3 cups water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 ounces dark chocolate, 60 percent cocoa content or higher
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces
1. In a heavy medium saucepot, combine water, corn syrup and sugar over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in cocoa, and simmer until cocoa dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 2 more minutes.
Nauseous mothers-to-be have another option to ward off morning sickness. Preggie Pops claim to fight that queasy feeling with a fairly typical (and highly accessible) blend of ingredients. The candy’s manufacturer, Three Lollies, says its combination of sugars and aromatherapeutic herbs (lavender, mint, ginger) can help pregnant women with nausea and even labor pains. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy has more on pregnancy and nausea.
The benefits of fall spices extend past the Thanksgiving table. The season's flavors — including cinnamon, ginger, annatto, turmeric, paprika, saffron and chili powder — may also prevent and heal a handful of ailments.
Ayurvedic medicine uses these spices to create heat from the inside out. Stimulating the agni, or inner fire, helps maintain healthy digestion and overall health.
Interests: Anything with an ING: dancing, biking, listening, talking, writing, reading, watching, eating, drinking, running, thinking, working, dreaming, surrendering, laughing, smiling, acting, traveling, singing, surfing, driving, shopping, thanking, observing, welcoming, connecting, loving, learning, sharing, practicing, asking. I love supermarkets in other places, lyrics to songs, seeking out gluten free food, responding to questions and surveys, finding deals and bargains, doing public relations for anyone/anything I believe in, good conversation, sociological observation, the beach, early mornings, condiments and spices, vitamins and minerals, alternative medicine, nutrition, holistic health, fitness gum, coffee drinking, gun chewing and sitting in the steam room.
Inspiration: Books: Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
Music: Linkin Park and The Cure
People: My mother and all of those that have come before me that have fought their own battles and didn't give up.
Places: Carl Schurz Park, New York, NY
Movies: In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Stealing Beauty, Beautiful Girls, When A Man Loves a Woman, In America, Magdelene Sisters, The Notebook, Run Fat Boy Run
Things: Causes worth fighting for: Lupus and other auto-immune disorders, Organ Donation and impoverished and at-risk youth.