Nutmeg – from Wikipedia

In case you were now wondering about Nutmeg:

In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response. Large doses of 30 g (~6 teaspoons) or more are dangerous, potentially inducing convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain BMJ. In amounts of 5–20 g (~1-4 teaspoons) it is a mild to medium hallucinogen, producing visual distortions and a mild euphoria. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor.

A test was carried out on the substance that showed that, when ingested in large amounts, nutmeg takes on a similar chemical make-up to MDMA (ecstasy). However, use of nutmeg as a recreational drug is unpopular due to its unpleasant taste and its side effects, including dizziness, flushes, dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, temporary constipation, difficulty in urination, nausea, and panic. A user will not experience a peak until approximately six hours after ingestion, and effects can linger for up to three days afterwards.

A risk in any large-quantity (over 25 g, ~5 teaspoons) ingestion of nutmeg is the onset of ‘nutmeg poisoning’, an acute psychiatric disorder marked by thought disorder, a sense of impending death, and agitation. Some cases have resulted in hospitalization.

Fatal doses in children are significantly lower, with approximately 15g being sufficient to cause one of only two recorded nutmeg toxicity deaths, in an eight year old child.BMJ.

Nutmeg is an abortifacient, and as such any significant doses should be avoided by pregnant women.BMJ.

Are bay leaves poisonous?

I was told a few weeks ago that bay leaves are poisonous to humans. I had a hard time believing it since they are called for in recipes and I can’t be the only who…well…has forgotten to remove it and pureed it into a soup (or two). But, on the Food Network I learned that nutmeg in large doses is poisonous, so perhaps this is also true with bay leaves?

This is what I found out:

Mountain laurel leaves are poisonous to certain livestock and are not sold anywhere as a spice (cousin species to the bay leaf). This has led to the mistaken belief that bay leaves should be removed from food after cooking because they might poison humans. Bay leaves are safe to eat, however, a person may accidentally swallow a leaf, and the leaves remain stiff even after several hours of cooking. This sometimes causes cutting of the throat and should be avoided.

Pumpkin and Apple Soup with Chestnuts

Got this one from O Magazine and made it tonight in honor of Halloween. It was very, very tasty. Doesn’t taste super Pumpkin-y, it actually has a very unique flavor. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving.

2 TB unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
2 cans (15 oz each) pure pumpkin
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 TB drained 2 percent Greek yogurt, for garnish
10 fresh chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped, for garnish
2 TB chopped fresh chives, for garnish

In small pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and apples; cook, stir occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, broth, 1 1/2 cups water, bay leaf, coriander, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in pot until smooth. Stir in cream and return to stove. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with 1/2 TB dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of chestnuts and chives.

Makes 10 cups.

(I could not find chestnuts at the store, apparently they don’t carry them until further into November. I also didn’t add coriander, red pepper flakes or chives.)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am such an emotional eater. Today I knew I had to bake muffins. HAD. TO. BAKE. MUFFINS. So I did, two batches, and they are fabulous! I posted this recipe on my old blog and thought I’d move it over here for all you new readers. Trust me, it’s THE best. (Lisa, I’m bringing some this weekend so you can try them for yourself!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 cup Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
Mix together

2 eggs
1 cup canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix together then add to dry ingredients

Add 1 cup Chocolate Chips

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Amazing site with bread recipes that look AMAZING

Check out this site.

I plan to make the Chocolate Tea Bread, Mississippi Mud Bread, Applesauce Cocoa Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Loaf…yes, all this week. I have company coming and it’ll be nice to pull these out of the freezer for breakfast.

Carrot Soup

I am trying to create meals this week out of food I already have in my house, and since last week organic carrots were on sale for $1 a bag, I have a bunch of carrots. So I made Carrot Soup.

This is from The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt. Her cookbooks are some of my favorites. This recipe is healthy and sooo yummy. Two great reasons to love it.

1 TB butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium russet potato (about 1/2 pound) peeled and cubed
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
3 1/4 cups broth or stock
2 TB Pesto (optional)
2 TB sour cream for topping (optional)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add carrots, potato, sugar, salt, thyme, paprika an dpepper and saute about 5 minutes until vegies are tender. Add 1 cup of stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegies are soft, about 20 minutes. (This always takes longer for me, more like 30 minutes.)

Transfer batches to a food processor or blender and puree. Return to pot and add remaining stock. Ladle into bowls and top with pesto and sour cream.

(I always use my handheld immersion blender to puree soups. Makes the entire process much easier.)

Serves 4.