AlleyGator > wrote:

> My daughter is in her mid-teens, and has tears in her eyes because she
> has an earache, which I don't even remember her ever having as alittle
> kid. She's almost never sick, so she doesn't handle this stuff well.
> Since the doctors are all closed, a friend who is a nurse-practitioner
> gave us a 3-day regimen of some antibiotic and the wife went to
> Walgreens to get something they call "sweet oil" which I figure is
> just glycerine. That, plus a dose of ibuprofen, I figure is the best
> you can do. And the ole' heating pad on the head, of course.

The first rule in such cases is not to post asking for a medical advice
in a Usenet newsgroup. You have no idea of the qualifications, or lack
thereof, of the advice-givers. This applies to what follows, too. Go
to a doctor instead, or, if none is available, to an ER of your local
hospital.

That said, and assuming it is otitis media (just because it is fairly
common), some kind of penicillin is usually indicated. What kind of
antibiotic did you get? Antibiotics should never be prescribed by
anyone but a doctor. Also, nose drops (something with xylometazoline or
similar) can be helpful. Ibuprofen can be helpful, too, as can that
heating pad (over the ear, not just on the head). Never put anything
*in* the ear, as long as you are not sure there is no perforation of the
ear drum.

ObFood: Baked tomatoes with parsley and garlic, from _The Cuisine of the
Sun_ by Mireille Johnston.

Victor

Tomates Provençale
Baked Tomatoes with Parsley and Garlic

Most _tomates provençale- served in American restaurants are burnt on
the outside and watery and soggy on the inside. In Provence they are
prepared quite differently. In the traditional recipe the tomatoes are
cooked on top of the stove _before being baked_, so that all their
excess water is cooked away and they must look like a _vitrail_
(stained glass window). This dish is sometimes eaten cold in Nice, but
I prefer it warm.

For 6 people:

6 firm tomatoes, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs (preferably home-made)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup minced parsley

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Put the tomato halves upside down on paper towels and drain the excess
juice.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the
tomato halves and cook them - six halves at a time - cut side down for 5
minutes over a medium flame. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and
carefully turn them over with a spatula. Cook for 3 minutes, then
delicately remove the tomatoes with a spatula and put into an oiled
baking dish. This can be done in advance to this point.

Just before serving, sprinkle the tomatoes with bread crumbs, salt,
pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with garlic and parsley and serve immediately.