Eating With The Stars – Page 2

Be Creative with Wild Mushroom Soup!

This week on my podcast, “Astrological Cooking” I am happy to have as my guest, Arlene Weinstock, artist, photographer, author, and all around creative wizard.

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/

Arlene talks about her “loosen up” method to find your creative juices and she insists that all of us are creative. Check out the programs she offers on her website. http://www.arlenew.com/.

At the end of this week’s podcast, I give the recipe for my “Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup.” This is a great holiday soup because it is so elegant and creamy and one that helps you express your creativity. There are so many mushrooms from which to choose. I like creminis and hen of the woods but you can try any assortment to make this dish exciting.

Check this and my other recipes in my cookbook, “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook,” available at www.signsofthetines.com.

Jump for Joy Over Jupiter: Acorn Squash and Polenta Soufflé

In my latest podcast of The Astrological Cook on Web Talk Radio http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/, I spoke of Jupiter and the joy and expansion it looks to bring to our lives. Because my interview with Lean toward Happy creator Roz Warren www.leantowardhappy.com/ went a bit long (how Jupiterian is that), I didn’t have time to give listeners my recipe for Acorn Squash and Polenta Soufflé so here it is! I made this out of leftovers a few weeks ago and it is so easy and delicious. Makes 6 -8 servings 2 medium acorn squash 1 ½ cups corn meal 2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼-cup milk 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon, freshly ground nutmeg ½-teaspoon cardamom Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. NOTE if you are one of those people who hates to wield dangerous knives there is an easy way to handle acorn squash. Just bake them in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes until they are soft, let them cool then slice them in half, remove the seeds and the skin. It is easier that doing all that when they are hard as a rock. While the acorn squash is cooling, make the polenta. Bring 3 quarts of water to a mild boil then slowly whisk in the corn meal. You do not want lumps so keep whisking until smooth, stir in the salt and butter, and blend well. Remove from the heat. Combine the cooled acorn squash and polenta in a food processor, add the milk and spices, and blend until very smooth. Pour into a greased 1-quart soufflé pan and bake 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

The Astrological Dinner Party: A Great Holiday Gift and Fun Way to Kick Off the New Year

What better way to spice up your parties than by adding a little bit of stardust? Star the New Year off with a new way to entertain; the astrological dinner party. It is a wonderful new way to do a potluck that will not only assure a great variety of foods but hours of conversation as guests compare their choices with their chart signs. Invite some friends over and ask them to bring a dish that epitomizes their Sun sign*. They do not have to be astrological wizards. Everyone knows their sun signs and knows something about the energy they emit. Have them bring the food in a brown bag, with no outside markings. No one is to peek at anyone else’s’ offerings. Invite your guests to have some wine and snacks in the other room while you get the dinner ready. Remove the food from the original plates and place them in your own service. This will eliminate people knowing who brought what by recognizing someone’s china. Once you serve the dishes, have everyone guess who brought what. That healthy quinoa salad has to be from the Virgo while the Capricorn probably came armed with a chicken potpie or something else of great substance. If there are two people of the same Sun sign it is no problem. There are many traits exhibited by each sign and it will be interesting to see how they express in each person. Of course, I would encourage you to have my cookbook on hand to answer any astrological questions that might arise. If you prefer to cook the food yourself and surprise your friends with their own personalized Sun-sign dishes, you can prepare any number of meals from my cookbook. There are at least ten recipes for each astrological signs “In Signs of the Tines.” For your Libra friend create a surf-and-turf to keep them in balance. For the Aries, the warrior inspired Mongolian Hot Pot. If you are stuck with the age-old question, what should I buy for everyone this Holiday season, why not prepare an astrological meal? It is fun, personalized and something they will always remember. What greater gift can you give then to prepare a dish just for them handpicked by the stars? *For the more astro-savvy crowd ask them to cook for their rising sign! That will really spark discussions. “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook” is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and www.signsofthetines.com. For chart readings me Joan at [email protected]. Download my podcast Astrological Cooking at http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/.

Jupiter Stew with a Dash of Turmeric

I was honored to be asked to write an article for the International Academy of Astrology Newsletter. IF you want to use the ingress of Jupiter into Cancer this week for your health check it out

Rerinted from International Academy of Astrology July 2013 Newsletter

July 2013
Cancer Ingress Newsletter

Jupiter Stew with a Dash of Turmeric
Using the Ingress of Jupiter in Cancer to Heal Liver Inflammation
By Joan Porte

The Summer Solstice is fast upon us with promise of revitalizing our bodies with the healthy fruits and vegetables of the season. This month the universe gives us a double dose of healing opportunities when Jupiter ingresses into Cancer on June 25, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. EDT.

In medical astrology, Jupiter, the largest planet, has reign over the liver, the largest internal organ. Among the liver’s many tasks is cleansing our blood. It turns food into nutrients and fat-soluble toxins into ones that are water-soluble and easily eliminated.

Medical science is just beginning to understand the effects of long-term, low grade inflammation. What is known is when the liver is beaten down by chemicals, environmental toxins, alcohol, processed, sugary and fatty foods it slows down and the toxins and fat remain imbedded in our body.

