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Happy-Gourmand

Get in the spirit of the season with these foods

Spring fling foods

I don’t want to jinx the positive trend we seem to be experiencing, but it seems like we may have gotten through the worst of it.

Spring is just around the corner and if any of that luck of the Irish rubs off on Sunday (St. Patrick’s Day), then maybe we’ll see green. We could all be dancing with the fairies by the Equinox.

Spring is a tumultuous season. We can either feel giddy from a mild sunny day or depressed on a grey day with chilling winds and low clouds. To make sure you can stay on the upswing, I have a few suggestions along the line of a spring “fling” – a seasonal celebration of sorts.

In the spirit of the season being a time for lovers frolicking in the grass, let’s start with aphrodisiacs. I was inspired after seeing a featured aphrodisiac menu at a creative Italian restaurant. It had diners giggling about the “libido enhancement value” of oysters and how the heat from a sauce with garlic or mustard could translate to the bedroom experience.

I rather doubt anyone needs much encouragement to indulge in chocolate or whipped cream. You can use your imagination. But I don’t want to leave out anyone who isn’t in a romantic mood. So. how about more straight-forward energy boosters?

It’s a bit early for ice cream cones outside, but soon they will have the affogato at Amore Mio (link: https://amoremiogelato.com/ ), and the combination of espresso and ice cream is just the thing for spring. Or perhaps you want to sink your teeth into the featured pastry at Sandrine’s French Pastry? (link: http://www.sandrinepastry.com/) She changes up the fillings in her features to correspond with the season, and like Amore Mio, she has some outside seating for nice days.

For those committed to a goal, a healthy indulgence could be the way to celebrate. Enjoying the view on those sunny days is a nice inspiration. A hike up a mountain—or even to a rooftop—will also do the trick. You can walk along the lakeshore in many places in the Okanagan. Kelowna’s City Park is beautiful, as is the Peachland stroll and the Penticton lakeside.

If you want a meal to channel spring, look ahead to garden season with a salad for dinner and start planning your summer get-togethers to keep the mood going.

I did say spring was tumultuous. It’s hectic, full of change. Maybe the best thing is just to aim for a low-stress existence as the world swirls around us, waking up for another summer. If that’s how you feel, I have a simple celebration for you: Chocolate Wacky Cake.

This is a childhood lunchbox favourite of mine but it has style today too. It is dairy-free and can be made gluten-free with any cup-for-cup GF flour. It’s so easy the kids can make it for you over spring break.

Chocolate Wacky Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven.

In a nine-inch (22.5 cm) square baking pan, mix the following ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp cocoa

Make three wells in the dry ingredients and pour each of the following into one:

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp vinegar

Mix together the following and pour over the pan ingredients: one egg, stirred to mix, plus enough water to make one cup

Mix the entire preparation until smooth and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. (Internal temperature 195 F or 90 C.)

Leave to cool on a wire rack for at least one hour.

Ice with chocolate frosting, dust with icing sugar or add your choice of topping (caramel sauce, ice cream – channel that spring fever and go crazy).

I’ve heard it’s even good straight out of the pan.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.





Does food taste better on vacation?

Eating fun foods at home

Even though this winter has not been very cold, the shorter days can make a difference to many people.

There is plenty of scientific proof the lower levels of sunlight through the winter reduce levels of melatonin and serotonin in our bodies and these hormones affect not only our mood but also our sleep and eating habits.

That made me wonder, is it true then that food tastes better on vacation?

I know many people get away in the winter, but this week’s column is especially for those who aren’t packing a bag. I’m taking our tastebuds on a virtual trip of some of my favourite foodie memories.

• A warm crêpe from a street vendor in Paris on a cold March day, with a lemon juice and sugar filling that seemed decadent in its simplicity.

• Sampling hazelnut gelato on the streets of Rome, feeling like Audrey Hepburn – and then learning about affogato and feeling like I was in heaven.

• My first taste of fresh guava in Jamaica, an explosion of floral, honey and citrus tang. It was like tasting a Van Gogh painting in its complexity.

