Tuesday, December 13, 2011

beauty gifts....









hello beauties...have you seen enough of these beauty baskets?? i know, i feel the same way...i can't get enough of shooting the beauty of this incredible food and nourishment in these baskets! here are a few more recent ones...AND this just in: RM miracle certificates for the intimate & inspiring gatherings in my kitchen! we are getting closer to the holidays and i would be honored to be on your holiday lists with the JOY of nurturing your friends & family this holiday (and really all year long.. i mean we get hungry a lot ;) food is the ultimate offering and when it comes custom and created with love like this.. there is nothing better but to find it at your door or in your kitchen... you can also give the baskets as a housewarming offering for the host etc... i don't need to tell you how many uses food in this gorgeous way can be given... we all know who really deserves one of these every week....YOU! sending love & blessings during this crazy time of year... please, ground & make a soup OR at the very least a tea. it's been really helping me get through... see you in the kitchenxxxx

Monday, December 5, 2011

A MIRACLE.







happy december beauties!!
missing you & me so much... the life of a renaissance mama is forever defining itself in, out and all around me. i have been trying to get this post out for a thousand years.....i can feel you all nodding your heads in understanding and i love you and this gorgeous community for that. please, go make a tea, i'll wait here....i have been returning to the ever spicy and sweet chai latte with a frothy almond milk... i was also turned on to this beautiful pomegranate green tea by a dear renaissance mama...i have been offering that one in the miracles... oh! and get your books, i phones, wall calendars out... this is about making darn sure to nourish YOU this month.... as it's the hardest month to do it!! we have to come together as a community and make it happen or it will not as we all know so well. this is the time WE GIVE TILL OUR BLOOD RUNS DRY (is that dramatic enough?) and then we decide to reconnect to ourselves in the new year (on a gurney..) when most of us truly believe we will be able to see straight again... and we don't stop there.. we decide to make goals, hopes, wishes of ourselves, draw up lists, intentions scrolls, etc... oy, we are a mess! that made me laugh out loud.. i know some of you are really on it and have figured this piece out (taking callers...) and i have pockets of that clarity too (before beauty...) today, i am speaking to the over-scheduled, crazy pants ambitious women & mamas & all of us out there who, like me, want to do it all ALL of the time... especially during the holidays where rituals come to their peak status... and we LOVE those rituals.... so here is a beautiful ritual to begin ane make happen in december: A MIRACLE. i have decided to have only ONE this month (yeah.. i got the memo ;) let us gather, feed off the beauty, celebrate each other, share in this nourishing as we give to all around us this holiday.

HOLIDAY MIRACLE
DECEMBER 15, 2011
10:30 - 1ish
75$/in advance
JULES KITCHEN/MT WASHINTON
*these are intimate gathering, rsvp asap to reserve your wooden bowl

OH! and give the miracle as a gift.... there are RM certificates, custom created, stamped & printed for those you love... you can also get one in a beauty basket with some rustic beauty produce.. more on this very soon!

if i don't see you...have a beautiful holiday and let us continue to inspire, empower and feed each other in this way... see you in the kitchenxxxx

Thursday, November 3, 2011

beauty baskets.











this season is just oozing with BEAUTY....the hues of oranges, reds, browns, purples, greens, it's a rainbow of love coming out of the ground to greet us everyday. it's poetry, dance, art in color, texture, taste that continues to inspire me into this deep place of gratitude... all i want to do is SHARE it... it's the only way... our farmers trek to hollywood and ivar, arizona & 3rd, and all over the city to sell us their goods.... and we (ok, i) get up early, drive away from a cozy sunday morning or a wednesday west side drive in back to back traffic to meet our food, to gather the good medicine, to reconnect to my source, the sustenance, the core of life in this way.... to feel the miracle & bring it home to my family.. yes, it's a journey that takes effort, time & priority. it is a lifestyle, no doubt. once you taste what is happening here, there is nothing like it. you can't replace the taste of a weiser watermelon radish, a mcgrath tahitian squash, a peacock farms fuyu persimmon...it's just this way. you might get close, but the best will always be the best. period.

oh and i love the best....


i am launching another branch to the ever blossoming renaissance mama tree: BEAUTY BASKETS!!! custom baskets of seasonal fruits, vegetables & amazing, yummy foods from the market.. passionately and lovingly gathered, inspired by the BEST of the market... they are abundant gifts to give yourself, your family and your friends... i think of them as gratitude gifts...this is the best time to send one as the day of thanks is on its way... who are you thankful for and how can you show them what you mean.....let me deliver beauty in a basket to their door. food is the best gift. we all need it, no matter how much or how little we have.

