Category Archives: snacks
Edible Fun for Valentines – with aphrodisiac 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 few ideas, just in case you need some inspiration for the edible part of your Valentine’s Day celebrations…
For the single people reading this, please know that I believe you should celebrate this day too – practicing self love is a crucial part of being able to love others fully.
And I want everyone to know that I am not encouraging the commercial side of Valentine’s Day. I just think it’s a great reminder to profess our love for our inner circle of folks (and creatures too!) – something that is worth doing every day of the year, in my humble opinion.
SO, without further adieu, here are a few things to nibble on to get you in the mood.
Apple – of course, 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 well, 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? I didn’t want to get too far into those woods.) Okay, 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 – well, 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.
caviar doesn’t seem to have any scientific evidence to justify its place here, but the symbolism of eating a rare, luxury food presented with such elegance seems to be enough. I did find it sexy to eat those little blinis with tiny toppings when I tried it…
champagne has a history like caviar – many famous people have helped make it sexy, as well as it being a symbol of celebrations. Marilyn Monroe’s favourite drink was not just cool though; those bubbles do make one a bit lightheaded by getting to your bloodstream faster than still wine, but they also have been shown to support brain function and help heart health (in small amounts of course – don’t go crazy.)
chocolate doesn’t need an reason to be considered luxurious, sexy or healthy, but it has many. Did you know dark chocolate is a good source of iron? (You need your strength if you’re going to have a big night.) It has also been shown to improve our mood and have some benefits similar to red wine, from its flavonoids.
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), 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 passion – even if it is simply a passion for life.
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 this does give the idea of “s’mores” a whole new sexy angle…
Shrimp – many cultures have stories of the alluring qualities of this crustacean (other shellfish also qualify – remember Jessica Biel eating lobster in “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 (but only if you practice.) Kidding aside, there is a scientific basis to include this 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.
It’s hard to deny that having the quality time is what you need to create a romantic evening… organizing your grocery list to include some of these items might take an extra stop or two. But don’t you think a bit of fun with a loved one or a friend is worth a bit of planning?
We all deserve great memories, even on a Monday in February.
Want to share? Please do!
Good and sticky
This weekend we celebrate a Canadian food invention. I wonder if you know what it is…
It was the quintessential sandwich filling of my childhood, and also the main ingredient in a favourite cookie. As a grownup(or should I say “big kid”?), I enjoy it in cheesecake with chocolate or to make a satay out of skewered meat.
Yes, it’s that delectable stick-to-the-roof of your mouth stuff that comes just like life, chunky or smooth – peanut butter.
Peanut butter was first eaten by the ancient Incas and Aztecs, but was not adopted by later civilizations. Modern peanut butter was invented by Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Bedford, Quebec in 1884. He patented a machine that milled roasted peanuts to create a paste.
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, that Dr. Kellogg) was the man who took care of the marketing. His machine made peanut butter from raw peanuts; his suggested audience was people who could not chew much solid food. At his Sanitorium (combination spa, medical centre and hotel) his other invention, Corn Flakes, was also served. It was marketed as an anaphrodisiac (the opposite of aphrodisiac), for Mr Kellogg was all about temperance.
Peanut butter was put on the map as a snack food at the Worlds Fair in St. Louis in 1904, and it featured strongly during WW1 when meat was rationed. It was a favourite alternative on the first Meatless Mondays.
The real modern innovation came in 1922 when Joseph Rosefield came up with the idea of using hydrogenated oil to stabilize peanut butter so it would not separate. That increased the shelf life and meant it could be shipped further.
Mr. Rosefield was a peanut butter king of sorts – his brand Skippy is still one of the biggest in the U.S. today. He came up with churning the mixture instead of grinding to make it smoother. He also invented chunky, or crunchy, peanut butter. He even pioneered the wide-mouth jar we all use.
This stuff is a North American phenomenon. I remember trying to get my English students to taste it years ago when I was in France – they were disgusted. My British friends would much rather put Marmite on their toast, thank you very much.
Sunday January 24th is Peanut Butter Day. Do we need to do extra celebrating? Apparently the average North American child eats about 1500 peanut butter sandwiches before they graduate high school. Then there is peanut butter on toast, peanut butter ice cream and cheesecake, Reese’s cups… you get the idea.
Whether you are a smooth or chunky fan, regardless of your preferred brand, I think you will admit that peanut butter is something that binds us all together as North Americans.
Peanut butter seems to defy pomp and ceremony anyway. It is the glue of everyday life. Perhaps that is why it deserves to be lauded. Where would we be without a jar of this wonderful stuff in the cupboard to sustain us?
I’m off to make myself a piece of toast and slice a banana, so I can pay proper homage to that delicious spread. Later I might even whip up a batch of Criss-Cross Cookies
Want to share? Please do!
Christmas Dinner for the ages
Christmas is my favourite time of year, and Christmas dinner seems to epitomize the whole festive season: the food and drink and best of all, the company. It is the one time that people try to see past any differences and gather to share a meal – a simple thing, but a powerful experience.
In a normal year, there might be challenges to bridging the gaps and getting everyone to enjoy a meal together. Both my chef hubbie and I have always believed that we should be grateful we have those people you care about enough to argue with, and toast their good health before you dive into that sumptuous dinner. I suppose a good part of living in a pandemic is being reminded of the things for which we should be grateful.
Ebenezer Scrooge was shown his future in one night. We have spent 9 months living in a version of that same dream. It’s time to get up and embrace a new future.
In my Christmases past, I have had traditions that evolved over time. As a kid, I remember mashed potatoes with gravy, NO Brussel sprouts (my Dad hated them) and a roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. Stuffing was a topic that was hotly discussed by my parents, as my Mom read more cooking magazines and my Dad pined for the “good old days” when celery and sage were all it needed. Years later, he would be the one saying why hadn’t we added walnuts or used cornbread earlier.
