Brooke

more on food

i might be talking out of my ass a little here.  but please indulge me for a minute.  i'm not as smart as all you facebook people who are being educated through your news feed about the scary government takeover of monsanto, and this will not be an articulate post, but i've got questions.  and this seems like a good place to rant my way through them.

yesterday i posted all about my love affair with food.  really, it is a life long - LIFE LONG - love affair.  i don't trust people who don't love food.  (except maybe you leigh - who at least loves chocolate enough to make up for everything else.) i take food seriously:  what my next meal will be.  how & what i feed my kids.  where my food comes from. the next celebratory meal i get to create.

if i can buy food directly from a farmer, that is my preference:  eggs, a side of beef, veggies warm from the summer fields.  if i can't do that, farmers markets are next.  then the local organic/gourmet market.  then whole foods.  and finally, trader joes.  i'm not a purist.  my kids get slurpees now & then.  and in n out burger too.  but i'd really like to know that the bread i buy at the grocery store is something my body can digest.  not some mutant grain derivative that is a poison to my system.  corn products that are mutilated and toxic.  this whole gluten-free epidemic has alot to do with wheat that is genetically engineered to the point that it is an unrecognizable food to our bodies.  our bodies are in revolt and we should listen.

last weekend my aunt and uncle were visiting and uncle dale spoke of the patriot act that obama signed - allowing the government to put americans in jail with no habeus corpus.  a potential life sentence without explanation.  dale, a chiropractor who believes that food is the only medicine we need, hinted that this new law was intended to turn food activists into terrorists.  that our desire for food the way the earth grows it, food that our bodies recognize, is becoming a revolutionary (read: terrorist) act.  terrorist because it is counter to the capitalistic agenda of american corporations to monopolize any market - even if it means corrupting our food sources. and sure enough, on the heels of the patriot act (signed offshore), obama appoints a monsanto figure head to a critical fda position.  are you f*cking kidding me? 

(obama, i'm crying.  i cried the night you were elected - joyful tears - so happy that an african-american with dreams would lead our country.  i feel so betrayed. now i cry tears of frustration and resistance. maybe there was never any hope anyway.  maybe the office of president is dead.  the president a mere puppet to corporate greed.  but i am definitely in mourning over this.  and i'm pissed off about it too.)

perhaps i will be put on a list of terrorists now.  here.  because i am terrified (who are the terrorists?) of what this world will become with frankenstein food.  with seed populations and genetic strains mutated?  when i cannot feed my children food that will make their bodies healthful and strong. when i am forced to eat vegetables with round-up innards grown in empty soil filled with toxins.

our soils are corrupted - essential minerals depleted.  our seed strains corrupted at the cellular level, with pesticides woven into its dna.  our animals pumped with antibiotics and steroids.

are you not afraid? 

do you have hope?

what should we do?

 

 

if you love me...food porn.

if anyone out there loves me, you will make & send me a parchment wrapped box of these. or one of these.

just ask me for my mailing address and i will send it.

******

“It seems to me,” she wrote, “that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it ... and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied ... and it is all one.”

- mfk fisher (who happened to cook, create, write and entertain at "last house," 10 minutes from my front door)

******

i've been totally into food blogs lately.  there are some amazingly beautiful food/photo sites out there.  i am glued to the computer screen and lusting after both food & photography...sneaking off to read them with excessive regularity these days, i think i may have a problem.

and if i were totally honest about my dream job, it would be that i were a food critic and cookbook author.  or at least a really talented photo/food blogger - who writes her own recipes and inspires people to cook and to love food.

it's really about loving food.  talking to food.  expressing yourself and your mood with food. it is passion.  a medium for emotion and creativity.

so i will share a few of my favorite finds.  a few lustful recipes that call to me right now, but do explore these handful of favorite food blogs.  the recipes below are on my list to try.  if you beat me to it, do let me know - won't you?

these simple, buttermilk tarts looked like a creamy, nutty score that i'd like to experiment with. plus i have to give credit to Hannah for a beautiful blog and the inspiration to explore some of my now-favorite sites!