i am taking just a few more orders for thanksgiving baskets (for the actual day)... bring it as a gift to the host or a centerpiece for your home to nosh on later... i deliver all over the city. i also create & cook meals for those who need cooked foods... new mamas, those in the healing process & everyone that needs food! it really should be called 'skies the limit baskets'..... anything that goes in a basket with food, is what i am up to.... so get your gratitude lists ready and lets go!

if you are just coming aboard the RM train..... my passion is to feed you. mamas, women, all of us. i want you to have the best & i show you how to do it, in your life, right now (no, not when you have 'time')... guiding you back to your beauty, the love of the season while inspiring & empowering you to reconnect to yourself, your kitchen, your family in this intimate way with food & cooking... embracing all that it brings (and doesn't bring) & creating a space that is YOURS. i see it over and over again... if you are nurtured, you want to share the feeling, then you yearn to nourish your family. let me feed you in all the ways.... see you in the kitchenxxxx

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

crazy.


i am CRAZY for the colors of the fall bounty....the warty skins of the pumpkins and squashes, the sheeny beam of the fuji persimmons and the red ruby pomegranates that radiate abundance. they all scream at me throughout the day! open me up, you are so lucky to have me! be grateful for this beauty, for this lush truth inside me, how amazing i am! i can't help but agree! (and no, this is not when i put on a skirt and start prancing and dancing around the kitchen table and singing songs fiddler on the roof style..but i like the idea of it ;)

the food is so gorgeous right now... and in this season specifically, we love to make our 'food altars'...we adorn our dining room tables with the the variety of rusty to light oranges, forest & celadons greens, browns & yellows too.... something inside of us says YES. it just feels right... we are celebrating the harvest, the season, the gratitude of this food and for many of us, it says HOME.

then....
we wait,
and wait,
and wait some more to cut this BEAUTY open... to see what is inside... to cook it and reap the benefits of this beauty... why do we do this? why do we wait until the bottom begins to rot out onto our table? my feeling is that we don't know what to do with it... yes? no? what do you think? it's a metaphor for so many things in life... so beautiful = don't want to touch it. it looks unmanageable, scary, gorgeous, mysterious.....put it in the oven and that baby is yours... the skin caves into itself and the lush insides are soft, kind, loving, and so good... trust me. so this week...go get a red kuri squash from mcgrath farms, a confection squash from weiser farms and if you can't make it to the farmers market they have yummy delicata, butternut and more at whole foods..

put the oven on 375, convection bake or bake, place it in whole or cut it in half on a casserole dish, massage with olive oil (get the seeds out after it's cooked, it's easier) and put it in for 35 - 45 minutes depending on it's size. check in on it every now and then..'fork it' to see if it's ready.... and done. RM TIP: do this in the morning! keep it on stove top with a pretty towel over it and let it hang there. it can wait till dinner. let me know how it feels. see you in the kitchenxxxx

Thursday, October 13, 2011

beauty gathering.



RM GATHERING: lunch with beauty
(MAMA AND ME FOR BABES FROM NB - 18 MONTHS)

allow me the honor to feed, nourish, support, share & connect YOU to YOUR BEAUTY in the kitchen.....

so many of our stories live in the kitchen....patiently waiting inside a wooden spoon, quietly stirring inside that broken tea cup you have been saving in the back of the cabinet, longing to be touched, seen, played with, stories that can change your life, at least for a moment, a meal, a lunch.....

welcome to the renaissance mama kitchen

we will connect to these stories inside a soup, a butternut squash, the best apple you have ever tasted:
*feeding you with locally grown, love filled food,
*empowering you with the tools & the know how,
*inspiring you to nourish this piece in YOU first and then
*to nurture your family in this gorgeous, rustic, organic way


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011
10:30 - 1:30 pm (open door policy)
$60
RM KITCHEN/MT WASHINGTON
RSVP ASAP (no later than monday/17th)

these are intimate gatherings and they fill up..
email: juleslove@mac.com

RM LOVE for the gatherings.....

