Simple Sexy Food

Simple Sexy Food is an aphrodisiac cookbook like no other. Honest and direct, detailed and informative, it’s packed with exclusive recipes, food and sex tips, descriptions and histories of ingredients, and even survey data about what food people find sexy. And it’s the only aphrodisiac cookbook written by a clinical sex therapist who also happens to be a foodie!

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I enjoyed all of the recipes that were featured in this book. I wanted to point this out because there are many books where the book is presented as a recipe book and there are only about a dozen recipes and some you could find from just searching on the internet. There are so many recipes from appetizers to desserts to alcoholic drinks. I will be busy choosing which ones I want to try out first. For example: Bagna Cauda (Hot Bath) which is really a recipe for fondue. French Toast with Grand Marnier, Spicy Shrimp and Rice, Picnic Bean and Artichoke Heart Salad, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Gingersnap Pecan Crust, Blueberry Mojito, Screaming Orgasm, and Sexy Chai to name a few.

The first about hundred pages of this book is focused on all of the different foods from vegetables, fruits, sweets, and nuts. Linda goes into detail about each food item and all of the sexy benefits and nutrients that each food item brings to the table. Some of the items listed in this book I am familiar with as being aphrodisiacs but others I was not familiar with. The aphrodisiac feature of the food item can vary from the food item to a texture, taste, smell, or healthy beneficial nutrient.

As much as I did enjoy learning about all of the different foods, I did skip ahead to the recipes. The food section again although nice food lessons, I did feel that I could learn the same thing about these foods from the internet. Overall, though this book does make for a interesting read and will give you ideas on how to have fun playing with your food.

Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp


Eating an artichoke takes time…a great metaphor for sensual lovemaking.



SEXY FOODS: artichoke (or avocado), shrimp

2 medium to large artichokes

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

10 cups water

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 pound peeled, cooked small shrimp

Lemon wedges for garnishing



1. Remove coarse outer leaves from the artichokes and trim the stems even

with the bases so artichokes stand upright. With a sharp knife, cut off the top third of each artichoke. With scissors, trim thorns from tips of remaining leaves. Rub the cut surfaces with about 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice.

2. In a 3-quart or larger non-aluminum pot, combine the water, vinegar, and

1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the artichokes, cover, and boil gently until the stem ends pierce readily with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain.

3. Let cool slightly, then pull out and discard center leaves, and scrape out fuzzy centers with a spoon. Drizzle the cavities with about 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and let the artichokes cool thoroughly. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the next day.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest,

tarragon, mustard, remaining 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining

1/4 teaspoon salt. If making ahead, refrigerate the sauce until needed.

5. When ready to assemble, mix the shrimp with 1/4 cup sauce in a small bowl, then spoon the mixture into the artichoke cavities.

6. Serve the remaining sauce in individual dishes for dipping the artichoke leaves.

Garnish with lemon wedges.

Variation: Substitute a large avocado, halved, for the artichokes. You can scoop out a little of the avocado flesh to make more room for filling. Stuff each half with shrimp mixture. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.


Simple Sexy Kitchen Tip

When grating citrus zest, do not go too deep. You want to avoid the underlying bitter, white pith.


Love Skills

Get the prep work out of the way, and make some time for a little foreplay!

Do aphrodisiacs work? What exactly are they? How can I use them? We answer these questions and many more during the Simple Sexy Food virtual tour with clinical sex therapist and foodie – Linda De Villers, PhD. There are many ordinary foods that can have aphrodisiac effects – and we’re going to help you understand them.

Linda De Viller, PhD, Clinical Sex Therapist and Foodie, shares her knowledge about the myths and truth about aphrodisiacs. She also share over 80 recipes and a wealth of love and sex tips. Get your copy at - http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Sexy-Food-Linda-Villers/dp/097095655X/. We invite you to participate in the Simple Sexy Food Recipe Photo Contest - http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest - the grand prize winner will get a one on one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.


Artichokes - Lore and Fun Facts


Artichokes are native to Sicily or possibly northern Africa, but likely earned their sexy reputation elsewhere.

This highly distinctive veggie was among the more fashionable foods of late Medieval and early Renaissance European courts.

In 16th century Europe, only men were allowed to consume artichokes because of their reported libido-enhancing qualities. The French Court considered Catherine De Medici scandalous for eating such a large quantity of artichokes, but her husband wasn’t complaining. Henry the VIII was extremely fond of artichokes as well. The fleshy leaves were reputed to induce euphoria and restore natural powers. Catherine was quoted as saying, “If one of us had eaten artichokes, we would have been pointed out on the street. Today young women are more forward than pages at the court.” In centuries past, French street vendors cried out: “Artichokes! Artichokes! Heats the body! Heats the spirit! Heats the genitals!”

