Newsletter

December 2009

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“Thyme for Passion” at New York Launch Celebration; Amorosa Bella Shares Signature Cocktail Recipe

Amorosa Bella, an online community and marketplace for people to uncover the rich world of the senses, staged an experiential launch party for press and influencers on Monday, November 9 at the Campbell Apartment, New York.

Hosted by Dr. Charlyn Belluzzo, author of Authentic Sensual Living, and a founder of Amorosa Bella, the event featured a dazzling array of sensual delights.

Guests sipped, “Thyme for Passion” signature cocktails (recipe below) at the event and were treated to Amorosa Bella’s exclusive line of wines, original artwork, natural fragrances, soy massage candles, and exclusive lingerie. They also received a copy of Authentic Sensual Living, a life plan for a rich more authentic life guided by the senses.

Celebrate Amorosa Bella’s launch with us by mixing for yourself our signature cocktail!

~Thyme for Passion~

1 1/2 oz Ten Cane Rum
1/2 oz St. Germain Liqueur
1 oz Passionfruit juice
1 squeeze of fresh lime juice
Splash of Seltzer Water
Fresh Thyme
Ice
Orchids (edible variety, if available)

Mix the 10 Cane Rum, St. Germain, Passionfruit Juice, Lime Juice, Seltzer Water and a pinch of fresh Thyme into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until frothy. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh Thyme and an Orchid.

Enjoy!

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Introducing Amorosa Bella’s Premier Sensual Chef

"Close your eyes and open your mouth…"

Remember how thrilling it feels to hear these words?

It is daring to open up to favors, textures and temperatures that you are unable to judge with your vision before it enters your mouth!

Amorosa Bella is delighted to introduce you to Christopher Greenwald, our premier “Sensual Chef!”

Eating is a most sensual act, triggering sight, taste, texture, aroma, and even our emotional memory! Much of our childhood is captured forever in our feelings about foods. Pleasures we enjoy are passed on for generations by the food we prepare.

Every bite is a sensual delight!

As the Chef / Owner of Bay Laurel Culinary, Christopher Greenwald combines his years of experience in the kitchen and on the farm with his passion for travel and different cultures, to present wine friendly global comfort cuisine that is both casual and elegant.

While as Executive Chef at Iron Horse Vineyards, Greenwald’s developed an array of particularly arousing recipes and designed tantalizing events to spark all of the senses; creating his “Aphrodisiac Dinner Menu” and “Dinning in the Dark” events.

In this newsletter, Chef Greenwald shares two of these amazing recipes, paired with Amorosa Bella wines! If these recipes inspire you, contact Chef Greenwald and host your own sensual dining experience!

 

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12 Days of Holiday Pleasures

 

"Experiencing life moment-to-moment through all of your senses enriches your life and brings greater pleasure to everyday living!"

 

A timeless holiday carol repeats a list of cheerful gifts, given daily from a “True Love” during this season celebration. Each gift brings pleasure and delights the senses and is sung in a rhythmic rhyme.

This holiday, give yourself twelve special gifts. Give yourself “Twelve Days of Pleasure!” Begin any day you wish during the month of December and bestow to yourself one gift each day:

Day One:
Stay in Your Body

“Pleasure” is living keenly aware, moment-to-moment. Today, be fully present. In order to stay fully present, moment to moment, stay in your body. Focus on the physical you. Notice how your body is reacting to any given situation. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? Rediscover, appreciate and enjoy yourself.

Day Two:
Breathe

Feel alive! When you breathe effectively, your mind and body are balanced. Balance your breathing and you soothe your mind and your body. Take a few moments throughout the day and be aware of the speed and depth of your breath. Placing focus on your breath, calibrates your mind with your body. It is simple. It is automatic!

Day Three:
Physical Activity

Moving your body grounds you like no other activity. Being active refreshes you physically and emotionally. Do what physical activity you enjoy; there are no rules. Stretch. Walk. Dance. Swim. Cycle. Move!

Day Four:
Self-acceptance and Laughter

Accept that you are not perfect. Find your sense of humor. Lightheartedness about your imperfections makes your strengths shine more brightly. Today, allow yourself to “laugh.” Be “playful.” Having “fun” is mainly a state of mind, immersing in and connecting with the moment you are in without judgment.

Day Five:
Listen

Hearing is not listening. Today, listen with the intent to hear. Listen to music. Listen to nature. Listen to what people have to say with a desire to understand. Listen to what people are not saying and attempt to understand. Listen and accept the beauty of silence.

Day Six:
Taste

Tasting is the most complex sensation. Notice the influence of smell, texture, and temperature on your sensation of taste. Isolate your sense of taste by eating a meal with your eyes blindfolded. Enhance your blind dining experience with recipes from the Sensual Chef, Christopher Greenwald, included in this newsletter.

Day Seven:
See

Notice everything! Become as sensitive as radar to the images that pass before your eyes. Appreciate beauty in diversity. Observe a process in nature; the swell of a wave building as it approaches the shore, clouds slowly moving across the sky, or the pattern of people walking on the street. See and be a part of the world around you!

Day Eight
Smell

Your sense of smell is the most primal. Experiment today by smelling with your eyes wide open and with your eyes shut. Experience pleasant aromas and some considered not so pleasant. Consider if the odder is really unpleasant, or if you have been conditioned to believe it is so. Isolate fragrances and notice if your mind assigns a memory to the scent. My childhood is filled with scented memories!

