HAPPY HALLOWEEN

So, time has come for all you ghouls to worship the Pumpkin God, play spooky tricks on the living, roam the streets like zombies and threaten the good people with your incantation-like "trick or treat" spine-chilling sentence...

The 31st of October marks Samhain (or All Hallow's Eve), the end of the harvest as well as that of the "lighter half" and the beginning of the "darker half". According to Gaelic tradition it is a time during which the borders between the world of the living and realm (otherworld) of the dead, the home of deities and the stronghold of supernatural spirits similar to elves or fairies become thin.

If you are hiding home behind boarded windows and trying to stay away from the monsters that are amongst us, you might want to make a few recipes to uplift your soul and keep you sane, so don't forget to check my "Halloween Food Ideas" Page.

HIBISCUS

The use "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" (also known as "Hibiscus", "Sorrel", "Rosella", "Karkadé", "Rosemallow" or "Flor De Jamaica") in the kitchen is very interesting. Those lovely flowers grow on a plant which is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Hibiscus trees are native to warm, temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. Their flowers are very large and trumpet-like, and their colors range from white to pink, red, orange, purple or yellow.

Due to it's medicinal properties, some people call Hibiscus the "other cranberry". As a matter of fact, it's good to soothe colds, open blocked nose, clearing up mucous, as an astringent, promoting proper kidney function, helps digestion, a tonic, a diuretic and helps reduce fever. It is also very rich in vitamin C.

Nonetheless, I recommend you to be cautious when using those flowers as they have a hypotensor effect on us. It is for that reason that you'd better not consume this flower if you are suffering from hypotension (low arterial pressure).

With "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" one can make tea, syrup/cordial, all kinds of drinks and cocktails. They can also be crushed into flakes and used as condiment (to flavor rice, stews, sauces, ice creams, etc...) or added to cakes, scones or any pastry as well as dessert of your choice and even used as a food coloring agent.

Check my "Mouhalabieh or Lebanese Milk Flans" recipe that is served with a colorful "Hibiscus & Rosewater Syrup".