this lovely little book was delivered on january 6th, which happened to have been my birthday. what a nice gift universe, thank you!

chef to the stars, sabra ricci, presents a healthfully refreshing angle on astrology… as we know, each body part is ruled by a specific sign. so, ricci skillfully created recipes that called for ingredients beneficial to particular parts of the body. (for example, capricorn rules the bones and molasses happens to be high in calcium. it apparently also happens to contain copper and manganese for support. in fact, ricci goes on to advise, capricorns who sweeten their cereal and coffee should substitute molasses.) actually, that’s a brainstorm sabra! i love molasses as it is, and i honestly had no idea it was so high in calcium. as a vegetarian-inspired vegan, calcium is probably more important to me than most, so i better get on these cookies, my bones need ‘em!

MOLASSES COOKIES FOR CAPRICORN:
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

1. preheat the oven to 350 F
2. in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar on medium high speed. reduce the speed to the medium and add the eggs one at a time. add the molasses and continue to mix. remove the bowl from the mixer and set aside. in a mixing blow, sift together all the dry ingredients except fr the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. stir the dry mixture into the butter mixture until completely blended. cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. using a tablespoon size ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and roll it into balls. roll the balls in the remaining granulated sugar. place the balls onto a greased baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart, and bake for 8-10 minutes. remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.

$16 PAPERBACK ($10 FOR EBOOK)

Additional Resources:
You can find more info on culinary classes from Guide to Career Education.

william is a crab and kate a goat. talk about a match made in heaven! goat and crab are two of the most compatible signs in the zodiac. they happen to be complimentary on the zodiac wheel, and as a capricorn myself i will tell anyone my favorite sign is cancer. on top of that, elementally speaking, water always goes well with earth, making a pleasant mud bath so to speak. as if that weren’t enough auspicious traits, the wedding is taking place on a friday. perfect! venus, the goddess of love rules that day of the week so the couple is off to a good start from the get-go. additionally, the young royal couple is exchanging vows while the sun occupies the constellation of taurus: A TAURUS MARRIAGE! both goat and crab will innately understand and appreciate earth sign, taurus, and the energy of taurus will be infused into their union, affecting to some extent their personalities as well. meaning, trend-bucking kate might get a bit more conservative down the road because taurus is a traditional sign, especially when combined with kate’s native capricorn (all ready a rather conservative sign.) crab william will feel right at home both with this earthly wife and marriage sign. water signs are so sensitive that they need a shoulder to lean on and now he’ll have two! this union will need every ounce of stability it can—what with the end of what privacy they’ve know, job stress that will be off the charts, not too mention the paparazzi, and dealing with the family is… ouch. good luck dear kate, my prayers are with you and so is taurus’ loving, stable, beautiful energy. cheers to the royal couple!

WHAT’S YOUR MARRIAGE SIGN? find out here, and find the PERFECT gift for the newly married couple!

check out steven tyler’s personal kangen water case below. now steven can give even more of a killer performance on stage, as this water will extend his energy level far beyond normal. (every time i go jogging after drinking kangen water, i come in five minutes faster.) as an energetic aries, steven’s all ready got above average stamina, but now it’ll be off the charts! kangen water is the most healing product i have ever encountered, and i have come across some really great products. read my kangen post, and remember you can buy one through gwen. now i want my own personalized kangen case!

how ironic that thanksgiving is ruled by sagittarius? the sign of generosity, almost to a fault, rules this holiday of culinary excess (at least to the luckier among us). inspired by martha’s article below, i thought her idea would be a perfect holiday garnish. it’s simple, just prepare a bowl of cut, folded, and slit leaves. upon arrival, ask guests to jot their holiday thanks on the inside of a leaf or two. at dinner, garnish each cocktail with one of the inscribed leaves. Treat them like fortune cookies and have guests read their leaves aloud. or, fill the leaves out yourself before the guests arrive with creative words of gratitude, and serve them on welcome drinks. cheers!

today a very famous LEO signed her latest cook book for me… martha stewart has always been one of my favorite american icons. perhaps it’s because we both have a scorpio ascendant in our charts — i’ve blogged her DIY projects several times on this site. i just love her magazine, her product lines, her love for pets, her animal rights activist daughter, and most recently, her fondness for astrological libations. yes you heard me correctly… the june and november issues of martha’s LIVING magazine feature a cocktail recipe for both gemini and scorpio! i’ve been going on about astro tipples for years now, and there’s always room for another perspective on an infinitely interesting subject. hey, who doesn’t love to drink with the stars? welcome to the party martha!

