LoveFeast Table

You could say that I was rescued.  My husband happened to have a business trip in Mexico last week and I had to go with him.  Had to.  Because my back yard looks like this.

And, actually I could be dying of low vitamin D or even C.  So, you could say that this trip was practically a need.

And, of course, being a mother of four and multitasking a kid in every stage of life (high school, middle school, elementary school and kindergarten… I could use a little R&R.

But really the true story is that I went for the sake of research, grueling tedious research.   Because I  wanted to share with you..our dear, dear readers, especially the ones who live in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest… especially those that are mothers, or married, or those of us who work too hard and too long, those whose fingers are tired from typing and twittering, or even those in need of a destination wedding.

To let you know….there is nothing here not to like.

Unless of course…you don’t like…relaxing poolside.

Or..the idea of stuffing yourself to the brim with all sorts of delish Mexican food and nonstop guacamole snacking….

and waiters who keep you happy with fresh fruity and frozen drinks like this-

or, if you don’t long to retire at night in a bed that looks like this-

after you’ve taken a dip in your own lovely private-ish pool.

Yes, after, much inspection and fearless research..I have discovered that this place is going to be OK for you to visit –safe, restful, beautiful, maybe even heavenly.   Yes, it’s true..that I knew it right off the bat that I was going to like it here.

This was nice.

But, this was a very very good sign.

So, if your not looking to relax and be pampered,

And, if you’re not wanting to indulge in any way,

Don’t bother going here-

you’ll just be disappointed.

I’ll just save you the trip, ’cause I’ve done the research….you just won’t like it.

*Where was I?  Secret’s Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, in Playa del Carmen.  And, the honest truth is that it’s a perfect place for a haggard mother or a destination wedding.  Unfortunately, they didn’t pay me to say that.

What a day yesterday was!  Now that I’m relaxing in my yoga pants with a double espresso downed and doing laundry, I can barely figure out how to recap!  Let’s just say that Saturday I hit the ground running-but at least I didn’t hit a deer (ahem! Kristin).  First of all, I was double booked.   I had committed to being on the hostess committee for a benefit for Healing House, an amazing residential recovery for women and their children.

My friend Teena Dietz, founder of Intentional Serenity was the co-chair of this event, Fashion With Compassion.  She has tons of enthusiasm for dreaming big and can always…

……she and so many other volunteers made the benefit a big success!!

Here I am with some wonderful ladies that joined LoveFeast Table at this event!  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch, fashion show, and a silent auction.

LoveFeast Table donated our signature silver framed chalkboard!

So, while I was enjoying tea, fashion, and friends for a wonderful place…my posse was wrangling toward Nordtrom’s court at the Mall of America for a book signing by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for her new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Because, I didn’t think I would make both events, I had to send my willing entourage instead.  Pioneer Woman likes to brag on her Marlboro Man but, I’d like to take a minute to brag on my Suburbia Man.

My Suburbia Man, suggested, yes SUGGESTED that he go to the Pioneer Woman signing on my behalf!  He got into line at 12:30 pm and waited for three hours…

with my Punks from the ‘burbs and five cookbooks!

He chatted with others in line…

and according to some, proudly tweeted his endeavors.

“LoveFeast husband standing in line at Mall of America for Pioneer Woman Book signing - new definition of payback! 1:39 PM Nov 21st from Echofon”

“OMG,Lovefeast husband still in line at MOA for Pioneer Woman book signing. The honey-do list just got a lot shorter. about 24 hours ago from Echofon”

There were a lot of things that went on in those three hours they waited in line, some of them that I would not have approved of…such as children dribbling smoothies over future Christmas presents!

Eventually, I finished up at the Healing House benefit and made it to the Mall of America in time to still see The Pioneer Woman.  Suburbia Man continued to hold my place in line, while I went to get Marlboro Man (Ree’s husband) to sign the back of my cookbooks.  At first I thought one of Ree’s Punk’s had a scar on his face from like a barbed wire fence or somethin’ at the ranch, but then I saw that it was only pen.

