eat; eatpinklove meets kumquat kitchen

I had the absolute pleasure of spending the day in Megan Davis' Kumquat Kitchen on Thursday gone by. She was introduced to me by my housemate Natalie, who has insisted for a long time we must meet. And it was a meeting made in eating heaven! We talked about our upbringings and the similar focus on foods our families shared. She even told me a cute story of her mum finding one her most favourite books from childhood called Old Witch And The Polka-Dot Ribbon, which she realised had a recipe in the back, thus discovering her love of cooking starting as a child.

Some of Megans books

Megan is a thirty-something woman based in Los Angeles who lives with her cat Henri and dogs Charlie and Bella (the dogs belong to her housemate) and runs her business from home. She has a commercial kitchen set up in her house which has a surprisingly warm, rustic, homely feel to it. The afternoon sun poured in through the curtains over the kitchen sink, flooding the room with a warm orange glow. Oh how I do miss having a kitchen window facing west!

Megan has a long history of managing restaurants within the U.S.A and Europe and her background within the food industry has allowed her to create a successful business of her own and the freedom to express herself through her food.

In this photo,  Megan is spreading the raw Zucchini Bread onto a ParaFlexx sheet, especially designed to dehydrate 'wet' mixtures. The Zucchini Bread will take up to 24 hours to dehydrate.

Kumquat Kitchen pantry

Kumquat Kitchen works to service clients on a daily basis with special needs diets, busy people who want a healthy meal option or people who simply want to lose weight. She is a personal chef to the stars and the wanna be stars here in L.A. But Megan's passion really shows when she talks about creating themed dinner parties for her clients who are celebrating a special event in their lives. She told me she meets with her clients to get an overview of who they are and then creates a 'portrait menu' of their lives. Through several courses and wine matching,  Megan creates an 'image' of the hosts  through food, for the guests to enjoy.

Even though Megan herself is an omnivore, she really does appreciate a good raw vegan meal (and can prepare an amazing raw dish or three!). Her website has a link to her own blog where her goal is to educate people about nutrition and health, food combining and natural remedies. Check it out here.

Bits and pieces on the shelf

BLT with a bite out of it!

So what does an amateur home cook and a nutritionist chief do when they get together? Why, cook and eat of course! Megan was starting to make a few things for an event on Saturday held at the Hollywood Towers, to promote her business to new clients. We made a Raw Mexican Chili, individual servings of Raw Spinach Quiche, Raw Fennel Soup, got some eggplant marinating to dehydrate into Eggplant 'Bacon' and a Raw Zucchini Bread to make BLTs. I sampled EVERYTHING and we ate  Fennel Soup and a BLT sandwich for lunch. I almost forgot to take a photo of the sandwich as Megan talked it up so much that I couldn't wait to bite into it! OMG!!! It was HEAVEN! (I hope you sung the word 'heaven', lol!)

Mexican Chili Mix 1 & 2, Raw Zucchini bread, three bowls of marinating amazingness, Raw Fennel Soup, Eggplant marinating

Below is the recipe for the yummy fennel soup we made. It is light and fresh yet creamy and filling. I'm planning on spending a day a week with Megan at Kumquat Kitchen until I leave this fine city for a return trip home to Australia at the end of March. But have no fear Angelinos, I will be back! In the meantime, I will post up some of the recipes I make with Megan over the coming months.


Raw Fennel Soup
Serves 4

What you need;
2 fennel bulbs
1 avocado
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 jalapeno, de-seeded
1 green apple
1/2 red onion
a good handfull of fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Simply blend everything up until its all smooth and lush and serve with a sprig of the fennel fern. YUM!

