Being sick....sucks

Catching any bug is not fun. The last few days I have dealt with different symptoms: sore body, fever, phlegm (sexy), headaches. Whenever I have any ailment, my go to book for about the last ten years has been EveryWoman's Guide to Natural Home Remedies by Sally Freeman. This was no different, especially having congestion and developing a dry cough. The book gives you herbal and folk remedies; and I find it interesting what people in different regions in the world do. I decided to make the Puerto Rican cough syrup, the recipe follows.



Juice of two lemons
1/2 ounce honey
2 cups whiskey or other hard liquor (I used rum)
2 pieces of fresh anise or 2 teaspoons anise seed

Boil for ten minutes and take as needed.

I did change alittle something in the recipe. Because I buy raw honey, I did not want to cook it and kill it's health benefits. Therefore, I boiled the fresh lemon juice, rum, and anise seed for ten minutes, when it cooled I mixed in the raw honey. Please note that the liquor does reduce, so you will end with a solution of atleast half of what you started with. Also, take it off the heat and transfer after the ten minutes because it can continue to reduce.

Verdict: This cough syrup tasted so yummy to me, tangy and sweet. I also slept better than the night before where I kept waking up with constant coughing.

Let's get crafty! Halloween edition

boooooo... It's that time again. Halloween. Time for pumpkins, candy, black + orange, and all things dark and eerie. Here is a cute and simple craft that can be used as little gifts or for party favors. I got this craft from Martha Stewart (her website is great for arts and crafts ideas). I present you: Pumpkin favor pouches for Halloween. I must note that I found it hard to find orange crepe paper, but did get my hands on orange tissue paper and used that. I kept the instructions the same by doubling the paper.

For party favors or treats on Halloween night, fill crepe-paper pumpkin pouches with tiny toys and candy eggs. To make a pouch, cut two 10-inch-diameter circles from orange crepe paper. Stack circles and put goodies -- candy and small toys -- in the center. Pull sides of paper up around treats to make a pouch. Gather paper just above the treats, and twist a little. Secure by wrapping green floral tape around the base of the twist, binding upward to create pumpkin stem. If necessary, trim excess paper before binding. Foliage curls can be made by wrapping floral tape around a pencil.Here is the one I made. I added some "pumpkin leaves" using green tissue paper. You can do that, or use the method used here with the floral tape.

Halloween Chocolates

A couple weeks ago sis and I headed out to Surfas in Culver City to attend their Halloween Chocolates cooking demonstration with pastry chef Jean-Marc Viallet (he is the pastry chef for the Disney Resort). As with all cooking demonstrations at Surfas, you get step by step visual of how to make the recipe, a recipe print-out and the best part, to taste it. Everything was delicious! You can't go wrong with these pumpkin and chocolate combinations. Below is the recipe for the pumpkin empanadas with chocolate chipotle sauce. Yes. It was special. And if you want to visit Surfas or get on their email mailing list to find out about all their cooking demos, click here.


Pumpkin Empanadas with Chocolate Chipotle Sauce Recipe
From the demo: Halloween Chocolates Recipe
Courtesy of Chef Jean-Marc Viallet

Ingredients:
Dough:
20 oz flour
10 oz cold butter
4 oz cold shortening
1 oz sugar
1/2 oz salt
1 cup ice cold milk
Filling:
8 oz of canned pumpkin
3 oz of sugar
Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (to taste)
Egg for wash
For Chipotle Sauce:
12 oz of heavy cream
1/4 tsp of cayenne
Cinnamon stick
Vanilla bean
Procedure: For dough: Mix flour, cold butter and cold shortening. Add sugar, salt, ice cold milk. Mix just to combine. Place in a container with flour, let rest. Roll to 1/3 ” thick, cut rounds of 3″. Reserve.
For filling: Mix pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Deposit a dollop of filling mixture in the lower part of the dough circle. Brush outer side of the circle with egg wash, fold the dough to create a 1/2 circle and press the edges lightly. Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins. Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar.
For the sauce: Bring to a boil heavy cream, chipotle chili, cayenne, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean split open. Let infuse 5 minutes. Pour the hot cream infusion over 12 oz of 75% chocolate drops, mix well . Sauce can be refrigerated for 3 days. To serve reheat in a microwave or in a double boiler.
Serve warm as dip for empanadas.

"the balance that means complete change" -dead prez

image from VTonly

Fun fact: The first day of Fall provides us with a balance of 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night.

Fall Equinox arrived this year on September 22nd, hard to tell out here in Southern Cali where it's about 100 degrees outside. It also takes longer for the leaves to fall and change in color, though it is not as vibrant as the image above. I must say, that Fall is absolutely my favorite season; everything about it provides a balance for me between comfort and motivation.

Even though we are still rockin' tanks and are sun-kissed, the Fall arrival is evident in the farmers markets. We are slowly transitioning from the bright reds of tomatoes and strawberries to the warm colors of yams and squashes. Give thanks that the Earth prepares us for the change in seasons. In a recent Ayurveda workshop that I took, the teacher mentioned that "we don't wear the same clothes all year round, so we shouldn't eat the same foods all year round." Below is a recipe to induldge this season...

Click link for recipe>>>

Slow-Cooked Applesauce

image and recipe from Foodista.com