Wouldn't you love to be a cat?

This pic of Marmalade, my neighbours lovely cat reminded me of an article I wrote for the magazine Kindred Spirit a couple of years ago, so thought I'd share it - if I get to choose, maybe in my next lifetime I'll be a cat!

I treasure those moments in life when I’m stopped in my tracks and reminded of the simplicity, beauty and magic of life. It’s easy to become so busy in our lives that we forget to look up and gaze at the stars or the full moon. I vividly remember one such moment, on a stressful day in New York, as I walked down Broadway, deeply immersed in my thoughts. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two cats in a bookshop window - one was lying with all limbs outstretched being licked all over by the other one. I stood and stared, every fibre of my being wanting to be that cat, simply enjoying the pleasure of touch without any feeling of self-consciousness or embarrassment. A few days later, I was standing outside a health food store waiting to meet a friend. Beside me, there was a puppy tied on a leash while it’s owner shopped. Everyone who passed by acknowledged the puppy with a pat or words of admiration and the puppy respond appropriately with a wag of the tail or a lick on the hand. Nobody however even acknowledged my existence – who knows, maybe I bite!
Have you ever noticed if two human beings simply brush against each other in passing, it’s invariably followed by an apology. Or the discomfort of having to stand in a crowded place like on a train at rush hour, so close that you almost touch another human being. How much we all crave that sensual stimulation, yet it’s only allowed or considered appropriate when we’re well concealed, behind closed doors.
For me, eating has always been one of the most sensuous experiences in life. In childhood, when I had the liberty to choose between cornflakes or rice krispies for breakfast, it was always the snap, crackle and pop of the krispies that won my approval – just another element of sensual stimulation! I derive immense pleasure from the vast and wonderful array of foods that nature has gifted us with. The colours, tastes and textures delight and stimulate my creativity. I certainly don’t subscribe to the school of thought that says as long as it’s healthy, it doesn’t matter how it looks or tastes. To feel truly vital and healthy, I must have all of my senses awakened and satisfied. I love to touch my food as I cook (with impeccably clean hands of course!) and let all of my senses out to play so that I can combine textures, colours and flavours in a way that gives my food the most sensual appeal. This is my definition of “healthy cooking”.


We’re all born with a creative spark within us. In some this spark is encouraged and kindled from childhood onwards and in others it lies dormant. I encourage you to see time spent in the kitchen as an opportunity to let the child in you out to play.
I once got a phone call from a lady who was diagnosed with breast cancer and a nutritionist recommended that she try a macrobiotic diet. She asked me if I could come and teach her to cook the foods. Her first words to me were “Look, I’m not a cook, I’m a singer. I don’t know how to cook, I don’t like cooking, but I’ve got to do it to survive, so show me how”. My first piece of advice to her was to forget those judgements – “I can’t” , “I don’t know how”. We went on to spend several hours playing in her kitchen and at the end had a lovely array of colorful and delicious meals. She left a message on my answering machine later that evening, thanking me from the bottom of her heart for all the fun she’d had that day. She was now excited about cooking and never realised it could be so much fun, with the added benefit that she felt absolutely wonderful when she ate the food.
So maybe we do have one up on the cats and dogs of the world – they can eat, but can they cook?

Bon appetite!
Aine

Have another cuppa tea

Tea in the morning, tea in the evening,

tea at supper time,

You get tea when it's raining,

tea when it's snowing

tea when the weather's fine,

You get tea as a mid-day stimulatnt,

You get tea with your afternoon tea

For any old ailment or disease

For christ sake have a cuppa tea

(The Kinks)

On a recent visit to London I took my Irish friend Eileen to one of my favorite London haunts - the Tea Palace on Westbourne Grove.  Heaven I thought for an Irishwoman, with over 100 different teas to choose from.  After perusing the extensive tea menu, Eileen looked at me a little confused and asked "do you think they have ordinary tea?".  What the heck was I thinking - that an Irishwoman was going to stray from tradition.

Growing up in Ireland, the teapot was a big part of our daily life.  I knit tea cosies as a child to keep the brew warm. On a winter's evening we'd sit around the fire and drink tea.  There was no such thing as what kind of tea - there was simply tea.  Fortunately for Eileen, my Tea Palace was able to satisfy with a nice black tea with milk and sugar.

These days there's such a range of teas to choose from and every time I go shopping there's even more.  I confess to having strayed from the purity of my Irish roots and embraced a whole new world of teas.  I've even tainted my mother who never starts her day without her two cups of green tea and swears it's the fountain of youth.

Black, white, green and oolong teas all come from a warm weather evergreen tree called Camellia sinensis.  As the leaves are processed, they become darker, so white and green tea are less processed and have lower levels of caffeine.  Darker teas are dried, crushed and fermented.

