- an astrological smidge of general ingredients for each of you!

aries

I didn't see that comin'!

march 21 - april 19
ruled by: mars
status: I am
quickfire: Ok, we all know that you're the true bull... (ssshhhhh, don't tell Taurus!). You're headstrong, pushy, and need to be first... no body sees you comin! You love to cram in lots of experiences and passionately keep moving forward. You're eating birthrights are no exception... furious hunger, fast food, no fuss. You work hard and play harder and magnetically compete with everyone. You're first in the Zodiac for a reason... the rest of us depend on you!

taurus

Hear's a tune you'll soon be humming!

april 20 - may 20
ruled by: venus
status: I have
quickfire: You are a musical being who loves potatoes. Yes, even though you tend to be a mass of contradicitons, it's that simple. You love beauty, converastion, and fine things. These traits transfer nicely to your foodie birthrights.... good service, good food, good value. You equally embrace traditional or exotic cooking and you don't like to repeat your recipies. Of course, you're so stubborn, your best bet is to host the dinner party so your guests can't disagree with you! The bonus is... you're GREAT COOKS! Of course, Chef Cosmo is a Taurus!

gemini

Two by two you travel through life!

may 21 to june 20
ruled by: mercury
status: I think
quickfire: Whoa! You're probably reading this on your iPhone 3GS en route to your next 'to do'... stop for just a minute and breathe. I promise your world won't disolve like a warp in the Matrix. You are constantly on the go, multi-tasking with moody flair. By all foodie birthrights, your favorite foods can be eaten while walking, blogging, or debating. Your liberal nature and quick mind makes you a sought after companion for all entertaining activities. Learn to graze, you'll love the scenery.

cancer

Your shell is not all it's cracked up to be, break out!

june 21 - july 22
ruled by: the moon
status: I feel
quickfire: Our crab-people LOVE their shells and rely on their whole astro-chart to crack them open. The rest of us couldn't survive without these home-loving, sensitive, nurturing, possessive, domestic crustaceons. You are at your best when you are comforting others with food. You derail everyones diets with love. Your friends will have to drag you out to restaurants, but once there, you are the lifeline of the party and grateful that they made the effort (as long as no one hurts your feelings!)

leo

Got a band? I'll lead it!

july 23 -august 22
ruled by: the sun
status: I will
quickfire: Mangiare is not just the Italian verb for 'to eat'. Mangia! is the passionate cry that sounds the beginning of every Italian meal with outstretched arms and huge smiles. A Leo must have started this tradition. You are a community cat, magnetic and generous... especially when you have an audience. You love the best of everything and your foodie birthright is no exception. Bask in the warmth of hosting great meals, you're always a crowd pleaser!

virgo

There IS a big picture, find it!

august 23 - september 22
ruled by: mercury
status: I analyze
quickfire: Recipe dissection is a favorite pastime for our analytical Virgoans. You are likely to be a vegetarian or have acute tendencies toward certain food philosophies. Your foodie birthright is a nourishing diet of nuts, grains, beans, seeds and plain yogurt... boring! It's okay, someone has to keep us healthy! Avoid noisy crowds, they cause stress and disturb your perfectionist eating rituals. You are benevolent to a fault... tweeting your generous spirit helps our world evolve.

libra

Everything really is beautiful!

september 23 - october 22
ruled by: venus
status: I balance
quickfire: Libra's proverbial passionate soul makes them the ultimate dream foodie. You love to orchestrate events and create experiences. You require lots of texture in your foods, friends, and environments. Your need to constantly engage your senses motivates you to experience many cultural and exotic foods and just as many variations of people. Learn to reign in your inner control freak and the world will truly see through your rose-colored glasses.

scorpio

News flash...we know who you are!

october 23 - november 21
ruled by: mars
status: I create
quickfire: Scorpio is the only Sun Sign that can make sleazy the new fine dining experience. You love dark, secluded, mysterious places where you can be incognito and embrace your wild side. Your intense extremes motivate you toward harsh diets. Give yourself a break and create more of your favorite foodie experiences, which will include spicy reds, rich seafoods, and lots of proteins... oh, and cocktails. You keep us on our toes and enrich our spheres.

sagittarius

See the world... must have tickets!

november 22 - december 21
ruled by: jupiter
status: I understand
quickfire: Encarta defines abundance as a fullness of spirit that overflows. That is you, Sag, in loads. Your free spirit craves travel and you adore foreign foods as long as you can find the locals' hangout. You love to be entertained while eating... good jokes or dinner theater, either works fine. Keep the overindulgence in check, except for those first class backyard barbecues you're famous for.

capricorn

Climb every mountain... hurdle every ladder!

december 22 - january 19
ruled by: saturn
status: I use
quickfire: Who says you can't mix business with pleasure? You are a networking, connecting, climbing, dogmatic, misunderstood overachiever! In order to sustain this momentum you need hearty traditional sustenance. You are uncomfortable with self-indulgence and whims... so ask your friends to calendar reminders to poke you to do something to treat yourself. A great meal is the perfect reward for all of your hard work!

aquarius

Continue inventing our future!

