Winter Wonderland Fresh Fruit Muffins

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

“People get so in the habit of worry that if you save them from drowning and put them on a bank to dry in the sun with hot chocolate and muffins they wonder whether they are catching cold."-- John Jay Chapman

At last. It's snowing. The weather forecast got it spot on. Last night I sensed the colder weather, grey skies--change in the air. The storm was on its way. So, I got in the spirit and made a pre-winter gourmet muffin complete with fresh late autumn fruits and coconut--for a snowflake effect. And I added another surprise that surprised me!...

When I frosted these banana-cranberry muffins with a cream cheese frosting--I didn't let them cool long enough. Later, I was pleasantly surprised. I accidentally created the Twinkie Effect. The creamy frosting trickled into a well for each muffin. It was meant to be. I guess it was another sign that snow and slush was on its way.

Fresh Fruit Muffins

1 1/2 cups all natural whole wheat flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 large brown egg

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons lemon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup European Style butter

1/2 cup butter, unsalted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon allspice

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, whole

2 ripe bananas

Melt butter in a pan on low heat. In a bowl mix butter with beaten egg and sugar. Combine mixture with flour, powder, soda. Stir in mashed bananas and cranberries. Add spice and vanilla. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or till golden brown and muffin tops bounce back at a finger's touch. Cool for about 20 minutes. (Unless you want the Twinkie Effect.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup European Style butter
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

coconut, shredded

Melt butter. Stir in cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Frost tops and sprinkle with fresh coconut. Eat warm and top with a few fresh strawberries. Note: If you're trying to lose weight, dust the muffins with confectioner's sugar, lose the frosting.

Yes, I love these muffins. This morning I warmed up one in the microwave and teamed it with a cup of hot chamomile tea. The tartness of fresh cranberries complement the sweetness of the bananas. And the creamy texture of the frosting that I love on carrot cake paired with coconut flakes? Ah, sweetness. Plus, I found fresh strawberries (on sale) at the store. What a wonderful pre-winter delight.

But now, the wild winds of this morning have calmed, sort of. The snowflakes are falling onto the ground. I brought in kindling, more wood--Mountain Woman NOT! Alas, I must go put on my winter garb and walk the pooches on slushy snow. News Flash: Our supermarket is down--blackout. Not so sweet. After our winter wonderland romp another muffin with a cup of hot chocolate and a fire may be just the trick to make this human wag her tail.

Olive Oil--Soothe Pre-Winter-Holiday Aches & Pains...

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

This weekend I made a promise to myself to do a lot of pre-winter chores--not just holiday preparations. That means, cleaning the fireplace, raking the pine needles before our next storm hits Lake Tahoe (and it may this time, according to NOAA), bathing the pooches, hanging the new shower curtain, dusting the dust bunnies, and more. By the end of the day I'm sure a scented olive oil-based massage will make me feel relaxed before I sit in front of a fire and chill....

But before I get to work, I want to share with you a few words about how olive oil, an ancient remedy, can help you year round and this season to celebrate and take care of you and yours. In my book The Healing Powers of Olive Oil you can discover easy ways to lose weight, lower cholesterol and blood presure...Prevent heart disease and cancer...Live longer...and so much more!

Discover the amazing powers of olive oil. From ancinet times to present-day olive oil has been used for everything from health ailments to beauty and the home and so much more. Evidence continues to show that a diet based on olive oil--the primary fat--can add years to your life and may even prevent some diseases. I consulted top doctors, nutritionists, olive oil producers, and chefs, getting the most up-to-date information on the many perks of olive oil, such as:

Health Improvements:
* Relieving arthritis aches
* Inhibiting breast and colon cancer
* Prevent diabetes
* Reducing pain

Home Cures:
* Cleaning your house, naturally
* Giving your hair a silky touch
* Zapping ticks and conditioning your pet's coat
* Soothing tight muscles

During pre-winter housecleaning and getting prepared for the holiday season or even exercising more than less, your muscles may ache after a hard day's work and play. Here, take a look at my tried and true massage oil. Use it solo if you don't have that special someone in your life to give you a massage. Either way, it can work wonders. And don't forget...After you're achy muscles are feeling relaxed, treat yourself to a warming cup of hot cocoa! You'll feel comfy, cozy, and good to go for the next day (whatever your age).

