Chocolate: Winter Weather E.R. Medicinal Cure-All

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

During late December 2011 thanks to a snowstorm, the lights went out at Lake Tahoe. Think no electricity, no TV or Internet, ice dams, a cold waterbed, aquarium fish with dead filters, and good, fresh food going bad. On the upside, Lindts Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffles (two packages) helped get me through the event. Yes, the sierra did get a good share of heavy, wet snow but it seems light years ago. As the Midwest and Northeast deal with the scourge of snowstorms (yes, I predicted this would happen in my 2011 Earth Changes Forecast in the January issue of Oracle 20/20 Magazine; "I Survived a Three Day Power Outage," February issue), having chocolate on hand can make the ordeal a bit sweeter.

In my book The Healing Powers of Chocolate (Kensington), I include 50 A-Z Chocolate Home Cures . Known as Mother Nature's "food of the gods," the medicinal benefits of chocoate were recognized as far back as 4000 years ago. Today, chocolatiers to medical doctors know it can relieve a host of ailments, including depression, fatigue, pain and PMS, as well as up your sex drive!

And these woes--and other pesky problems--can hit you if you're dealing with a snowstorm (or not). If you're snowed in, suffering from cabin fever, need energy to shovel the white stuff, or want to calm high anxiety--chocolate can be your best friend.

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What Chocolate Rx to Use: Chocolate bars, cocoa powders, pistoles, and chocolates can all come to the rescue. Think dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa content) and in moderation. (Shelf life varies but usually up to one year if stored in a cool place. Truffles are an exception.)

Why You'll Like It: If you are waiting for a snowstorm to end, having chocolate can help uplift your spirits, calm your nerves, and keep your mind alert. If you're stuck in a motel or your own home--grab the medicinal cure-all and a few bites will take you to warm and friendly chocolate heaven. (You can give thanks to its super compounds, including serotonin, PEA, theobromine, and tryptophan.)

Meanwhile, if you're not affected by the snowstorm of 2011, it's a good time to stock up on chocolate so you'll have it at all times. No need to go for the high end off the charts in price chocolate (especially during a chilling recession "recovery")--premium brands at your local grocery store or online can do the job when Old Man Winter makes our lives more challenging.

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My Favorite Budget-Friendly Choco Brands

Hershey's

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

See's Candies

Dagoba Organic Chocolate

Enjou Chocolat (Photo Courtesy)

My Fave Chocolate Secrets, Chocolate Makers

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

The New Year is here and Earth changes are in the works. After coping with a three day power outage, slushy snow, ice dams, and cold temps (low will be zero on Tuesday) at Lake Tahoe, I realize it could have been much worse. Once connected to the world again, news of an outbreak of tornadoes in America during the winter and "biblical flooding" down below welcomed me. It has me recalling chilling scenes of the doomsday film "The Day After Tomorrow" .

In the real world, cabin fever is setting in early for me and fantasies of Hawaii or even Washington are toying with my mind. The pool I favor is overflowing with tourists--and I miss my exercise endorphin natural high; it's icy outdoors which makes it a challenge to walk like a penguin with my two Type A Brittanys. Maybe the town will be a bit more sane this coming week and I can sneak a swim and hot tub in before the snowboarders and skiiers do it.

Meanwhile, I'm turning to my furry companion animals and a bit of "winter" dark chocolate to get through the series of severe wacky winter weather around the globe and seasonal effective disorder (SAD). Here, take a quick look at how you can get a quick mood booster from some of the most talked-about compounds in chocolate.

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My Fave Chocolate Compounds

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* Anandamide: Touted as the "bliss chemical," it occurs naturally in the brain and when released to our brain recepteros can provide good feelings.
* Caffeine: This ingredient has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. But note, both chocolate and cocoa contain minimal amounts of caffeine. A 1-ounce piece of dark chocolate contains 10-20 milligrams of caffeine. (You get a lot more in a cup of brewed java.)

* Endorphins: Dark chocolate, like exercise, helps release endorphins, natural painkillers in your body that act on the nervous system to zap pain.

* PEA: Another brain chemical known as the "chocolate amphetamine" can increase blood pressure and feelings of excitement. It also has been called the "love drug" because it can mimic feelings of falling in love.

* Serotonin: This is a brain chemical that can make you feel happier and improve brain power. It can even provide a calming effect.

So, everyone asks me, the author of The Healing Powers of Chocolate (Kensington, 2010) (embraced by The Good Cook Club and One Spirit Book Club), "What's your favorite chocolate brand?" It's a task to narrow it down to one, but here is a quickie list that works for me, a devout chocolatarian. In my chocolate book, I discuss in sensory detail about both the "food of the gods" and these specific chocolate makers' unforgettable treasures, which are found either online and/or in grocery stores, too.

