ouch & yum.

beauties! i tried something new and i want to share it with you: stinging nettles! woot woot. the truth is.. i have been (passively) avoiding them for a few years now... only to see them in a soup somewhere hip & fancy ;) i always wonder what they would be like, taste like, feel like etc... and now i know! it's amazing what happens when you open up to trying something new, unzip yourself to the idea and allow the belly of your fears to the unknown just hang out of your pants!! 'let loose!' as my incredible yogi friend says when stretching so wide and open. i love it.

they were amazing. it took some time to get used to the idea of eating something that could sting me in it's rawest form... once they go into boiling water for one second all the stingers fall off! they have the texture of mint and the taste of something deep and green. it's always hard to express taste.. i feel like there are so many attributes to that first bite... including that belly feeling, open & inviting something in that has always been open to me, then actually trying it... taking the time to introduce myself to another incredible piece of the earth has such a profound place in my heart. i guess that is why it's such an honor to feed YOU!! so you can feel this too.

on this particular day, beauty and ocean were home with runny noses and coughs. party. so i threw all the nettles in the sink and washed them off with the sprayer... (oh and i did not have gloves....super careful with the bag) i used those family heirloom tongs and my scissors to handle them. i cut off all the leaves and put them aside. i put a few in a little pot with water and boiled them to make tea. i added some dark honey and the kids drank it up!! here is a video of beauty loving on it...

i also wanted to try the 'fancy' soup which really means i got over myself and bought nettles for 2 - 3 dollah at the market.. the fancy part is nourishing the self which is fancy, feels so good everytime and needs to be a part of our daily routine stat. hello renaissance mamas. so, for the soup i started with a medium sized pot on medium, poured some olive oil, chopped a yellow onion, garlic and some fingerling potatoes (it's all i had, peeled em' too), some celery and i think that was it.. oh maybe some leeks too! loving the leeks right now... and yes, the nettles.. i boiled it up for one minute and then simmer for 30+ minutes. i like everything to linger together for awhile in a soup, really get to know each other. once i turn off the fire, it continues it's dance till we eat. it was exactly what we all needed that night.. healing, medicinal, earthy and loose. see you in the kitchenxxxx

ps: i pureed it the next day & it was thick and so good...so many ways to skin a cat as my

grandmother used to sayxxxx

jules & RM kitchen news.

*

hello gorgeous ones!

thank you for all the love & support with the newsletter... please check it out if you have not had the chance & subscribe...if just to see sweet beauty and her yogic neck abilities (impressive).

this just in: love is being given to me & the RM kitchen! i had my first write up by one of my favorite farms in southern california, wieser farms! you have definitely heard me share about them (maybe too much ;) as they are the potatoes, parsnips, romanesco cauliflowers, butternut and confection squashes to my heart. they are the roots, the foundation, the grounding to so many of my nourishing creations in the kitchen. i opened my email last night and there was a little love blurb about me and the RM mission. thank you weiser farms!

march is miracle month!

the first miracles of 2012:

friday, march 2 from 10:30 - 1 pm

&

saturday, march 17 from 10:30 - 12:30

all miracles are in the RM kitchen in los angeles. to reserve your wood bowl, email me at juleslove@mac.com. these are intimate gatherings and they fill up fast. so looking forward to gathering again & nourishing each other.

another exciting event up my apron is that i am on my way to YOUR kitchen... i will be starting an RM kitchen 'boot camp'....to begin the long awaited love fest between you and your kitchen. do you want a kitchen that inspires, feeds & serves YOU? and for a quarter of the one-on-one price! i want everyone to experience the incredible opening that beauty and freedom can have in your kitchen and your life. it's the RM way. so, gather your friends for a few hours and lets rock this thing. it will change your life or your money back. i'm serious. more on this very soon... if you are one of those running to the front of the class types (that would be me), email me. see you in the kitchen...yours & minexxxx

*recent photos taken from the hip at the wednesday santa monica farmers market*

it's happening....

hello beauty blog family! just a note to share my first newsletter that went out this week! i would love to have you all in that boat with me as i sail along the kitchen lovin' river inspiring and nourishing (me and) you with beauty & freedom in the kitchen... and all over our everyday lives... i will be sharing what is happening in my kitchen, your kitchen, events, miracles, kitchen tours and so much more.... if you received the newsletter, than you are on the list and all is good in the world ;) if you want the love, please subscribe here in the upper left hand corner. this blog will continue as the canvas for RM; expressing all things food, family, farmers market and more... thank YOU for continuing to support me as i discover, connect and dig deeper into this piece of nourishing me, you and the world. so much love & gratitude. see you in this ktichen and the virtual RM kitchen soonxxxx

we decide.

i wish i could tell you that i have been napping this whole time....waiting for spring like frog. unfortunately, it's not the case. i am missing you though... i think about you all the time... whether i am peeling parsnips, gathering at the market, stirring soup, making tea (to leave it on the counter, sipped once)....i am hoping you are feeling good in your kitchens, that you are feeding yourselves, nurturing your dreams and nourishing your babes and families. are you having any miracles in the kitchen? there are so many amazing things to discover at the market at this time.... and it's such a medicinal food season as well...mama nature provides us with so many nutirent-rich veggies and fruits in winter. isn't it incredible that citrus grows so abundantly when it's cold out? have you tried the cara cara (PINK) oranges or the sweet oro blanco grapefruits.... introduce it to yourself and your friends and family... you can never waste money when you are learning, tasting and creating amazing food... as i drive through the city, i want to climb all the trees and gather bags of bright yellow and orange goodness... the trees seem SO full of vitamin C. have you been seeing them (those of you in LA) ? is it illegal to climb them? i mean... can't we all feed each other in this way?

here are some shots of last weeks' market in santa monica.. the weather has been cookoo pants gorgeous...and there are some other shots of my beauty kin... i have a lot up my apron for this year and i am gathering my thoughts, my dreams, my callings in the kitchen and beyond.... first up, a home for me, our community and all that we can unfold in the kitchen...(i think it's called a website) so, if you know of any amazing people that i need to meet.... please send them my way....

i have been steeping in the mission of my kitchen culture quest... one of the ideas that keeps coming up is how we decide. WE.... as the women, as the mamas, all of us (with mamas inside of us), create this food culture in our homes... we decide what we eat, how we eat, when we eat... we decide if we have beauty, love, intimacy in our food, in our kitchens, in our lives... what i am realizing in so many areas of my life is that the time we have been waiting for, talking about, walking towards....IS NOW! it's as deep or as light or as simple or as free as you want to go... it's up to us. WE DECIDE. so that's the jules tip of the day (another something that is happening up the apron)... want to share about this? please do. i love hearing from you. see you in the kitchenxxxx

MIRACLE ALERT: friday, february 17 & friday, march 2. let me know if you want to be fedX

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

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

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

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...

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

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!)