Callie's Reviving Massage Oil

This activating eucalyptus massage oil is effective for sore and aching muscles. Combine the following essential oils in a container of your choice:

20 drops eucalyptus

20 drops lavender

20 drops rosewood

5 drops chamomile

5 drops peppermint

Add 36 drops of this blend to 3 ounces of olive oil. (Note: You can substitute your fave essential oils if you don't have all of these on hand. No worries. It's all good, as they say.) Then, shake it up briefly, and simply massage a small amount into tired, achy muscles and joints. For more info, on massage techniques and oil, how exactly olive oil can help stave off arthritis to aches and pains, and so much more-- pick up a copy of The Healing Powers of Olive Oil.

P.S. This feel-good, pampering oil paired with the book (a budget-friendly mass market edition is available, too) can make a healthful holiday gift for you, your family and friends. Also, the Resource List provides a comprehensive list of places to order ready-made olive oil beauty products, such as fab soaps and shampoos.

"Hot" Chocolate Book with an Edgy Twist

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

In my brand new book The Healing Powers of Chocolate (following the The Healing Powers of Vinegar and Olive Oil) I show “decadent” and “sinful” are words commonly associated with chocolate, but they no longer apply. Approximately 4000 years ago, in Central America, the Mayan Indians considered cocoa beans “food of the gods” because of its medicinal benefits. Later, it got tagged as a “bad” fatty food. But by the end of the 20th century, a twist of fate turned chocolate back into a health food...

In THE HEALING POWERS OF CHOCOLATE I trace the origin of chocolate, from bean to bar. In creating this reader-friendly book, I, tagged as a health expert and author (who lives near San Francisco, one of the nation’s chocolate hot spots) interviewed America’s top chocolate makers and chocolatiers, nutritionists, medical researchers, and chocolate lovers to find out how this ancient SuperFood can prevent and fight common ailments and diseases.
The result is a lively comprehensive guide to the wide world of quality chocolate, from 70% dark truffles to Italian biscotti baked with extra virgin olive oil, in America and around the globe. With proven data for eating dark chocolate containing cocoa flavanols to reduce heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and dozens of pesky ailments, this book—with a European twist (I include chapters on both red wine and coffee)—takes you on a magical chocolate tour, complete with wit, charm, and entertaining personal anecdotes from ancient folklore present-day. And that's not all...

I share dozens of edgy chocolate home cures to work for treating acne, anxiety, brain fog, cabin fever, cough, depression, fatigue, and other ailments. Plus, I personally experienced anti-aging treatments—from masks, manicures to bubble baths--made from antioxidant-rich chocolate teamed with natural plant extracts. Incorporating cutting-edge scientific research, plus Mediterranean-style heart-healthy chocolate recipes, from Sicilian Mole to Dark Chocolate Mousse, in THE HEALING POWERS OF CHOCOLATE (click on the link and read a chapter and/or pre-order at your fave online booksellers' site for a holiday discount) I show you exactly why savoring this no longer forbidden food is the 21st century trend.

Holiday Homemade European Cocoa Fudge Truffles

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

"They [truffles] can, on certain occasions,

make women more tender and men more lovable." --Alexandre Dumas

I woke up this morning craving fudge and truffles. But unlike last year this time, no UPS gourmet chocolate packages are on their way to my house. I didn't despair. I decided I'd take the homemade route. During my swim (bliss again) I thought fudge would be the easiest to make, especially after reading some complicated recipes that I could revise but it seemed like a lot of work. But then, I recalled chocolatey truffles, you know the ones dusted in superb cocoa and/or sprinkled with coconut and nuts. It was becoming a serious Libra indecisive day. Truffles or fudge. Fudge or truffles. So, I made the final decision a few hours ago. I made Fudge Truffles and enjoyed both worlds of chocolate...

Sure, I could have followed and created my own version of a hard to follow fudge recipe or go for the tried and true marshmallow foolproof one and add my own European type touches with a truffle effect. That's what I did and you can do it, too. It's similar to the easy to do recipe my girlfriends and I used when I was 16...

