Triple Chocolate Mint Cookies

November 17, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles8 Comments

I think if you asked most people what their earliest candy memories were, they would probably say licorice, jellybeans, lollipops, or even chocolate bars. Nope, not me. My earliest candy memories were of Andes Chocolate Mints. Sure, it may seem strange for a 4-year old to love Andes Mints, but they were the special treats that our grandparents would give us—mostly by my Grandpa, Ôn.

When we were good (or needing consoling), he would hand us a few of the one-inch rectangles of minty-chocolate goodness. I would savor each little piece, allowing it to slowly melt in my mouth. Yum. And to this day, I attribute my love of “minty” things to these delicious confections.

So you can imagine my delight when I came across a bag of Andes Mint Chocolate Baking Bits at the local grocery store. (And they were on sale, too–SCORE!) So many options came across my mind of how to incorporate these minty bits into some type of decadent dessert. Should I make Brownies? Cupcakes? Ice cream?

Upon my sister’s suggestion, I settled on Cookies and looked to America’s Test Kitchen for some guidance. The recipe below is quite similar to the Chocolate Toffee Cookies I had made a few months ago with the same rich, brownie-like consistency. But of course what made these cookies so special were the bits of mint sprinkled throughout each bite. Truly reminiscent of Andes Chocolate Mints and my childhood.

Now Friends, a question for you…….What was your favorite childhood candy?

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Triple Chocolate Mint Cookies
Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Ingredients:

16 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¾ Teaspoon Salt
4 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1½ Cups Brown Sugar
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
1½ Cups Andes Mint Chocolate Baking Bits

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with the oven racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, melt semi-sweet chocolate. This can be done by placing the bowl over a pot of simmering water (for a make-shift double-boiler) or in the microwave at 50% power. Stir and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using a hand electric mixer), beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium at speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add one egg a time to the butter mixture, beating after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the cooled melted chocolate and beat until well combined.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in mint-chocolate baking bits. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is easy to scoop and fudge-like.

Using 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, switching the position of the sheets and rotating them back to front halfway through baking. The cookies are baked when the edges are set, but the center are still soft. The cookies will still look a little raw in between the cracks, but are done.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Repeat with the rest of the dough, using cooled cookie sheets. Serve the cookies warm or at room temperature.

Makes 25 to 30 cookies.

Note: I only had dark-coated baking sheets on hand when making these and found that the bottoms of the cookies were too dark despite the decrease in oven temperature to compensate for the sheets. As a result, I switched to using Silpats instead of parchment and had much better results.

Did I mention that these would be delicious as a vessel for Ice cream Sandwiches? YUM!

Spiced Pear Cake for National Bundt Day

November 15, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles11 Comments

Was it a coincidence or luck? Perhaps a little bit of both was on our side this weekend as my nieces and I prepared a delicious spiced pear cake using a bundt pan. And to my amusement as I was drafting up this post, I discovered that today is National Bundt Day!

This is the time of year when I bust out all of the warm spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc) and begin feverishly baking molasses cookies, gingerbreads, and other spiced desserts. YUM. I just love the aromatics and the deep warmth it brings to your home/kitchen when you’re creating such delights.

Since pears are in season and were in abundance at the market, I picked up a few Boschs with the intention of creating a cake that would be great for breakfast. (Cake for all times of the day, I say!) I also took the opportunity to try out this recipe with my nieces, Nina and Stephanie. They are turning out to be quite the whizzes in the kitchen and have refined palates for their age. And in truth, they did most of the work with this cake with me just guiding them through the process. I’m a proud Auntie.

The end results were just what I was hoping for. An extremely moist cake speckled with diced pears and perfumed with warm spices. Perfect with a huge cup of steaming coffee in the morning. With breakfasts like these (and wonderful nieces), perhaps I’ll make it through the chilly season after all.

