Last Days of Summer by mary elizabeth

My kids started school yesterday.  Summer seemed especially short this year, if you ask me.  I’m not sure I got my money’s worth.  I sure like them being out of school.  Not only does it mean we can stay up late and go out of town when we want, it means I don’t have to yank them out of bed in the morning.  I’m proud to report we’ve been on time the last two days, though.  If we can make it a week it will be a personal best.  Anyhow – not too much longer and fall will begin officially.  I know that’ll make fellow blogger Kristin happy.  I like fall, too, with its pears and pretty colors.  And that feeling of new beginnings left over from all those first days of school of my own.

We just finished up our Chef Showcase here at Living Light – the live part anyway.  I was here for the last day and was able to go upstairs and watch Vinnette’s demo of her raw version of strawberry shortcake.  It was so good – oh my stars!  Super delicious!  And – she added a tarragon and black pepper syrup that was fabulous and soon to be featured in my kitchen.  If you want to catch this year’s show you can still order the on-line version which comes with a live teleconference with each chef.  Cool, huh?  I totally recommend you look into it if only for the recipe book so you can make that shortcake!

Fresh Fruit – Doesn’t Get Better Than That! by hilloah

 Esterlina Winery had their annual picnic in Philo of the Anderson Valley.  They had the usual picnic fair, but their side dishes of salads and fresh fruit were the most interesting and delicious.

The trip to Esterlina was a good break for Archie.  He works so hard on our Great Room.  Right now he is putting up redwood siding on the house and building a new hearth for the fireplace.  He is making it to where you can sit on it and warm up if you are cold.  In the winter we will group chairs around it as everyone will want to chat in comfort.

This week at Living Light we are having the 2011 Showcase where twelve of the top raw food chefs will demonstrate their best raw vegan recipes.  If you can not make it to Fort Bragg, you can still watch the event by purchasing a Gold or Silver package and viewing it on your computer.  You can also upgrade the packages by adding the DVD selection to your cart and get last year’s showcase as well.  Now that’s a deal!

It’s About Time by mary elizabeth

Here in the good old Admin. Office at Living Light, we’ve been experiencing some technical difficulties with our clock.  First, our fancy atomic clock went nuts, complete with some very “through the looking glass” spinning, and wouldn’t keep the time even with new batteries and trips outdoors to better connect with it’s atomic brethren.  So, we got a regular old battery operated wall clock to take its place and all was well for a while, but now – not working.  But we’ve discovered that it works just fine when we take it down off the wall, yet when re-hung, it stops.  It seems to me that the only logical explanation is that spot on the wall of the office is some sort of time vortex – an anomaly, if you will – where time stops.  If only we could figure out how to use this to our advantage!

You may want to use time to your advantage and register for the on-line version of our 2011 Chef Showcase as quickly as possible.  Right now it’s being offered for almost $50 off the regular price!  Quite a deal, and so worth it!  We have such amazing chefs participating this year – you don’t want to miss out on all the new, cutting edge recipes they’ve developed.  And there’s lots of bonuses that come along with it – so don’t let time slip away – sign up today!

Chef Showcase Live August 26-28 in Fort Bragg by kristin

Okay, we know it’s getting late, and it might be hard (though not impossible) for some people who live far away to make it to our Living Light Chef Showcase live event here in Fort Bragg. But guess what? We’ve decided that we’ll be doing this event on a virtual basis in the future, so this may be your last chance to see 12 celebrity raw food chefs assembled together in our professional culinary studio here on the gorgeous Mendocino coast of northern California! And don’t you want to see the chefs prepare the food, mix and mingle with them at a swank dessert reception, and perhaps tip a glass of fine Mendocino county wine as you enjoy a delicious vegan (or all raw) gourmet dinner at the fashionable Ravens Restaurant at Stanford Inn by the Sea? C’mon–if you live anywhere nearby: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, even Idaho or Montana–how about a scenic cruise to our neck of the redwoods? It’s not the French Riviera, but you know what? It’s just as pretty, and the weather’s fine. We’ve hardly had ANY fog this summer-it’s been warm, breezy, and absolutely LOVELY!! So, I say, make that once-in-a-lifetime road trip to join us for the fun! Just say oui!

