THE LOVING SPOONFUL
AMY REILEY, AUTHOR OF THE APHRODISIAC COOKBOOK FORK ME, SPOON ME,
TELLS THE FAMILY GROOVE HOW TO COOK WITH FIRE—INSIDE AND OUT

Amy Reiley thinks that if you can't find the heat, get your butt into the kitchen. In fact, this internationally celebrated
food and wine expert wants to help you turn the heat up—on the stove and in your love life—by harnessing the
power of some of your favorite foods. In her book, the Master of Gastronomy dishes on the cultural and scientific
power of 12 of the world's most intoxicating aphrodisiac foods and gives you fast and easy ways to use them. Here
Reilly gives THE FAMILY GROOVE a taste of her in the mood meals.

THE FAMILY GROOVE: What inspired you to write Fork Me, Spoon Me?
AMY REILEY: I wanted to write a book for a really wide audience and feature things that you buy anywhere and can have a lot of fun with. That's why I chose to feature 12 aphrodisiac ingredients that are fairly easy to find and are definitely pretty interesting.

TFG: What are the 12 ingredients?
AR: Mint, rosemary, chili, ginger, chocolate, vanilla, mangoes, peaches, figs, saffron, almonds and honey. Chili, for example, raises your body heat and ginger increases sensitivity to the erogenous zones. Mangoes are known to amp up the male libido and almonds can help sustain stamina.

TFG: How are they aphrodisiacs? Is it inherent in their makeup or how they're prepared? Is it in the eating or perhaps in the taste? Or is it kind of all of the above?
AR: It's all of the above. I chose these 12 ingredients specifically because they've got a great  history of being aphrodisiacs and also because of their nutritive properties that lend to their being classified as aphrodisiacs. The book also talks a lot about the importance of changing up your venue and how your present the food as well as how your intention behind cooking it affects how well it works.

TFG: For a lot of parents, being in the mood kind of gets sucked out of you over the course of the day.
AR: Yes, and just cooking over the stove isn't going to bring it back.

TFG: Do you have any advice for the hard-working mom and dad who are tired but still want to have some intimate time together after the kids are asleep?
AR: I tried to make a book that is a good jumping off point. Not only do I provide recipes and talk about these 12 ingredients, but I also address the topic of alcohol. One of the probably the best ways to jump start things is to share a bottle of wine. There are, and I talk about this in the book, a lot of wines that replicate the scent of pheromones. Not only will a glass of wine tend to relax you, in addition to some explored and yet-to-be explored health benefits, but it will also trigger the senses of attraction. Opening a bottle of wine is easy and yet it feels luxurious—it's a treat.

TFG: There's a food and passion and intimacy connection. You probably judge what's going on in your life by what's going on at dinnertime. Tell us about this connection.
AR: Historically, food and passion have always been linked. In part, they're the two things we have cravings for. We have to breathe and we have to sleep, but we crave sex and food. Previous cultures throughout history used food to aid in libido—be that because of their nutritive properties or just the wonderful folklore. The two have intertwined since the beginning of recorded time amongst cultures all over the world. It's just a natural.

TFG: A lot of women—and men, too—are daunted by cooking. What should we know about cooking to get past that idea?
AR: Well, if you are cooking for seduction, then you must enjoy the process. I made a book full of recipes that are easy. I also like to stray from my recipes a bit. I like to use cooking as a moment in time to be creative. You can really excite your senses while cooking—the different smells, sounds, tastes. If you tune in and give it a different awareness, you will enjoy the task rather than making stressful and just something that has to be done.

With easy-to-make recipes, such as Persian Love Cake with Candied Rose Petals, Honey Almond Home-Cured Snapper, Ginger Mojitos and Moist Mango Meatloaf, Fork Me, Spoon Me serves up romance, turning fine dining into foreplay. Are you ready to get cooking? Go to www.lifeofreiley.com

Get your Hot Honey Nuts recipe from Fork Me, Spoon Me


Craving more in the mood meals? Dig in to these yummy books.

	InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins Martha Hopkins is bringing sexy back—to the kitchen with recipes that'll have your heart a-thumping and your water a-boil.ing ($24.95, www.barnesandnoble.com)
	Cooking in the Nude: Playful Gourmets by Debbie and Stephen Cornwell Okay so the days of doing that are over (if you ever did that—seems a bit dangerous to us), but the real meal deal behind this book is quick and easy-to-make dishes ripe with innuendo. ($9.95, www.amazon.com)
	Dinner Dates: A Cookbook for Couples Cooking Together by Martha Cotton This how-to for you two divides up the tasks in an easy-to-follow step-by-step format, proving that cooperation is a sexy thing. ($155, www.amazon.com)