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CAN YOU SHAKE UP YOUR SEX LIFE WITH SHIITAKE? YES!!!!!

...I'LL SHOW YOU HOW!
Chinese emperors consumed Shiitake mushrooms in large quantities to fend off old age. The ancient Japanese courts held the Shiitake in such regard and so valued for its aphrodisiac properties, that the growing sites were well hidden and heavily guarded.
Mushrooms are often the mysterious ingredient in stories and folk tales as well as in recipes. They stand accused in the deaths of such eminent personages as the real Emperor Claudius. By the Middle Ages their toxic qualities were harnessed into an effective fly killer. Fame finally came to the cèpe at the box office, with it's starring role in Andy Warhol's "Eat," the forty-five-minute movie of a man eating a mushroom.
Mushrooms are an ancient food, some varieties traceable to the Stone Age. They were the food of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, and they remained the food of the rich throughout nineteenth-century France and England. For all their haughty associations, and famed naughtiness, mushrooms are a most primitive plant. Varieties are found the world over and successfully cultivated in caves, and in underground quarry tunnels, as in seventeenth-century France; and in abandoned limestone mines, as in present-day Pennsylvania. Mushrooms in general, and shiitake in particular are used as a powerful sexual stimulating tonic and homemade concoctions for fertility, are still found all over this universe.
Well, apart from these obvious sex maniacs, another group of people might want to give you more thoughts about the virtues of shiitake mushrooms are the so-called health maniacs. Shiitake is widely recognized as a health food, at first mainly by the Chinese and the Japanese and now increasingly, by doctors and scientists the world over. Edible mushrooms have been traditionally used throughout the Orient for their medicinal and tonic properties. A derivative property, lentinan, was and is still demonstrated to enhance host resistance against infections from various types of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
Some enjoyed the benefits of the mushroom, albeit with some reservations much as an appreciative mushroom fancier, the famed French author Alexandre Dumas who often had second thoughts, "I confess," he wrote early in the nineteenth century, with a regretful tone, "that nothing frightens me more than the appearance of mushrooms on the table, especially in a small provincial town." And Fannie Farmer, a legendary cookbook maven, in her 1909 edition, seems more adventurous than usual when she urges that, since mushrooms "grow about us abundantly," they therefore "should often be found on the table." Martha Washington offered that George especially enjoyed just a bit of cream to heighten the flavor of her recipe "To Dress a Dish of Mushrumps."
Soooooo, whether your Martha trying to jazz up ole George, or a fat emperor fighting off Father Time, nothing beats using the Mushroom, garlic, or anything else for that matter, to light the romantic fires in your life...
and if all else fails, try this;

Steak Aphrodite
Pulling out all the stops... This is a gourmet French recipe, Tornadoes de boeuf, celebrated in honor of an Grecian sex Goddess, Aphrodite, adding a Chinese aphrodisiac, Shiitake, and enhanced by an Italian Chef... now, how in the Heck can you miss?

4 (3 oz) split Filet Mignons, thawed, (center cut beef tenderloin medallions)
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs.. Butter
1 tsp. Dijon style mustard
2 Tbs.. Shallots, minced
1 Tbs.. Butter
1 Tbs.. Fresh Lemon juice
1/8 tsp. Fresh Garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 med. Shiitake mushrooms, sliced to 1/8 in. (if dried, reconstitute in 1/2 cup hot water, 20 min, retain water)
1 Tbs. Fresh chives, minced
2 Tbs. Sherry
1 tsp. Brandy, or cognac (optional)
1 Tbs. Fresh parsley, minced

1) Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
2) Melt butter in a heavy skillet; add mustard, and shallots. Sauté over medium heat 1 minute.
3) Add steaks, cook approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium rare.
Remove steaks to serving plate and keep warm.
4) Add into pan drippings, 1 Tbs. butter, lemon juice, Sherry, 2 Tbs. mushroom water, and mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and chives. Cook for 3 minutes.
5) If you wish to Flambé*, tilt the pan slightly, and pour the brandy or cognac into the front edge of the pan; turn the heat to high and let the flame (or if electric, light with a match) catch the brandy's vapors and ignite it. Swirl slightly, turn off the heat and let the flame go out.
Present on pre warmed plates, and sprinkled with parsley.
May I suggest a full bodied vintage Burgundy wine, as in Vosne Romanee.
Serves 1 pulsating sultry maiden, and 1 burgeoning lover..
* Flambe, means to ignite foods that have liquor or liqueur added. This is done to add a dramatic effect, and to develop a deep rich flavor. Use an 80-proof brandy or cognac. Liquors that are higher, 140, and 100 proof are a bit too volatile when lit, leave the pyrotechnics for the restaurant dining room pros. Heat the brandy (or liquors, and liqueurs, in the case of fancy desserts) in a saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. May also be heated in a microwave oven by heating 30 to 45 seconds in a microwave proof dish at 100 percent power.
NOTE; Never pour liquor from a bottle into a pan that is near an open flame (the flame can follow the stream of alcohol into the bottle and cause it to explode).
Ignite with a long match. Always ignite the fumes and not the liquid itself. Never lean over the dish or pan as you light the fumes. YEHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa .... LIGHT THEIR FIRE!!!!
Excerpts from the upcoming SOUP, SEX, and the SINGLE MAN, by Natures Sex Chef Carlo J. Morelli,

CAN BASIL MAKE YOU BAD?...WELL, I HOPE SO...LETS TAKE A SHOT AT IT....
What's in this stuff? BASIL is a flowering herb, either sweet or wild promoted to possess mystical valences, and highly thought of during the Middle Ages. Actually, Basil is said to have grown out of an unfulfilled love.
As the tale goes, a young and beautiful girl passes, leaving behind her desperate lover, who attended her grave site each and every day and shed many tears. After a while, delicate flowers grew on that spot. The boy's ever flowing tears would water the flowers, until it blossomed and a wonderful magical perfume emerged from it.
This delicate and sensual aroma has made the Basil plant a dominant source of stimulation and of sexuality to this day.
Legend has it, that wives who wished to "cure" their husband of infidelity would perform a ritual in which they would powder their upper parts (their breasts) of their body with basil, thus rendering their spouse powerless to roam.... Geeeze... Really?.... Basil?
There are very few herbs (I should hope so!) so clearly associated with SEX.....gulp!
In the true Mediterranean tradition, Basil was and is an important ingredient in the erotic rituals. Arabian writers of the time mention it as a highly important aphrodisiac herb, as it enhances erotic passion, especially in the case of women.... Ah ha.... EUREKA   Its beneficial effects on women notwithstanding, these attributes are not so easily detectable in the case of men,... HUH? Let me get this straight, she's hot but the guy is not? Not a chance... developing
If Basil has these powers, what would happen if we mixed it with other highly touted elixirs.... like Tomatoes...

Passionate Pasta with Sensual Seafood
The taste and texture of tender shrimp, tangled in ribbons of fresh Basil, swimming in a thick red sauce, could seduce any heavy breathing adult. {{{{{{ OOOH YES }}}}}}}

3 oz.    Butter
4 tbls   Pure olive oil, extra virgin is expectable, (virgin anything, is vastly overrated)
1 tbls   Dry parsley
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
2-3 ea Med. cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 /2 lb Small shrimp, cleaned and shelled
1 tbls   Dry oregano
4 oz     Fresh basil, tightly rolled and sliced into thin ribbons
8 oz     Angel hair pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1) Heat in large frying pan, butter and oil.
2) Add parsley, garlic powder and simmer.
3) Incorporate the sliced garlic, and sauté until soft, just a minute or two.
4) Prepare pasta according to package directions
5) Carefully add shrimp, and slowly sauté another 3 minutes (do not overcook)
6) Sprinkle dry oregano over shrimp and stirring slowly.
7) Drain and replace pasta back into pot, and add shrimp preparation, tossing gently to coat and incorporate.
Put into a pre warmed serving bowl, sprinkle with cheese, and serve hot....
Enjoy
Chef Carlo Morelli, SOUP, SEX, and the SINGLE MAN, http://www.CookingWithCarlo.com