Garlic ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

By Donovan Govan. [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Garlic, huh?  is probably what you're thinking right now. Yeah, yeah, I know; consuming copious quantities of the stuff leads to breath that kicks like a mule in heat, which can hardly be conducive to kissing, much less good-time sexy-pants-type activities. On the one hand, this works perfectly in defense against vampires. On the other hand, sometimes a vampire bite's just the thing to satisfy one's unholy lust for...

Ahem. I digress. Forgive.

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Like basil and cardamom, garlic increases circulation, which is believed to stir up one's passion. And, you know, if both the guy and the gal partake, ain't no dude gonna notice anything untoward when the time comes to...pucker.

RECIPES

• Garlic Steak With Garlic*
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Pot Luck Garlic Bread

*'Cause I'm not about to take any chances.

Click here for more about garlic.

Sources

Figs ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

Fig by Kyle_the_hacker

Figs, man. My dad loves 'em. So does my sis. I think the last fig I ate was a dried one and it left a bad taste in my mouth. (Literally.) So I can't speak to their yumminess; how about y'all? I mean, they do look all luscious and appealing and whatnot. And I do like Fig Newtons, so I'm willing to give 'em another shot 'cause they're, like, supposed to keep ya regular (and when you're a middle-aged Goth, comme moi, these things take on greater relevance, OK?). (Don't judge).

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Hmmm. Well, the fig apparently falls under the category of aphrodisiac that is believed to be a libido-starter simply because it resembles either sex's genitalia. In this case, the chick-sex.

I know, right? That's so weird.

RECIPES

• Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Figs and Spinach
• Figs and Toasted Almonds Brie
• Oatmeal, Fig, and Walnut Bars

Click here to learn more about figs.

Sources

Blogging from A to Z April 2013

Erotica ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

Readers, please note that my Adult Content warning was never yet so merited as it is today.

Forewarned (twice, now) is fairwarned.

Erotica is a term I've struggled to understand. As a once-very-frequent, then not-at-all-frequent, then once-again-regular reader of romance novels, I've read a lot of sexy sex-scenes. I latched onto romance novels when I was in about fifth or sixth grade, as the nuns in my grammar school supplemented the classroom's library with Harlequins and Silhouettes. (I know, it's weird the gals woulda put that stuff out there, but what they made accessible to us would now be termed "sweet" romances, with kissing and broody male posturing, but not much in the way of nookie.) From there, I graduated to other 80s romance fare and received an education, boy. Ahem.

III Polly Philips and the Young Italian
by Édouard-Henri Avril

Anyway, I've since read loads of romance novels and the ones I've read in the last, oh, 15 years, give or take, have lots of sexy-sex in them. So I'm not really sure what distinguishes them from erotica, except that some say romance novels are courtship tales which may/may not have sex in them, whereas erotica will always have sex at the core of the protagonists' relationship(s). Readers, if you can provide me with a better definition than this, I'd love to see it, please.

Y U SO SEXY?
I'd say, "Duh," but I like to think I'm a bit more elegant than that. You know, you read about what this dude's doin' to that gal and how homegirl reciprocates in ways which are illegal in some of the 48 contiguous, you might get a little turned on, right? (Moreover; duh.)

RECIPES*

• Memoirs of Fanny Hill by John Cleland
• The Story of O by Dominique Aury
• Alt Sex Stories Text Repository

*All links lead to extremely explicit sites. If you are under 18 or easily freaked out by frank discussions and fictional tales about sex, stay the hell away from those sites and don't give me a hard time 'cause you went and clicked on the link(s) anyway, jeeeeeeeez.

Click here to learn more about erotica (and see primary Source material for this post).

Blogging from A to Z April 2013

Dancing ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

Pierre-Auguste Renoir [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Dancing's a lot of fun, ain't it folks? It's creative (whether you're mixing and matching moves or choreographing your own mad stuff), it's social (you dance with your friends, you dance with a partner, though, if you're Sting, you dance alone), and it's great aerobic activity for your body. In last year's A to Z, I mentioned envisioning a group of wedding guests doing the Electric Slide to Ladytron's Destroy Everything You Touch, 'cause the tune's got a good beat for it, and I think the association I made with dance and weddings is not accidental.

