An Uncommon Cure for the Common Cold

I'm not feeling so fancy today. Nothing serious, just one of those miserable head colds that sneaks up and wrangles your sinuses to the ground. Given that the weather here is freezing, grey and pouring with rain, it really is the best time to be sick, (I hate summer colds don't you?). That said, this was not a day for fashion frivolity, but finding other ways to add a little magic to my day and prevent the funk that usually sets in on these occasions.

Enter the Nana Mood. I can't explain why, but there is something about being sick that makes me feel like a Nana, (I'm referring to my elderly kind here). I want to rug up in cardigans, pop on some slippers and sip tea under a lap rug. But given that I am sole parent at present, self indulgence of this kind is not on the cards. And so I look to other Nana activities to be my salve, and began to bake scones. Every other day Miss 4 and I have tea parties, with plastic food and Barbie cups, but imagine her delight when we started whipping cream and laying the table with my favorite mis-matched vintage china.

Not long after pouring tea and exchanging anecdotes about our various choice of hair accessories for the day, it was time to make lunch. And so in another attempt to improve my happiness quotient for the day, we coddled some eggs (even the word makes you feel better) and gave them a smile. While the cuteness factor may be a bit of an overload, the key to my improved mood was not the smile on the eggs, but the fact that a 4 year old will eat them without protest, thus alleviating any future headache.

You know the magic is working when you are rewarded with a,"Mummy, this is divine!".



** Update**
To make these eggs is simple. I can't remember where or when I got the idea, so apologies to the originator.

• Butter your bread and cut the crusts off.
• Place them butter side down into deep muffin pans - using your knuckles or a pestle to press them in so you don't poke a hole in them.
• Crack your egg in.
• Cover with foil and place in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked the way you like them.
• Remove from the oven and pop them out of the pan using a flat blade knife. I added the face with tomato sauce for Miss 4, but for the rest of us a nice Hollandaise would be even tastier.

Variation - If you want to get a bit more gourmet you can add some fresh spinach in the bottom of the cups before breaking the eggs in.