MARTHA STEWART’S DINNER AT HOME is brand spanking new, and today was martha’s very first signing to promote the book. she dedicates the book “to all the homemakers in america, pressed for time yet caring for their families.” my favorite feature of the book is the way it’s divided according to the four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, which makes eating seasonally just that little bit easier. martha then creates 13 four course menus for each season, making sure to include carnivore, vegetarian and vegan meals among them. along the way, she highlights certain foods such as rhubarb — pointing out that this vegetable is not a fruit! vanilla stewed rhubarb, mint pesto, rosemary yorkshire puddings, minty green tea milkshakes, coffee with cognac and cardamom and tequila-soaked lemon sorbet are just a few mouth-watering recipes to be found in this handy collection. ($35)

join Leonardo DiCaprio in celebrating ANIMAL ACTION WEEK from oct. 4-10th, 2009.

leonardo’s rising sign is the side of him that we all see, and it happens to be LIBRA – the pleasant, diplomatic, beautiful sign. but while you might not guess it from his easygoing, charming demeanor, leonardo is so much more than a pretty face. he’s a scorpio! just look at those hypnotic, piercing, deep blue scorpion eyes that say it all. when you think about it, his scorpio sun sign does make sense… after all, his passion for animals and do-gooding in general is almost unmatched, even by hollywood’s generous standards. he’s intensely devoted to saving the world. way to go leo!

Your actions matter, every teensy little bit will help an animal somewhere. the non-human creatures of this earth have only our voice to help them, so let’s use it this week with all of our might and help those most in need. from the harsh plains of africa, to the dark alley behind your apartment, to the underground scientific lab, there is an elephant, mouse, kitten, tiger, monkey struggling to stay alive. choose which species you’ll help this week and TAKE ACTION!

below is my MOD MAGAZINE cocktail column this month. in this issue they had an article on a newly formed group called ROVER RUNNERS in sarasota. it’s a running group that meets every wednesday to jog and then drink. and here i thought i was the only one to ever commit that crime! visit MOD MAGAZINE, and download september’s issue to read the piece in full.

mata hari was a cool chick, totally faboo. the type of woman we should all aspire to be… bohemian, dramatic, influential, intelligent, exiting, creative, sensual, strong… and now we can add “tasty” to that list. this infamous woman can also place absinthe on her resume. she has been a mother, a divorcee, a concubine, an exotic dancer, and lastly a spy. let it be said that i do not believe a woman of her substance would stoop to such a traitorous level, and am 1000% positive she was framed. she died at the hands of a french firing squad; an unlucky scapegoat of WW1. but truth be told, such a theatrical and climactic ending fit neatly into the general theme of her action-packed life, which was filled with tempestuous passion, stoic inner strength and defiant intelligence. mati hari was a showy, attention-craving, fun-loving, tasteful, cunning exibitionist leo. her rising sign was a sexual, dark, severe, intense, powerful scorpio. from what i’ve read, she wouldn’t have lived life any other way. leo sun, scorpio rising, absinthe bohemian: MATA HARI.

(MATA HARI absinthe liqueur is ironically a scorpio as it is made with the martian herb, wormwood.) the graphic design on the label is fab and so is the taste. no artificial anything, especially it’s name sake… MATA HARI $58. MATA HARI is one of the strongest traditional absinthes. 60% vol./ 120 proof. Original recipe from 1881. Produced in the last authentic historical Austrian Absinthe distillery. Mata Hari is made of the finest herbs, above all Wormwood and Salvia. Highest legal level of Thujon & Absinthin. Mata Hari containes all-natural ingridients and is exclusively coloured with natural herbs only. Nice louche effect with ice & water with no dominant anise taste and therefore outstanding mixing abilities.

this week, COMIDA will unveil the BEEKEEPER MARTEANI in honor of earth day. made with organic honey syrup, and chamomile tea-infused organic vodka, this is a leoan libation. yes, the sunny chamomile flower belongs to leo, the sign that loves to be loved. leo should indeed be honored with such a prestigious launch date for she wants nothing more than to be recognized for her outstanding efforts… think madonna, think obama. i have quite a few leo friends and they are all excellent, kind, and conscientious workers. similar to the honey bee, they quietly toil. but unlike the honey bee, they won’t be content to drone on without some pats on the head or a bowl of creamy honey. so give the good little leos in your life some acknowledgment… those kind words will recharge them in the most literal sense. we love ya leo! and we love the honey bee too…

albert einstein (pisces) said that without bees, mankind will have four years to live. this is because they cross pollinate our food supply and without them to do it for us, we will do it ourselves at a woefully sad pace. a.k.a. we’ll starve to death. he wasn’t a dummy, mr. einstein, so he might be onto something with his dire prediction. bee die off is a collassal problem at present, due to colony collapse disorder. we believe this illness is a form of mass bee suicide caused by A) pesticide and herbicide B) genetically modified organism crops C) cell phone signals bouncing of satellites; electro magnetic radiation D) over work (we don’t even let bees hibernate anymore but wake them up in the dead of winter and ship them out to california to pollinate almonds). you think you need a vacation? i would wanna kill myself too if i were a bee!

