a vision to admire through the new year

the last of the holiday season posts is my favorite because i am in awe of their beauty, their elegance, their stature, their uniqueness and their simplicity.  

amaryllis.  what else do i need to say.  well it's not the cheap ugly ones you get in a kit at the grocery store.  these are stunning.  these are the chosen ones from a good supply house.  ok.  someone out there is telling me to zip it.  fine.  see for yourself.  these live in my house for almost 3 months transforming my dining room into a botanical tropica of paradise.  be well & enjoy.  marlo

ragtime

dancing queen

gervase

neon

purple rain

snow white

temptation

christmas poinsettia's are simply elegant

there's really not much i need to say for this post.  poinsettia's are simply beautiful, elegant and a wonder of mother nature as a plant.  the blossom is a building of lofty leaves off the stem moving up and out, layer upon layer.  they can be billowy.  they can be stately.  they can be lacy.  they can be short, long, slivers and so much more.  they make christmas elegant.   these are from the botanical gardens here in lincoln park. 
be well & enjoy.  marlo

christmas inspiration on all levels

my birthday is the most important day of the year to me.  many people i know don't really care about celebrating theirs too much but i make a big deal out of it.  well christmastime is the next best holiday for me.  i love the lights, the mood, the music, the colors, the festivities and the food and elf!  i love it all!  

so below is a collection of this years season of good spirit, goodwill and good love. (ps - if you want your gifts wrapped for christmas or any occasion - let me know.  it's what i love to do and it saves you time).  be well & enjoy.  marlo

food is always a good thing for me

everyone knows i love to eat and i love to cook.  it's in my blood or at least i am grateful for picking up the skills of both and have applied them fully.  i am also currently engrossed in the Academy of Healing Nutrition school which i am enjoying though it is quite forcefully pushing me to grow & change every single day without much of a break.

it's ok.  i'll be fine.  it's not life threatening.  though you may not wish to have dinner at our house now through june as i keep trying things on that i am quite certain some folks don't really want to eat.  

honestly - don't worry.  i'll keep the seaweed to myself.  enjoy the tasty treats from thanksgiving.  i am quite proud of the fact that i made from scratch TWO hoosier mama pies (crust & all). many lessons learned but some damn good pie was the result.  i apologize i completely forgot to document christmas dinner but i will leave you with the menu to ponder on...  be well & enjoy.  marlo

thanksgiving menu

pear & lemon pie

bourbon pecan chess pie

pressed salad of shredded swiss chard, savoy cabbage, brussel sprouts, toasted pistachios & walnuts finished with shaved pecorino and mustard vinaigrette

autumn tian (roasted beets, potatoes & tomatoes with herbs)

carmelized roasted squash & carrots topped with caramelized shallots

cornmeal creme fraiche spoon bread (holy cow)

bacon wrapped herbed pork tenderloin

christmas menu

chicken liver pate

herbed olives

goat blue cheese

butter lettuce salad with balsamic finish

pureed garlic japanese turnips topped with pureed acorn squash

salted fingerling potatoes, shallots and roasted chestnuts

roasted standing prime rib roast

(i am forgetting a dish for some reason)

dessert was a selection of Jeni's ice creme which is unreal! (dark chocolate peppermint, old whiskey eggnog, curry bangkok peanut, milk chocolate, rum ball) along with a selection of Sweet Mandy B's out of this world cupcakes.  all simply because i was too tired to make anything.

still throwing some mean clay around

the wheel is still going and i am producing some fine clay.  i was fortunate this year to sell a good deal of it as well as to gift it to good friends. even my sister was the proud receiver of a pie dish for her birthday via my mother.  ask me later.

so take a gander at what's been cooking.  the kiln has some 8lb. bowls waiting for the final firing as well as a beautiful casserole cauldron and flower pots. let me know if you are interested in a purchase or two or three.  

i am working on a spring event with my teacher at his shop and partnering hopefully with the yellow tractor project.  more details will come but flowers pots are the take home prize with your donation.  be well and enjoy.  marlo

farmers market beauty

i left off at the beginning of the end of summer and what brings me such joy every single saturday from the month of may through november is the farmers market.  our market in evanston is one of the finest and some may argue that - go ahead.  we have farmers coming from IL, WI & MI to bring their harvest to us.  

if you haven't taken advantage of this abundant luxury we have right here in our back yard then shame on you.  these farmers work harder than most people i know to bring to your table the food that keeps you alive.  they sell to the grocers and they sell to you.  the difference is that you get the BEST pick of the lot.  not the early green unripe, lack of flavor harvest, but the just right, juicy, full of intensity, richness, sweetness and all other beautiful flavors the food should taste like. organic, sustainable, local and yes conventional too.  

that's what you're missing every saturday.  i am eternally grateful for them and i tell them so every week.  for without them i am not healthy.

along with all of the culinary delights at my fingertips and tastebuds are the flowers.  the palettes are endless and i simply can't buy enough each week.  an environmentalist such as myself should not be buying cut flowers.  i do because this is part of their livelihood and it is my responsibility to help them. 

so below is my collection of painterly delights - so rich, so fresh, so abundant and only 4.5mos left till i can see them all adorn my dining room again.  enjoy & be well. marlo

we start the market with the lush oh so fragrant peonies which i am in awe of.

then i start to make bouquets gathering from a few farmers i am loyal to.  dahlia's and lilies are just stunning in the late spring months.

then the hydrangeas! what bountiful beauty!  they are enormous blossom heads and this picture doesn't do justice to what i was fortunate to have.  i dried them all and passed them on.

as the summer is beginning to wind down, the last of the tuberose is blooming, which is one of the most intoxicating flowers you will ever encounter.  they release their fragrance at night and there's a good reason why. 

zinnia's, cosmos, the last of the gladiolas to bring in the fall.

rounding out with ornamental cabbage blossoms, eucalyptus & glads.