OPINION | FRONT BURNER: Trick your tongue with vegetable-filled muffins

I've been a bit slow getting back in the kitchen after my vacation last month. Just as I was settling into the routine of being home, I got sidelined with a respiratory infection.

I forgot how miserable summer colds are. This one left me with a stuffy nose, sore throat and, ironically, a raging appetite.

According to a Scientific American article I read, there is a little (emphasis on little) truth to the adage, "feed a cold, starve a fever." When we're sick, our bodies need energy to heal, and the best way to get energy is to eat nutritious food. It goes on to say you should be feeding your fevers, too, in addition to drinking all those extra fluids.

But it's no fun to eat when you don't feel good and you can't taste your food.