Cocoa Fudge Truffles

3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups European Style Butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup semi-bittersweet gourmet chocolate chips

1/2-3/4 cup 60% cocoa chips

3/4 cup marshmallow cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a heavy large saucepan combine sugar, milk, and soft butter. On medium heat stir till boiling for several minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and marshmallow cream till mixed well. Add vanilla. Spread into a 13" by 9" pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Cut into small squares like in the photo above left. Then, dust half of the fudge squares with gourmet unsweetened cocoa powder; the other half with fresh shredded coconut and walnuts. Place into round tin containers and layer fudge with parchment paper. Store in fridge.

I used my fave Hershey's tin and a forest green tin with a snowy Christmas scene complete with trees and a house. Now, I'm not going to fib and say these are better than some of the European style luxury chocolate truffles I received from chocolatiers. No way. They infuse their truffles with awesome fruits, herbs, and spices and use fresh ingredients--including cream.

But hey, these quickie homemade European Cocoa Fudge Truffles do taste good, the chocolate is good. The texture is smooth and rich like gourmet chocolate and not too sweet or crunchy like a run of the mill milk chocolate candy bar. I chose the European Style butter because it's sweet and creamier than unsalted butter. The best part, I have two tins of cocoa fudge truffles to savor and share.

And a new study confirms what I wrote in my new book The Healing Powers of Chocolate (due to be released this month): quality chocolate can help you to destress. (I have to write an article tomorrow: "Earth Changes Predictions for 2010".) Those umpteen feel-good compounds in chocolate should do the trick. Healing chocolate can boost brainpower and physical energy--and even make people like you, and me, more tender towards our demanding companion animals or any humanoids that cross our path tomorrow.

Tahoe-Style Autumn Apple-Cranberry Crumble Pie

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

“Well, art is art, isn't it? Still, on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now, uh... Now you tell me what you know.”
-- Groucho Marx

Monday is my fave day of the week. It’s fresh. It promises new beginnings. It's off season (again) or what I like to think of as "hump month"--a time when it's quiet at Lake Tahoe. Read: The town is a pre-winter wonder for locals. (Yes, the resort pool was heaven.) And fall is in the air with snow melting on the ground. (The dog walk was grr-eat. No black ice and a nice crisp feel amid the towering pine trees.) I’m having a lingering, love affair with autumn's cranberries, pumpkin, and honeycrisp apples. The last two may be history come winter. So tonight I put to use fresh cranberries and those special sweet and tart apples--an awesome apple that so many people in so many places love to eat. But they come as fast as they go. I can smell the scrumptious aroma of both the berries and apples and it’s better than scented earthy candles…

I used Honeycrisp Apples (again). The word is, that both pumpkin and these apples may be AWOL sooner than later at Lake Tahoe. This time around, I tossed in whole cranberries and I’m glad I did. And I took the Dutch Apple Pie route since I had one store bought crust left waiting for me to do something with it before winter arrives. I’m sure this pie is healthier created with fresh, seasonal good for you apples and cranberries than store bought ones because you and I can control the rest of the ingredients.

Autumn Apple-Cranberry Crumble Pie

1 store deep dish bought pie crust (still hooked on these)
4 large Honeycrisp apples, washed, cored, sliced

1 cup fresh cranberries, whole (mixed with granulated sugar)
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 cup (each) brown and granulated sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Crumbly Crust

1/4 stick butter, unsalted
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar

OR FOR MORE CRUMBLE 'N' CRUNCH TRY

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 stick European Style butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take pie crust out of freezer. Set aside to thaw for 15 minutes. Prepare apples. Melt butter and mix with flour, spices, and mix with apples. Set aside. Melt butter and add sugar. Place apple mixture in pie shell. Spread crumbly crust on top. Place a large piece of foil underneath the pie tin to prevent edges of crust burning. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. (If you live in high altitude it may take a bit longer.). It's done when crust is golden brown and apples are tender and bubbly. Warning: Do not cut for at least one hour. Factoid: If you wait, slicing the pie will be nice and picture perfect.