• A simple Marie biscuit and a cup of black tea was euphoric, sampled on the salt pans of Botswana while watching the sun set.

Now I’m thinking, if I need a dose of that in my living room this weekend – how do I get it?

I could turn the heat up and spread sand on the floor, but somehow, I think it’s more complicated than that. The experts say a light box will help reduce the symptoms of SAD (what a great acronym for Seasonal Affected Disorder). If you can’t get to someplace tropical, why not have your own personal ray of sunshine?

Personally, I find the carbohydrate fix is what works for me. It’s the other element that helps boost those levels and better your mood. That’s one of the reasons we crave chocolate and other goodies more in the winter.

Of course, there is a no-calorie method – you’ve likely heard that if you start to smile you will feel better after a short while, even if you didn’t feel like smiling when you started. So, pull out the photo album from your favourite holiday and reminisce about great times when days were longer.

If you’d like a treat to help boost your mood, here’s a recipe I created one winter when we didn’t go away. These cookies have dried fruit, chocolate and grains so they should cover all mood-improving possibilities.

Let yourself smile and turn your SAD into a new condition I’m calling HAPPY (hormone-affected, party-preparing, yahoo!). I know, it’s a bit corny, but I think a cookie or two could stave off the blues until spring officially arrives.

Tropical Delight Cookies (makes 20-30 cookies)

1-1/2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup margarine or butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp orange juice

1 cup white chocolate chips (dark chocolate is okay too, if you prefer)

1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

½ cup crystallized ginger, sliced OR dried cranberries (your choice)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two large heavy cookie trays or place silicone baking sheets on trays.

Blend butter and sugar in large bowl till fluffy. Add orange juice and egg and mix till well blended. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing cup (saves dishes) Stir flour mixture into creamed butter and sugar mixture, then fold in nuts, fruit and chocolate.

Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto cookie trays. Bake till golden, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on trays for five minutes, then move to wire cooling rack. Can be stored in airtight container for one week (if they make it that long.)

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



A beginner's guide to aphrodisiac foods

Sexy foods

What better month than February to focus on aphrodisiac foods?

Being the month of love, I thought I'd get you started with a bit of history and some ideas just in case you need a kick start for your Valentine's Day celebrations, or maybe even stay warm on a cold winter night.

Apples—The historical implication of the fruit from the Garden of Eden makes this an obvious choice. Some say it has the shape of a heart when cut open, which is suggestive. They are also a great energy food, a factor that might come in handy if you need a bit of a boost. And, if you don't find your libido lifting after biting into a juicy red apple, then at least you'll be healthy.

Bacon—Did you think I was going to say banana for B? That was far too obvious. So this entry isn't so much a healthy one, but you can't argue about many people's passion for pork, and especially bacon. I know of folks who call themselves vegetarians, but with the caveat that they refuse to give up bacon. Carnivorous passion could certainly be called primal, right?

Caviar, Champagne, Chocolate—There is a running theme here, isn't there? The romance created by these items is long known to set the mood, and that is half the battle in most situations. If your partner doesn't like these things, then set out what they do like. Maybe it's bacon (wink wink).

You get the idea, don't you? Some foods through history have been linked to sensual aromas, tastes or textures or suggestive shapes. Some raise body temperature (like chiles) while others spark mental or physical reactions that arouse us or make us feel loved (like the zinc in oysters). Any, or all, of these factors can help you to set your own scene for romance.

In today's age, we seem to need all the help we can get in making quality time work. So, why not try a new idea? Here are a few more foods that might strike your fancy:

Marshmallow—Originally, this sticky treat was made from mallow root and it has a long history of being used as a medicinal herb, curing all kinds of ails, including impotence, apparently. Today's recipe doesn't use the root but sweet and sticky creates its own mood, wouldn't you agree?

Shrimp—Many cultures have stories of the alluring qualities of this crustacean (other shellfish also qualify. (Remember actress Jessica Biel eating lobster in the movie Flashdance?) There is scientific background here as well. The iodine in shrimp is essential to our metabolism, and a low iodine level is linked to low sex drive. So, go ahead, have another one (I’m winking again).