And with that dear friends, rummage through your pantries to whip out those wreath-like pans—Celebrate National Bundt Day! (I know, I know….I’m a sucker for any “holiday” 🙂 )

Stephanie and Nina hard at work…..Great things will come out of their kitchens in the future 🙂

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Spiced Pear Cake
Approximately 10 servings

Ingredients:

Cake Batter
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
¼ Cup Molasses
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
3 Cups Diced Pear

Glaze
½ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
¼ Cup Water or Apple Juice
1 Cup Confectioner Sugar
½ Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a large bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Mix in brown sugar, breaking up any clumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix in oil, eggs, vanilla extract and molasses. The batter will be quite thick. Fold in the diced pears being careful to not break up the fruit too much.

Spoon the cake batter into the greased bundt pan and spread the mixture evenly. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting on to a plate.

While cake is cooling, prepare glaze. Melt butter and slowly add confectioner sugar and cinnamon. Add apple juice (or water) and mix until combined. Strain the glaze to remove any potential lumps. Slowly pour over the cake while its still warm.

Giveaways · Miscellaneous

Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” GIVEAWAY

November 12, 2010March 4, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles8 Comments

It’s the season to take time out to GIVE and be THANKFUL. And because I’m so THANKFUL to all of you readers, it’s GIVEAWAY time! 🙂

Up for this month is the gorgeous hardcover book by the AH-MAY-ZING Chef Thomas Keller— “Ad Hoc at Home“. I chose this specific one as it centers around Chef Kellar’s version of comfort food. So good. So beautiful. You’ll love it.

Want to enter?? EASY-PEASY! If you are already a subscriber to The Culinary Chronicles, you’re already entered! Yay! If you haven’t yet, simply subscribe to us at the top right hand corner of our page. It’ll take all but 5 seconds….ok, maybe 8 seconds.

Deadline to enter is next Thursday, November 18th at 5pm (PST). I’ll randomly select the winner and announce it the next day on the November 19th—which incidentally, coincides with the premiere of the next Harry Potter movie: The Deathly Hallows, Part I. Thomas Keller and Harry Potter?! It’s going to be a fabulous Friday.

So until next time dear friends–Good Luck!

And in case you haven’t seen the trailer for the next Harry Potter, here you go!

omigosh….I’m so excited! 🙂

Drinks

Celebrating our “Birthday” with Lychee Bellinis

November 11, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

That’s right friends, it’s our anniversary today—or more accurately, our 1 Year Birthday 🙂

A year ago today, through the encouragement of friends and loved ones, I started The Culinary Chronicles to help document some of my Foodventures and to jot down some of my random musings. In truth, I wasn’t sure if I’d stick to it for long—admittedly, I kind of have a short attention span for things. 🙂 But here I am, one year later loving the creative outlet that this space has given me and thankful for all of my virtual foodie friends I’ve connected with.

So in honor of our “birthday” and my deepest appreciation to my loved ones and readers, this post is dedicated to you. A TOAST —for all of your support, comments, feedback, and inspiration.

May we continue to have endless Foodventures together.

Much alohas, “N”

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Lychee Bellinis
Serves: As many as you’re willing to share with 🙂

Ingredients:

1 Bottle Sparkling Wine
½ Cup Lychee Puree*
¼ Cup Lychee Syrup

Take the fruit from one 20 ounce can of lychee and puree it well. Strain the puree and discard the pulp.

In a flute, add 2 tablespoons of the strained lychee puree and 1 tablespoon of lychee syrup. Top off flute with chilled sparkling wine. Garnish each flute with one whole lychee.

Salut!

Breads · Breakfast/Brunch · Desserts/Pastries

Doughnut Muffins

November 10, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles10 Comments

Mmmm….Doughnuts. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who didn’t love them 🙂

I personally prefer cake-batter doughnuts over yeast-batter doughnuts—chocolate old fashioned being the best! Yum.

I’ve always wanted to make fresh doughnuts but most of the cake-better recipes I’ve seen require doughnut pans. And as cute as those pans are, they’re pretty limited in functionality. So when I came across a few posts featuring Doughnut Muffins, I was EXCITED!

