Acupuncture: One Prick at a Time

The busy holiday season is coming and along with it a new group of seasonal employees have started like I had a year ago at Sur La Table. While I am still surprised to have continued my part time job nI can’t complain since after all it did pay for my vacation to Hawaii. This new group so far seems very nice and one in particular peaked my curiosity.  She is a treat to work with and while chatting I learned she is a licensed acupuncturist and recently moved to Massachusetts to opened her own shop Second Spring Acupuncture.

While working on her client list she is supplementing her income by working part time with us. I told her about my 101 things in 1001 days and how I have always been curious about acupuncture and she suggested I make an appointment for her $20 for 20 minute intro to acupuncture promotion. Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine, sterile and single-use needles placed in specific acupuncture points to assist in re-balancing organs and bio- mechanical disharmony.

I regularly suffer from stress headaches and I do my best to resist popping an aspirin I am not always successful. While I am not 100 percent sold on traditional Chinese medicine as the answer it certainly is something I have heard a lot about and I figured I’d give it a try and see what it can do for me. We are all over medicated and or dependent on pharmaceuticals like hand sanitizer and aspirin as part of our daily lives that we do not give our bodies the opportunity to work as they should to heal themselves. Perhaps this session will kick start a healthier me.

When I arrived she was just setting up the room for me and asked me to fill out the routine questionnaire and liability forms. Shortly thereafter she had me roll the legs of my jeans up to my knees and laying back on her table.

She was very easy to talk to and definitely put me at ease. She explained what she planned to do and how it should feel and what it will do for me.  She asked me if I was ready one final time before beginning.

The first needle she put in was called Vertigo. It is centered and just above the nose. It’s called the Third Eye and is designed to help with clear thinking.

Next she moved to my hands where she placed on in HeGu. Hegu is one of the most commonly used of all Acupuncture points and has a wide range of uses. It is especially useful for all kinds of pain in the face, including eyes, ears, and nose. Next she put a few on my wrist and one on my arm. The first of the on the wrist was called Shenmen and the second was Lingdao. That left me with a total of three on each hand.   She also added one to my arm but I have no idea what it is called.

Then she moved down to my feet where she put one on the top of each foot which she said would help ease any thoracic back pain I might be experiencing and another just behind the ankle. I believe she referred to the spot on top of my foot as Xiangu. The next spot was just behind the ankle called Kunlun.

She also added on to my calf but I couldn’t tell you the name of that one. She also added one to my stomach just below my chest. Sadly I missed the name of that one too.

When all said and done I had 16 needles in my body before she turned out the lights and put on peaceful music for me to relax and let the needles do their work.

As I laid there I could feel what I would describe as bloodflow in my arms and feet that I didn’t ever feel before. It didn’t hurt nor was it uncomfortable. It was just a warming sensation. My face felt much more relaxed and my feet and ankles I didn’t notice the needles were even there.

She returned about 10 minutes later and slowly began removing each needle. As when she put them in I felt nothing when she took them out but from the vertigo position. That one I felt almost like it was slightly stuck with a tad of pressure. It didn’t hurt and didn’t bother me.

Before I left she put two “ear seeds” in each ear. Ear acupuncture points may be stimulated for a longer period of time by using ear seeds or ear tacks.  One went on “point zero” and another went on what she referred to as an allergy point. She told me I could remove them the next day if they bothered me or I could leave them in as long as I liked. They were seeds from the vaccaria plant.

I hadn’t noticed it until I was in the car on the way home that my headache was no gone and I felt far more relaxed then I had all day.  It was a great experience and next time I think I might try a hybrid of cupping and acupuncture.

Task 42 - Take a Cooking Class (Modern Sauces)

This class was originally scheduled for earlier in the month when I was in Hawaii but I asked Clarissa the executive chef if she would run another session. She said yes I couldn’t have been more pleased to have had the opportunity to take this class. Sauces are one of those things that can really transform a dish from the mundane into the extraordinary.

The class roster was all store employees and as such it qualified as a private event and we were able to bring a bottle of wine to compliment out meals.Once we were all in class and hands washed we wasted no time getting right to it.

We started with the smoked-salmon Benedict bites with hollandaise. Hollandaise was our first sauce and it was a classic but lemony hollandaise. She had already clarified the butter for us and put us to work mixing the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, and salt. She taught us how to get it whipped to the perfect thickness. Next we added the clarified butter slowly without it breaking.  She taught us how we might rescue a broken sauce by either adding another yoke or by emulsifying the mixture with a vitamix. Once all the butter was mixed in we added the lemon zest.

