making room for beauty.

i have not been one to put this on a newswire and yet i do believe you should know what else is cooking in the RM kitchen... it's not just soup if you know what i mean....due in the new year to this renaissance mama... see you in the kitchenxxx

photos taken by www.ifmphoto.com.. check her out.. her work, her story telling, her awesomeness is just the beginning to her & her talents... xxx

beet it.

you gotta run, you gotta do what you can......it sounded right for now. i can't tell you how deeply in love i am with this soup, this cocktail, this side note of genius that has taken over my idea of what the color fuschia was... it's got a whole new ring to it. so easy to make & store & drink & serve.... you got to try this and tell me what happens. please don't spill it... then it will have another story entirely....

first - roast the beets.. golden, red, candy stripe... the red have the most beet sugar, they are the sweetest... cut the beets in half, place in baking dish (flesh down, skin up is preferable), massage with olive oil and love... on 400 roast for 40 minutes. you can keep skins on as they come off so easy once cooked (no struggles in the RM kitchen)... then in a soup pot... start with a chopped up yellow onion, a vegan bullion (repunzel is my favorite with sea salt), earth balance or a little butter (not too much b/c the beets are coming in with oil from before),the beets, 2 cups water or so, maybe a garlic clove if you want....let it all hang out on medium on the stove top. steep together... cook... be & after about 45 minutes let cool...

blend when cooled... add cream to taste... could be 1/4 - 1/2 cup... then the best part.. taste it!!! and garnish with a myriad of beautiful things... a dollop of creme fraiche, lavender goat cheese, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, edible flowers and the list goes on... so beet it. i mean really.. how beautiful is this soup? see you in the kitchenxxx

fall into the RM kitchen.

hi beauty mamas.... i have decided to ground into this beginning of fall with a schedule for the magical gatherings that are happening in my kitchen on thursdays. it's good to have a schedule and since i know all of you do, i thought i would get on board and do it too.

what is this gathering in my kitchen? a friend says it best: "you can't explain it, you have to experience it." i agree. if you feel drawn to the beauty here and have the courage, the surrender, the desire to be nourished in this way: please come.

FALL into the RM kitchen....

september 16 & 30

october 14 & 28

november 11 & 18

thursdays

10 - 1ish pm

$75 donation

send check/pay pal to hold spot

(1 - 2 weeks in advance)

allow me the honor to feed you, making room for the beauty & inspiring the pieces to come back together...whether it's connecting to the disconnection or just continuing to sew these kitchen pieces together for you and your family....all our swatches of resistence, fear, shame, love, motherhood, broccoli, pasta... whatever your story: bring it. bring it to my kitchenxxx

sunday, sunday, sunday.

this sunday, i am creating a simple rustic food story for the MA YOGA opening happening at the bini birth loft (which is incredible and amazing in it's own right.. check it out) in north hollywood right off magnolia & cahuenga... jessica jennings (owner & yogi mama) has created a place to nourish your mama bodies with yoga in your pregnancy & beyond... i will be starting a little RM conversation at 3 - 3:30 pm... there are a lot of amazing people coming together to create a beautifully grounded & soul sating event... please come for YOU. see you in the kitchenxxx and yes - there is one there!!

here is the info:

Los Angeles is going to have a new yoga home for pregnant women and new moms! Please join me and other members of our LA yoga and birth support communities for a FREE Opening Meditation & Bash, and help us celebrate the birth of the MA YOGA studio for Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond.

RSVP now to sign up for complimentary mini-sessions with amazing practitioners who focus on women's wellness. Spaces will fill up so let us know and we'll write you in.

You don’t have to be pregnant to come! We welcome anyone who supports us and our intention to create a comfortable place where women can enjoy their journey into motherhood with Anusara yoga and much more, including birth prep classes, access to an amazing support system and a kitchen and couches where people can eat and chat before and after classes.