"Jules' Kitchen (The Renaissance Mama) was truly an inspiration, a motivation, as well as a warm, delicious experience. I have been cooking up a storm ever since being in her kitchen! Love her!"
tracey groce, mama of harper

"When I've signed up for one of Jules' miracle gatherings, I think about it all week long. I know I will be steeped in beauty and nourished immeasurably. The table she sets, with all the Farmer's Market produce of the season, never ceases to take my breath away. And Jules herself is vibrant and totally down to earth with an incredible sense of humor. We laugh. We cry. We learn to make delicious food. We eat. And we leave full of all good things."
heidi rose robbins, mama of kate & dylan

see you in the kitchenxxxxx

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

fall love.






this 'fall love' inspires me to make food altars all over the kitchen! the markets are full with all kinds of pears, apples, pomegranates, figs, jerusalem artichokes & SQUASH! i love me some squash... roast em', saute em', make em' in soups all day long.... make sure to try them all! they are beautiful on the table AND cut open, flesh down in a casserole dish on 375 - 400 bake for about 45 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the squash... get that dance happening. don't wait till thanksgiving! try all the different varieties: delicata, red kuri, butternut, acorn, kambocha..... you do not need to know what you are going to make... just turn on the oven! it's such a good feeling to have it in there cooking..... who knows maybe you will make a soup or just scoop it out with a spoon...it also makes a beautiful base for the baby food!

i can't believe it's the middle of october... we celebrated a new year, a 5 year and a yom kippur so far. it's a time for reflection, new & old, tuning into my purpose, what i want to bring in. connecting with that fire in my heart & letting go of what is not serving me. it's hard to go inside those deep and quiet places with the babes these days.... i love to go there. i used to live there, on the canvas, dipping inside the colors of emotion and expressing every little thing. now, it happens inside a black eyed pea soup or cutting open a pomegranate with my son, watching him take the villages of seeds a part and suck the juice out of each and every one. it's still deep, just different. see you in the kitchenxxxx

Friday, October 7, 2011

rumi.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks

this came to me from the incredible teachers ana maria & samantha at yogala in echo park.... a cozy, love & beauty filled yoga studio in echo park. definitely check it out if you live in los angeles...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

i'm here.

missing you.
missing me.
missing the spatula to turn the poems over, to turn something over. and i am turned over. definitely feeling burnt on one side, on the inside. trying to feel into when i might be ready to come off the heat and cool down. hoping for a gentler day, forgiving and open. this phase, this beauty ride. i want to find the balance. i want to stop the noise, this idea that i am so late, so behind, so tardy for my dreams. as these other dreams, the ones you can't even dream about because you can't imagine them...they are the miracles, oceans and beauties. i want to stay dressed in the blessed feeling. beauty sleeps so i can write down one more word. i am trying to teach her to soothe herself. i am trying to teach me to soothe myself. she keeps her little sweet mouth open hoping for something to calm her... and if the zucchini had a mouth, it would be open, up against the door of the fridge, crying for me to make that olive oil cake. the kitchen waits for me. the words wait for me. i do what i can with green zebra tomatoes, the beginnings of acorn & kambocha, little red pears. my first frittata with frisee and figs keeps me alive. empty cake plates stand proud and almost grounded. they inspire me. i didn't want to wait one more minute to let you know, i'm still here. just holding on, so i can keep going. holding on tight to this beauty ride. i want to feel light, a souffle of myself or even a crepe might work, flat & round. oh and thin, that could be nice. i could fill me up with berries and chocolate and a squeeze of lemon. i'm here and now i'm hungry. see you in the kitchenxxxx

Sunday, August 14, 2011

the process.


i saw this on my sweet friend kee's blog, nativekee & it resonates so deep in the kitchen... especially when your art form is being eaten very soon after the birth of it's creation... i think these are such important words to keep in mind.. print this. put it up where you can see it, read it, be reminded of this incredible process we are so lucky to dip our hands into... the only way to get better at this work is to walk through the fire and keep burning the rice... till you get it right! as you are on your way to nourishing you, as you are on your way to nurturing them. see you in the kitchenxxxx (thanks kee!)

Monday, August 8, 2011

last miracle (august).




last miracle in august....


there is something incredible that happens when women gather in the kitchen & eat....they start to feel nurtured, inspired, loved, empowered, good, great, amazing....


let's feed each other in this way!


friday, august 12

10:30 - 1:30pm

mt washington

$75


rsvp asap:

i must know if you can come by tonight (tuesday night)...


see you in the kitchenxxxx


ps... the next miracles will begin again in september!!