Buon Apettito!

pink; lip stick

Video Still

Ok guys, I know you have all been waiting for this! This week on pink contemporary art, I want to write about my latest work, Lip Stick. The reason for this is because I wanted to explore why this work came about and how my current life situation may have influenced such a work to be created. Lip Stick is a work I proposed for a recent exhibiting opportunity, so these photos are not of the actual performance within a gallery space, but an example of how the work is proposed to be performed (I asked two friends of mine to pose for the shots in my basement). Detail is a little lost within these shots, so please excuse the 'roughness' of them.

Lip Stick is a durational performance involving a male and female participant and a video projection. The video projector is held by the female participant who points it towards the male participant. The video playing is a close up shot of a woman applying hot pink lipstick, starting with lip liner and following on with lipstick. Slowed down at an excruciatingly slow pace, the action becomes intensified, almost painful to watch as the process of applying lipstick is spread out to an 8 minute duration. The video of the woman's lips is projected to appear as if the male participants' lips are being applied with lipstick, but in reality, they aren't his lips that are being filled in by lipstick, but hers upon his. He becomes her canvas, or as a mirror and is transformed by the process, or more specifically, he becomes a tool for her to reflect upon.

Performance re-enactment

The male participant looks calm and relaxed, while the female participant is showing signs of stress as not only does she need to make sure the projected image is in its right position, but also that she is to hold the projector in a certain angle for the duration of the video (being 8 minutes). Most people know what it's like to physically hold something in position for an extended amount of time. It is an excruciating exercise normally demanded by a personal trainer who wants you to 'hold that position' for that little time longer. We begin to show the signs of the burning sensation of our tiring muscles and we become exhausted by the efforts to maintain such a position.

This 'holding on' can been see here as a metaphor. The female participant is holding on to this projected image of herself, which is the representation of her femininity, but through the actual physicality of the situation she is her own audience. It seems counter intuitive. She does not seem to be performing this action for the male participant as he cannot possibly see what is happening. He is, in a sense, oblivious to her actions. She appears to carry the weight of the situation and even though initially we think she is making a statement for the male participant to receive, we quickly realise he is not in a position to respond, and he was never really the intended audience. So if this work is about a women struggling to maintain her reflection of her femininity, what is it that she is really struggling with?

It seems the struggle is always about ourselves and the classic saying 'you can't love anybody until you love yourself' comes into play here. I currently live in a share house with two other single women. Talk is constant about relationships with men and the common theme that tends to arise with every conversation is how one should act and react within these relationships. How to reel him in, how to answer that text, what to wear on the date, how much is too much, how much is not enough, call now or wait a day, he said, she said, she did this and then he did that, is it her or is it him. It seems women tend to question all sorts of things in regards to their relationships with men, but especially how they are seen within the relationship and what it is they are projecting in terms of their sexual identity. The struggle seems to continue in relation to self awareness, self love, and a sense of sexual identity and femininity amongst women within our culture and probably always will as it seems that only through relationships can we fully understand who we are.

love; ten things i love this week

I know V Day is over but I had such a great day with a book by Pipilotti Rist arriving after I was told it was lost in the post and great news that I am holding close to my chest at this stage, so I decided to dedicate this weeks ten things to ten heart shaped things I love. 

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1. This forest in Spain! It's at a place called El Pico De Las Nieves and I love it! I've always had a fantasy of running through a pine forest naked...I might have to go to Spain! LOVE!!!

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2. How cute is this birthmark on these Chihuahuas? I don't particularly love these types of dogs but I do love the idea of being born with a heart shaped birthmark!!!! LOVE!!!!!

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3. The Great Barrier Reef has this amazing heart shaped reef. LOVE!!!!!

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4. Heart shaped watermelon?!?!?! Apparently a farmer couple in Japan have been trying to achieve this for years to express the love between them. Check this out. LOVE!!!

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5. Speaking of heart shaped fruit...Check out these oranges from Korea! Talk about a loving dose of Vitamin C! LOVE!!!

6. Jayne Mansfield was completely obsessed with pink that she created a pink Mansion here in L.A complete with a heart shaped bath and heart shaped swimming pool! LOVE!!!!

