September 2, 2019 KILLING ME SOFTLY

ALLERGIES. If you've ever suffered through them--you're feeling my pain. I didn't get allergy problems until I was in my thirties. One day I was fine and the next thing I knew--I was getting 6 shots a week for 5 years. Between the months of April and June I suffered-- stuffed up-- horrible rashes around my eyes-- sinus infections every other week.  I've been  Allergy Free-- since my desensitization--until the other day. THEY'RE BACK-- I've got post nasal drip--headache--tingly ears--burning eyes --and my throat feels SO raw it's painful to swallow. What the HELL. Thought I was done with  this crap. The scary thing is that I've never had allergy problems THIS TIME OF YEAR.  Praying this is just an ANOMALY. The thought of going through testing again and ANOTHER 5 years of shots makes me want to CRY. Hoping a cup of hot tea will make things better.

Tea and soup make everything better in Marsha Mehran's International bestseller Pomegranate Soup.  Not sure how I missed this heartwarming book when it came out in 2005, but I couldn't resist buying it while I was in Ireland because the author's first name was Marsha. This lovely book is about three sisters, Marjan, Babar, and Layla, who escape Tehran during the Islamic Revolution for a better life. After seven years in London working and saving money, the trio decide to settle in Ballinacrough, a small Irish town,  to open the Babylon Cafe. While many of the residents welcome the girls and their Persian dishes, others including Thomas McGuire, who owns most of the town, try to drive the them away. One of the things I loved about the novel was  that every chapter began with a recipe that had been woven into the story. I'm actually going to try making one of the chicken dishes later this week. So, don't hesitate to read a great story that's well written--and get a good recipe. What more do you want?? This little gem is only 250 pages--or 3 miles--and a real treat.