Punks in Suburbia like blue pens too..maybe one of your punks can marry my punk..

After I wake up and get her some etiquette training…

But, I digress, I’m getting ahead of myself here.  So, after three hours of waiting in this line, Suburbia Man was free to do more carpooling and soccer games.  Ava and I continued to wait for three more hours.

And, look who I found in line?   It’s my blogging friend, Jessica, that I met at the MckMama & Friends outing at Mudd Lake!

Finally, we got our turn on the MOA stage to meet The Pioneer Woman.

Ree, is incredibly gracious and patient signing all my cookbooks.  I am wondering how she is able to multitask so effortlessly signing books and making conversation for 7 hours straight.

Here, I asked her where she went for dinner last night.  Manny’s.  She had lobster.  It was fabulous.

And here I am explaining who I am.  Who am I anyway?

Here I am saying who knows what…

about to get starstruck and black out…

Everything went into a haze at this point, my mind went fuzzy, my brain is multitasking: Who am I?  Who is Ree?  Where are my real questions like how do you do it all?  What kind of hair product do you use?  How do you cook, clean, blog, parent four kids, and book-sign?   This apparently bored Ava to sleep.  I tell Ree I’m new at this food blogging thing.

But, hold over folks, LoveFeast Table seemed vaguely familiar to Ree!  Was it my attempt to make her Strawberry Shortcake Cake in a coffee can (Note to self: do not repeat this offense).

Maybe it was my pathetic attempts at being her Minnesota weather radar.

@thepioneerwoman If you need a play-by-play for the weather when coming to MN, I can look out the window and let you know. 8:38 AM Oct 13th from web

Unfortunately, there are more of these tweets out there in tweet-land!

@thepioneerwoman MN Weather update, come prepared for snow, sleet, fog, warm sun or blizzard. Just sayin’ 8:32 AM Oct 17th from web in reply to thepioneerwoman

This poor lady was put to work, she’s still signing…she’s thinking too, why is LoveFeast Table so familiar?  Is it the tweets, the Strawberry Shortcake? Facebook?  The sequestering of her former guest blogger, Ryan of This is Reverb, in a LoveFeast TakeOn.

Anyway, at this time my mind, like our outfits was in shades of gray…I don’t even recall thanking you for the moment…so THANK YOU, Ree for such a kind conversation and enduring my stack of books with a smile!!  I am sure if I lived on a ranch next door instead of Minneapolis suburbia, we’d be great, fast friends.  And, thanks for visiting our blog LoveFeast Table!!  Maybe, if we work real hard we can follow in your blogging shoes..we have what means the most..the support of our families.  Here is my Ava-girl soliciting Mall of America shoppers with a LoveFeast Table flier.

It’s never to early to work toward your own Mall of America book signing!!

**Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook GiftAway coming soon!!**

It’s easy to have your head stuck in your own little world….especially if you are fixated, possibly addicted, and definitely obsessed with winning a certain contest. (Not me!)  And, therefore, with all my stalking of possible breathing bodies to vote for us in the Baltimore Food Blogging Awards….I was just just a little narrow sighted…(who? not me!) when my friend, Mela, mentioned a gathering of bloggers & mama’s that were going to be at a place called Mudd Lake.

Initially, I thought I wouldn’t want to leave my darling cozy home & family.  Never once did I think to myself, hmmm, this may be the perfect excuse to get out of the house, avoid dinner, dishes, laundry, and bedtime.  Definitely, not me.  And, when Mela told me there would be great food, charming scenery, amazing shopping, and a chance to meet some neat people, really…I hesitated, perhaps my time would be better spent at home sorting socks.  OK, not me.

So, off  I went to this beautiful place called Mudd Lake, with these two mamas, in a minivan! I would never confess we don’t get out much.  Not me.  And, I never once worried about Mela’s driving or her ability to pick out charming home decor.  Not me.

