'Tis the season to get sick

With the stresses of daily life and the change in weather, people are starting to fall sick with the cold and flu. I've been stuck with this "light" cold for a while now. It started off as a runny nose and some sneezing and then slowly progressed into a thick feeling in the throat.  For a few days I had a raspy, hoarse voice and then it went away, but I have a feeling that it is on its way back for another visit.

My mom gave me a recipe that was passed along to her by an aunt of mine.  It's a mixture of hot water with fresh lemon, honey and cinnamon. It's supposed to help boost your immune system and combat colds (**do remember that if you are sick, you should go and visit your doctor and seek his/her advice**).  Because I was so miserable, I thought I'd give it a whirl and I think it's what gave me my voice back.

I played around with the ingredient proportions until I found something I liked.  You can change the proportions very easily if you want a stronger or milder flavour.

Hot Lemon Water with Cinnamon and Honey

1 cup boiling hot water
1/2 or 1 slice of fresh lemon
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey

Boil water as you would for tea.  Put the lemon, cinnamon and honey in a heat-proof cup. Pour hot water into the cup and give it a stir.  Snuggle up in bead with a good book and drink away!

A note:  If I make a second cup for myself, I use the same lemon slice and just add the cinnamon and honey.