if you are looking for the perfect dessert - for breakfast, or a humble olive oil cake with berries, or a jazzy, glittery 3 tier concoction for a party, Stephanie is your go-to girl. and besides the grapefruit macaroons i mentioned at the beginning of this post, what about this, the fanciest sounding dessert i've ever heard of.  and panna cotta, when done right, is a sublime experience.

when food is not enough, and you want a little marital tension, plus family entertaining ideas and solid culinary pedigree behind your website, dinner - a love story, is the place.  you can start here with their new years letters to each other.  and since they agree with my entertaining philosophies i must fully endorse one of their favorite main course suggestions.  (if you are a meat eater of course.) but this braised short rib meal in my house - done in all variations from asian 5 spice to beer soaked with root vegetables - is always a hit.  polenta being my favorite side dish to soak up the pan juices.

and while she has closed shop, i happen to think this blog by tattoo artist and food lover, is great.  troll her entries before they are gone.

these collard wraps and this lemon tart with rosemary crust from so good and tasty blog are so enticing to me.  i love colors and fresh, wholesome, real food.  (and have you noticed, i've got a citrus thing going on?  it must be the time of year.)

unique twists on classic combinations, are inspiring to me.  look at this version of peanut butter cookies turned into ice cream sandwiches:  sesame cookies with rosewater ice cream.  can you resist?

here i found one of the recipes i grew up with: dutch babies!  this recipe is so, so easy.  it is a 5 minute prep and a 15-20 minute bake for a luscious family breakfast.  we've been making them for years.  ever have yorkshire pudding?  it's kind of like that.  a custardy, pancake in a roasting pan or cast-iron skillet.  we usually eat them with maple syrup and yogurt with fruit on the side.  but i like this alternative for a savory dish.

speaking of savory, the pecan bisquits over at roost look like the best gluten-free bisquits i've ever seen.  i love wheat but sometimes my belly does not.  and i have a mother in law who is gluten-free.  so i can't wait to try these for our next special dinner.  but roost isn't savory only, check out this recipe for orange flower pavlova with coconut cream, pistachio and meyer lemon.  i learned how to make pavlova from our kiwi friends while living in vancouver.  i've made a few renditions - pavlova with cappucino marscapone and cherries & chocolate pavlova with mandarin orange - here on my blog.  this new twist looks so yummy & exotic.  pavlova, i'll have you know, was created in new zealand as a dessert for the famous ballerina anna pavlova. it is light, airy and marshmallow-ey on the inside with a delicate meringue crust.  (when done right of course.)

and since i can't choose a favorite from this site, i'll just send you there to be inspired for yourself.  who knew that one meal (a meal most people forget) could be so seductive? "simply breakfast" is so not simply forgotten anymore.

i'll close with nectar.  while i found her through her food, i am totally geeking out over her talent and the way she designs her space, homeschools her kids and overall styles her life.  (see her chalkboard wall? mine - which i've always been proud of - looks totally puny compared to hers! i'm totally going bigger next time.)

all of these sites inspire me to go bigger, to listen to my heart more, to create meals and cook food and create my space so that it feels luscious and yummy and enticing to me and my family.  all of these things, like mfk fisher said, are tied together - food, comfort, warmth, desire, love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

magic in numbers

happy birthday matt.  i love you for lots of reasons.  even on this birthday when you aren't so happy about marking another year without having marked other important achievements that you set for yourself last year.  but i wanted to tell you this:  i believe in you.  and i believe in the magic of numbers.  we are living a happily ever after of numbers, you & me. and this is a gift to be grateful for.

our marriage is the magnet of a million tiny decisions - starting long ago and far away with people who share our blood but who we have never met.