The recipe below was quite simple to follow–which was perfect since I had my niece Maya helping me. The only tweak that I made was the addition of ground cinnamon and vanilla extract in the batter. And let me just tell you, your kitchen will smell amazing when these little guys are baking in the oven. DEE-LISH!

I think these Doughnut Muffins are best right out of the oven. But if you happen to have a few left over the next day, pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. So yummy, you won’t regret it 🙂

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Doughnut Muffins
Adapted from Blue Ribbon Cookbook (via Evil Chef Mom)

Ingredients:

Muffins:
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Whole Milk, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons Buttermilk, at room temperature
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
¾ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Large Eggs, at room temperature

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (12 cup) mini muffin tins.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and buttermilk. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Add vanilla extra. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in one fourth of the dry ingredients. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated, finishing with dry ingredients. Do not over mix. The batter will be heavy, it’s ok.

Fill the prepared muffin cups just to the rim with batter. Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

To coat the muffins: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag. Brush each muffin generously with melted butter. Then place a few muffins in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake well to coat the muffins. Repeat.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jelly Doughnut Muffins: Allow muffins to cool and use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each muffin. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam, jelly, or citrus curd, and squeeze into the muffin.

All that’s missing is a tall cold glass of milk.

Appetizers/Small Plates · Vegetables/Vegetarian

Gear Up for Game Day with Roasted Garbanzo Beans

November 8, 2010January 27, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

The days are getting shorter, the weather is turning crisp (well, as “crispy” as California can get), and I haven’t been on my beach cruiser in months. That’s right, it’s Autumn.

It’s no secret that next to winter, this is my least favorite season of the year. I am proudly a “sunshine loving, wears flip-flops year round” kind of gal. But with Autumn comes Football and with Football comes snacks (and of course, beer 🙂 ).

And although I have already had my share of heartaches from my dear Vikings and Trojans this season, a girl has got to have snacks during a game. It also doesn’t hurt if those snacks are on the healthier side if I’m going to partake in a Newcastle or two. Everything in moderation, right? 🙂

These Roasted Garbanzo Beans fit the bill perfectly. Crunchy from the roasting and salty/savory from the endless spices I added. These also would be wonderful if you had some Old Bay Seasoning or other types of Cajun Spice Mix on hand. Though next time, I think I’m going to try some fresh rosemary, garlic, chili flakes, and lemon zest. Endless possibilities.

So next time you’re gearing up for a game, give these little guys a try. They could possibly be the next great game day snack.

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Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients:

1 15-Ounce Can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and thoroughly dried
¼ Teaspoon Coriander
¼ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
¼ Teaspoon Cumin
¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
¾ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss garbanzo beans with olive oil and spices. Roast beans for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until they are crisp.

It’s important for you to dry off the beans well before baking them. Extra moisture won’t produce a crispy product.

Enjoy!

Desserts/Pastries

“Chocolate Malt” Cupcakes

November 5, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles44 Comments

Growing up I used to love going to Thrifty’s Drugstore (now known as Rite Aid in California) to get ice cream. At 35 cents a scoop you couldn’t beat the price and it was darn good! I usually rotated between two flavors, either Mint Chocolate Chip or their infamous Chocolate Malted Crunch. And yes, to this day I have been known to pick up a 1/2 gallon of it or so. You really can’t blame me—chocolate flecks with little malt balls enrobed in malt ice cream…..Who can resist??? My sibs also love Chocolate Malted Milk Shakes–YUM!

Thus was my inspiration to give these “Chocolate Malt” cuppies a try. I turned to Martha Stewart’s recipe and was happy to find that my sister had a jar of Horlicks Malt Powder on hand. I did make two minor tweaks to her recipe as I read that folks found that the cake didn’t have enough malt flavor. As a result, I increased the malt powder amount by an additional 1/4 cup and folded in a 1/2 cup of chocolate covered malt balls into the batter. As for the recipe, it was quite easy to follow–pretty much a one bowl situation. And when I pulled the cuppies out of the oven, I was pleased to see beautiful even domes on the tops.