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Picture it: the beat's pounding and so are your hearts as you and your special someone prance and twirl across the dance floor. Your arms go about one another, perhaps exposed flesh connects, your pulses synchronize and you drown in one another's eyes as your lips draw dangerously closer. You're both panting while the sweat pours down your backs and you realize that y'all have just got to get out of there before you...Damn, is it me, or did it just get really hot all up in here?

RECIPES

• Beauteous Ballroom
• Sexy Slow
• Torrid Tango

Click here to learn more about dancing.

Sources

Blogging from A to Z April 2013

Cardamom ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

By Didier Descouens (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Cardamom is, like, this groovy, aromatic spice from, like, super sexy places. (Fact.) I think the first time I noticed this saucy spice was several Christmases ago (maybe 7?). I stopped by the local Lindt chocolate store (which, alas, is there no more) and discovered a delightful seasonal chocolate bar spiced with, among other things, cardamom. LAWDHAMERCY, that thing was AMAZING. Wound up buying a bunch for my sister and me for the holiday and seriously wanted to cry when they'd been devoured. Being that they were seasonal, I didn't find them again till the following Christmas but then, after that, NEVER FOUND THEM AGAIN!!!!! (Thanks a lot, Lindt, you wretched tease.)

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Like basil, from yesterday, cardamom increases the flow of blood in the body, which carries oxygen to all the tissues and whatnot, and gets 'em ready for a bit of the old in-out, in-out. (That's science, right there.)

RECIPES

• Cardamom Cream Pound Cake
• Vanilla Chai Buttercream Frosting
• Chai-Spiced Hot Chocolate

Click here to learn more about cardamom.

Sources

Blogging from A to Z April 2013

Basil ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

By Paul Goyette (http://www.flickr.com/photos/pgoyette/201492949/)
[CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

Basil has been a fave plant of mine since I was at (my second) college. I lived in a sort-of basement apartment which had a long row of windows. I grew pots and pots of basil plants on the sill and I just adored their scent. (And they appeared to thrive on the carbon monoxide I put out at them with my cigarette smoke.) ::shrugs::

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Well, there's the aforementioned delightful scent, which tends to boost the mood (and, potentially, the urge to merge). Also, basil is purported to promote the circulation of blood in the body (and when the blood's a-flowin', stuff be a-growin', nudge nudge, wink wink).

RECIPES

• Tomato and Basil Soup
• Basil Butter
• Grilled Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil

Click here to learn more about basil.

Sources

Blogging from A to Z April 2013

Anise seeds ~ Aphrodisiacs from A to Z

Taken by mica uploaded by Charbelgereige [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

Anise seeds come from the anise plant (bet you didn't see that coming). Similar to fennel seeds, they've long been used in foods, to spice them up, but also medicinally (for example, to ease coughs and gas pains). (And I gotta believe, there ain't nothin' hawt about flatulence.)

Y U SO SEX-AY?
Anise seeds contain the phytoestrogen anethole. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived "dietary estrogens." Essentially, consuming phytoestrogens can cause estrogenic effects in the body. Though both guys and dolls have estrogen in their systems, it's gals who benefit more from a healthy balance of estrogen, which promotes the female reproductive system. It makes us chicks feel good, and when we feel good, we want to get jiggy. (Perhaps I should only speak for myself on that one.)

I understand that anise seeds have a sweet, licorice taste, which rules them out for me (not a fan of licorice), though I could be persuaded to give recipe #3, below, a shot. (Geddit? A shot? Geddit?) Yeah, nevermind.

RECIPES

• Anise Seed Rolls
• Biscochitos (Anise Seed Cookies)
• Spiced Rum Recipe No. 5

Click here to learn more about anise.

Sources

Blogging from A to Z April 2013