Who was hosting the event, you might wonder?  Well, it turns out a gal called Jennifer (a.k.a. MckMama) who is quite the impressive blogger, hostess, mama, and person.  Never once during that wonderful evening did I turn to a group of ladies, and make the biggest faux pas ever, by asking, “Who’s Jennifer?”.  Why are you blushing?  Really, I’m not a party crasher!  Not, me!  The, ladies, in turn, did not all at once look up to see who had uttered such a thing?  I mean she was the reason we were all here!!  Well, certainly, it wasn’t me.

One faux pas, is enough for an evening. Therefore, I am perfectly sure I never later introduced myself to Mudd Lakes’ exquisite decorator, Michelle, by asking her in an excited twitter, “Are you the decorator girl?”.  How tacky would that be?  Definitely, not me.

Especially, since she creates amazing vignettes that you would like to swoop up into the back of your van and take home instantly.

Never once  did I consider stealing her amazing decorating ideas, gathering my supplies, and making it myself for cheaper.  I mean really who has time for that?  Not me.

Also, I never once coveted my new friend’s darling new black mirror set.  Not me.  Or, hid a lamp from my husband, that I purchased that night, in our dining room.  Our marriage is sacred and strong.  So, definitely not me.

We enjoyed this very fire pit.  And, I did not try to snag an Adirondack chair early, at all.  Not me.

Nor, did I consider taking a picture of this baby, just so you would go awhhhhhhh!  Not me.

Also, not once during this evening did I ever try to convince, bribe, or talk Bob Kratch, the owner of Mudd Lake, into giving me part of his batch of utterly secret and fabulous and soon to be famous sauerkraut.  Not me.  Nor, did I attempt to convince him to share that secret recipe here, on this very blog.  Not me.

Then, after, Bob generously gave me a bag of frozen sauerkraut, I never once worried it would smell up Mela’s van or give me food poisoning, since it had been in the freezer for 6 months.  I was so very thankful, so, not me.

Further more, I believe, that vanity is shallow.  Never once did I suggest sarcastically during all that photo taking, that I looked like a Hungarian peasant, cupie doll head, or pregnant.  Really, how dull is that?  Not me.

Everyone gathered at Mudd Lake had such interesting lives to share and stories to tell.  I met many new people whose names will not be forgotten, next time we meet up.  I never forget a name.  Nope, not me.

And, obviously, I did not try to pick MckMama’s head on how to run a blog.  Not me.

What a great night out!  And, as I tiptoed into my house, hit the lights, and dropped into bed… do you know who felt so very thankful and excited to have met such a charming mama & her friends?  OK, I’ll fess up!  Me!

There.  I was brutally honest.  We’ll see if I end up with sauerkraut in my face!  This post was part of a Not Me! Monday! blog carnival, created by MckMama.  You can visit her site and read more!

And, stay tuned we’re giving away a Breville Espresso Machine soon!!  And, chocolate sauces!!  Espresso & chocolate & friends at the LoveFeast Table!!  Coming soon!   What more could you want?

Friday night I went with two friends on a road trip to meet up with a gathering of gals, out in the country, in Watertown, Minnesota - at a place called Mudd Lake.  Here’s a little taste of the gathering, hosted by  Jennifer of MckMama, and the time that we shared.

What a thrill to meet MckMama.  She rules as a Mommy Blogger Queen.  And, even though I’m a food blogger….I think having four kids and being trapped in suburbia, made the evening out quite fitting for me, if not mandatory.

This event had lots of mamas & babies.

And, mamas & friends.

And, bloggers who have eclectic good taste in frontier jackets for children.

There was shopping in rustic barns and sheds on a picturesque lake.

There was relaxing and eating by the fire.

And, there was the piracy and seizure of some really really good sauerkraut.

So, that was the overview.  Now, if you want the real scoop from my end….come back tomorrow and read  “My MckMama’s Mudd Lake Confessional” and you can see for yourself that the evening was smooth sailing, filled with grace and charm and definitely no faux pas happened, at all.