Watermelon—The colour red is a good start and juicy foods are sexy to eat. If you practice, spitting the seeds can be sexy too! Again, there is a scientific basis to include the quintessential fruit of summer, it contains a phytonutrient called citrulline that helps to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra. Now don't get too excited, the citrulline is mostly in the rind. Research is of course underway to create a "souped-up" version but no luck yet.

Perhaps the concept of having the quality time is what you need to create a romantic evening, no television, no cell phones and no kids wanting your attention. But, since we are so unused to life without distractions, at least the food will help calm everyone's nerves and break the ice.

Bon appetit! And here’s to love and romance in every month of the year.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.





Don't let recipes die, pass them on

Sharing favourite recipes

“February made me shiver…”

Does that quote strike a chord with you?

Perhaps it just rings true because of the gloomy weather recently, but for those of us who remember the tune, these words come from Don Maclean’s song, American Pie.

This classic rock ’n roll song speaks of the many changes and shocking events occurring in the rock ’n roll era. The early hopeful years ended with the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper on Feb. 3,1959.

Hubbie and I saw the site of the plane crash and the hall where they performed on that last night of the Winter Dance Party Tour. There is a memorial at the crash site, in a corn field outside Clear Lake, Iowa.

The Surf Ballroom, where the concert was played, is still around and still hosts concerts. (Don Maclean played there in 1980 and hand wrote a message in the green room, as have many other musicians over the years.) It turns out the music lived on after all.

February can be a melancholy month with its weather, but from ancient times there has been a concerted effort to look forward to brighter days.

Imbolc is a Celtic celebration that marks the halfway point to the spring equinox and Candlemas is a Christian celebration of light returning after the darkness of winter.

In modern times many communities have adopted a more lighthearted note in February – how else could you describe using a groundhog and his shadow as a reason for a celebration? Any way we look at it, the idea seems to be to focus on the future and look forward to spring coming (hopefully) soon.

You might be wondering how I’m going to connect my love of food with February and “the day the music died”. Well, I’m hoping you will consider this week’s column as a sign that you ought not let your food traditions die.

I recently read an article (link: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/gravestone-recipes ) about gravestones that included family recipes. That tribute might seem a bit morose, but then I thought what a shame it would be if those recipes were never shared at all.

You may well have your mom’s Christmas cookie recipe, but do you know how to make your family’s favourite everyday cookie, or your favourite childhood dinner?

I don’t think there has ever been a song about the day a recipe died, but perhaps there should be. Many times over the years at dinner parties we catered, I heard people lament not having a family recipe they miss.

So, your homework this week, dear reader, is to reach out and make sure those recipes get shared. Send them out if you are the cook and ask for them if you are the recipient.

I’ll start with one of mine. Here’s the recipe for my mom’s homemade mayo. It’s also the secret to the best pimento and cheese spread, which I need to make again soon.

Thanks, Mom, for passing it on.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

Kristin Peturson-Laprise is a customer experience specialist by trade, which means she is someone passionate about people having a good time. 

Her company, Wow Service Mentor, helps businesses enhance their customer experience through hands-on training, service programs, and special event coordination.

Kristin enjoys her own experiences too, and that is what she writes about in this column. She and her husband Martin Laprise (also known as Chef Martin, of The Chef Instead) love to share their passion for food and entertaining.  

Kristin says:

"Wikipedia lists a gourmand as a person who takes great pleasure in food. I have taken the concept of gourmandise, or enjoying something to the fullest, in all parts of my life. I love to grow and cook food, and I loved wine enough to become a Sommelier. I call a meal a success when I can convey that 'sense of place' from where the food has come . . . the French call that terroir, but I just call it the full experience. It might mean tasting the flavours of my own garden, or transporting everyone at the table to a faraway place, reminiscent of travels or dreams we have had."

 

E-mail Kristin at:  [email protected]

Check out her website here:  www.wowservicementor.com

 



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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