CookingDiva

It has been raining cats and dogs recently in the tropics, that's why sometimes a warm drink, with a full body and delicious spices is the best answer to warm all us up. Pure coziness.

Why would you enjoy preparing this drink? Well, just because I can sense the sinfully delight it will bring to your life, AND because:

• You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen.
• It is easy to prepare, just a few steps, that's it.
• It looks beautiful and it is really fragrant. Convinced?

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup fresh lime juice (or lemon if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup honey or light brown sugar to taste
• 1 stick cinnamon and 2-3 whole cloves
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• Garnish: lime or lemon slices

Directions:

• Combine the water, lime juice, honey, cinnamon and cloves in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring, until honey disolves. Remove from heat and stir in the rum. Pour the beverage into mugs or glasses and garnish with lime slices.

Enjoy hot or cold! Try it and you will experience what I am talking about. Trust me on this one!

It was 7:30 AM, September 11, 2001, and I was on my way to a client's house in Sacramento, ready to start my cooking day as a Personal Chef. Everything was perfect, I had all the cooking utensils, ingredients and containers with my logo and re-heating instructions packed in my car, it was a bright beautiful day. It was then when by the time I parked in her driveway, the radio was screaming out loud the bad news about the attack. I was shocked. I couldn't understand  such an infamy.

Even today, five years after the 9/11 attack, I do not understand the reasons. There are no excuses for all the wasted lives. The whole world changed on that day, everyone's lives changed on that day. Now, five years later I am in Panama, but the remembrance of that black day would not be forgotten.

My heart goes to the families that lost their people, and to the souls that unanticipatedly left us ...we send light and our prayers.

Stop the wars. Stop all that violence! Not oil, power, land or money justifies all the inhumane acts,  and the lives lost in the process.

That being said, lets get cooking now.

First: Find some good dry corn, the kind that has the "germ." Place it in a container with some water and cover it with plastic wrap. Open a few holes on the plastic so it can breathe and germination begins. Check it out every day, shake the container a little bit and add more water if it seems too dry. After 2-3 days it should have sprouted.

Second: Grind the corn sprouts and place in a deep pan with water to cover. Simmer for 3-4 hours. Then, ferociously press the mixture through a sieve. Then put the liquid back on a deep pan, add molasses to taste, thin with water if it seems too thick and simmer for 1 more hour.

Third: Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then bottle it and serve cold.

Fourth: IF, and only if, you want to feel the tropical beat, heat up your ears a little notch, THEN, leave the concoction out, covered, at room temperature to ferment a couple of days. If you choose to ferment it, please take note of the very important issue we address next.

Disclaimer: do not attempt to juggle knives, ride a bicycle, or do anything important after imbibition of this beverage. It is for nutritional use only. The management is not responsible for your obscene and irrational behavior.

Un abrazo!

Melissa

Do not forget to Visit:

• Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index
• Blogs that Cook - A delicious, international food Blog Directory
• Paladares Unidos - Chef Melissa's Cooking blog en Español

Tags: corn, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, recipes, food & drink, food, chef melissa

By now you know I am a flower nut, and the hibiscus family is in the top of my list. Can not hide it! Well, as you will find out next, this is not the first time this plant is the queen of the blog: Hibiscus: More than just a beautiful flower, Edible Flowers: the marvelous hibiscus. Both of them are quite interesting, and will help you understand that certain flowers are not only for decoration, they could also be in your salad and satiate you thirst with an invigorating, magically sensual brew. Do I have your attention now? Good!

The names: you know something, I think that you have probably enjoyed this flower already. The list that follows contains many vernacular names that refer to the very same subject of our post today.

Roselle or rozelle, sorrel, red sorrel, saril, Jamaica sorrel, Indian sorrel, sour-sour, Guinea sorrel, Queensland jelly plant, lemon bush, rosa de Jamaica, flor de Jamaica, Jamaica, quimbombó chino, Florida cranberry, oseille rouge, oseille de Guinée, sereni, agrio de Guinea, viña, viñuela, vinagreira, curudú azédo, quiabeiro azédo, zuring, carcadé, bisap, and hibiscus flowers -- and there are more!

The nutritional and medicinal properties of the "saril" are widely known in many places of the world. It is most commonly consumed as an iced tea for the warm days, or as a hot tea during the cold months. In many countries of Latin America such as Mexico, Panama, Brazil and Guatemala, the infusion made with the calyxes of the exotic flower, dyes the water with an intense red color and is the most popular summer drink.

How to prepare it: