Hey Your Fit Day Friends!
Do you cling to smells from childhood that make you feel good? I do. I’ve always loved the smells of vanilla, mint, and cocoa. So much so that as I got older they just became my go-t0 scents. For instance, as a child my favorite ice cream was mint chocolate chip. And then when I got older and ditched the ice cream I started chewing Extra™ Peppermint gum. It was the only gum I would chew, and I’m still chewing. I’m addicted. It’s that sweet mint-vanilla-y flavor that I can’t live without.
And around the same time, I started wearing Palmersâ„¢ cocoa butter, as well as vanilla scented oils.
Put the three together and I was a like a walking piece of Good and Plentyâ„¢ candy wrapped up in a cinnamon bun! Mmmm!
Then I started noticing how I was attracting people like flies on a strips because of how I smelled. Random guys in the gym would say I smelled sweet, like a mint chip cookie, cinnamon muffins, or peppermint candies.
And one time I was in the huge shoe department at Macy’s, in San Francisco, where the same sort of thing happened. Two women strolled by me and stopped at the same display I was perusing. And as soon as they were right next to me one of them said to her friend “hey, I smell chocolate chip cookies baking, let’s go to where they are and get us some”. Hmmm, I couldn’t smell any chocolate chip cookies baking, and neither could my girlfriend. So I looked over at them and said “I’m sorry, but I think your chocolate chip cookie is me!”. Well, apparently I wasn’t quite the chip they were looking for and off they left, in a huff, determined to find their cookie.
Here’s what I’m talking about
What’s your reaction when you open up a jar of vanilla beans and taken a whiff? Or how about when you walk into a home and smell a cake baking, or even better, when you open up the door and take a whiff straight from the oven.  Drives you crazy, right? Well, it makes me feel like I just want to bake a batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies, brownies or some pumpkin pie right this minute. Wanna know why? Well, smells bring back memories. It’s true. And it gets better. It turns out certain smells stimulate sexual arousal in us. I mean, the title of this book says it all… Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal
According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, the neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, men are attracted to olfactory memories and of smells like licorice and doughnuts, pumpkin pie with doughnuts, cinnamon buns, buttered popcorn, and the list of sweetness goes on.
So mom was right: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, one Cinnabonâ„¢at a time!
Women aren’t too different:
- Good & Plenty candy combined with cucumber (Loved them both as kid, ate them separately, but if it helps I will consider eating cucumber as I chew my peppermint gum)
- Good & Plenty candy with banana bread (OMG! who doesn’t love the smell of banana bread) Are you feeling it yet?
- Pumpkin pie, coffee, vanilla, and grilled meats also kindle the fire, so to speak. Well that makes perfect sense to me! ( I get ravenously primal when I smell grilled meat; and feel all nostalgic and cuddly around the smells of baking cookies, cakes, coffee and vanilla) Taking notes?
Well, I guarantee that a fresh, warm, buttery batch of DebbyK’s coconut butter will have the same effect.
So, blend up this buttery brew, take a whiff and let it be your viagra. You may just find yourself carrying around a jar in your pocket!
As promised here is my recipe for how to make coconut butter.
DebbyK’s Creamy Coconut Butter
Prep time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Servings: 32
Serving size: 1 Tablespoon
Gather:Â 6-8 cups Dried shredded coconut
Vanilla (optional, but suggested if you want to attract a mate)
What you need: Measuring cup, high speed blender, spatula
Steps:
- Gather your shredded coconut and a measuring cup
Shredded Coconut on my homemade sushi platter - Put 3 cups of coconut into a high speed blender. I use an old Osterizer.
- Start blending on a low speed, and using a knife keep pushing the coconut down into the middle. Within a few seconds the coconut will start to fly around.
- Immediately add another cup while continuing to scrap down the sides into the middle and increase the speed to HIGH or if you have many setting, 1 or 2 below the highest. It should combine rather quickly. If not be patient. All dried coconut has different moisture content, and is aged differently, and some combine faster than others.
When the coconut starts getting creamy add another cup, 1/2 cup at a time while continuing to scrape sides down with the knife, and pushing it towards the middle.- As you continue to add the coconut the butter will become thick and you will think that it will never get smooth and creamy. But be patient. (See picture, Step 6, left)
-
This is the point where it starts to get more creamy. This is good enough to eat NOW! At this point I like to wait til the butter gets very creamy until adding additional coconut. Then continue to add 1 cup at a time, adding slowly so the coconut is incorporated. It should look like this (See picture Step 7, left)
- I use 6-8 cups of shredded coconut to make 16-20oz’s of butter.
- Once you have 2 to 2 1/2 cup of butter in your blender you can add vanilla to taste if you want, do a quick blend, and you’re ready to jar it up.
Creamy goodness! - Well, that’s it! Now you are ready to eat your coconut butter! But if you’re like me it’s already half gone…Enjoy!
- And if you’re just too darnÂ
lazytired to do it yourself then I’d be happy to make you a couple jars. Just email me at debkaplan@sbcglobal.net
Here’s a short video of Step 3
Notes:
- The blender may get hot. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You can turn off the blender and rest it for a few minutes if you want.
- If the blender gets too hot it can burn the coconut butter. You’ll know this if it starts to turn brown.
- After pouring all the goodness into your jars you’ll be left with residual on the sides and bottom. Don’t let that go to waste. Scrape all of it down to the bottom and then take 1/3 cup of HOT water and pour it in. Put the blender back on the base and blend high speed til frothy. Pour ‘milk’ into a mug and heat it up with a sprinkle of cinnamon drop of liquid stevia or splenda if you use it.
- And there you have it…more liquid goodness to start or end your day…!
- OH! Forgot…You don’t have to refrigerate the coconut butter. It has anti fungal properties and will keep for quite some time on the shelf, if it even lasts that long, which I bet it won’t. If you want to feel safe then you can also freeze it too. It hardens at below 70 degrees F.
- To get your butter silky and smooth again, just put the jar in a pan of water, best in a double boiler, on low heat and it will melt. Stir occasionally. Watch it so it doesn’t burn. If you forget about it and it turns a golden brown don’t worry, it’s still yummy!
Don’t forget that gooey goodness at the bottom of the blender
Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size (15 g or 1 Tablespoon)
Servings Per Recipe 32
Calories 120
Calories from Fat 90 (75%)
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 9.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 g
Sodium 4 mg
Potassium 0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars g
Protein 1 g
So, there you have it. My liquid gold which I refer to as Coconut Crack!
Enjoy, and and make it Your Fit Day with DebbyK!