Once the sauce was done we added our smoked salmon, cheese and chives and seasoned with salt and pepper. We then put a healthy serving on baguette slices and lightly broiled until the mixture was bubbling.

Once change to the menu was the addition of a Mac and Cheese. We put our pasta in the water to boil while we made our sharp cheddar cheese Mornay sauce.  We made a roué or butter and flour over medium heat which we then added milk too. Once wisked smooth we added the sharp cheese and parmigiano-reggiano cheese to the mix until everything was melted. We salted and peppered to taste. Once donw we combined with our cooked pasta and poured it into a casserole dish. We sprinkled it with more parmigiano-reggiano and baked.

Next we worked on our vinaigrette. We took our vinegar, oil, whole kernel and regular Dijon mustard and mixed it together. The key is 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. We also finely sliced apples and fennel and mixed with our dressing before mixing again with our spinach. The result was a light and refreshing fall salad.

Before moving on to the main course of Pork Tenderloin we prepped our desert.  Our dessert to cap off a great meal is a warm chocolate cake with a vanilla bean anglaise. We started by combining the cocoa and flour. This we used to coat our buttered ramekins. It is very important to make sure that when done you cannot see the white of the ramekin.

Next we worked on the anglaise. We took our milk and heated it almost but not to a boil. We added to this warm mild out vanilla seeds. Once added we removed from the heat and let steep for a while. Once done reheated the now vanilla-infused milk on medium heat until it began simmering.

In a separate bowl we mixed our eggs, sugar, and salt. The key was to mix well without it becoming frothy. Next we took a ladle of our vanilla milk and combined it with out egg and sugar mixture. Once acclimated we then poured the egg and sugar and ladle of milk mixture in the simmering milk. We continued to stir until the it thickened.  We then used a chinoise to strain the mixture to remove any egg that might have cooked.

In a stand mixer we added eggs and sugar and beat on high until it was thick and yellow. We added out Liquor and then using a spatula fodled in out chocolate until well combined. We then folded in the flour. Once done we spooned the mixture into our ramekins leaving about ¾ of an inch empty.

We set all that aside and began our final sauce a orange-rosemary balsamic butter sauce we would later add to our port tenderloin.

In a saucier we reduced our vinegar and orange juice and rosemary by half. Once boiled down we removed it from heat and took our stick of butter and began stirring it into our balsamic reduction until gone.

Next we seasoned our pork and seared it in a pan creating a nice golden crust before putting it in the oven to finish cooking. If there is a lot of fat in the pan pour it off but do not rinse. Drop a good amount of rinsed but not dried spinach into the pan and toss it around to encourage it to wilt. It will incorporate the flavors from the pan and a little water on the spinach from rinsing it.

Next we plated the spinach and put sliced pork on top and drizzle with the butter sauce.  As we ate our salad, mac and cheese and pork while our ramekins of chocolate cake were now in the oven backing. The salad was light and refreshing and the pre-made candied walnuts added a little something extra. The mac and cheese was creamy and golden on the top and is definitely one of those comfort foods I’ll be sure to make this winter.

The pork was tender and the balsamic reduction sauce complimented the pork perfectly.  The only mistake I made was eating too much and nearly forgot about the chocolate cakes baking in the oven.

When the cakes came out I knew I was going to have to have one. We placed the cakes in the center of our plates and drizzeled our anglaise sauce around it and accented with powdered sugar and raspberries.

It was a great experience and Clarissa treated as she treats all her students. She kept us focused on the tasks at hand while ensuring that we all had a good time in the kitchen. We all left stuffed to the gills and I think we all learned a few things. I know I did. As a added bonus we each took home an autographed copy of Martha Holmberg's Modern Sauces cookbook.

 

Safari Papier Mâché

I don't usually pick up tchotchke's except when traveling to far away places I couldn't help but buy these two papier mâché busts of a zebra and a elephant I discovered while in Home Goods. Having traveled to Africa I have many things I brought back with me that I love and as a result I have a slight African theme to my place.

These particular treasures were not made in Africa however but they instead they were made in Haiti . having also visited Haiti as a youth with my grandmother I figured they too would blend well with my very eclectic decor.

I discovered after buying them that they are called Savannah Busts and can be purchased from Anthropologie for $68 bucks each. Picking them up for less then $50 for the pair then wasn't a bad deal. Sadly I did discover they also sell a Giraffe that I might just have to purchase and add to the collection.

** Update: November 3, 2013. While out and about I came across a black rhino made of papier mâché that I just couldn't resist adding to my collection. I had orignally planned to pick up the Giraffe but I think I am pleased with the three I now have and don't plan on adding anymore.