One hour later... I cut a small slice and put a small dollop of whipped cream (no artery clogging trans fats) on top. A dusting of powdered sugar--like a snow flurry--could suffice, too. Into the living room by the fire I sat. Bite by bite I savored this sweet and tart fall fruit pie. The crust is just as good as homemade and the crumble topping is crunchy. I wish I could freeze autumn and my favorite fall foods. I'll miss you Honeycrisp apples. But I know Old Man Winter is coming around the mountain.

Vinegar Power--A Best Friend During the Holidays

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

“To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist--the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one must put with one's vinegar."-- Oscar Wilde

The Healing Powers of Vinegar is still helping people slim down and healthy up. In my internationally popular book, I show you how to prevent unwanted weight and body fat, and stay heart healthy with vinegar. These topics are popular woes during the hectic holidays when we're tempted to overindulge in unhealthy foods and stress out while traveling, preparing for family get togethers, and coping with life's ups and downs. So, yes! Yes versatile vinegar can be your best friend--always there for you--throughout the busy month of December...

• Discover the healing powers of apple cider vinegar (and the fruit flavored vinegar craze--like holiday cranberry vinegar) -- now widely recognized as a practical and a potent elixir.
• Find out how incorporating the latest scientific evidence, plus Mediterranean-style heart-healthy no cook diet plans--and many holiday-style recipes--can help to lose body fat easily and prevent heart disease -- the number one killer for both women and men in America.
• Learn how red wine vinegar contains the same important antioxidants as red wine -- without the alcohol.
• Put dozens of new home cures to work through the holiday season... Vinegar can help in treating acid reflux disease, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, hangnails, hot flashes, insomnia, universal emergency (acts as a cure-all medication for any type of natural disasters), and more.
• Find a wealth of new natural beauty treatments and environment-friendly household hints—from detoxing your kitchen to cleaning up kids and pets--a must throughout the holiday season.

Praise for The Healing Powers of Vinegar

(now available in both trade cover and mass market formats; found on all online booksellers' sites including http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/)

* Original edition was purchased by the Rodale Prevention Book Club

* Publisher’s Weekly chose the revised edition of The Healing Powers of Vinegar as one of its Selected Cookbooks, July 2006-February 2007

* One Spirit Book Club offers this book (including The Good Cook Book Club)

* Featured in Woman's World magazine

* The Healing Powers of Vinegar has been translated in more than a dozen languages around the globe

Chillin with Chocolate 'N' Pumpkin Ice Cream

By Cal Orey, The Writing Gourmet

"It is not the strongest pumpkin grower that survives, not the most intelligent, but the grower most responsive to change."--- Charles Darwin, Theory of Pumpkin Evolution

Sweet Sunday. Today the happy tourists should be traveling back home. That means my fave resort swimming pool will be full with less than more people. Translation: It looks like happiness is coming my way. Another thing that makes me smile is ice cream. Even better is pumpkin ice cream. A few years ago, at Lake Tahoe we had a 31 Flavors--a place I'd frequent and ask "Do you have pumpkin ice cream yet?" So, you can imagine how I felt when our ice cream store closed shop. But before Thanksgiving I saw pumpkin ice cream at our grocery store and it was a pleasant surprise...
The other night I topped a scoop of the ice cream with 70% cacao chocolate chips. Wow. You've got to try this team. The creamy and crunchy texture is perfect. And the chocolate? Well, dark chocolate contains monounsaturated fat and it can help to fill you up not out like olive oil and nuts if and if you do not over indulge. Quality and moderation are the secrets. (White chocolate can work and you'll get some extra calcium.)
Another secret? The regular pumpkin ice cream complete with those warming, earthy autumn spices was AWOL but I snagged the Dreyer's Light Slow Churned Rich & Creamy stuff. (It promises 50% less fat and 30% less calories.) I hesitated but with the holiday foods it seemed like it was good timing.) It works for me. And I discovered Dreyer's also makes a Hot Chocolate flavor but it's not here in the Lake Tahoe Basin. How sad is that? It's time for that swim and the dog walk is on the agenda. Yeah, I'm just chillin all day long.