Arroz Caldo (and the feverish week)

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My heart is crushed everytime my babies are hurt. What more when they get sick?

I was so excited the night of June 4 while fitting the swimsuit and cover-up I'm going to use for the DevComm Division team building in Asin Hotspring in Baguio City. At last, I'll be able to wear my longed-for pair of two-piece.

The team's supposed to leave at around 7am the following day. Come 5:00am, Hashka's tiny cries woke me up and hubby. When I reached out to her (she sleeps on the bed beside me), her whole body was unusually hot. I thought it's just because of the pillows that surrounded her, but when I touched her forehead, I knew there's something wrong. I asked hubby to get the thermometer and after a few minutes, it's confirmed. She had a 39.5-degree fever! I wanted to cry as she was crying hard, too. The ever-reliable Tempra drops lowered her temperature to 38.5 degrees after an hour. Still, we knew she wasn't completely OK as clear mucus started to flow out of her nose.

I've forgotten all about the team building, the swimsuit, and the hotspring. Come 8am, we searched for our pedia's directory. Dr. San Juan was out. Dr. Santos was out. We also tried Dr. Tadeo who's a general practitioner and a friend just to have someone check on her, but she's also out. Finally, Dr. Mendoza!

As diagnosed, Hashka had fever probably caused by her colds. The pedia gave her medicines for that, but in the morrow, she's not getting any better. Worse, Third also got sick, probably infected by Hashka. We went back to the pedia Sunday morning. She checked on both of them but can't find anything seriously wrong. She advised us to bring Hashka and Third for urinalysis and CBC. She also did a test for dengue (I forgot what it's called). Thank God all results turned out negative. Dr. Mendoza checked on them again and gave them anbiotic to take for the next 7 days. On the fifth day, both of them got well. There's nothing more relieving for a mom than to see her babies all well. *Sigh*

OK... the Arroz Caldo story. I just cooked this during the time that my babies can't eat well. At least, this recipe has carbohydrates and protein, good for faster recovery. Also, it's easier to eat.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 kg chicken breast, boiled and flaked (broth reserved)
  • 1 c uncooked rice, washed
  • 5-6 c water
  • 6 hard-boiled eggs
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp julienned ginger
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. Sautee ginger, garlic, and onion in oil.
  2. Add fish sauce.
  3. Add the chicken to fry. (If you don't want overcooked chicken, do this later when the rice is done.)
  4. Pour in the water and broth, then let it boil.
  5. Add the rice until cooked. Add more water if needed. (You may add the chicken here if not done earlier.)
  6. Dash with salt and pepper to desired taste.

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