magic in a cast iron skillet

thrilled and terrified

for the first

full day

in the studio

in over a month.

but first,

breakfast.

can't work on an empty stomach.

this is magic

in a cast iron skillet.

2 minutes of work

+ 5 ingredients

(you already have in your kitchen)

= fluffy delicious goodness

i highly recommend

that you spend

the 20 minutes it takes to cook

sitting in quiet

contemplation.

(we don't do this enough!)

 

the only recipe i know

by heart:

 

3 room temperature eggs

3/4C milk

3/4C flour

2T sugar

2T butter

beat together & pour

 in cast iron skillet 

(preheated with another 2T butter)

20min at 400ºF

eat right away with

a sprinkle of powdered sugar 

& squeeze of lemon

or figs

cooked down

with sugar & a splash of liquor

and chunks of brie

or anything you like really,

this baby is extremely versatile.

i've been meaning to try

a savory version.

now back to my book

with the sandpaper

i go.

(testing new method for finding poetry.

will show you soon.)

happy spring, friends!

 

try this at home: beet & avocado salad

it's simple.  to put out good stuff, you have to first put good stuff in.  

so i breathe in the ocean.  drink in the silence.  eat up the words. 

so i glean the wisdom. 

feed my imagination.

but i know it is truly well

with my soul

when i can taste it. 

so i make salads.  

simplicity & decadence are not mutually exclusive.

fresh.  comforting.

joyful.  tender. 

juicy.  

sensual. 

it comes out in the work. 

in the living.

when i eat well, i love well.

here is a salad that loves you well. 

it says

even though you had to return

from l.a. 

to chicago

and february endures,

everything is going to be alright.  

this is how you toss it together:

roast whole beets covered in a pan with salt, sugar, a splash of water, and one of vinegar.

in a low oven until tender.  about an hour. 

cool.

toss arugula with salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic.

top with beet & avocado wedges.  sweet peas.  crumbled feta. 

enjoy the rich, tender, lively goodness.  

give someone a big hug. 

(you will feel a sudden surge of loving kindness)

on fruit and being time

i was supposed to be blogging about art, the creative process, my inspiration. 

perhaps a lovely tutorial, for a snowed in thursday.  

instead i made a fruit salad.  and felt compelled to share the life-altering experience. 

to be fair, i don't believe anybody ever broke open a pomegranate and not been enlightened to the secrets of the universe in the process.

do try this deceptively simple fruit salad at home.

pomegranate.  grapefruit.  banana. 

it will take at least half an hour to prepare.  bloodbath kitchen in the aftermath.  and yet you will have no regrets.  health and deliciousness have rarely met quite as elegantly on your plate before.  it may even erase some of past year's regrets.

but i digress.  this whole thing got me thinking about seasons.  remember i had time on my hands and fruit on my mind.

no fruit tree is expected to bear fruit out of season.  yet we people are expected to do, make, produce, accomplish 'round the clock.  perhaps we should take a clue from the way nature runs it course.

a cherry tree doesn't feel guilty for not making cherries in february. 

perhaps there is a time to bare all.  to let go of all that showed the world who you are.  and to do it with a flamboyant show of color, while you're at it.

a time to feel the storm rather than fight it.

a time to be nourished rather than nourish.

a glorious time to burst with the exuberance of being alive.

indeed, there are few things quite as glorious as a cherry tree in april. 

so slurp up that juice and relish the season you find yourself in.

try this at home: torn radicchio salad

 

super quick, insanely delicious, can-hardly-call-this-a-recipe.

tear a few radicchio leaves, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and basil on a plate.

add some cubed or balled honeydew.

a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic.

a sprinkle of kosher salt & freshly ground pepper.

try to contain the moans of pleasure from the explosion of awesome happening in your mouth.