5 generations of family that unknowingly followed each other across a growing nation, ending up in a tiny wine country town a hundred years later so that two little hippy kids could meet in elementary school.

great-great grandparents - immigrants from poland and ireland, germany and france - all of whom happened to be plopped down in the same neighborhood in duluth, minnesota and who may or may not have known each other. 

great-grandparents who made the trek across the country to california in search of who-knows-what.

grandparents who lived only blocks away from each other in the same san francisco neighborhood but somehow never knew each other.

grandfathers who worked in the same police department and never met.

parents who found their way to sonoma just as they were starting families of their own.

mothers who, at different times, loved one man who was a father figure to both of us.

a fourth grade teacher who watched over us as our eyes sparked with something that would later become love & marriage.

an astrologer who picked our wedding day & time so that our union would have its own auspicious chart.

and here we are at the tail end of those numbers, in the middle of numbers yet to come - the number 42 a fleeting milestone in comparison to all the luck that has led us here.

*

marriage is an entanglement of love and exasperation in equal measure.  but when i think of all the universe has done to bring us together, i marvel at the magic of it.  i dig my heels in and know this marriage must work.  i look at you and remember you in the fourth grade - shaggy hair and pants too short for your long legs and stunning eyes and a dimpled grin - and my heart bursts with love.  and gratitude for you too. with all of this in our favor, i believe in destiny and the rightness of being together even on the days we want to kill each other.

how could a fairytale of numbers be wrong?

even our birthdays are magically symmetrical:

you born on 1-14-70.

me, 10 months later on 11-14-70.

both of us born in 1970 and our last name sevenau.  or 7-0.

and we met in sonoma - area code 707 - where we now raise our children.

if all of this could bring us together, and continue the destiny of our family tree:

(family tree & chalk art by satchel)

and give us this:

and this:

and this:

it is worth celebrating 42.  because the numbers tell us there is alot more magic in store.

happy birthday.

now i want a makeover

after all your great suggestions for inspiring new blogs, i am craving a makeover.  i feel a resurgence of wanting this blog to be as active a place as it used to be...with people commenting and sharing and even more than that, i want it to be a place that even better documents our life so the kids (and matt & i) have something to look back on later.  a virtual scrapbook and a piece of family history that actually captures the essence and mood and fun in our days. 

what i lack:

good photography skills

the ability to edit photographs with any success

any sort of technical know-how (nor a husband who happens to be a computer geek who can help) to design a blog

a sense of style on my generic typepad layout

 

what i have:

a desire to learn to take better photos

a renewed committment to the blog

a creative itch to do something with this awesome space and the amazing people who still come visit

an idea that if i could be consistent and post better photos amidst better design, then maybe i'd have more people come say hello here

so...

i'm thinking of ways to enliven things, to spruce up this space for the new year.  starting with 1) a redesign (new look, color, fonts, feel) 2) a re-dux of my 'about' page 3) new photo (since that one is 4 years old! jeanette, wish you were here to take another one) 4) and to consider several regular postings that make sense in my life...what we do in this family, and not a bland copy of someone else.

some 'columns' i'm considering are:

*school lunches - i love making the kids lunches and put alot of time into this.  it's like a love note from home everyday.  (and it often includes a real love note :)

*sunday dinners & projects with the grandparents with guest posts from my mom.  our entire family lives in sonoma and we often do fun project/cooking days all together on sundays.  since we've got very talented and crafty family members, i think the projects with kids plus our sunday menus and all the friends that drop by would make fun weekly retrospectives. 

*school clothes - what the kids wear since i'm often asked where i find their clothes and how i 'style' them

*temple's daily steeze - while i do still 'style' the kids for school, little miss temple is a pistol and loves to choose her own outfits.  this girl has some very individual fashion sense and i think she deserves a daily pic all her own!

i rest my case.

*reviving my 'hit parade' a sort of monthly review of my favorite things & new discoveries

you could help me by letting me know if there is something you read here that you'd like to know more about.  there aren't many of you, but you are mighty!