i hope i’ve established that colony collapse disorder is a real phenonmon, and one what we all need to concern ourselves with remedying. COMIDA is doing a little something to help… every time you order a BEE KEEPER MARTEANI at COMIDA (82nd st & columbus ave, nyc… near the children’s museum of new york and the american museum of natural history) they will donate $1 to PlanBeeCentral.com. wait, it gets better! COMIDA uses 100% organic honey to create this philanthropic cocktail and that stuff is not cheap. i do believe organic honey is one of the most expensive organic products you can possibly buy. think about it… the farmer must section off vast acreage of pesticide, herbicide and GMO-free crops. you can imagine how many flowers it takes to make just one drop of honey. but the lucky bees that get to make it… i am sure those are some of the happiest and thankful bees on the planet! i bet they get up every morning and can’t wait to get to work!

so happy earth day everyone, and please stop in at COMIDA to taste my (and leo’s) latest tipple, the BEE KEEPER MARTEANI.

BEE KEEPER MARTEANI:
(martini glass, up)

2 oz chamomile infused organic vodka
1 ½ oz chamomile organic honey tea syrup
½ oz lime
comb honey (carefully cut one square out and rest on side of glass for garnish)

***to infuse chamomile organic vodka, steep 10 tea bags in 750 ml bottle for one week.
***to make organic honey syrup, combine 1 cup organic honey with 3 cups hot water.

lavender is ruled by mercury, and is hence a virgoan plant. this is true because of its feathery quality of leaf, and for the effect this flower has on our central nervous system. it calms us, and slows us down mentally. a recent study showed that when students sniffed pleasant scents before taking exams, their test scores were increased. that is with the exception of lavender… when students inhaled this scent, their scores was lower. here is proof positive that this little purple bud can effectively calm the monsters in our mind.

because the sacred virgin is a zodiacal worry-wart, she might benefit from prescribing herself a nightly (or lunchly, if needed) LAVENDEEP. her agile mind will become less frought with troublesome thoughts, allowing her to focus on what she does best: making money! yes it’s true dear virgo, you recently pushed pisces out of the #1 millionaire spot. more than money, what virgo seeks is perfection of craft, the lucrativity of which just happens to be a nice perk. not convinced? read on…

to prepare for my trunk show at HENRI BENDEL, i researched famous fashion designers and their zodiac signs. i could not believe how many top level virgo fashionistas there were… more than ANY OTHER SIGN! (Stephen meisel, Tom ford, Claudia Schiffer, Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael kors, Anna sui, Hugo boss). these hypercritical angels are actually workaholic nazis… they possess a clarity of vision that can’t be tainted, a determination of will that can’t be swayed, and a heart of loving steel that can’t easily be won.

so, count your lucky stars if are loved by a virgo, after you pat yourself on the back first. because penciling into her agenda, or entering into her iphone, will be the following task: “mold love life into throbbing lump of steamy perfection.” so, bring on the white scarves, the four poster bed, and be careful of that halo. a trail of lavender syrup from the belly button to the pubic area would do wonders in warming this angel up. (because virgo rules this part of the body, it is a highly sensitive area to them). i can fondly tell you first hand, that in bed, virgo is no angel.

LAVENDEEP
1 oz lavender bud-infused vodka
1 oz lavender bud syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
lavender water spray or rinse
lavender soda

shake all ingredients over ice and strain into champagne flute. top with lavender soda.

combine lavender bud-infused vodka, lavender bud syrup, lemon juice and shake over ice. prepare champagne flute with rinse of lavender water, or mist inside of glass with lavender water spray. strain into lavender-misted / lavender-rinsed flute and top with fair amount of lavender soda. stir briefly and serve. garnish with sprig of lavender or purple flower if available.

lavender vodka:
infuse 750 ml vodka with 3 cups dried lavender buds (available at health food stores or online) allow to sit for several days and strain.

lavender syrup:
bring to boil 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup dried lavender buds and remove from heat. allow to infuse for 1/2 hour and strain. add splash vodka to act as preservative and store in fridge. note that using white sugar over raw will give a prettier pink color, while the latter will make for a darker hue.

lavender water:
available at health food stores or online. for greater control and speed, i prefer misting over rinsing of glass. transfer lavender water into small spray bottle that is dark in color and store in fridge.