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

summer pesto party.
















tonight, on the drive home, all i could think was green beans... maybe a quick, hot saute/steam of walnut & olive oil.... ocean loves them, it's fast, it works... but i had no idea what else.. then when i got home, i saw the spaghetti, the lima beans i bought at the market on sunday from mcgrath farms and i just started making everything because it was the hour i tell you mamas NEVER to cook...it was dinner time!

and it was going to be just a plain beans and pasta mixture... it wasn't sating me.... then i thought: pesto! so i looked up a really EASY pesto recipe and had it done in a matter of seconds... i couldn't believe how easy and fast this little party became... i had the basics (which is the essential piece to all of this/RM pantry)... basil, pinenuts, olive oil, garlic, salt & parmesan cheese..... mix everything together in a BIG bowl and wallah... it was so good! ocean couldn't keep his sweet hands outta there!

OH! and i would use capellini next time (thinner is better for this i think)... or some other pasta....experiment and let me know what happens... see you in the kitchenxxx

PESTO (alice waters)

1 cup loose leaves basil
1/4 cup parmesan grated (if you have shredded put it in the cuisineart/just make sure you put more in)
1/4 cup pinenuts
1/2 - 1 clove garlic depending on what you love
1/2 cup oilve oil (to taste)
salt (to taste)

i put all of this in the cuisinart.... mix it up and done. this made enough for 4 - 6 people...xxx

prayer poem.

"whether or not

you have ever dared to be happy

whether or not

you have ever dared to pray"

mary oliver

praying with my

wrist

these words

this ink

praying to the morning

that it made it here

prayer is

thank you

praying is breathing a lot

of the day &

there are so many sounds

of a prayer

it can be silent or

it can be

the whisk

hitting the side of the bowl

like it means business

and this thing is going to come out whipped

there is so much to learn

when we get quiet

like this

we make room

for the prayers

that want to come

in

i want everyone to know

their own story -

begin

sharing

them

with a wooden spoon

telling the tales of those bowls in the hutch

stirring

corn,

leeks,

salted butter

creating a home

framed in an aroma of protection

a scent shield

believing in this

creating

what goes in

our bellies

makes us

shine

jbdxxx

abundance.



there is nothing like a lot of FOOD to get me in the mood for abundance.... and there is so much in our lives, our times, our nation that connects us to lack, fear of more lack, void and hardly making it through the week whatever your situation.... here is the answer to that energy drainer: big bowls of FOOD!!!

bowls YOU LOVE... and lots of oranges, lemons, limes... you can juice all of these...zebra tomatoes.. you can make sauce or gazpacho... don't be afraid to have A LOT.. you know you want it.. why not do it? food can replace that fancy flower arrangement.... here is a tip: usually the more you buy at the market of one thing, say oranges, tomatoes, lemons, avocadoes... the farmers will give you the love... so happy you are buying so much..

you can also hit em' with a 'i love your 'fill in the blanks' and i send everyone here to get these... can you give me some love if i buy a lot of them?' ... whoa! don't get all shy shy... connect to that woman inside...yes.. her.. you know her.. the one that loves the beauty of abundance.... i know she's in there... listen.. they want to give you their food! so let them by asking for a little deal... it never hurts to ask... start with one bowl... and go from there. welcome to your abundant renaissance mama self... see you in the kitchenxxx

first stop: newport beach.











last friday, i had the pleasure to be invited to the cozy kitchen of fellow renaissance mama, kim powell, who inspires her friends and family because she believes in the nurturing piece of being connected to food in an intimate way... she travels up to the RM thursday gatherings to be fed this conversation of nourishment when she can get away from her 3 beautiful babes, 2 horses & 3 chickens... and now i was on my way down to her kitchen to empower and inspire a few of her mama friends and start the renaissance mama conversation a buzzing in the OC (which really fed me too!) here are some photos elizabeth took at the gathering... it was intimate, fun & it tasted so good that i had to share... see you in the kitchenxxx