A fond farewell to 2012

During these last few days of 2012, I've been reflecting on what an incredible year this has been. There were tremendous challenges, but also spectacular gifts. While we were deeply saddened by the loss of family elders and a four-legged friend, these events also opened the door to beautiful moments of grace - and strengthened connections with family and friends. I also made many wonderful new friends and we were thrilled to find Otis. 

I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in nature over the next few days, landing on my word and embracing the new year. 

Sending big hugs and wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Hidden Gems

One of the benefits of having a dog has been discovering my own neighborhood. I know - I'm a little embarrassed that it's taken eight years (!) to walk myself up and down and around my own backyard. Since Otis and I are out a lot, I quickly grew tired of the usual route and started branching out. That's when I found Indian Trail, one of the many paths throughout Berkeley. Truly, it was a magical discovery and I was so excited to find it. Thanks, Otis!

Lamb-stuffed Quince with Pomegranate & Cilantro

I heart quince! Who knew?! I've only ever eaten it as a paste with cheese, so it was an adventure to cook with the fresh fruit. This Ottolenghi recipe is from  Jerusalem and it's delicious! You'll need a couple of unusual ingredients (fresh quince, pomegranate molasses) but it's totally worth it. I tried to hollow out the quince halves but once I saw how firm the fruit was, I opted for dicing it instead. Serve over basmati rice. 


Lamb-stuffed Quince with Pomegranate & Cilantro
serves 4

14 ounces ground lamb
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red chile, chopped (I used a generous pinch of dried red chile flakes)
2/3 ounce cilantro, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons to garnish
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 medium onions, finely chopped (to yield 1 1/3 cups)
1 large free-range egg
4 quince (2 3/4 pounds in total)
juice of half a lemon, plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cardamom pods
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups chicken stock
seeds of half a pomegranate
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place lamb in mixing bowl with the garlic, chile, cilantro, bread crumbs, allspice, half the ginger, half the onion, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Mix well with your hands and set aside.

Peel the quince and halve them lengthwise. Put them in a bowl of cold water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon so they don't turn brown. use a melon baller or small spoon remove the seeds and then hollow out the quince halves so that you're left with a 2/3-inch shell. Keep the scooped-out flesh. fill the hollows with the lamb mix, using your hands to push it down. (Alternately: dice the quince and set aside. Form the lamb into meatballs.)

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan for which you have a lid. Place the reserved quince flesh in a food processor, blitz to chop well, then transfer mixture to the pan along with the remaining onion, ginger and cardamom pods. Saute for 10 to 12 minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the molasses, the tablespoon of lemon juice, sugar, stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper and mix well.  Add the quince halves to the sauce with the meat stuffing facing upwards (or, just add the lamb meatballs if quince has already been added), lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and cook for about 30 minutes. At the end, the quince should be completely soft, the meat well cooked, and the sauce thick. Lift the lid and simmer for a minute or two to reduce the sauce if needed.

Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with the cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

Get a dog, get in shape!

In addition to companionship, tail wags, snuggles and ridiculous amounts of unconditional love, one of the other reasons we wanted a dog was to make sure we got out more - and let me tell you - we have! 

Twice a day, every day come rain, shine, sleet or snow, a dog needs his outings and that's that. Thankfully, I don't have to contend with sleet or snow here in Northern California, but I have most definitely suited up and gone out in weather I never would have considered running in pre-dog. It's funny, but knowing "the dog needs out" makes the choice so clear. There's no dilly dallying - just gotta put on the sneaks and get out there! When his ears go back and start flapping in the wind and he pushes ahead of me making us sprint uphill - I smile, knowing this is really good for both of us.

Mushroom and Herb Polenta

I just read an amazing article about Yotam Ottolenghi and immediately had to go out and get his cookbooks. This is from Plenty and it's ridiculous. I must admit - I was thinking about ways to make this recipe a little more healthy even as I was adding all the butter, cheeses, and truffle oil.... but when I tasted it I thought - why change it?! Just run more. 

Enjoy!


Mushroom and Herb Polenta
serves 2


4 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups mixed mushrooms, very large ones halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon truffle oil
salt and black pepper
2 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock 
1/2 cup polenta (instant or traditional)
3 oz parmesan, grated
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped chervil
4 oz Taleggio (rind removed), cut into 3/8-inch slices

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half of the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, or until just cooked; try not to move them much so you get golden-brown patches on their survace. Remove form the pan, and repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and oil. Off the heat, return all the mushrooms to the pan and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil and some salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the polenta, then reduce the heat to the minimum and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it leaves the sides of the pan but is still runny. If you are using instant polenta, this shouldn't take more than 5 minutes; with traditional polenta it could take up to 50 minutes (if it seems to dry out, add some more stock or water but just enough to keep it at a thick porridge consistency).

Preheat the broiler. When the polenta is ready, stir in the parmesan, butter, rosemary and half of the chervil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the polenta over a heatproof dish and top with the taleggio. Place under the broiler until the cheese bubbles. Remove, top with the mushrooms and their juices, and return to the broiler for a minute to warm up. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining chervil.

It's time! It's time! Pick a word for 2013!

In this sleepiest season, I love taking time to reflect on the year. This was an incredibly challenging and also rewarding year for us for lots of reasons. My word for 2012 was mojo and I really used it to rally and inspire me. In anticipation of all that 2013 will bring - I've been thinking about what's important to help set my intention for next year. Not sure what word I will pick just yet, but as always - I really love hearing what my friends are thinking about. What are you inspired by? Please post your comments or email me. I love hearing your thoughts!

The Tradition:
By now - this is old hat to many of you, but for those of you who don't know the story, this tradition goes back over a decade to a holiday dinner. We were all sitting around the table lamenting the tradition of New Year's Resolutions. We all had them, or attempted a list, but we never managed to fulfill them and it made us feel bad. So we scrapped the whole idea. Instead, each of us came up with a single word that would set the tone for the year to come. It could be anything, it just had to inspire. The idea is that this is YOUR word for the whole year - a singular rallying cry, intention, reminder, kick in the pants, inspiring thought.... use it however you like. Live it for the year. See how you feel.

Some favorites from this year:
Basics
Play
Gumption
Chance
Center
Music
Chutzpah
Collect
Embrace
Presence
Intention
Finish
Grateful
Patience
Cherish

A quilt for baby Audrey

Audrey Belle came into the world just a day after B's birthday - on September 17. It was just the motivation I needed to finish the quilt I started when I learned her mama was pregnant. I had a lot of fun picking out cute girly fabrics and thinking about all the creatures she would discover over time looking at the different squares. 

The backing is Denyse Schmidt fabric from her "Flea Market Fancy" collection. Isn't it just the sweetest? Welcome to the world Audrey!!