Studies have shown that teas are high in the antioxidant Polyphenols, which have anti-carcinogenic properties among other health benefits such as lowered cholesterol levels. 

I like to jumpstart my day with a tea that has a little caffeine like a white, green or jasmine tea. Anything more than 5% caffeine and I get a little over excited.  White tea has about 2% and green and jasmine 5%, black tea between 10 and 20%. I always have a bag of dried rosebuds among my tea collection as it adds a lovely flavor and aroma when combined with my white or green tea.  My favorite combination is silver needle white tea and rosebuds.

These days I occasionally start my day with a cup of chai made from black tea, a squirt of a wonderful liquid chai spice mix that I found recently, a spoonful of honey or agave syrup and some warmed hemp milk or soy silk creamer (I'm not a soy milk drinker but the hazelnut or vanilla  silk creamer is quite a delicious treat in tea).  If I'm having my chai later in the day, in order to avoid the caffeine I'll use a Rooibos tea instead of black tea. Rooibos, also known as African Redbush tea has become very popular recently.  It was traditionally used in Africa to treat various health problems, including infant colic, digestive problems, athsma and allergies.  It is also said to be high in antioxidants and it is completely caffeine free, so can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Yerba Mate, a tea native to the rainforests of Brazil and Argentina, is another tea which has gained popularity recently, again because of it's high antioxidant properties and other nutritional benefits.  It has naturally occuring caffeine, so it's a good coffee substitute.  I enjoy it's smoky flavor, but do find it a little over stimulating, so I only have it occasionally when I'm ready to rock and roll.

Throughout my day, I enjoy a range of teas for their therapeutic benefits.  These days I'm drinking an Ayurvedic concoction made from a range of spices, to which I add fresh ginger. 

I prefer to use loose leaf tea and particularly enjoy when I can pick fresh herbs and flowers from the garden and whip up a magical brew.  Tea to me is alchemy - a way to transform my moods, lift my spirits and share with friends.  What's better than a good cup of tea?

On wings of Love

Food and Love are synonymous - I don't believe in the possibility of one without the other. Eating is one of the most sensual of life's pleasures. I was once told by a gentleman "if you offered me sex or a cookie, I'd take the cookie" and I would hope that he was alluding more to the power of my cookies than to my lack of sex appeal.
When we think of "foods for love" the first thing that springs to mind are oysters or chocolate coated strawberries. Any food however, when prepared with a little creativity and loving intention can be an aphrodisiac.
Oysters are high in zinc, which is an important nutrient for libido, particularly for men as it is required for the production of the hormone testosterone. It also plays an important role in metabolism and maintenance of healthy immune function. Other good dietary sources of zinc are pumpkin and sunflower seeds, garlic, spinach, legumes, herrings and clams. Zinc and copper must be kept in balance in order for the body to properly assimilate these minerals, so make sure your diet also contains copper rich foods such as leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts and peas.

One of my favorite salads these days is my Raw Kale Salad. It's packed with nutrients, including zinc and copper. Kale is also high in calcium and magnesium, important for bone health. This salad is so delicious that even some of my hard core non veggie loving clients can't get enough.
Simply shred a big bunch of kale - I like to use the dark Tuscan kale, but the curly kale is great too. Then I add whatever other veggies I have in my fridge, all finely shredded. My favorite combination is kale, jicama, carrot and fennel. You can coarsely grate your veggies, but I love to chop, so I cut them into very thin matchsticks.
Put all your chopped veggies in a big bowl, and add about 2 Tbs. goji berries (I soak them first for about 10 minutes in a little hot water to soften them up), a big sprinkle of hemp seeds, a small handful of pumpkin seeds (I like to toast them a little first but you can leave them raw).
Drizzle on about 2 Tbs. olive oil, 2 Tbs. lime juice, 1 tsp. agave syrup, 1 tsp. umebohsi plum vinegar and toss lovingly.
Injoy, Aine

fairy dust and angel wings

My kitchen is where I experience the most magic..hence the name of my blog. I have angels, leprachauns, fairies who sprinkle their magic dust and flutter their gossamer wings on my creations and when the food is eaten people are touched by this magic. I smile when I get to take all the credit and secretly I share the glory with my invisible friends.
This happens because I am open to magic. It's everywhere, all the time, available for us to feel and be touched by. When I create, this is when I access it as I move out of my logical rational brain and open to the flow of higher mystical reality. When I write I can feel it too as long as I'm willing to ignore my inner "editor". In writing my cookbook, most of the text came to me as I was engaged in walking the beaches of Kauai, dancing in nature or still enough to attune to my inner quite place. Every time I sat at my computer and tried to be a good, disciplined girl and write my book as I was supposed to be doing, I had brain freeze - no words came. In writing this blog, I'm hoping that some of this magic will come across and touch your life too..inspire you to play, have fun, create and be blessed by all your magical culinary creations.