Beauty
Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, Beautiful Dirty Rich by Lady Gaga, Everything is Beautiful by Ray Stevens, Beauty and the Beast by Celine Dion, What’s Beautiful by Everlife the list of songs about beauty goes on and on. But what’s interesting about beauty songs—at least by the count on songfacts.com is that while we like our external beauty songs, there are even more songs about inner beauty! I don’t know about you, but in a society where we are constantly bombarded media images of uber beautiful supermodels selling everything from laundry detergents and feminine products to beer and baby clothes, it’s nice to know we at least value inner beauty more when it comes to what really moves us.
With the holidays right around the corner, looking our best is even more on many people’s minds. Just try to remember as you run around cleaning the house in your worn out college sweats, sort laundry with less than professional-looking hair, and let the kids wrap gifts in mismatched paper with too much tape, that there is imperfect beauty in it all. Being together and being loved is the greatest gift of all—no matter how it comes to us.
Foods of Interest
Avocados
have
long been used as a beauty treatment. Externally their oil and pulp are great moisturizers
while internally they’re rich in omega 3—a brain food and after all smart is beautiful.
Both the Babylonians and Egyptians brewed beer
in ancient times. Even the Puritans drank beer. In those days it was dangerous
to drink plain water. On an esoteric
level beer is the marriage of land and liquid (the elements of earth and water).
Therefore it is seen as perfect beauty and balance. Beets represent love of beauty. They were a favorite food of
Aphrodite and were often used in ancient cosmetics. They’re also known to
stimulate the heart chakra. Catnip, the
herb sacred to the cat goddess Bast has a way of soothing tired souls. Catnip
tea encourages the drinker to relax and enjoy life. And who doesn’t look better
after being well rested? It should be noted that catnip is a natural blood thinner
and should be taken by pregnant woman or those with blood clotting disorders. Honey one of the oldest foods known to
humans has great moisturizing properties. Therefore, it hydrates dull skin
giving it a healthy, beautiful glow. My uncle, Gerry recently got in to beekeeping
as a hobby and is having a great time, stings and all. Milk is not only the essence of feminine energy but also of nutrition for offspring everywhere. Have you ever seen
a baby that wasn’t beautiful? Roses have
long been associated with the beautiful goddess Aphrodite who ruled over love. In
the alchemical world, roses are associated with perfection. In Pythagorean
numerology seven is the number of perfection and therefore roses are often
depicted with seven petals. In many scientific studies of beauty, participants
overwhelmingly choose the faces that were the closet to perfect symmetry as the
most beautiful.*
Turkish Delight
What could be more beautiful and delicate than Turkish Delight? If you’re
not familiar with this Middle Eastern Treat, you may at least have a passing
memory of the White Witch tempting Edwin with it in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Rosewater can be made by boiling rose petals in water. Reduce the
tincture to a concentrate. Be sure to use pesticide-free rose leaves if you
make your own. Alternatively, rosewater can be found in many health food
stores as well as Middle Eastern markets.
You may also substitute other flavors such as honey in place of rose
water for equally beautiful candy. It is also extremely helpful to have a candy
thermometer for this adventure.
Ingredients:
3 C granulated sugar
2 ½ C water
3 T light corn syrup
1 C cornstarch
1 t cream of tartar
1 t vanilla
2 t lemon juice
3 T rose water
red food coloring or you might try a couple drops beet juice
for added beauty
1½ confectioner’s sugar
cooking spray
Directions:
Dissolve lemon juice, sugar, and 1 C water in a pot over
medium heat. Then bring the mixture to a boil. Don’t stir, but do make sure the
mixture is off the sides so it won’t crust over, and allow it to continue to
boil until it reaches 240.
While the first mixture is boiling, pour the rest of the
water, cornstarch, and cream of tartar into a larger pot, mix and bring to
boil, stirring constantly. It will eventually somewhat resemble toothpaste in
consistency. Allow it too to reach 240. Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the
cornstarch mixture. Mix the two completely.
Reduce heat and let simmer for an hour. Stir it every few
minutes to avoid crystallization.
While waiting line a small square pan (approx 9X9) with
tinfoil. Be sure to leave enough on the sides to use as handles later. Spray it
with cooking spray.
Remove the candy from heat. It will be very sticky, but more
like a thick liquid. Add the rose water and vanilla then pour it into the pan.
Let the mixture sit over night. The next day dust a 12X12 workspace
area with confectioner’s sugar. Pull the candy out by its tinfoil handles and
flip it onto the sugar. Remove the foil and dust the candy with confectioner’s
sugar.
Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut the candy
into cubes. Toss the candy in more confectioners’ sugar. Store in a tightly
sealed container.
Hot
Turkish Delight
Imagine my surprise when I found this absolutely lovely
holiday drink that marries nearly all the beauty foods in one concoction!
It’s simply called Hot Turkish Delight and can be found at grouprecipes.com.
2 cups milk
2 oz Turkish Delight plus extra for garnish cut into small
cubes
½ cup cream
½ t honey
2 tsp rosewater
pinch cinnamon
finely chopped pistachios
Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk and turkish delight, bring to a
boil, stir smooth and remove from heat.
In another bowl beat cream, rosewater, honey and cinnamon
until stiff
Divide milk mixture between 2 drink glasses or cups.
Top with the whipped cream and garnish with small cubes of
Turkish Delight and chopped pistachios.
*Maria,
Cara Santa. "Beauty Studies Show Ratios Explain Human Attractiveness
(VIDEO)." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/29/science-of-beauty_n_1239858.html>.
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