Sagittarians by mary elizabeth

Before I get too caught up in the winter holidays, both of my children’s birthdays are this weekend.  I usually try to postpone decorating, etc., until their special days have passed.  I hold off on a tree until after their parties, for example, which totally backfired one year.  Bridget had just turned five and Sean was only two and when we went to get our post birthday tree they were sold out all over town.  This potential tragedy was averted with a quick, if legally questionable, drive into the woods. This year I’ve got my eye on one of those little tiny trees outside Safeway, of which there seems to be an abundance, so I’m not too worried.

We’ll say good-bye to our last group of students next Tuesday – sending them off in plenty of time to share whatever winter holiday they like best with their loved ones.  And hopefully with some great new life skills, ready to begin the New Year all healthy and raw.  I’ll miss them.   It gets awfully quiet around here when there are no students.  Well – maybe not exactly quiet here in the office, but at Living Light in general.  Happy, happy holidays to all of our 2011 graduates – you made this year so special!

Another Sign of the Fall Season by hilloah

 Another sign of Fall: gnats.  They really are quite beautiful.  Watching them hatch and seeing a swarm of them with their white wings is nice, and then the birds find them and dart amongst them for their dinner.  I do not really want them in my yard, so I am glad the birds can enjoy a meal.  What I do like about the gnats is that they herald the Fall season, my most favorite as it foretells of the holidays. Halloween is close,  then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year full of promises.

Our upcoming chef series at Living Light will be starting on Saturday and we will be providing for our students some great holiday menus.  You will learn to make Tiramisu and Key Lime Pie for desert, Asian Wild Rice Pilaf, Avocado Salsa, and so many more recipes for your holiday table.

 

Another Sign of Fall by hilloah

Another sign of fall: the hatching of termites.  As Archie and I sat by our outdoor fire recently, we could see the birds flying about catching them.  Both the Robins and the Stellar’s Jays seemed to think the termites were most delicious!  This is good as not only is our home made of wood, but we are surrounded by a forest  full of Douglas Firs, Redwoods, Bull Pines, and many other trees.

 Associate Chef and Instructor Training started this week.  In this course you will learn how to make Almond Bread, Enchiladas de Verdura con Chili Colorado, and Turtle Truffles just to name a few recipes.  By now the Living Light students have learned the very basics and can tackle these new recipes with a since of confidence and aplomb.

Fall by hilloah

It is getting close to being Fall  again. Our bees are slowing down, getting ready to hibernate until spring. Even the dahlias are not putting out as many blossoms as they were a couple of weeks ago. Fall is my favorite time of year: promises of cold and rainy days to come when I can sit in an armchair in front of the fire reading a book, or re-reading a favorite one. I just finished reading The Little Princess again and am promising myself that I will be a better person. Today I started with the first book of Harry Potter. I have seen the movies so many times; I forgot that the books are so very fine.

 We at Living Light are also getting ready for fall – the last full series of our Gourmet Raw Food Chef, our Nutritional classes and the two Pastry Arts courses. We still have room in the certifications, though the rooms at the Living Light Inn are filling up fast.

Weekend Events and Blogs by hilloah

What did I do this weekend? Saturday, after checking in the latest bunch of Living Light students, Archie and I went to the Little River Airport for a fund raiser for the Little River Fire Department. They had a vegetarian bar-be-que with beer, wine, water, salad, and pie. (You know how much I love pie!) I’ve said it before:  Mendocino towns are very generous in supporting events that help others.

 Sunday I spent in the front yard. All the glorious rain we had in the spring not only helped the vegetables and flowers, it helped to promote the weeds. We have a three by six small flower bed in front if the cabin that was covered with weeds. So I spent time on Sunday getting all the weeds out so we can turn the earth, fertilize it (we are lucky to have a neighbor with horses), water it, and have flowers rise once again.

One of our former students emailed me with a question and sent me to her wordpress blog: rawscents.  We appreciate when our students blog about us and share their experiences with others: it makes it more personal. We are so much more than just a corporation!

PIE! by hilloah

Remember “The Pie Song” from the movie Michael? “Pie, Pie, me oh my! Nothing tastes sweet, wet, salty and dry all at once so well as pie!  Apple! Pumpkin! Minced an’ Wet Bottom. Come to your place everyday if you’ve got em’. Pie! Me o my! I love pie!”

This Father’s Day, the Comptche Fire Department put on a barbecue as they do every year. The neat part is that they have pie – every kind of pie imaginable. So we went and had pie and beer, then went to sample the other veggie fare, then more pie! There was music put on by the locals and dancing. What a day!