 

and now, my four new favorite blogs, thanks to all of your suggestions:

james at bleubirdvintage.  her house feels like a fun party and her son, julian - with his long hair and happy eyes, reminds me of satchel.  her lunch boxes, love notes to her kids, camp outs, birthday celebrations and special meals remind me of our house too.  i just can't photograph it like she can - nor do i sew :)  nor am i as skinny OR pretty as her either!  i love the overall balance of her blog (work, children, love, fun) and the fact that it seems like she is able to do it in real life.  if i could homeschool like her, i would. oh, and her fashion inspiration columns are awesome!!!

rockstardiaries is a beautiful blog.  again, they look like they have FUN.  and their photos are lovely.  and they have a quirky creativity and fashion sense that i love.  i'd like to figure out how to translate those beautiful moments into photos that say as much on my blog. 

melissa at dearbaby fully impresses me with her ability to be such a great mom, work long hours, look beautiful and maintain a stylish blog on a regular basis.  working as much as we do right now makes me appreciate the dedication it takes for her to mother like she does while also working full time.

and glennon at momastery has a beautiful way of mixing the spiritual with the daily grind without sounding preachy or kooky - either one.  and this post knocked it out of the park for me.  i cried my eyes out.  and would sign my name to that post if i could.  amen sister! she also devotes passion and energy towards uplifting others.  who doesn't think that is a great quality???  i am so moved by her compassion and kindness.

thanks everyone for hanging in here, and i hope i have something fun and new and interesting for you soon.

xox

 

where are my peeps???

i am blog-thirsty!  all my favorite writers have moved on, quieted down, or closed up shop.  where or where do i go to cry/get inspired/laugh/be amazed? 

right now i'm hooked on this lovely mama (not new, but new to me...i found her when googling baby girl name 'fable'...a name i've been considering if i ever get so lucky.  i first heard the name when i was hanging with the rock steady crew peeps in nyc, fable was a famous break dancer.)

so i'm begging, for a new year's gift, send me links to your favorite blogs right now.

you know me. i love:

homebirth

fashion

cooking

family

humor

all things underworld, mystical & magical

i'm at peace with death, loss and grief so those are good too

real people with messy lives

clean people with tidy lives

nothing too pretentious or too many stuffy words

religion (of any kind) is okay with  me.  as long as its not too heavy handed.

healing

health & fitness

glamour

celebrity trash

 

if you know of anything good in these areas, can you hook a sister up?

pretty please?

 

 

 

bring it 2012!

if the past 48 hours are any indication of the coming year, i am ready to be amazed.  the weather has been glorious, my mom got good health news after a frightening scare and we've been surrounded by family & friends in the mellowest, happiest way - in jammies, with good food, and a roaring fire.  the kids have been happy to be home playing for hours with christmas toys, each so caught up in their own make-believe that the bickering has gone to a dull roar.

i've been happily juggling work and the kids being off school.  it isn't easy, but at least i can be here for every snack, tissue, bandaid, completed piece of artwork and every imaginary tea party. for me, it's a treat since i miss them a ton when they are in school and daycare.  working from home allows us to do both and it's been a great couple weeks of work AND play.

and in the spirit of a new year, besides burning wishes in a backyard bonfire on dec. 31st, i tried to get clear on what i wanted for the new year.  and after toying with feelings like balance and rhythm, joy and prosperity, what it really came down to was this:  i want to live fearlessly.  to give up my addiction to fear and fear-based choices and anxiety caused by fear. to recognize when it is fear taking over, breath held tight, body and psyche tight & restricted in fear.  and then to let it go.  to release the fear and - as corny as it sounds - live from love.  from abundance and hope and trust.

so i sent my mom a text on new years eve about a healthier, happier, fearless 2012.  later that night, i got a text from one of my best friends wishing for a paradigm shift...to live without fear.  yesterday, my brother came over for some new year's cheer and i asked him what his resolution was.  guess what?  yep.  to live without fear.  when my mom got here an hour later, we told her the coincidence and she smiled....she had sent that very message to a friend right before she received my wish the night before.  call it the 100th monkey or whatever you want, but i am heartened by this vibration for fearless living.  may 2012 bring fearlessness and opening and choices. 

oh, and fun.

and maybe even a baby. or two.  twins would be lovely. 

so there 2012.  bring it!

here is us, doing the happy thing on new years eve.

joy & love & fearlessness to you all.

xo