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7. Heart shaped cactus?!?!? Now that's saying something!!!! LOVE!

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8. How great are these trees?!?!?! Talk about loving gardening!! I want to live in a house that has heaps of trees like this! LOVE!!!

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9. Heart shaped ceramic plates? Yes please!!!!!  I think I would have a great day everyday knowing I was to eat off these!  One day I will have a complete set :0) LOVE!!!!

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10. Heart shaped cucumber! Now this would make eating cucumber sooooo much more fun (not that it isn't fun now!) Check out this link to find out how you can grow them too! LOVE!!!!

eat; raw zucchini spaghetti with aioli and basil

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I've decided to kick posting the numerical days of my raw week on the 'eat' section of my blog, as my raw week has now turned into my raw month, which I predict will simply turn into my raw adventures. I have just ordered a spirooli as I was sick of spending half an hour cutting zucchini by hand to create spaghetti (you'll see what I mean when you read the below recipe!). I'm super excited as this means I am going to create some amazingness with raw zucchini pasta!! Soooo excited!!!!!! I am changing the meaning of Sofia Lorens quote; "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." Bring on the raw spaghetti!!!!

This weeks recipe I created just a few days ago. I am now getting close to the point where I don't need recipes and experimenting from the basics of raw food 'cooking' I have been teaching myself. I must admit to some disasters during this learning period, but the more I 'cook' raw, the better the dishes are getting. One of my housemates said that my cooking has jumped up 10 notches, stating that the food I prepared before going raw was at a high standard anyway. I was soooo grateful for her kind words :0)

A few days ago, I made this zucchini spaghetti tossed with aioli. YUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! 

Serves 4

 What you need;
4-6 zucchinis
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
salt to taste
4 large basil leaves
cracked pepper to serve

If you have a Spirooli, go ahead and make the spaghetti, if not, follow these steps to cut by hand. If you wanted to, you could use a vegetable peeler to create pappardelle pasta. That is entirely up to you. For this dish, I think the green from the zucchini skin compliments the basil so I have left it on. Entirely up to you.

Start by 'leveling' out the zucchini by slicing a little off so that it can sit flat and even on the chopping board.

Holding the zucchini lengthwise, cut thin slices just over the thickness you might get from a vegetable peeler.

Once all the zucchini is cut, lay pieces flat and cut into thin stripes, placing them into a big bowl as you go along. The above picture is what you are aiming for. Don't worry if some are thinner than others or shorter or whatever. It will all taste AMAZING either ways and thats all that matters!!!!!

  

This what it will all look like. Yes it does look stiff, but once mixed with the Aioli, it will soften like pasta.

To make the Aioli, simply put all the ingredients (of course not the zucchini!) except for the basil and cracked pepper into a food processor and wizz away! Once all blended and creamy, add the basil leaves and 'pulse' it until chopped. Pour over the zucchini spaghetti and mix it through by hand.

Place a handful onto each serving plate and add cracked pepper. Serve with a really good chilled white wine...YUM!!!!!

Buon Apettito!

pink; just love me

arttattler.com

I thought it would be appropriate to feature Tracey Emin today, seeing it's V Day, for all you single people (and perhaps coupled) who have had a string of bad relationships and have worn your heart on your sleeve that one too many times. Emin has created many works in pink but I wanted to focus on her neon pieces and have added some of her collection of pink neons at the bottom of this post.

Before Facebook updates, tweets on Twitter or even blogging, we had  Tracey Emin.  Described as a Post Feminist artist, Emins practice is autobiographical, re creating her own life experiences as instantaneously as social media allows us to do today. Through the use of needlework, sculpture, drawing, video, installation, photography and painting, this trashy diva of the English artworld wears her heart on her sleeve in bold text for us all to see. She is spoken about as being difficult, demanding, vile and down right disgusting. Gotta love the description of the difficult art star!!!

