe Notes
- If you don’t have chai tea, you can make a regular Hot Toddy by just omitting the tea-steeping step.
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is always preferred, but in a pinch, you can use the stuff from the fridge.
- For some easy sick-day meals, try Ham and Potato Soup , Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup , and Chicken Noodle Soup for One .
Ingredients
- ▢ 1/2 cup hot water
- ▢ 1 chai tea bag decaff if you are caffeine sensitive
- ▢ 2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon
- ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
- ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- In a small mug, steep tea bag in hot water according to package instruction. Stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.
- Go back to bed and drink.
Quick and easy baked Chicken Parmesan for Two can be on your table in under half an hour and is a fantastic, filling weeknight meal when you have a craving for pasta.
Sometimes eating healthy can feel like a drag. I love veggies. I love light, healthy meals, but there are days when all I want is to just bury my face in a plate of pasta. Who’s with me?
When I feel like that, but still want to eat well, I whip my Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan (For Two!).
This dish is made with crispy, crunchy panko-coated boneless skinless chicken breast, served over fettuccine and topped with your favorite red sauce, cheese and more cheese.
It’s filling, perfect for when you want some comfort food, and comes in at around 500 calories, including pasta, cheese, and all.
Plus, this baked Chicken Parmesan is fast, flexible, and EASY to make. If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own red sauce , but if I don’t have a jar of homemade stuff in my fridge, I’ll usually just grab some store-bought spaghetti sauce out of my pantry. Whatever red sauce you use, this is going to be some A++ dining.
And if you don’t stock panko (though you should, it’s like bread crumbs on steroids), you can use plain old bread crumbs to coat your chicken. Don’t you love a flexible dinner? Serve with a side of Butter and Garlic Green Beans or put some more panko to work with Panko and Parmesan Broccoli .
Trust me, give this one a try. You are going to be shocked at how delicious and completely satisfying it is.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Salsa Chicken
- Chicken and Broccoli Orzo
- Quick and Easy Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Parmesan for Two Recipe Notes
- As always, an instant-read thermometer * is the best way to make sure you get perfectly cooked chicken breasts every time. Bake just until internal temp reaches 160°F. They will reach 165°F during the five minute resting period.
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, but want to make sure you’re not overdoing your carb intake, check out this article on how to measure pasta .
- Looking for panko at the grocery store? It should be in the same aisle as the breadcrumbs, right next to them.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast
- ▢ 1/3 cup milk any percentage
- ▢ 1/3 cup panko
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- ▢ 4 ounces fettuccine noodles
- ▢ 1 1/2 cups your favorite red sauce
- ▢ 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- ▢ 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking tray with foil. Grease well. Put a medium pot of lightly salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- Take out two dishes large enough to fit a chicken breast. Add milk to one, panko to the second. Stir salt and pepper into the panko.
- Cut your chicken breast in half horizontally (butterfly the breast and cut all the way througby placing one hand on top of the breast and running the knife through the center of the meat so you have two even, thin pieces of chicken. Coat each first in milk and then panko and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until meat reaches 150°F.
- While your chicken is cooking, heat sauce and cook your pasta according to package instructions.
- Once your chicken reaches 150°F, add a heaping spoonful (about two tablespoonof sauce over each breast and top with both cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through and reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Plate noodles, top with the remaining sauce and serve chicken over the top. Enjoy!
Adapted From Skinny Taste
These 12 NaNoWriMo snacks will help keep you fueled and energized all the way to 50k.
Today is a very important day. One, it’s the day after Halloween, which means we are one holiday closer to my favorite holiday, Christmas, and two, it’s the first day of National Novel Writing Month!!
Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.
I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo on and off since I was a kid, but last year was the first year I hit my 50k (that’s right, Baking for Two wasn’t the only book I wrote last year </shameless self promotion> 😉 ).
I’m participating again this year, and to celebrate the start, I’ve put together a little round up of NaNoWriMo snacks to keep us fueled and energized all the way to 50,000.
There are treats for solo snacking/writing, and since regional writing meetups are one of the awesome parts of NaNoWriMo, there are also treats to serve a crowd. My requirements were: not too messy, portable, easy to make, and delicious (obvs).
If you’re anything like me, I think you’ll enjoy expanding the traditional NaNoWriMo diet of:
- Coffee
- Leftover Halloween Candy
- Crippling self-doubt 😉
Good luck everyone. I hope to see you all at the end of 50k!
Solo Snacking
Small-batch Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
Healthy Cinnamon Apple Chips from Cook Craft Love
Easy Homemade Kettle Corn
Sweets to Share
Strawberry Sencha Green Tea Doughnuts
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies from Marsha’s Baking Addiction
Crunchy Caramel Snack Mix from Butter Your Biscuit
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip from Swanky Recipes
Homemade Trail Mix: Nutty + Healthy from Mid-Life Croissant
Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins from Where You Get Your Protein
Savory and Salty
11/22 Update: Just gonna leave this here… 😉
Cold-Soothing Chai Hot Toddy
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 chai tea bag decaff if you are caffeine sensitive
- 2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- In a small mug, steep tea bag in hot water according to package instruction. Stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.
- Go back to bed and drink.