Meanwhile, a 16th century English schoolmaster, Thomas Cogan, essentially concurred, stating that “(artichokes) procure a more earnest desire both of man or woman to the venereal acte,” further specifying that “the hearts are better than the leaves for this purpose.”

In the Tudor era (15-17th centuries) “Artichokes were aphrodisiac, preserved in sugar syrup…”

And this funny tidbit, From the Book of Nature, by Dr. Bartolomeo Boldo in 1576: “It has the virtue of . . . provoking Venus for both men and women; for women making them more desirable, and helping the men who are in these matters rather tardy.”

On a more contemporary note, can you name the woman crowned “Miss California Artichoke Queen” in 1947 at the Artichoke Festival in Castroville, California? It was one Norma Jean Baker, whose crown provided a decided boost to her budding career as the sex goddess icon, Marilyn Monroe. The burning question: Did Marilyn and Catherine De Medici both grow their amorous reputations on the back of the noble artichoke, or just on their backs?

Speaking of Italians (work with me here: Catherine De Medici, Marilyn, Joe DiMaggio!), when they came to the US in the early 1900s, they so missed artichokes that they started growing them in California. Problem was, all the New York Italians wanted them, too, but since they were hard to grow and preserve in that climate, the mafia got involved in distribution!

And last but not least, the famous chef Mario Batali calls artichokes one of his ‘’fave vegetables’’ because of their ‘’very sexy flavor.’’

Sexy Nutrients

One large artichoke packs 170 milligrams of potassium, and the US Department of Agriculture now ranks the artichoke as the number one vegetable in antioxidant count, especially the phytonutrients cynarin and silymarin. Cynarine stimulates the taste buds and enhances the sweetness of any food eaten right after artichokes— that’s why any wine accompaniment must be carefully selected. Cynarine also helps trigger the production of bile needed for the digestion of fats. Silymarin is another powerful antioxidant that may aid the liver in regenerative tissue growth, which may explain why artichokes have also been reputed to cure hangovers! Artichokes are also a good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium and dietary fiber.

Excerpt from Simple Sexy Food by Linda DeVillers, PhD

© Copyright Aphrodite Media All rights reserved. Permission given to Cheryl Koch for use on her blog

Do aphrodisiacs work? What exactly are they? How can I use them? We answer these questions and many more during the Simple Sexy Food virtual tour with clinical sex therapist and foodie – Linda De Villers, PhD. There are many ordinary foods that can have aphrodisiac effects – and we’re going to help you understand them.

Linda De Viller, PhD, Clinical Sex Therapist and Foodie, shares her knowledge about the myths and truth about aphrodisiacs. She also share over 80 recipes and a wealth of love and sex tips. Get your copy at - http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Sexy-Food-Linda-Villers/dp/097095655X . We invite you to participate in the Simple Sexy Food Recipe Photo Contest - http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest - the grand prize winner will get a one on one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.


Shrimp

If mollusks express femininity with their soft bodies, shrimp and other members

of the crustacean family have a decidedly masculine feel. One illustrious example is

revealed in the records of the famous Captain Cook. During his 18th century travels,

the Captain visited a Pacific island on which the king’s “duty” was to deflower all of the

maidens on the island. He handily succeeded in carrying out his required 8-10 daily

conquests. He attributed his virile stamina to a spiced shrimp dish with pineapple

that preceded the lucky fellow’s daily challenge.



When simply prepared, shrimp are a quintessential finger food. One source claims

certain Caribbean indigenous people munch shrimp live during the course of making

love. Then there’s the scene in Tampoco with the poor “drunken live shrimp” bouncing

around in sake on the belly of the protagonist’s girlfriend.

One survey participant in my 21st century Aphrodisiac Foods Survey fondly

shared an experience likely to hold much broader erotic appeal: she brought cooked

shrimp into the bedroom where she and her lover fed each other the succulent little

love boosters while also feasting on each other.

Do aphrodisiacs work? What exactly are they? How can I use them? We answer these questions and many more during the Simple Sexy Food virtual tour with clinical sex therapist and foodie – Linda De Villers, PhD. There are many ordinary foods that can have aphrodisiac effects – and we’re going to help you understand them.

Linda De Viller, PhD, Clinical Sex Therapist and Foodie, shares her knowledge about the myths and truth about aphrodisiacs. She also share over 80 recipes and a wealth of love and sex tips. Get your copy at - http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Sexy-Food-Linda-Villers/dp/097095655X/. We invite you to participate in the Simple Sexy Food Recipe Photo Contest - http://www.lovecoachjourney.com/recipe-photo-contest - the grand prize winner will get a one on one aphrodisiac consultation and five runner ups will receive a digital copy of Love Skills by Linda De Villers.