My favorite pie,raw or cooked, is pumpkin – can not get enough. Living Light’s  pumpkin pie is so good that our local Harvest Market buys them from us to sell to their customers. Yummmmm, it is good! Hurry and sign up for Pastry Arts – Unbaked! so you, too, can “unbake a pie”!

Snapdragons by hilloah

Archie and I were talking about what we were going to do on the weekend and I said I would weed out the snapdragons from our wine barrels as they were done. Then I started to think about it. Do they reseed themselves? Do I leave the roots and a few inches of the stalk above ground? It’s Google time! I went to several sites and basically found out that snapdragons can reseed themselves, however it is best to save the seeds and plant next year. Good to know!

 Well, I did not save any seeds as there were so many snap dragons still wanting to flower! I just weeded out the dead ones; looks better!

There are so many yummy choices in our Raw Food Café! My favorite, as everyone knows, is Tiramisu. The Pastry Chefs know to let me know when they bring it down to the café. Our next Pastry Arts – Unbaked! class is May 1st through 4th – I can’t wait.  My favorite non-dessert is the Not Tuna Sandwich. It doesn’t really taste like tuna, but has the same consistency and the flavor is outstanding! And just think, when you come to Living Light Culinary Institute you will get to learn how to make these yummy dishes!

Spring is Here! by hilloah

A couple of weeks ago Archie put our Mason Bees out in one of the gardens and we saw our first one this weekend. It probably was a male for two reasons: one, the antennae were long and females have short antennae; two, the three eggs in the tube closest to the sun are male bees. I do not know how this is done. How does the female bee know which egg will be a male or a female? It is a mystery.

We are also seeing birds enter our bird houses. The Emerald Green-Backed Swallows are here again and they chose the same bird house that they always do. We were wondering if they would as we had to move the house to another tree. The old tree was rotting too much and we had to cut it down. I wish I’d been there to see them first arrive; can’t you imagine it? They swoop to enter the house they remember and it is not there! Ah well, they found it.

It looks like spring in the Living Light Marketplace as well. There are new chef coats: a new shade of purple (Cherie’s favorite color), short sleeves, ¾ sleeves, and a new style – a wrap, so cute! The book shelves – an entire wall full – also look so pretty with all the covers in different colors. Even some of the culinary tools are in color.

 Yes, spring has sprung!

Being Creative by hilloah

 One of my favorite coworkers, Terilynn, took care of Dan and Cherie’s dogs, Winky and Rudy, while they were in Costa Rica for their anniversary. Her children adored the dogs and have since asked for visiting rights which, of course, was granted as the dogs also love thechildren. It was (and still is) cold here last February and Terilynn took pity on the small dogs and made sweaters for them. Terilynn knows I love to crochet so she asked me for help. We didn’t really understand the directions, so Terilynn readjusted them and look what she created – wonderful!

One of the fun things that Living Light students get to do is create new raw vegan foods. They start out in Associate Chef and begin creating new dishes. Then in Ethnic Flavors and Raw Fusion Spa Cuisine they really get to let their creative juices flow. Flavor dynamics is a very important part of the culinary experience, especially for raw vegan creations as you are attempting to create a taste similar to the cooked version: not an easy task. By the time you graduate, however, you will rawk!

Being Prepared Is a Team Effort by hilloah

Last night Archie and I went to a town meeting. Where we live, there are several hundred people living off one particular road with only one way to get to Highway One. They were discussing the possibility of opening another access road and proposed four routes, one of which goes by our home. Several of our neighbors were there and now everyone is upset. All agree we need another access road but no one wants it near their home as the traffic will increase. People will use the new road  to get to work in a more efficient manner, etc., and not just in emergencies. We live in the country and know every single vehicle that drives by and if it is not one that we recognize we wonder who it is. If the new road goes in we will have several unrecognized vehicles and a lot more noise. We need the road – fire being the biggest danger – but as I said, no one wants it by their property. The project is scheduled to start in September; I wonder which proposed road it will be?

What WILL be happing in September (and also in July) is the Advanced Raw Culinary Arts Instructor Certification™ Series with internationally renowned chef and author, Jennifer Cornbleet. Master the art of teaching dynamic culinary classes and share the delicious health benefits of raw vegan foods with others. What makes this class so special is you will learn how to organize your notes, your talks, your demos, your internet marketing, and much more! Jenny will wow you with her insight; she has been on television, radio and the internet marketing her talents. Learn how she does it.