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

crowns & words.



i birthed beauty and the poetry inside that journey is still connecting the dots inside my hips, playing hide and seek in my joints and needs more water, more water, more water.....my body is still processing this next chapter. i might be here longer than i want to be.... i might be here after i have written and read the story many times. who knows. the heaviness that feels like me today, the pastry bags of my breasts, feeding beauty to keep her growing as i try to feed myself that other beauty.

the beauty inside rainbow chard, baby eggplants on a cake plate, the lemon basil in a ball jar on vintage cookbooks... breathing in all my bowls, the roundness feels like a safe place to land, to nap, to cry lots of tears... listening for an echo of myself, seeking my shadow, hoping to have a quick chat about the good old days... finding a swatch of myself somewhere inside this new landscape....

keeping the altar behind the sink real simple... bringing the shade down to keep it cool in there. that might be more important than all the other things.... inhaling gratitude, how blessed i am, and how heavy it still feels... exhaling trust, knowing it will pass, understanding that this is the life of a renaissance mama... wanting to do so much, yearning to water that poetry in my thigh to see what will come of it.... how will it grow once nurtured?

i want all that time back...

with my big ass wing, i pick up all my needs... one by one, combing their thin blonde hair... i look for those sweet chamomile buds & make a crown for each need, letting them know, i will be back soon.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

stone fruit.


loving these in EVERYTHING right now... i actually can't stop eating them! they are in my salad with golden beets & avocado, they are baked (for 15 - 20 minutes on 400 bake) then add a leaf of basil & cream, they are roasted with my chicken inside lavender, rosemary & thyme or just cut up on the board! yum!

there are two farms that have the best. one - is the arctic star from regier's farm in dinuba, ca... you can find them under the orange kiosks at the santa monica farmers market on wednesday mornings & sunday in hollywood. they are so incredible! the other excellent ones are in hollywood on sunday & pasadena on thursdays afternoons... ken lee's farm in fresno. he also has amazing plums, pluots & new fruits coming out all the time. remember to try everything you buy & make sure not to buy the fruit too soft or when you get home, it will be ready for jam. they ripen fast in the summer.

AND buy fruit (& all your food) from good people... you will know them when you see them, you will feel them... if they are kind to you, they are kind to the soil, the earth & all that this piece of gathering the best quality means... i love to ask how they treat their land & if they are close to freeways... how they answer will also tell you everything you need to know. if they are open or resistant to being asked... it's all so important to know where your food comes from. enjoy & see you in the kitchenxxxx

Friday, July 15, 2011

circle.

*

you wanna know what is so incredible about this 'nourishing you' piece i keep feeding you?? i have to do it to myself first!!! YIKES! hardest part of the job.

with that said, i have a new & improved commitment to my physical health, full on. i want to feel light. let's start with lighter than a barge. my vessel created some people and i feel like a ship hit me in the night... ok maybe 2 ships.....alright... 3!! i am tired of not feeling good in my vessel!! (so that is the back story).

as a part of my regimen, i walk. last saturday, j had both kids and i had about a 1/2 hour before i assumed they would be home. what to do with one more 1/2 hour of freedom? (this is always the question) hmmm... there is not much i can do in that time frame to sate every single expectation to feel totally COMPLETE. i know, such a bad set up from the get go...and how many poems are waiting in that theme and in my hips? (another blog entry entirely)... i try to choose something that will make me feel GOOD... i decided to put on my sneakies and go take a walk. i was feeling so proud that i made the LEAP over the door frame to the outside world called my street. then to turn the corner.. woohoo now we are in business... left, right, left...the next thought was focus on the breath, inhale, exhale, work it. my sweet voices were cheering me on...'this was such a good idea!' 'yay me!' 'awesome to get out and move it, move it.'

then.....

i come to a place in the walk where i usually make a full circle. i look at my watch and see it's been a half hour... i'm thinking i should head home, j is probably there with the kids and if b is hungry, they all might be cursing my name! then i hear that sweet, supportive voice say 'whoa.... what are you thinking?' 'you have to do the full circle...i mean, it could really impede on your day... you have to do the full circle! right!?!? to feel complete and....' i hear the inside voice making demands with some doubt in her tone....like a little lemon rind hanging around, flimsy & really potent at the same time.

i take a big inhale, exhale & turn around to go back home....

i let a little time go by before asking 'who are you and where do you come from?' i mean....'why does it have to be this way? who says that's really true anyway, that complete thing? it's amazing that i even went on the darn walk!!'