The Chocolate Malt Buttercream was a great pairing for the cuppies, too–giving it that extra oompf of malt flavor. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I topped them each with chocolate covered malt balls. Hey, I never said this was low-calorie 🙂

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes…..same great flavors as a Chocolate Malted Milk Shake without the potential brain freezes 🙂

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“Chocolate Malt” Cupcakes
Cupcakes adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes
Buttercream adapted from Oh My! Sugar High
Makes approximately 28 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
2¼ Cups All-Purpose Flour
¾ Cup Unsweetened Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
¾ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Milk
1½ Cups Malted Milk Powder
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 Cup Sour Cream, at room temperature
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ Cup Chocolate Covered Malt Balls, chopped

Chocolate Malt Buttercream:
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 Cup Vegetable Shortening, at room temperature
½ Cup Malted Milk Powder
2-4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder
3 Tablespoons Milk
4 Cups Confectioner Sugar, sifted
*Chocolate Covered Malt Balls and Straws to garnish (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa, both sugars, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together milk and malted milk powder until powder is dissolved.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat flour mixture, milk mixture and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add sour cream and vanilla, and beat just until combined. Fold in crushed chocolate covered malt balls.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each halfway. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. In a large mixer bowl, whip the butter and shorting for several minutes until very light and fluffy. Sprinkle in malted milk powder, espresso powder and cocoa powder. Whip for 1 minute. Slowly add the powdered sugar a few spoonful at a time, letting it incorporate until the frosting becomes thicker and stiff. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time and whip until combined.

Fill bag with the frosting and pipe large swirls on top of cupcakes. Top with candies and straw garnish.

Enjoy!

**Note: I was able to make these cuppies extra special by using the wonderfully decadent Valrhona Cocoa Powder for both the cake and the buttercream. Valrhona is quite arguably one of the best chocolates/cocoa to bake with and adds a lovely intense/pure flavor. With that said, I was able to get away with only using 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in the buttercream where I may have needed more had I used another brand.**

Lamb

Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops

November 3, 2010January 27, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

Quite often, we would head to the Hedley Club Lounge in the Hotel De Anza to check out their live jazz. A cozy venue with a Mediterranean decor, the Hedley Club Lounge offers a great wine list with delicious small plates to choose from. And of their tasty tidbits to nosh on, we always ordered their Lamb Chops with crispy Polenta Cakes. The lamb is prepared with a sweet yet savory balsamic reduction and is absolutely delicious.

So in my attempt to pay an homage to the Hedley Club Lounge and the happy times we had there, I offer my interpretation of their Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops. True, the dish isn’t exact but it does play with the lovely flavor balance of acidity and sweetness.

And you know what they always say……….Imitation is the highest form of flattery 🙂

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Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Pound Lamb Chops, cleaned and dried
½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
½ Cup Orange Juice
1½ Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, finely diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, finely diced
1 Tablespoon Shallots, finely diced
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar (or honey)
2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Generously season lamb with salt and pepper. In a bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, orange juice, rosemary, garlic, shallots, mustard, and agave nectar. Pour marinade into a resealable bag and add lamb. Seal bag and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Remove lamb from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. Take lamb from marinade and strain the liquid into a small sauce pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Continue reducing until thickened—about 10-15 minutes.

Dry off the lamb to eliminate any excess moisture. Heat ovenproof skillet (or grill pan) to medium high and add olive oil. Sear lamb on each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Brush glaze on the chops and place in oven at 400 degrees. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145-150°F (for medium). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Plate lamb with an additional drizzle of the glaze. Serve with your choice of sides.

Desserts/Pastries

Coconut Macarons with White Chocolate-Mango Ganache

November 1, 2010February 10, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles18 Comments

Coconut again?! Yup. This time in Macaron form. What can I say, I’m a coco-nutty kind of gal.

