Flonase, Downton Abbey, and Minestrone... A guide to surviving a massive sinus infection

I've been battling a sinus infection for the last 2-3 weeks and this weekend, it hit me hard. I woke up with a sore throat and a horrendous cough Saturday morning (skiing on Friday, probably didn't help as well ;P). I pretty much did not get out of bed on Sunday and Monday was not much better, so I took a sick day (gasp! I never take a sick day unless I am feeling like shite!). After I a quick trip to the doctor, I got a new miracle drug Flonase! The other miracle drug being Imitrex for my migraines! Two days later, I am feeling much better.

To help with my recovery, I became addicted to the show "Downton Abbey", which is a British mini-series about a wealthy family and their servants during the turn of the 20th century. My friend Mira had mentioned it at our "Galentine's Day" that week and I decided to check it out. Luckily, the first season was on Netflix Instant. After the first episode, I was hooked. When I went to Targhetto to pick up my drugs, I happened to see that Season 2 was on DVD and snatched it up. So in two days of recovery, I watched both seasons of Downton Abbey. It's like a new drug...unfortunately, I have to wait until this September for the new season to come out, sigh...

Soup is also my comfort food when I am sick. I was debating about whether to make my Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice soup again or try something new and make a Minestrone soup. After some consultation with peeps, I was persuaded to make the Minestrone soup. I have fond memories of Minestrone, or it's close-related cousin, Pasta e Faglioli from my trip to Italy with my mom back in 2007. I pretty much ate this soup everyday while I was there because it is so hearty and delicious. It's surprisingly a very easy soup to make.

Minestrone Soup (Recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook; My mom makes it all the time and recommended the recipe to me.)

Ingredients:
3 14 oz cans beef broth (or if you accidentally grab Progresso's Tuscan Chicken broth, that works just as well :P).
1 15 oz can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes, undrained (I like to use the Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes, brings some extra flavor)
2 5.5 oz cans V8 vegetable juice
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings, crushed
1.5 cups frozen Italian blend vegetables (Zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
2 cups cooked pasta, such as medium shell macaroni or mostaccioli. I used Barilla's Ditalini

1) In a 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pan combine broth, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, undrained tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning. Bring to boiling; add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about ten minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2) Stir in spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

The finished product.
If you like a little more liquid in your soups, I would recommend using a little more broth while cooking. It reminded me a lot of my trip to Italia :)