******************

Here are some links to some lovely ladies I met.  Gals, seriously, I am a tad ADD, so if I missed you send me a reminder and I will continue to add you to this list!  It was lovely to meet such a great group of people gathered from the blogging world!  So glad you’ve been part of the journey of LoveFeast Table!

Allison of  O My Family

Karlynn of Our Fully Caffeinated Life

Mela of 4:10 Ministries

Janelle of Queen of the House of Boys

Jessica of Jessica Pearson Knits

Alicia of Alicia O. & The Gang

Christy her blog

Elena of La Reina Elena

One week ago, I was looking at this lovely view.   I was in New Mexico at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, on the Santa Ana Pueblo.  It was the perfect day to hike, or swim, or sunbathe and read a book.  It turned out to be the perfect day to bake Pueblo Oven Bread.

This is the perfect oven to bake this bread in.  This is a horno.  This one is heated by gas.  When the oven has reached 500 degrees, the gas is turned off and the mud bricks of the horno bake the bread.  It has holes in it, so you can view and control the baking process. Wet rags can close up the holes to create better browning.  I learned all this from Nan, a member of the Santa Ana Pueblo,  a very experienced bread baker and therefor the perfect teacher.

Nan and her family make this bread for their family members.  She said it is often eaten on feast days and  with red or green chili stew.  Typically, Nan makes about 30 loaves from a 25 pound bag of flour in her horno at home, which is heated with wood.  But, this day she made it with 11 hotel guests and one camera toting, picture snapping, question asking food blogger.

The guests gathered around Nan’s table and she began to teach them how to feel the consistency of the dough.

They added water and kneaded up their balls mixed with lard.  Lard?  What if you can’t get lard?   Nan chuckled, and added, “well around here you can”.

Then, after everyone mixed their dough up, she gave each person a new dough to work with.  This dough had already gone through the rising process and was ready to be shaped, into a traditional flower and baked.

An artist named, John, created this non-traditional face.

The face shaped bread went into the oven.

And, came out looking like this.

This is the Pueblo Oven Bread Recipe used at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Hotel, checked and verified by the ladies of the village of the Santa Ana Pueblo, who would never need to follow a recipe card.

Pueblo Oven Bread

Approximately 9 cups of white flour

1 Package of Dry Yeast

2 Tablespoons of Salt

2 Tablespoons of Lard (you can substitute with butter)

2 Cups of Water

Soften and dissolve yeast in warm water.  Mix lard, flour, salt and dissolved yeast in a large bowl.  Add warm water a little at a time kneading and rolling to even out all ingredients.  Let dough rise in bowl, covered with cloth.  Set near warm place of approximately 5-6 hours.  After dough has risen knead the dough and let rise once more for approximately 20-30 minutes.  After the dough has risen a second time knead the dough for 2-3 more minutes.  Shape into balls and other shapes and put in greased baking pans.  Cover with a cloth and let rise one more time in a warm place.  Bake in 400 degree oven 50-60 minutes or until tops are browned and loaves sound hallow when tapped.

The color and the texture at a Farmer’s Market always inspire me.

Farmer’s Markets’ say linger, look, stroll, savor, and relax.

Only two people asked me why I was taking pictures at the market.

One was an old farmer who when I answered, “I have a food blog”, shrugged, as in, whatever floats your boat.

The other was a young tween boy, who I answered, “I’m taking pictures for fun”.  He replied, that’s weird.

One of my favorite stops at the Prior Lake Farmer’s Market is Cocoa & Fig.

Brioche for Breakfast anyone?

This is the Prior Lake Farmer’s Market.

What’s your favorite farmer’s market treat?