I learned my lessons from our first Parisian Macarons experience and paid heed to do the following:

Use a scale to measure the weight of ingredients;
Age the egg whites;
Let the shells “harden” for at least 30 minutes before baking;

Initially I had wanted to fill the Coconut Shells with a Passion Fruit-flavor filling but was unsuccessful in finding a pure concentrate or nectar flavoring agent. But since I had Mango extract on hand, I figured it would be a nice tropical “oompf” for the white chocolate ganache filling. Unfortunately it didn’t bring out as much of the mango flavor as I had hoped—though the end result was still quite tasty. Next time, I’m taking my sister’s advice and use a pineapple filling. Coconut Shells + Pineapple Filling = Piña Colada Macarons. And that, dear friends, is a Nguyen-Win Situation at its best 🙂

Piped shells “aging” for 45 minutes. I only had almond meal that had almonds ground with their skins in tact—thus the pretty speckled pattern.

Les pieds des Macarons!!!! Oh YES– the feet 🙂

I have to admit that I did exhale a sigh a relief after making these little treats. Thank goodness that it wasn’t just beginner’s luck last time! But on the next try, I think I’m going Caramel flavored.

So until my next kitchen adventure Mes Amis, a tout le heure!

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Coconut Macarons with White Chocolate-Mango Ganache

Ingredients:

Macarons Shells:
110 Grams Almond Meal
180 Grams Confectioners’ Sugar
25 Grams Ground Desiccated Coconut
100 Grams Egg Whites, aged at room temperature for 24 hours
50 Grams Granulated Sugar

White Chocolate-Mango Ganache
8 Ounces White Chocolate, finely chopped
4 Ounces Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Pure Mango Extract
1-2 Drops Yellow Food Coloring (optional)

Grind almond meal, desiccated coconuts, and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor to remove any lumps. Sift mixture into another bowl and set aside.

In a mixing stand, whisk egg whites until frothy. Slowly add granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks are formed. Carefully begin incorporating dry mixture into the meringue—gently folding until all items have been integrated.

Using a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe small rounds of the mixture onto Silpat lined baking sheets. Rounds should be about 1½ inches in diameter. Once baking sheets are filled, tap the sheet carefully but firmly on the counter to remove any possible air pockets. Let baking sheets sit on the counter for 45 minutes to harden the outer shell before baking.

Bake at 300 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the pans to cooling rack and cool completely before removing shells.

In a saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat and strain the hot cream through a fine-meshed sieve directly into the bowl of the chopped chocolate. Let the mixture sit 1 to 2 minutes without stirring, and then gently whisk until the chocolate is entirely melted. Stir in the mango extract and food coloring. Cover with plastic wrap and chill about 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Transfer ganache to a piping bag and fill the macaron shells.

Miscellaneous

Nourishing the Mind and Spirit

October 31, 2010October 31, 2010 The Culinary ChroniclesLeave a comment

We eat when our bodies are hungry. We select foods that taste good, that is available, that we crave….and hopefully, sometimes things that are healthy for our body.

But should our food selections be based on physiological needs alone?

I was struck with this thought while I was reading Nicole Mones’ book “The Last Chinese Chef”. In it, an excerpt read:

“For someone grieving, cook with chives, ginger, coriander, and rosemary. Theirs is the flavor, which draws grief up and out of the body and releases it into the air.” -The Last Chinese Chef

The approach is less about “treatment” and more about the need to being in tuned with the mind and spirit. And when one is conscious of their mind and spirit, you select ingredients to nourish it.

This has really resonated with me over the past few days. But perhaps many of us already inadvertently practice this belief. Comfort Food. Soul Food. When many of us feel under the weather, we want soups or foods that we grew up eating—evoking a sense of nostalgia. Celebratory events almost always have sweets to offer. So although the ingredients selection may not be as methodical, the approach is still the same.

Food should nourish the Body, Mind and Spirit. Perhaps the Chinese had it right all along.