RM gatherings...

hi mamas!

the next RM gathering is coming up!

Thursday, October 28, 10 - 1pm & there are a few spots left...

if you have not been to the gathering and if it's calling you, please make this time for YOU... allow me the honor to feed, sate & nourish you in this way... the fall comes with such an incredible array of aromas, colors and simple, rustic ways to have them cooking in your home... come to my table, take in the beauty & get inspired.

here is the revised schedule for the RM gatherings:

Thursday, November 11, 10 - 1

&

Thusday, December 2, 10 - 1

$75, donation

mt. washington

you can rsvp and send in your offering for any of these dates that fits your schedule.

i will let you know if i add any new ones and until then...catch one before i have to take a break with beauty arriving!!

**here is another post describing the classes in more detail: go here**

see you in the kitchenXXX

persimmon, my old friend.

sunday was a rainy day at the market here in los angeles...it was on the peek-a-boo channel. rain, drizzle, stop and then do it again...it was so beautiful, the dance of it, seeing everyone inside the dance weathering the slight storm of something unusual, the beginnings of fall tapping on the windshield and gently asking if it can nourish us and the earth.

and then.... there was a new sighting. it's like seeing a really good, old friend... i want to run towards the stand and hug them all, asking how it's been and how long they are staying. it's as though i saw they were coming on facebook but then i forgot and maybe i didn't know exactly when they were going to arrive... so i am still a little surprised like christmas morning... it's the best feeling.

it's not just my mind, my whole body, every cell aligns to it... calling out PERSIMMONS!! that thick orange flesh, crispy & tender at the same time, talking to my tongue about fall and what we can do this time around. it's such a beautiful feeling... reconnecting this way to old friends, excited to wake up in the morning, chat more about their journey... we start out just cutting, peeling & checking each other out again after such a long time. i have a feeling there might be a salad or cake in the future though...see you in the kitchenxxx

first hour.

that hour, I was most myself. I had shrugged

my mother slowly off, I lay there

taking my first breaths, as if

the air of the room was blowing me

like a bubble. All I had to do

was go out along the line of my gaze and back,

out and back, on gravity's silk, the

pressure of the air a caress, smelling on my

self her creamy blood. The air

was softly touching my skin and tongue,

entering me and drawing forth the little

sighs I did not know as mine.

I was not afraid. I lay in the quiet

and looked, and did the wordless thought,

my mind was getting it's oxygen

direct, the rich mix by mouth.

I hated no one. I gazed and gazed,

and everything was interesting, I was

free, not yet in love, I did not

belong to anyone, I had drunk

no milk, yet -no one had

my heart. I was not very human. I did not

know there was anyone else. I lay

like a god, for an hour, then they came for me,

and took me to my mother.

Sharon Olds (from 'The Unswept Room')

to stop, read something amazing & let it sit somewhere inside can be the best gift. i love this poem and this is how it feels, sometimes, when you are birthing a new part of you... see you in the kitchenxxx

WORKSHOP.

hello! i miss you mamas... how is it going in your kitchens?! i have been the busiest bee birthing women who are INSPIRED & EMPOWERED in their kitchens... working the RM magic & creating kitchens that serve us busy mamas & get us COOKING! it's amazing what happens when your belly grows.... so does your community!

with that said... i am finally creating a workshop for women who are ready to discover their story in the kitchen, or at best beginning the RM conversation of nourishing ourselves, stirring up the fire in our bellies, eating FOOD that sates us and more... here is all the info:

renaissance mamas: workshop for all the beautiful ladies

inspiring, empowering & nourishing YOU in the kitchen

are you single, taken, married? working hard for the money?

manifesting the idea of family? babes, pregnant, not sure?

whatever your story, everything happens in the kitchen.

it's where we heal, manifest, create, protect, nurture, nourish, sate, love, fight & bring it on. it's where our fire lives, no matter what size the match. it's where we our introduced to our beauty, cook up our power, heal our wounds in the most vital, rustic & simple ways... to nourish ourselves & our family.

what we will be cooking up in this workshop:

*your story/your kitchen: discovering who you are in this place,

where your fire is, how you want to create a kitchen culture in your home

*creating a kitchen that serves & inspires you (BEAUTY)

*RM basics in the pantry, food & tools

*empowerment in the kitchen, what this means & looks like

*FOOD! seasons, eating, beauty, connection

*includes a rustic, fall meal, lots of food & gifts to nourish you throughout the day

and so much more..

it's hard to explain the nurturing magic that happens in these gatherings...

if you feel called to this, come!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2010

10 - 2/3ish pm

los feliz or mt washington kitchen

$125, 4/5 hours + a rustic, beautiful lunch with gifts

rsvp asap with an email & send your offering via pay pal or check

**you can also give this as a gift or pass it on to those you think would love it**

praying.

praying

it doesn't have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try

to make them elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

mary oliver

soaking beans overnight gives me this moment,

this steeping in gratitude that holds an inexplainable self-caring,

a nourishing, it's something that is taking priority over the noise

& delicately interrupts, in the most gentle way, my life.

it is a type of praying for me.

it also makes a really good soup.

see you in the kitchenxxx

from the hip.

here is a little photo story shot from my hip at the farmers market on wednesday in santa monica. we are truly in a food transition time... stone fruit has a few more weeks, tomatoes are abundant, asian pears are coming to the forefront, so many varieties of apples, incredibly crisp and good.... grapes are starting to show their sweet selves & squashes are beginning to round us out.... i wanted to share a little moment of the season to inspire you to get to your farmers market & see what is happening in your neck of the woods... as we come into october, there will be more roasting & soup creating to share... see you in the kitchenxxx

pear cake.

up

side

down..

boy you turn me...

inside

out..

and

round & round.

i guess i am into singing through my writing these days... this cake makes you sing too! we are sloooooowly coming into fall and PEARS are happening! local & such a beautiful variety as well... these are bartletts from the hollywood market.. each one seems to tell a story... pears are beautiful in that way.

this recipe is so simple...

that is why we love it. it's really good too.

(from fran warde's eat drink live)

3 pears, peeled/halved/ sliced thin/however you want to do it

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup + 2 tbs. cane sugar

3 eggs

1 cup + 2 tbs. flour

3 tbs. milk

butter & line an 8" or 9" cake pan with parchment or wax paper

arrange pear halves over bottom any which way you would like

use an electric beater or wooden spoon (i use my kitchen aid),

cream the butter & sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy

beat in eggs, adding one at a time & mixing well after each addition

add flour, gently fold in, then stir in milk ( i was still using my kitchen aid at this point but on low)

spoon cake batter over pears & smooth out the surface

cook in preheated oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.. until surface is firm & the cake has come away from the sides of the pan. remove from oven and let cool... then turn onto a serving plate... can add confestioners sugar to top if you would like .. i don't think you need it. let me know how it goes...see you in the kitchenxxx