Greetings
and welcome to Celeste's Magical Kitchen. The basic
idea behind this blog is that food is power.
You may have heard
about people taking gingko biloba to improve memory--that's a kind of power.
What about chicken soup for a cold? And how many of you have ever left
something in the back of the fridge just a little too long? Do you dare open
the container? That certainly could have powerful implications if you make the
wrong choice!
The mind/mouth connection is extremely strong. It often doesn't matter if foods do what labels say they do, as much as what we believe they do. Each week I'll take a look at personal attributes or powers and some of the foods connected to them. I'll share a list of foods, some science, history, or folklore about them and some great recipes using some of them.
Joy
 |
| Pure joy. Photo by Erika Celeste. |
When NPR asked me to cover donut
burgers—yes all beef patties stuffed inside glazed donuts, I had to laugh. I
was excited to drive down to the Indiana State Fair as a freelance reporter and talk with all the crazy
fast food vendors. But I can’t say joy was my first emotion when the vendor
asked me if I’d like to sample a donut burger. Luckily for me, a customer stepped up just in time and
diverted the vendor’s attention. I asked to tag along as the man tried his
donut burger. To which he replied, “Sure, but this is for my daughter.” We
headed over to some picnic tables where his wife was waiting with a cute,
blonde ringletted, two-year-old. When that little girl saw the donut burger her
eyes lit up like Fourth of July fireworks. She literally shook with excitement
when the donut burger was placed in front of her and started singing. After the
first bite, she ceased all use of her hands and dove in face first! She was
completely in the moment (and quite probably in a sugar coma shortly thereafter).
But if that wasn’t an experience of pure joy, I don’t know what is. Btw you can hear the NPR piece at the following link called Iowa Indiana State Fairs. There are actually two stories connected with mine running second. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129328366.
Foods
of Interest
Apples have symbolic meanings in many
cultures, from the calling card of Athena to the forbidden fruit in the Bible
to the symbol of Avalon in Arthurian Legend. In addition to love and wisdom,
they often symbolize joy. Basil is said to dispel feelings of anger by
replacing them with feelings of love and joy. It also strengthens the immune
system. Bergamot is popular in southern Italy as well as Morocco, northern
Africa and parts of Asia. It has a light uplifting scent that is often
associated with joyful emotions. In the olden days, it was often used to treat
depression. Honey is one of the only foods that never spoils. Egyptians
considered it the nectar of the Gods and the food of happiness. Likewise, jelly
is also considered a joyful food, which carries the essence of the fruit it’s
made from. When oranges first arrived in Europe they were thought to bring
those who ate them happiness. And why shouldn’t they? They were rare and could
only be afforded by those of means. If nothing else the amount of vitamin C
raises energy levels by increasing a chemical in the body called
norepinephrine. And in China shrimp are eaten to promote fortune and happiness.
Recipes
I’ve always had
this rule of thumb when it comes to mixing meats and sweets. I just don’t care
for that sweet/savory combination. Ham and pineapple, apples and sausage, peach
chutney on chops...I’m not a big fan. In fact, I’ve made it a rule whenever my
husband cooks not to mix fruits and meat. However, this is one exception to
that rule. As I started looking at all the joy foods I realized there was great
potential to combine many of them into one recipe for a super happy food! This
has just the right amount of sweet, salt, and heat to pass my test.
Orange basil shrimp
skewers
2 large oranges
1 T chopped basil (fresh is best)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t paprika
1 t fish sauce
1T limejuice
¼ C honey
2 T olive oil
1 lb shrimp
1 small sweet onion
several fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
skewers
Place wooden skewers in water to soak. Squeeze the juice of
one large orange into a bowl. Mix it with the limejuice, honey, fish sauce,
olive oil. Add the chopped basil, minced garlic, and paprika. Put the marinade into a sealable
plastic bag and add the shrimp. Let the mixture marinade between 15 and 45
minutes. Don’t let it go any longer as the acid with start to break down the
shrimp.
Cut the remaining orange and the sweet onion into small
slices. Wash the fresh basil leaves. Thread orange slices, shrimp, onion, and
basil leaves onto the skewers. Place them on the grill and brush with the
marinade. Flip them as needed and apply more marinade. It won’t take long to
cook—five minutes or less. The shrimp will be finished when they are pink and
have a slight bend in them. Many beginners make the mistake of overcooking
shrimp by leaving them on the heat until they have completely curled into
little rings. If you do this they will be over done and rubbery. Trust me. As
soon as they turn from translucent to pink they are finished.
Apple jelly
I combined most of the joy foods into one dish with
wonderful results only to realize there were a few more that went well together
in another little treat. When I was a kid I used to visit my grandparents in
Wisconsin. They were grade A dairy farmers and always had the best spread at
lunch, plenty of fresh milk and homemade cheeses, meats from the local butcher,
and grandma’s fresh baked bread. One of the things I liked best was her red
apple jelly. It was so pretty it made anything taste good. So I had plenty of
leftover apples from a recent trip to the orchard, I made myself some. Granted
the red dye isn’t necessary. But I’ve had yellow apple jelly and I swear it
never tastes as good or brings as much joy and fun as it’s pretty cousin.
The trick to this is to use slightly more sugar than juice.
4 C apple juice (I got mine from cooking my apples down when
I made apple sauce)
4 ½ C sugar
1 package pectin 1 ¾ ounzes (use a little more for firmer
jelly)
red food coloring (I like Wilton cake coloring)
Over a medium flame bring juice and pectin to a rolling
boil. Turn down and slowly add sugar. Return to a rolling boil. After a few
minutes (3 or 4) stirring constantly, remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Pour
into 6 jelly jars. Leave a quarter
inch at the top. Seal with canning lids. Put the jars in a pot and cover with
water an inch over the lids. Bring the water to boil for 10 minutes. Remove the
jars from the water. Turn them over (lids down) and leave them to cool.
List your business in the premium web directory for free This website is listed under Cooking Directory
No comments:
Post a Comment