Day Nine
Touch and Feel

The sense of touch connects the physical world to the emotional world. When a scene is “touching” how do you feel? Today, feel the earth beneath your feet. Feel the sensation of the breeze on your face. Feel the crisp bite of the air on this frosty morning and notice how your sense of feel connects you to your environment. Each handshake you extend today, feel the person on the other end. Connect human-to-human as well as hand-to-hand.

Day Ten:
Curiosity and Interest in the World

Be curious about everything today! Ask questions. Find all subjects and topics fascinating. Explore and discover! Visit a planetarium and consider where you fit in the universal scope of things. Decide to learn something new today. Take on the learning project; a new language, a musical instrument, or take a course.

Day Eleven:
Love and Be Loved

Today is the day to authentically value your relationships with others. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you. Do you feel their love coming to you? Do they feel your love? Choose three people and demonstrate your genuine love. Be creative. Be "real."

Day Twelve:
Gratitude

Be aware of the good things that happen to you. Today, express thanks. Choose three people that enrich your life and express your sincere appreciation. Why three? At least one of these people will not be in your immediate family. Connect to humankind with gratitude!

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Recipes for a Sensual Dining Experience, “Dining in the Dark”

"Combining my years of experience in the kitchen and on the farm with my passion for travel and different cultures, I present you wine friendly global comfort cuisine that is casual, sensual and elegant."

 

This is a perfect bite of goodness to feed yourself or someone you love while blindfolded.

Green olives are fresh, fleshy and rich in flavor and olives have been considered an aphrodisiac for eons.

The heat of the harrisa, a North African condiment common in Morocco, is perfect for spicing up the moment.

Pair with Amorosa Bella Chardonnay for the right balance and zest!

Olives and Almonds Marinated With Toasted Cumin, Harrisa and Lemon

½ lb. green olives (drained of brine)
½ lb. blanched almonds
1/2 Lemon (washed and roughly chopped)
1 Tbls. harrisa paste
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 t. toasted cumin
Mix lemon, harrisa, olive oil and cumin together, then mix with olives and place back in tubs. Let marinate at least over night.

Petite Oysters on the half shell with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon Mignonette

What is sexier than raw oysters on the half shell? Try eating them blindfolded.

Bath them in a mignonette made of pomegranate and first of the season Meyer lemon for an extra kick of euphoria.

Pomegranate has been rumored to increase fertility for centuries.

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup Meyer lemon juice
1 shallot (minced)
½ T. pomegranate molasses
Tiny pinch cayenne pepper
Tiny pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 dozen small oysters (such as Hog Island Super Sweets or Kumamoto, etc.)

Mix all ingredients except oysters together and let sit at room temperature for ½ hour.

Wash and shuck oysters and display in shell on a bed of shaved ice or rock salt (so that they stand up without falling over). Place a tiny amount of mignonette on each oyster and consume as quickly as possible.

Don’t forget to refill glasses with clear and rich Amorosa Bella Sparkling Wine.

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Escape Holiday Madness; Last Minute “Jet Me Away” Travel

Seeking some solitude or rejuvenation now?
"Jet Me Away Now" is your antidote!

Offers are valid for travel now through December 31, 2009*

Two-Can in Paradise

The Big Kahuna (Hawaii's Big Island)

Package Includes:
5 Nights Accommodations at the Fairmont Orchid Resort
Midsize rental car for 5 days
Fresh Flower Lei Greeting
Resort credit of $200 per couple
All Resort Taxes
$769.00 per person*

Maui Wowie (Maui, Hawaii)

Package Includes:
5 Nights Suite Accommodations at the Fairmont Kea Lani
Gourmet Buffet Breakfast Daily for Two
Fresh Flower Lei Greeting
Airfare credit of $400 per couple
All Resort Taxes
$879.00 per person*

Almond Joy (Barbados)

Package Includes:
4 Nights Accommodations at the Almond Beach Resort
Roundtrip resort transfers locally
All-Inclusive stay: all meals, drinks and gratuities
All Resort Taxes
$925.00 per person*

Tee Me Up at The Ritz

Package Includes:
4 Nights Accommodations at the Ritz (choices below)
Roundtrip resort transfers locally
Golf (or Spa) resort credit of $150 per couple
All Resort Taxes
$699.00 per person* - Ritz San Juan Puerto Rico
$799.00 per person* - Ritz Grand Cayman Island
$829.00 per person* - Ritz St Thomas USVI

Winter Wonderlands

Ski-Spree For Me (Winter Park, Colorado)

Package Includes:
4 Nights Accommodations at The Zephyr Mountain Lodge
3-day Ski Lift Ticket (per person)
All Resort Taxes
$799.00 per person*

Visit the Inner Life Travel website to find out more and see other Jet Me Away packages.

* Please note certain restrictions apply on all packages!

Prices are subject to change based on availability at time of booking and are date-restricted, and exclude holidays and/or blackout periods. Travel partners reserve the right to cancel promotional rates should space sell-out for specific destinations and/or resorts. All prices are per person based on double occupancy for two adults sharing room. Packages above do not include airfare - please contact us for more details on the above promotions and special airfares from your departure city.

Book exclusively with Amorosa Bella Travel Artisan: Liz Bates

Liz Bates, Certified Travel Specialist (CTS)

Specializing in professional upscale travel planning for more than 20 years, Liz Bates serves discerning adventurers, worldwide. As owner of Inner Life Travel, Liz caters to your travel desires from rugged outdoor adventure to luxury indulgence. Explore with Liz close to home or to a world away. The journey begins “within.”

Liz is passionate about discovering local traditions, unlocking cultural secrets and sharing these experiences with her clients by designing custom journeys throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.

Tapping into local artisans, Liz opens the opportunity to browse workshops everywhere and delight your senses with uniquely personalized travel experiences.