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

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

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

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...