There are several things to do to restore an inflamed liver. As an astrologer and avid home cook, I am a big believer in using the Zodiac as a guide to healing foods. What better time to care for the long abused American liver than when its ruling planet, Jupiter, wanders through the motherly nurturing sign of Cancer for the next 13 months?

As Jupiter moves from house-to-house it would be wise to nurture the anti-inflammatory response with recipes that appeal to the sign energetically connected to that house.

Aries and the first house exude the heat of Mars and a bit of Aries spice is a good tool in the battle against inflammation. Use this time to make a plan of action for your fight and fuel yourself with some good Mars food like a Spicy Tomato Gazpacho Soup.

When Jupiter moves into the second house Taurus’ call may be telling you that it is too hard to stay healthy and it is time for some indulgence regardless of the health cost. Don’t fight the temptation – appease it. Tomatoes Stuffed with Artichokes and Feta has the mouth feel so craved and the healthy vegetables will still help keep you on track.

The third house Jupiter ingress is a perfect time to use Mercury’s mental talents to further study the new medical research on the inflammatory response. The trickster doesn’t have a lot of time for time-consuming foods so keep a lot of my healthy Cold Broccoli and Olive salad on hand. It is quick, delicious and always ready when the impatience of Mercury urges you to run out for some fat-laden fast food.

Now there are no excuses when Jupiter moves into Cancer’s home, the fourth house: you have to give your diet a lot of love and attention now. My friend Diane has a wonderful recipe that she makes in honor of her grandmother called Gram’s Cranberry Pie – how Cancerian is that? It is full of love, grandmotherly tenderness and cranberries which are a great antioxidant.

You can hear Leo’s roar as you head into the Fifth House and this is another time when you may want to throw caution to the wind and over-indulge. Rely, instead, on that Leo pride in their body to keep you on course. Acorn Squash with Apples, Figs and Grapes is a true anti-inflammatory dish and, if served in a fancy bowl, will allow you to envision yourself royalty.

OK Jupiter in Cancer in the 6th house, the house of healing and care for the body; do you need a better excuse to get healthy? While you have to pay attention to your health now, you don’t have to suffer any deprivation. Pasta Primavera is a great 6th house dish and you don’t have to be a natal Virgo to love the Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Stacks and some healthy seafood Cioppino.

The Libran socialization that energizes the 7th house can make you want to spend too many hours over some nachos and beer with friends. But with little effort you can make a full Smorgasbord to share. Try Chicken Pesto Sandwiches and Mediterranean Salad Sandwiches with lean, skinless chicken; sun dried tomatoes and pesto loaded with basil.

If you haven’t revised you’re eating habits you will now – Scorpio and the 8th house demand change, a death to the old self. What better way to celebrate the new you with a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead food make out of healthy pumpkin, Calabeza en Tacha?

When Jupiter is in the 9th appeal to the Sagittarius wanderlust with a Vegetable Moroccan Tagine. It is full of chick peas, tomatoes, carrots and other vegetables. The original recipe calls for a base of cous cous but grains can hinder the immune system so try a bed of quinoa instead.

Serve a Capricorn Cabbage Soup. The heartiness of the cabbage appeals to the strong and steady goat. With Jupiter in the 10th you will appease the cravings for filling foods with this vegetable-laden broth that is perfect for a cold Capricorn night.

Throw caution to the wind when Jupiter hits the 11th house for it is time for quirky Aquarius energy to take over. Try something with a unique twist that is also good to share with the many friends this house brings, like Pollack with Berry Prosecco Sauce. The blueberries and fish are healthy and the Prosecco makes it a bit more fun.

With Jupiter’s swims into the 12th house Pisces it can bring up old emotions triggering bad eating habits. Make some crispy Kale with Scallions and Ginger for a zingy delicious taste to fuel you and get ready for Jupiter’s move into Leo. Just remember what Cancer has taught you when Leo fuels you appetite!

Bon Appetite.

NOTE:
These recipes and many more specifically directed to the health of each sign can be found in Joan’s book Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook.
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What Would Marilyn Monroe Eat?

Well I read that she loved steak and I believe that from looking at her chart.

Her 6th house, the house of food and the body is opened by Capricorn, the sign of goat. Normally Capricorns like good, hearty food that is no nonsense and no frills. Good old steak would appeal to that. Frankly, with her retrograded Saturn in the 4th house (Saturn rules Capricorn), I could see where she might have enjoyed the steak even more knowing that she couldn’t afford it as a child. The fourth house vibrates to ones home, childhood, roots or mother. Carrying a retrograded Saturn there tells us just how much negative karma she had to carry with her in this life in that area.

Steak too appeals to her Leo rising. It is no wonder she drank only Dom Perignon champagne. That is very Leo because the Lion, the King must have only the best. And while this has nothing to do with food – wow no wonder she had charisma to spare – the ruler of her rising sign, the Sun is up in the 10th house conjuncting with Mercury. Any Sun Mercury conjunction even not holding up the rising sign is charisma – in her case there is a double dose.