january 20 - february 18
ruled by: uranus
status: I know
quickfire: You are living in a time zone ahead of the rest of us happily surrounded by a fray of eclectic friends and family dysfunction. You are innovative, smart, rebelious, and talkative. You will try anything and hate breakfast (for breakfast). Your foodie birthrights feed this stream with lots of weird food, strangely connected dinner guests, and a pda full of great friends who adore hanging out with you.

pisces

Dream a little dream for me!

february 19 - march 20
ruled by: neptune
status: I believe
quickfire: Pisces is the compassionate psychic blend of all the Sun Signs. You believe in everyone and everything, which makes you a sensitive, caring friend. People love to share meals with you, there's always great music, warm aesthetics, and lots of bubbles. If you could have dinner and a massage at the same time, you'd totally do it!

New Year’s Eve this year will celebrate the rare occurrence of a Blue Moon! The term "blue moon" refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, a lunar event that last happened on December 31st in 1990 and won’t happen again for 19 years.

The very idea of a calendar month is a relatively recent concept, as months were originally measured by the period between lunations, the word "month" comes from "moon". A cultural revolution took place in the Classical Period, which saw the development of the solar year of 12 months, based on the seasons and connected with the 12 signs of the Zodiac.

This popular idiom should probably read “once in a blue moon on New Year’s Eve” since that occurrence is much more rare than two full moons in any given month, which happens about every 2.5 years. There is a lot of math involved and variables such as time zones… and great legends, histories, and stories, which we encourage you to Google.

But what’s in it for you?!
Well, whether it’s blue, green or hot pink, the moon affects us all with the general ebb and flow it causes in our physical and astrological worlds. For you personally, it will depend on how this particular full moon is positioned in your chart. It could be a wild ride or an ordinary day. Either way we suggest you use this rare phenomenon to slow down, reflect, and spend some quality time thinking about your 2010.

Find a great spot to gaze upon the Blue Moon, put on your imaginary Janus* mask, think about what you’re grateful for in 2009 and let your imagination go with dreams of what you’d like your life to look like in 2010. Take a notepad and jot your thoughts down. On Monday, post it on your fridge or computer and don’t lose sight of them!

Happy New Year all-stars!
Chef Cosmo and paSous

Some interesting history…
*Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors, and beginnings. January was named after Janus, who had two faces – one looking forward and the other looking backward.

Ancient New Years
The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It is believed to have been first observed in March in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible crescent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).

The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. The Romans continued to observe the New Year in March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar.

Middle Ages: January 1st Abolished
In medieval Europe, however, the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan and unchristian like, and in 567 AD the Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year.

Gregorian Calendar: January 1st Restored
In 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as New Year’s Day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, it was only gradually adopted among Protestant countries. The British, for example, did not adopt the reformed calendar until 1752. Until then, the British Empire, and their American colonies, still celebrated the New Year in March.

Sources: Wikipedia.com, Wilstar.com, InfoPlease.com, LunarLiving.org, and CNN.com

Curious about the history of egg nog? Of course it’s a widely popular concoction that everyone wants to claim responsibility for, but was probably started out of a need, which usually means medicinal for the aristocracy. We have a lot of gratitude for the creative doctors that were tasked with caring for the idle rich… here’s some research done under the influence!

The origins, etymology, and even the ingredients used to make the original eggnog drink are debated. Modern eggnog typically consists of milk, sugar, nutmeg, and eggs. Frequently cream is substituted for some portion of the milk to make a much richer drink.

Eggnog, or a very similar drink, may have originated in East Anglia, England, though it may also have been developed from posset (a medieval European medicinal beverage made with hot milk, wine, eggs, and spices). An article by Nanna Rögnvaldsdóttir, an Icelandic food expert, states that the drink adopted the "nog" part of its name from the word "noggin", a Middle English term used to describe a small, wooden, carved mug used to serve alcohol. Another name for this British drink was Egg Flip. Yet another story is that the term derived from the name "egg-and-grog", a common Colonial term used to describe rum. Eventually the term was shortened to "egg'n'grog", then "eggnog".

The ingredients for the drink were too expensive and uncommon for the lower classes, but it was popular among the aristocracy. "You have to remember, the average Londoner rarely saw a glass of milk," says author and historian James Humes (To Humes It May Concern, July 1997). "There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates. Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry.”

The drink crossed the Atlantic to the English colonies during the 18th century. Since brandy and wine were heavily taxed, rum from the Triangular Trade with the Caribbean was a cost-effective substitute. The inexpensive liquor coupled with plentiful farm and dairy products helped the drink become very popular in America.

Cousins Tom & Jerry: In the 1820's Pierce Egan, a period author, wrote a book called "Life of London: or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthina Tom". To publicize his work Mr. Egan made up a variation of eggnog he called "Tom and Jerry". It added 1/2 oz of brandy to the basic recipe (fortifying it considerably and adding further to its popularity).

Recipe and video by Paula Deen, (Capricorn, but oh so Aquarius!)

Sources: Wikipedia.com, InDepthInfo.com, FoodNetwork.com