COOKING WITH APHRODISIACS

- Shari Stern, Contributing Writer

Before I had Audrey, I had a colorful career as a culinary personality.  I held sold-out cooking classes all over the Philadelphia area and was regularly featured in national and regional media including The Food Network, Modern Bride Magazine, Self Magazine, and more.  I was even sought after by a publishing agent.  I was interesting because I taught Love Bites—Cooking with Aphrodisiacs.  I linked food and sex and brought it to the masses in a “how to” format … at least to the masses who paid to attend a class.  I spiced up people’s love lives, literally. 

If you ever saw me, you’d be surprised.  I am a petite, innocent girl-next-door looking person and the sexiest thing in my wardrobe is when I pair a miniskirt with an American Apparel babydoll shirt.  Because I look so sweet and innocent people feel comfortable in my classes and I regularly got singles and couples who attended for a good meal, a good laugh and some take-home tips. 

Reporters loved it and I was constantly on television, radio, internet, newspapers, and magazines.  I was a public relations success story and my access was getting better and better.  When I became pregnant, I suddenly found it hard to preach my aphrodisiac gospel.  I didn’t feel sexy anymore, I felt maternal.  I didn’t want to speak of the sexual history of chocolate or the viagra-like affect of asparagus with my baby inside.  I wanted to peruse baby stores and giggle with the girls at prenatal yoga.  I didn’t at all feel shy about it… I stopped booking classes, shut down my website and told reporters the aphrodisiacs worked. 

I used to tell audiences that if you want to be left alone for an evening, you should stuff your

partner with a big bowl of creamy, gooey mac and cheese, or serve meatloaf with sides of mashed potatoes and carrots, or prepare a classic Caesar salad.  These foods contain ana-aphrodisiacs.  Yet I took a look at my husband’s and my most recent meals – homemade chicken soup, cheesy lasagna and turkey meatballs – and I see why my good lingerie has been “lounging” in the dresser drawer.  Meals of spicy Thai foods, finger-licking tapas, foreign cheeses with flavors that “bite” back, grilled whole fish stuffed with fresh herbs and honey-drenched anything were typical of our baby-free and, yes, baby-making days.  Now we lean on comfort foods to feed our tired souls, not our appetites.

Breastfeeding, working full time, being a mommy andmanaging a household has completely absorbed all my energy.  And because I’m exhausted,

my husband is, too.   It’s ok and we accept it, knowing it is temporary.  We laugh because we now cook and eat more like Rachel Ray rather than try to emulate Mario or Wolfgang.  We take shortcuts that only make sense when you are this time-pressed, such buying frozen veggies because washing and chopping broccoli takes too much time, or use jarred pasta sauce instead of making it fresh.  For a romantic evening we used to stay home and cook.  Now, I haven’t cooked anything in almost a year, as my husband does all the cooking.  I never thought I’d celebrate Valentine’s Day within our household, but now I think it would be fun.  Maybe I’ll dig out my old recipes and we can make something sexy.  Maybe we’ll take a cooking class.  I wonder if there is anyone teaching aphrodisiac cooking …

Here are some recipes that were favorites in my Love Bites Classes in fun, printable recipe cards!