Our new puppy, Roxy, celebrated her first official spa-ing, I mean grooming at Lulu & Luigi’s. (St. Louis Park, Minnesota location).  Roxy thinks I’m a genius because I brought her there for a doggy day trip.  If you need to spend some money on your dog, instead of yourself.  And, if you need to get your dog some cake  that you don’t get to eat.  Lulu & Luigi’s mini dog bakery is a great place to give your foodie dog some love!

“You can say any fool thing to your dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, “My God, you’re right!  I would have never thought of that.” -Dave Barry

Last Saturday, my family and I attended the wedding of our good friends Diana and Cliff.  I wish all of you could’ve been there.  It was one of the most beautiful examples of Love Feast I have ever witnessed.  They live in one of the ghettos of Baltimore City.  They chose to live there.  When they were planning their wedding, they knew without a doubt, they wanted it to be an open invitation to all their neighbors.

We all know, most weddings are events for family and friends of the bride and groom.  Everyone dresses to the nines, fine food is prepared and the environment is transformed to reflect that of fairy tales.

I was asked to help plan this wedding.  As I met with Diana and Cliff, I quickly understood what they wanted to do…they wanted it to cook it up, Love Feast Style!  The park was a run down area in the middle of their neighborhood.  They tried to track down the “rightful” owners to obtain a permit.  Not even the city wanted to claim ownership.  They decided to press forward.  They ordered the tables, chairs, linens and a port a potty.  For food, they wanted their neighbors to really enjoy what was served.  They found a true soul food caterer and had her prepare baked chicken, meatballs, macaroni and cheese (the best I’ve ever had!), green beans and incredibly moist corn bread!  They asked the caterer to serve the guests and to bring containers for leftovers to be given out to any one who asked.  Diana’s dress was beautiful.  The bridesmaids were stunning.  The men even cleaned up nice!  When thinking about decorations, Diana and Cliff decided to keep it simple.  The reality was, they were in an urban setting with poverty all around.  The thing that would bring beauty to this place, was the people…the Love Feast.

We arrived the morning of the wedding and filled many trash bags.  We set up tables and chairs.  Placed teapots full of bright red roses all around.  We heated up the coffee and got to know the caterers.  Around noon, the place began to fill up.  There was family in from California, trying to stay warm.  Other family hailed from close to the Antarctic…they were loving the warm weather!  The neighbors began to join in.  Some didn’t know what was going on.  One guy asked me if this was a movie set.  “Why would any one want to get married here?  In this run down park?” I said, “This is their neighborhood and Cliff and Diana want to celebrate with their neighbors.”  I think most people didn’t know what to expect.  There were homeless people there.  Hungry people there.  Drug addicts there.  Kids, grandmoms and teenagers there.  There were business owners, unemployed and baristas there.

As the ceremony began and we all took our seats, I glanced around at every table.  Every table had a different story to tell.  Each table was blended.

The day went on and we all shared in the food.  We enjoyed each others company.  We participated in a Love Feast.

This is what this blog and our journey is all about.

About two weeks ago, my husband woke up at the crack of dawn to go with our good friend Bouchaib to a farm about an hour away.  Bouchaib and Devon had been planning this trip for many weeks.  Bouchaib is Muslim and he and his family go to this farm to get their halal meat.  We thought halal was a religious ceremony, similar to kosher.  On the drive to the farm, Devon found out from Bouchaib halal means to kill the animal yourself.

So, they got to the farm and went to a pen full of lambs.  They were all tagged with prices, according to their weight.  Devon chose one in our price range and Bouchaib stepped in to get down to work.  For those of you who are vegetarians, you may want to stop reading here.  We don’t mean to offend.  We were on an exploration of understanding Bouchaib and his Moroccan culture.

Bouchaib cut the neck of the lamb in accordance to halal standards.  He then…well, even though I’m not vegetarian, I don’t know that I can share all the details…let’s just say, he cleaned the lamb and butchered it.