The other thing I would have advised her to eat were calming foods – Moon in Aquarius people are high strung and and her ruler of Aquarius is in Pisces – another “jumpy sign.” I wonder if anyone cooked for her nerves – I doubt it.

For more food/astrology information check out my new cookbook, “Signs of the Tines”, www.signsofthetines.com

Reviews for “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook

If you have a review blog or are active on Goodreads and the like, and you’d like a review copy of “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook,” please contact me either through my website, www.signsofthetines.com or via email at [email protected].

You would be agreeing to review the book. That means you’d have to read the book and give your honest opinion.

Order: “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook”

Just in time for Mother’s Day – my cookbook, “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook” is available for sale!

The 295-page book with more than 120 recipes is written to celebrate a unique pairing of food and astrology.

Discover why:
• Scorpios have a craving for pasta puttanesca
• Librans feel grounded when they dig into a chocolate mousse parfait
• Cancerians stand tall with their bowl of Brunswick stew
• Virgoans set aside their healthy-conscious habits when faced with chocolate raspberry ramekins
• Aquarians respond to the sustainable fish used in Pollock with berry prosecco sauce
• Pisceans beat a common ailment when feasting on quinoa with roasted root veggies.

“These recipes are taken from a number of sources; some are family gems, others I’ve concocted and tweaked over the years,” says author Joan Porte.

The home cook will discover how astrology as a source for new food ideas and new ways to entertain friends. And the astrology enthusiast will discover how cooking can be a new use for astrology as a way to add more meaning to the daily ritual of eating we perform to survive and thrive.

ORDER TODAY at http://www.signsofthetines.com/

The King’s Hot Dog

Yeah, you knew I was going to use the title, didn’t you? Last week I spoke about President Roosevelt’s hot dog dinner for the King and Queen of England during World War II. Why did the King enjoy the picnic? The answer lies in his first house. He has four heavenly bodies in this first house, Venus, Saturn, Uranus and the Moon all in secretive Scorpio. Having Saturn, the task master, and Uranus, the rebel, together in a fixed sign in the first house is a prescription of someone who is torn between tradition and change. Basically, he felt like a “push-me-pull-you llama his whole life – I should, I have to – but geez, I don’t want to – I want to run away from it all.

It is no wonder he was a heavy smoker, a vice that lead to his early death to lung cancer, is a symptom of the heavy Scorpio in his first house. Scorpio is so secretive that they have a hard time expressing themselves

This man was torn, burdened by duty that he wants to escape and is doomed to keep his emotions inside. Can you see why he would love to keep up his heels with a fun and silly picnic? He loved every minute of it I am sure.

P.S his stutter is clearly seen with that retrograded Jupiter. (Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius and his Mercury, the communication planet is in Sagittarius.) Anyone with an affliction to Mercury has either educational, communication or social awkwardness.

Why Did FDR Serve the King a Hot Dog?

There has been a lot of discussion lately mostly because of the movie, “Hyde Park on the Hudson,’ regarding a party that President Franklin Roosevelt held in honor of King George of England in which he served hot dogs. The press was aghast and tongues wagged on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, there were other things on the menu that day but the hot dogs were the talk of Washington.

What is it in FDR’s chart that would make him do something so unusual? Well, that is easy to see. He was dominated by the sign of the usual – Aquarius! FDR had Aquarius Sun, Venus and Ceres all in his 5th house – the house of fun and creativity. (The 5th house is also the house of sex but that is for another blog entry.) In addition, his 6th house the house health, is opened by Aquarius and he has his Aquarius Mercury there.

The question for me is why he only had one “odd” dinner party. With a chart dominated by the
unusual, the quirky and the never predictable Aquarius he loved the idea of being a rebel and thinking outside the box when it comes to fun, food and entertaining.

Next week – how did the king respond to the hot dog lunch?

What Would Lincoln Eat – Abe’s Foodie Chart

In anticipation of the publication of my cookbook, “Signs of the Tines: The Ultimate Astrological Cookbook,” I have asked the question that I am sure has been bugging Americans for a century or more. “What would Abe Lincoln eat?” Our 16th President was not known as a “foodie.” Although he did have a pretty decent appetite for country fare when a youth, as he grew older and a more preoccupied with life he often was seen munching mindlessly on an apple.

With his Capricorn Moon and Saturn on the cusp of his first house coupled with Pisces on the cusp of his 6th or health house, the President had almost a classic signature for a depressive personality. Saturn (which rules Capricorn) is something that always places restrictions, limits growth and can be a bit of a downer when near our personal planets and houses – like the first house and the Moon. Pisces is on the 6th should always send off alarm bells because it can bring the desire to escape due to a feeling overburdened and overwhelmed.

What would I recommend for Mr. Lincoln? My blueberry polenta – made with lots of creamy goodness to remind provide him with a comforting warm feeling and healthy berries and my salmon in parchment, he needed those Omega 3s for depression.

The recipes are – where else – in the book due out in May of 2013!