Once I was on my own, I wanted to replicate the Victorian Christmas. I cooked a goose one year, and made Christmas cake. I found out I love Brussel sprouts roasted in the oven and dusted with Parmesan cheese. And as friends and family spread out across the globe, I have learned to enjoy a smaller feast. It has been a rare occasion to have guests for Christmas dinner at Rabbit Hollow – turns out that was a blessing in disguise for this year, not expecting much.
We have a new granddaughter this year and so it is disappointing not to see her in person for Christmas. My stepdaughter was looking forward to having her dad help her with the first of her big family Christmas dinners. But we are focusing on creating a memory that embraces this year so that we can look back on it later as part of our Christmases past.
I don’t think it was merely the tryptophan from the turkey that made me groggy and light-headed at Christmas; it was more that sense of euphoria that comes over you when you immerse yourself in the spirit of Christmas. This doesn’t require the presence of people in the room, just in your heart. If you truly believe in the essence of Christmas then as you let it into your heart and take active part in the festivities and the giving, you cannot help but feel better yourself.
Children know this intuitively, and it is only as our hearts harden if we don’t practice such things that we lose sight of the true meaning of this holiday. Christmas is not for children, but for the child that lies within us all, hoping for a chance to believe in something pure and good, and listening for that magic signal which says that something exists.
So, if you need a dose of “A Wonderful Life” or “The Polar Express” before Christmas dinner to get you in full gear, go right ahead. If you can exchange Tupperware containers to share in the food with folks close in proximity, why not! And when you fire up the screens, have your glass ready. When you sit down to dinner, cherish the meal, toast those with you, remember the ones missing, and take a picture for your memory book. This will only be Christmas present right now.
It is of great importance to take Christmas to heart, for if you do it right, it just might stay with you until next year. Wouldn’t that make the world a wonderful place?
As Tiny Tim said so long ago, “God Bless us every one.” Merry Christmas from our table to yours.
Want to share? Please do!
Hallowed eves of old
I don’t think of myself as old. I often think of myself as a big kid, never quite having grown up. So many memories of how much fun I had as a child are still so vivid in my mind.
I wonder, is the imagination still an active organ? With images supplied for almost everything today, where is the chance for mystery and magic? Hallowe’en is a perfect example of that. I do hope people can still enjoy a good old-fashioned scare.
My dad was a good-natured fellow, but he was also the youngest of four children with two much older brothers. From the stories he told my brother and me, he was scared plenty of times thanks to his vivid imagination, his sister’s equally healthy creative mind and his brothers’ ability to sound really creepy.
The anticipation of what might be under the stairs or behind the door or lurking “out there” in the dark is the scariest part. Apparently studies have shown that we can come up with much scarier things that we will see on a screen. I know I have. I hated the dark as a kid. I am still not fond of it; I just learned how not to think about it.
Gathering a pillowcase of candy while skipping from house to house all dressed up, yelling “Hallowe’en Apples!” – it was good entertainment with a suitably cool reward. But now that I am a big kid, I like to know the story behind the tradition.
Perhaps it is the respectful tone of the day that I admire. Even if one isn’t interested in pagan rituals, it’s hard not to appreciate all the thought that goes into them.
At its heart, Hallowe’en comes from the ancient celebrations of the harvest – the end of the growing season and all its life, and the coming of the darker, winter season with its shorter days.
Legend has it that this transition is when the veil is thinnest between the worlds of the living and the dead.
- Wearing a disguise or costume was a way to avoid being recognized by evil spirits.
- Food was also put out, or possibly given, to spirits as a way to placate them. Today we call that trick-or-treating.
- Carving pumpkins today is done because of a fellow named Jack who tried to outsmart the Devil, if you believe the legend. Jack was left to wander the earth with a hollowed-out turnip lit with a lump of burning coal as his lantern.
I come from a childhood full of mist and smoke and fairy dust. The legends I learned made the world I lived in even more special. I hope the children out there tonight will find something special as they gather their treats. They deserve to have a good old-fashioned scare, and to believe in something bigger than all of us.
May your soul be safe under the light of the Blue Moon.
Want to share? Please do!
Winter Storm Food
Now may not be the winter of my discontent, but it certainly is the heart of the season. Thankfully we have passed what is usually the coldest day of the year (January 15th), but it started to snow again this morning and I broke ranks. I just couldn’t handle it anymore.
I guess this is a common phenomenon. As I sat curled into the couch with Ella at my feet, I read articles of severe winter experiences from all over, and the one that struck me the most was from Newfoundland. They just received a record-breaking 70 cm of snow in one night (for any American readers, that’s about 3 feet!) One of the things people stock up on when a storm approaches – at least on the east coast – is chips. 
I’m not a big potato chip fan, but sitting there munching my Cheezies I had to chuckle.
Traditionally, I bake on a snow day. Once Ella roused me for our afternoon outing and she got me out of my funk, I did manage to make the house smell good. A batch of Tropical Delight Cookies is sitting on the counter waiting for Hubbie to get back from work as I type.
Maybe I should change the name of these to “Storm Cookies”?
Winter is a tough season. We need to have the energy to keep shoveling but we have to remember our resolutions not to overindulge. Between our snowbird friends that have flown south and the bad roads, it’s hard to organize entertaining much. But short days and grey skies make for gloomy times.
I say we deserve a few chips or cookies to get us through to February. It does make us feel better. I follow the philosophy of a wise bear and his friends – his best love was hunny, but the principle is the same.
“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,” said Pooh.
“There there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.”
― Winnie-the-Pooh
Happy Gourmand 