Change is coming...

I am in the process of creating a new website over on Wordpress ( shhh, don't want to upset Blogger) and my blog will be at the center of it. The blog has moved but the rest of the site is not done yet.

The new address is http://www.forlifepersonalchef.com.

See You There!!

home sweet home

I have been on vacation in Pennsylvania and New England. It was a great trip and I am oh so glad to be home. It was good for this Californian to get a dose of beautiful changing leaves, chilly weather, a bit of snow.

I made some good realizations. I almost take it for granted the good food I eat. Almost everything is organic, hardly anything comes from a box or can, and a lot of it is raised and produced right here in California. I spent many days at the residence where my mother lives and they are at the opposite end of that spectrum! "Good" food according to the USDA guidelines but that certainly doesn't meet my idea of good food... nothing organic, mostly overcooked, under seasoned. They do have to make many people happy which is pretty impossible!  I also became painfully aware of the importance of my way of eating for my health. My digestive system is not too happy with the 10 days of being off the wagon. Time away from the kitchen, too, is always a good reminder of how much I love to cook. I missed it.

Today I went grocery shopping and got things to make my tummy healthy and happy again... beets, avocados, organic chicken, really good tortillas, kale, arugula, kombucha, persimmons. Let the cooking begin! I will report back soon with the results.

Soup's On!

I have been thinking alot lately about comfort food. What does that mean ? For much of my life, food has not given me comfort. I have had ( and still have moments of) a very UNcomfortable relationship with food. It has seemed more like my enemy.Comfort is an emotion and food at its worst, has been a vehicle for numbing anything I might have been feeling. I found some interesting research here.  It has taken me many years of therapy, many wonderful meals with loving friends, and my work as a personal chef to get to the point where I can actually enjoy eating, that I can love something I am eating, that I can feel some comfort from it. Soup is one of those things. Since I am basically non dairy, I enjoy "creamy" soups made from coconut milk. The subtitle of this post could be the evolution of a recipe. In my wanderings around the internet, I found this blog and recipe, which was inspired by someone else's recipe and blog. Of course, I made adaptations and now it is something completely different but related. Sort of like me and some of my family! 
Coconut Milk Winter Squash soup

4 c water

1 T vegetable bouillion

1 can coconut milk

1 chopped onion

1 T finely chopped fresh ginger

1 T finely chopped lemongrass ( I recently found a jarred variety!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

s and p to taste

1 c or so of  cubed winter squash ( I used Green Kuri)

large handful of chopped kale

handful of chopped celery

2 c chopped cooked chicken

I had some already roasted chicken, so this came together quickly. Put everything together in a large saucepan and cook until vegetables are tender. ( about 10 minutes)

Hearty, Healthy, Comforting.

Garden Interlude

Here in Central California, the changing of the seasons can seem subtle. Here are some photos of my garden today. For a variety of reasons, my garden has not received the tender loving care this year that it deserves. Interesting lessons for life, that. Some things have struggled mightily and succumbed. Others have thrived. Others cry out for me to do better! Soon, the rains will come and that will ease the burdens of these plants that do just want to bring beauty and happiness to the world. Little garden, I apologize and thank you for your blessings.

I love this cotoneaster in my back yard nestled against the redwood tree. Fall and Winter, it provides orange berries and Spring and Summer, lovely little white flower clusters. And look, the first fall leaf!
This is my Mexican Marigold. When I bought the little 4 in pot, I had no idea it would grow to about 4'x4' and smells so good. It cheers up my front yard right in front of my living room window most of the year.
See? We do have fall! The butterfly plant is going to seed, ready to spread its beauty throughout the yard and much to the neighbor's dismay, into theirs!
I inherited this lovely white dahlia from the previous owner. I have been unable to grow any other dahlias!! There must be a mole somewhere who has eaten the others. Shhhh. Why s/he hasn't found this one, I have no idea.

Gardens really are a microcosm of life. There is always work to be done. There is always beauty to be found. Taking time every day to look at both of those things is good.