1-1:30 Opening Meditation with Jessica Jennings

1:30-5:00 Organic, delicious food provided with love by jules blaine davis/renaissance mamas

www.renaissancemamas.com

2:00-5:00 FREE mini-sessions with practitioners of:
THAI YOGA MASSAGE: Erica Lee, LMT, Melt Therapy
ACUPUNCTURE: Elizabeth Bachner, LM, CPM, L.Ac.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY: Deborah Gleisner, ND, Naturopathic Doctor/Certified Midwife
PRENATAL/POSTNATAL/THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE: Sara Pereira. LMT
CHINESE MEDICAL CONSULTATION: Abigail Morgan, L.Ac.
BREASTFEEDING INFO & CONSULTATION: Roza Baghdassarian, RN
YOGA THERAPEUTICS: Jessica Jennings, MS, Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor

3:00-3:30 Empower Yourself in the Kitchen Workshop: Jules Blaine Davis

5:00-5:30 Playful Anusara yoga practice

Please go to www.MaYoga.com for directions and more details about each practitioner, info and resources for pregnant women and new moms, our class schedule, photos and our birth story.

MA YOGA for Pregnancy, Motherhood & Beyond

Bini Birth Loft Space

5355 Cartwright Ave., Unit 313

North Hollywood, CA 91601

zucchini muffins.

there are some secrets you have to share and this one is on that list... this recipe is SO incredibly moist and lush that you must make it at some point soon... and how much zucchini do you have in the fridge or the garden right now? so much is usually happening around this time. i was like paparazzi with the muffins... couldn't stop telling you the story of the cozy muffin in the pink striped paper... nothing much to tell with an ending like that. right? see you in the kitchenxxx

zucchini muffins (via smitten kitchen)

(yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins)

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination there of (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. (See those pictures of the cakesinside their non-stick pans? Yup, they’re pretty much hanging out in there for the time being.) Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

noodle kugel.

this is one of my favorite things to make during this holiday as it reflects how simple something sweet can be...bring it! it also is fun to make with and for the little lovies... i feel like i am on repeat the last few days with this one statment... (maybe it is becoming my mantra) 'you do not have to be jewish or to even celebrate the holidays' to make this dish!! you and your family will love it. you can tone it down as much as you want on the sugar as there is also butter and all sorts of things to make it rich and delish...

noodle kugel (via smitten kitchen)

1 pound wide egg noodles
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
2 pounds full-fat cottage cheese, creamed or large curd
1 1/2 - 2 sticks (1 cup or 8 ounces) melted unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil the noodles (five to seven minutes). In a very large bowl beat eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, then the cottage cheese, butter and vanilla. Stir in the drained noodles. Pour into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours (depending on your oven), or until kugel is set

l'shanah tovah (happy new year).

it was just us tonight, the erev of rosh hashanah and there was no way to get to temple... instead we drew round challahs with crayons on paper & wrote out our initial lists of what we want to bring in for this new year... ocean's list included kugel, a tent & his friends (not in that order)... it's a beautiful rite to stop & reflect on what you want to bring into this year and what you want to acknowledge and let go of from the last year..... here is what tonight felt like over here at our house. see you in the kitchen and may you have the sweetest, healthiest & abundant new yearxxx

tradition.

creating & sharing tradition with ocean is the most delicious time for me during the holidays... with the jewish new year reflecting upon us tonight and for the next few days... i am given the best gift: this incredible opportunity to recreate what it all means each year and now with my kin by my side... piece by piece, apple in the honey, pomegranate seeds and all the blessings... everything can be ritual, alive, a scent map to something deep & meaningful inside us... another moment to steep in letting go, bringing in, manifesting & watering the soil of what we are loving & growing ... and what we are ready to say 'don't let the door hit you on the way out!'....

one of these traditions is going to my favorite bakery on the west side... beverlywood bakery. today, i took ocean with me and we picked out a round challah (representing the circle of the year, may it be round, full & sate us) and a pound of mixed cookies in the PINK box... they really have the best cookies ever... and that pink box.... it feels like home with that up on the toaster or near the bread basket.....they are those cookies you would get as a kid at the bakery with a clear piece of bleached wax paper... absolutely old school... i have no idea what is in there and i am ok with it because it's about the journey, the gathering has meaning, the tradition that is so worth the beauty inside of it...

you do not have to be jewish to dip an apple in some honey & bring in the sweetest new year... it feels like a new time as fall comes in, the kids start school, it is a beginning, the solstice... call it what you want and may it be the sweetest for all of us.. see you in the kitchenxxx