then, the wiser voice (yep - there is more than one ;) chimed in, thank the universe! AND i realized this is how we feel in the kitchen... and in so many areas of our lives. do it to the fullest, only the best, make everything or don't do it at all... ALL or nothing...cook for 2 days on thanksgiving and that's it for the rest of the year .... right? NO!!! so not right. then we will never try anything new or do all the things we want to do until we have the time... and PS when is that?? in my life right now, there is nothing i can do completely. everything has steps, moments, a process. everybody has NEEDS. it's as though i need to ask them (my needs) to get in a single file line and to raise their hand to speak... it's deep.

we have so many expectations of 'it' before we even know what 'it' is!! for so many of us, it feels better to just do nothing than a little bit of something... the intimacy of not knowing how to do something or how & where to begin is so strong that we just don't ever go there. questioning your voices of right and wrong, circle or square, meat and potatoes goes on happening as we turn on the oven, look in the fridge, decide what will go on the plate and how we will serve it.

so after all this....

as i was walking home, i was excited to write these thoughts down to share with you and send out asap. from the corner, i could hear b crying... so i ran home to give her the breasty latte. now, a month later, i am sharing this story with you.....feels good to complete the circle. see you in the kitchenxxxx

Monday, July 11, 2011

summer vibes.











missing you and the magic of sharing words...

earl grey tea on my tongue to start the dance, warm in the palm & somewhere is the ground.... sewing my way through the soil, planting seedlings with a needle & some cashmere nearby... hoping to suture myself inside calm & uneventful.. like gazpacho, cucumbers & avocado.

simple, sating, warm.

this is innate in the summer vibe, if you are lucky to catch on. you can feel it in the food... chilled soups, mellow melons, nectarines, peaches, berries with arugula and....

all i feel & do is rush, rush, rush... it almost feels like an illness.... rushing here, rushing there, rushing everywhere! i mean....really? is this life? i can't seem to take enough inhales to have one exhale.. i am even rushing to find a beach house so i can stop all this rushing!

the roots of this dis-ease may be growing from the beds of overwhelm, sleepless nights & the longest list of wants, desires & needs on this side of the mississipi. i don't know, just throwing some ideas out there. are you feeling this way too? is this the mama train everybody is on? the ONLY way it (meaning life) seems to pause, take a second, inhale and exhale at the SAME time.... is in the kitchen.

i know, shocking.
hold the phone.

this season gives us the gift of an ABUNDANCE of foods to cut up and NOT cook... maybe a little luring to get you in there? blending soups, tarts, salads, soft tacos, lemon cucumbers, pink lemons, sweet corn, orange cauliflower... oh it's good. it's the part of the day, other than right now with you, that i am breathing... oh, wait! i gotta get to yoga, i'm late! see you in the kitchenxxx

Thursday, July 7, 2011

miracle.









gathering in this way, sharing this intimacy with food, learning where it comes from, how to buy it, what to do with it & more...being introduced to food in a new way, meeting beauty inside abundance, your innate ability to nourish YOU and your family in this way is looooong overdue.... share in this miracle that i feel so blessed to create in my kitchen... i love to feed & nurture you.. let us have this conversation over and over again... it's boiling inside each of us... how do we make it happen everyday?! feeding our families & all their needs, like lyrics, hanging in the air of our kitchens.... lets bring those words to the ground & begin a kitchen culture.. we are the shaman mamas... we are the ones who will make this happen, teaching our families how to eat, live & dream inside kale, chard & figs...

'MIRACLE' SUMMER SESSION:

FRIDAY, JULY 15
FRIDAY, JULY 22
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

10:30 - 1:30 pm
JULES KITCHEN
MT WASHINGTON

$75 per class or all 4 classes for $275 (save some green love) *****pay ahead to reserve your wooden bowl & get the energy going***** classes are intimate & fill up fast.....i'm happy to report ;)

THOUGHTS:
share the RM miracle love.....
bring a friend!
this is a beautiful, original gift to give yourself & friends..
you give, i give! 50$ class for you!
OR
invite the miracle into your kitchen:
gather some friends together for an event or
just to start the conversation! it's free for you!

money....
don't let the lack of funds stop you,
donate what you can
and come be with us
it always works out perfectly

cancellations....
if you can't make it, please let me know by tuesday night to reschedule if you have to cancel after i have gathered on wednesday, i will just use half of the fee so the next class will be 37$ unless you want to give more... always open to abundance (yours and mine!)

IT'S AN HONOR TO NOURISH, INSPIRE & EMPOWER YOU... SEE YOU IN THE KITCHEN...
Xxxx