Now, Devon found out that every piece of the lamb is used in Bouchaib’s home…every piece!  Devon, being from America, where we tend to go to a nice clean grocery store and pick out cherry red cuts of meat, nicely cryovaced in glistening plastic, wasn’t too sure what to do with the skin, hooves, head, intestines…well, you get the picture!  So, Bouchaib assembled his bag, taking the “choicest” of pieces and left Devon with the rest!  Devon did choose the testicles of the animal, because he was planning a special guy’s night, with grilling, fire pits, apple juice and cigars.  He figured it would be a great way to discover who was the manliest…fear factor style!

Devon left the farm with a freezer full of meat.  We spent about a quarter of what we would’ve if we had bought the meat at the grocery store…and it is fresher!  (for sure!)

I did a bit more research into the meaning of halal…and one thing I discovered, if Devon had done the butchering himself, it wouldn’t be considered halal.  A Muslim has to do the slaughtering.  So, the next time we go to the farm, we plan on taking our dear friend Bouchaib with us again!

After our incredible meal at Momofuku, we geared up…hats, gloves, coats…and braced ourselves for the crisp, frigid New York air.  We were back on the streets with one destination in mind.  Dean and Deluca!  The Food Toy* Museum!  The moment I walked in, all of my senses took over!  Visually, I didn’t know where to rest my eyes.  I found myself walking up to a display of fruit and lingering, like I did when I first cast my eyes on The Birth of Venus in Florence.  The textures, vibrant colors and brilliance were breath taking!  I glanced at Devon and saw the sparkle in his eye!  The four of us then began our tour!  We stopped in front of the beer cooler, where Devon and Todd began to analyze and compare the ones they had already sampled and mentally making a list of new ones to try.  Then we went past the oils and vinegars.  We found balsamics ranging in many different shapes, colors and flavors.  My heart was racing.  The flavors where swirling in my mouth as I envisioned what Devon would create for our Baltimore dinner.

You see, we had come here to be inspired.  When we returned to Baltimore, with Todd and Chris Ann on Monday, we had a dinner planned.  As always, Devon plays the roll of  executive chef (shouting out orders to the rest of us) and Todd, is his sous chef (taking in Devon’s instructions and anticipating his every need!)   It is a must when we are together.  We all fall into rank.  Chris Ann is faithfully keeping the wine glasses full and adding the details to my tablescaping at the same time!  Over the years we have found our rhythm and rhyme (Devon’s sing song approach to cooking is something to experience!) in dinner planning, preparing and sharing!

So, as we perused Dean and Deluca, we were all looking for the “Aha!” moment.  We continued our journey to the back of the store, past the salts…sampled an amazing truffle salt…that flavor stayed with me through the rest of the day!  Then we made our way back to the front of the store.  There were many incredible food toys…but Devon had not yet found his muse.  As we made our way back to the vegetables…my eyes landed on baby cauliflower in shades of orange, purple and white.  Some were round in shape and others spiral!  The plate painting began to take shape in my mind!  I called Chris Ann over, and being a fellow artist, it didn’t take her long to enter into my canvas!  We called the boys over but being practical (and in charge of our weekend budget), Todd and Devon quickly pointed out the price tag.  Ok, it would have been no less then $60 worth of cauliflower to serve at our dinner party.  Our canvas quickly went blank!  Then, Devon pointed to the basket right next to the pricey cauliflower.  The sign read, “Sea beans“.  Devon pinched a piece and went into artist mode.  Before he finished his nibble, he laid out our entree for Monday’s dinner…macadamia encrusted rockfish, with a lime cardamom beurre blanc and sea beans.

We all lingered for a moment, taking in the brilliance of what had just been spoken.  As we came to our senses, we quickly gathered up our treasure and headed back out to the cold.  We were somehow warmer.  The sights outside clearer!  There was a confidence in our steps.  Our visit to the Food Toy Museum* had not failed to disappoint…we left inspired!

*Food Toy definition:  A purchase at the grocery store that is considered a splurge!  Something that you’ve always wanted to try, or just discovered, that is a bit pricey but necessary!  We believe every trip to the market justifies one food toy purchase!