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My Fave Chocolate Makers

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Christopher Norman Chocolates

Fran's Chocolates

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

Lake Champlain Chocolates

Meanwhile, while I have chocolate on the brain, I just heard that we may have fresh snow come this weekend (easier to walk the pooches and a cleaner look outdoors). And I have a nice, roaring fire working its magic in the fireplace, the ice dam is hooked up (thanks to electricity), and I'm watching "Untraceable" (a spooky reminder that I have access to the Internet). It's time to grab a piece of anti-stress dark chocolate and put those feel-good, calming compounds to work.
(Photo: Christopher Norman Chocolates)

Blueberry-Chocolate Scones for Worker Bees

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

Here I sit organizing compiled work--tons of papers (all kinds) from interviews to brochures, books, products in the pantry, bathroom and around the cabin--to finally begin the new, sweet book: The Healing Powers of Honey (Kensington, October 2011). Read: I'm blocked big time. (I wonder if worker bees get blocked?)...

I tried to swim but the water was too cold. Walked the dogs. The sky was gray--the way I like it. Wrote the "What's Cookin' at Callie's Cabin" for Friday and the July Earth Changes "I Feel the Earth Move" (page 32 for June: The End Game: Doomsday Films) columns. And now it's a friendly visit to my blog. Translation: I'm doing everything imaginable but go to the desktop computer and begin to use my imagination and pen my new book for the "Healing Powers" series. I just got the idea if I bake up a batch of scones--with nutrient-rich blueberries and dark chocolate--it may boost brainpower. Or not.

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Blueberry-Chocolate Scones

2 1/2 to 3 cups 100 percent natural whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup European style butter (cold cubes)

1 brown egg

3/4 cup 2% low-fat buttermilk

1 cup low-fat all natural vanilla yogurt

1 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lemon rind, grated

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% cocoa content)

organic raw sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spice. Add chunks of butter, sliced in small squares. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, yogurt, egg, vanilla and stir till a dough like mixture forms. Drop spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake till brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Makes 16. Serve with cream cheese and/or all natural blueberry honey.

Two more articles to write. Deadline June 10. The new book? I vow to the world to begin writing IT this week. I am so blocked. It's a terrible feeling. Imagine you are able to do anything and everything but the one thing you should be doing.Or think being stuck in traffic or a line at the store. Not fun. It's time to hit the kitchen. Or maybe I'll watch the rest of Armageddon. (I wonder why we can't hire a Dream Team to take care of the BP oil spill?) It would be more soothing to view the action-oriented film--and real-life coverage of the oil catastrophe going on day 40-something--with a homebaked scone fresh from the oven with a cup of tea(or 20). Make that chamomile.
P.S. For the record, I'm not always a victim of the block. An interview with me in the Books2Mention literary magazine about my work was published today. It had to be the chocolate that got me through the block for my past books for a decade.

Shake and Bake Chocolate-Nut Granola

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

Last week seems like a surreal nightmare. Flashback: Two days before the Full Moon, I was on the phone with Visionary Clarisa Bernhardt. Our energy levels were high. After our two hour conversation, I logged onto the computer and clicked my mouse instinctively to the USGS map. There it was. An 8.8 quake with a large square near Chile--a bit smaller than the 9.5 that hit back in 1960. Would history repeat itself? Then, it was to CNN on the tube and talk of tsunami followed. I dreamed of white waters hitting shore(s). And when I woke up I, like so many people around the globe, watched with horror on Saturady how 53 nations were at risk of a tsunami--the entire Pacific region.

Today, six days later, I am still awestruck. Sure, as a quake sensitive I was a guest on Captain Jack, Lan's A.M. Talk Show, and will be writing my monthly Earth Changes column for Oracle 20/20 magazine. After all, I did predict a 7.0 Japan quake and tsunami would hit in 2010--and that it did. Yes, I believe this quake spawned the Great Chile Quake and perhaps yesterday's 6.4 in Taiwan.

So what does granola have to do with all this seismic activity? Well, quake sensitives often crave crunchy food before earthquakes. And I have all the ingredients to whip up a batch of homestyle granola that mixed with fresh fruit and organic milk is a great breakfast or snack. And honestly, while bad luck runs in threes, so they say...I'm sensing another quake may be on its way sooner than later for the West Coast. In the meantime, here's the quick and easy recipe and it's a little crunchier than my sweet granola recipe.

Shake and Bake Chocolate-Nut Granola

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup nuts (almonds and walnuts)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut (optional)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Mediterranean sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg (it's earthy)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa content)

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, and coconut. In another bowl mix honey, oil, and salt. Mix well. Stir occassionally. Bake about an hour till crispy and in little balls. Store in tight container.

So there you go. Pre-quake food for sensitives. As a native Californian who has survived a strong 6.2 in Morgan Hill and a major 7.1--the World Series Quake that rumbled through the San Francisco Bay Area--my home--I get it. I know what it's like to feel the Earth move and deal with the aftershocks and wonder "When Will the Big One Hit?" After all, the Great 1906 San Francisco quake shook in the 20th century (including the Ghirardelli building) and the Bay Area will shake again (we did have a widely felt 3.4 minor shaker yesterday) in the 21st century. Mother Nature's moves can wreak havoc on the nerves from head to toe. It's time for feel-good chocolate with its mood enhancing compounds and crunchy good for you nuts in my Chocolate-Nut Granola. Gosh, my Golden State hippie chick roots are showing, huh?