Things to Do by hilloah

This weekend was pure bliss. Saturday I did the laundry, organized and cleaned up a bit and in the evening we went out to dinner at Chapter and Moon with friends.  And then to Cotton Auditorium for a production of Broadway tunes put on by the Gloriana Singers. We have some real talent here in Fort Bragg!

Sunday I just sat outside and watched the wind ruffle the small yellow flowers on the ground, the white butterfly setting on one flower, then another, the bees hovering around the peach tree. I had no desire to read, crochet, watch a movie, or bake. I did do a little weeding and found some of our Naked Lady bulbs. Now that they will get some sun, perhaps they will bloom.

Here at Living Light, we are all looking forward to the Chef Showcase in a couple of weeks. Imagine sitting in the audience and watching renowned chefs preparing some of your favorite foods and then you get to taste it as well. Yummy! On the first evening you can join the chefs and eat at Ravens Restaurant at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino. The day before the Showcase begins you can Take A Walk On The Wild Side: Discover Raw Green Super Foods From the Ocean! Thursday, August 25, 2011 from 6:45am to 11:00am; class will meet promptly at 6:30am in The Company Store.

Last Chance by mary elizabeth

Well – summer is almost over and you know what that means: back to school shopping!  Just kidding…the Living Light Chef Showcase – Hot Chefs, Cool Kitchen is coming right up!  And we have some hot chefs for you to enjoy this year. Eleven women and one man – Chef BeLive, who wrote an eBook entitled Orgasm of the Taste Buds by the way, which sounds pretty hot to me.  And of course, my all-time hero Vinnette Thompson will be creating sweet treats.  Bring it!  I’m super excited to see what all twelve of these chefs bring us from their cool kitchens.

And guess what?  This is the last year we’re going to offer the opportunity to see the Chef Showcase live.  That’s right – starting in 2012 this fabulous event only be available online.  So if you’d like to taste the recipes being prepared and ask questions of the chefs live and in person, you’d better get your tickets to this event now. The dates are August 26 – 28 and the demos go all day, each day. And, of course, if you come here you also get to experience the Living Light Center. You can eat at our café and shop in our marketplace and meet our fun and fabulous staff. I think it’s really worth the trip. So – register today and I’ll see you in a couple weeks!

Picture This by mary elizabeth

Right now, upstairs in the culinary studio at Living Light, the students are in the middle of Ethnic Flavors and Recipe Development. Sometimes, down here in Living Light’s administrative office, I forget about all the fantastic culinary creativity going on upstairs. But not today! One of our beloved students brought down a sample tray. The food was wonderful. It’s always such a blessing to see our students blossom into confident, competent raw food chefs. The ethnic region featured in today’s offering was South America. There were corn tamales which I loved because they were really sweet. There was a layered dip that was super yummy – raw comfort food! There was a savory rice dish as well as rice pudding. There was coconut curry soup. Fantastic! What a treat to get to see what our students are doing with their culinary skills.

And – as you can see – they’re using their photography skills too. But if they, or any of you, want to take food photography to the next level, check out our class Raw Food Styling for Photography. World famous food stylist Denise Vivaldo comes to Living Light for two days of instruction in food artistry. You’ll learn all the tricks the experts use to make food smile for the camera. We’re only offering it once this year and it’s coming up quickly – the last two days in August. So – give me a call and register today!

Flowers and Sweets – Food for the Soul by hilloah

I love my Sweet William flowers. They are pink, crimson red, hot pink, and white with purple markings. I bring them to work for my desk and for our Marketing Director, Kristin Suratt, as well (I gave her a little friendship vase for her birthday in January and said I’d keep it in flowers through the year!) She mentioned the other day that Sweet William looks similar to carnations. I looked it up and sure enough, they are cousins. So I decided to have a carnation flower bed intermixed in my lavender garden. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Not to happen, however. My husband Archie said that lavender is drought tolerant and carnations need lots of water. Oh well – I will have two gardens!.

Speaking of two of a kind, Pastry Arts Unbaked 1 and 2 will be taught back to back this November. Pastry Arts 1 is taught throughout the year. This is where you learn to make Tiramisu and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, just to name a few sample recipes. Pastry Arts 2 is a recipe development class where you will learn how to make Hibiscus Cooler and other non-alcoholic beverages, along with a myriad of other desserts including fruit tarts, cakes, and candies to sweeten the pie. All I can say is Yum!