A tasty treat for bland taste buds

It seems I've really done a number on myself. According to the doctors, I'm still not up to snuff. That means another round of medication. YUK.

I'm beginning to think it's the medication that has affected my taste buds.

There was a brief time before I got back on the medication, and I was not only hungry but also actually craving food.

Not necessarily the best things, but I wanted steak, fried chicken, asparagus, broccoli, various types of fruit and, of course, chocolate. Hey, there are times when I'm a girl.

However, as soon as I started the medication again, I was no longer hungry and everything tasted either too salty or completely bland.

It's quite the dilemma because I enjoy cooking and sharing my food creations with my family. The kitchen has been quite the past two weeks, with only my husband and my daughter fixing light meals from time to time.

Me, I'm still picking at my plate of food and drinking cranberry juice along with as many other fluids I can tolerate during the day.

After posting my last blog, someone took pity on me and sent a recipe for me to try. It appears she recently endured the same affliction and was willing to share the recipe for a "treat" that tickled her taste buds.

I haven't tried it yet, but plan on doing so.

Cranberry-Jalapeño Granita

Combine two cups of 100 percent real cranberry juice, 1/3-cup of sugar, four chopped 5-inch mint sprigs and one sliced jalapeño pepper (you can remove seeds if you don't want the intense heat of the pepper) in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil before removing from the heat and letting it stand for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean 11x7 inch baking dish. Throw away any residue in the sieve.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Stir in two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice (no seeds please) and recover the dish before placing in the freezer.

During the three hours it will take to freeze the mixture, stir the mixture every 30-45 minutes until it is completely frozen.

Remove the dish from freezer and use a cold fork to scrape the mixture until it looks like fluffy crystals.

Serve in chilled teacups with a sprig of mint on top and a spoon. You could also add a dash of sweet cream on top if you are looking for a sweeter dessert.