Her work is confronting, sometimes disgusting and very melodramatic portraying a craving to be loved. She takes from her life parts of her own very personal and very specific experiences to create works based on words she may have said, or words others may have spoken to her. The result is a sense of the universal pain and vulnerability that comes with love, which we can all relate to. We do say things or hear things about ourselves and others, that we do not allow or would never consider, to pass our lips again. In short and simple statements and sometimes obvious quotes, her work becomes guttural through the use of text,  hitting us were it hurts so to speak. 

Emotionally charged, there is no mistaking that this is a hurt, burnt, trashed on woman who has created these works. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We feel that same emotion she felt when creating the work and we feel it as if it is our own. We can relate to these works because we have felt the pain of them, we have felt the desperateness that exists within them. Raw and open wounds are presented to us, making us feel like a voyeur into another persons private and emotional life, but whose life is it that we are really voyaging in to through experiencing Emins work?

As Andy Warhol predicted in the 60's, "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes", the array of social networking sites today, and as time goes by, we are certainly seeing this more and more. We are even widening our own individual boundaries to share with the world how we are feeling at this very moment. These social networks are allowing us to project onto the world our own autobiographies, instantly, as they are happening right now, from where we are eating dinner to how we are feeling. One must remember Tracey Emin was doing this before social media became what it is today. I wonder if she ever thought that through her work, she may have been predicting that we too will be 'spilling our guts' out onto the world our very personal and very specific life experiences.

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love; 10 things I love this week

http://store.wherethehellismatt.com

1. This video. Yes I know it's an oldy but how good does it make you feel?!?! It's definitely a reminder to share the love! LOVE!!!!

far-shanghai.net

2. Ai Wei Wei. He is an amazing artist doing amazing things. There is a feature film being made about him and the website dedicated to the film has some great videos attached of his work and his impact on the Chinese people and government. Check them out here. He currently has a show in the Turbine Hall at the Tate if anyone is planning a visit to London before May 2nd. Don't you love this photo of him?!?!?! LOVE!!!!!

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3. I was reminded of my love for David Lynch this week through a friend on F.B who I introduced my work to. She linked me to this video which of course is WONDERFUL!!!! Check it out and enjoy the ride!!!!! BTW, before coming here to L.A I decided I wanted to meet David and make him a raw strawberry cheesecake. I am yet to make the cheesecake! LOVE!!!

realpoor.com

3. Speaking of rabbits...This pic of a giant bunny?!?!?! I'm working on a video at the moment that has a bunny (am I trying to be a female Lynchy or what?!?!?) and I think I might be falling in love with bunnies!!! I do love this pic! Initially, I thought it was photoshoped and didn't want to know details as details can ruin the imagination, but it is real! Check this link out!!!! JUSHIKA! Find out where he lives so we can meet him!!!! LOVE!!!!

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4. Maine Coons!!!!! Speaking of giant domestic pets!!!! I discovered these cats just last year. Marie Antoinette apparently had her cats shipped over to Maine on the East coast of the U.S, planning to follow them, but she was beheaded before she could escape. The people on Maine thought they were a cat bred with a raccoon, thus their name. Check out this video, they are MASSIVE cats!!!! LOVE!!!

5. Now I really have gone crazy on giant fluffy domestic pets!!! How cool is this photo and this dog! I do love it when dogs think they're humans. Shows the love their owners have for them. LOVE!!!!

6. These nails!!!! Those of you that know me well, know my alter ego is a Nail Technician from the outer 'burbs of Melbourne, so you would expect me to LOVE this!!! You can find the instructions on how to create your own here, but it is in French. Words printed backwards on your fingertips?!?! LOVE!!!!

7. Following my Number 6 this week, I used Google Translator to translate the instructions for how to create the newspaper nails. I LOVE GOOGLE TRANSLATOR!!!! I've been playing around with really dirty talk and listening to it in different languages. Soooo many hours of fun!!! LOVE!!!!

8. These plates!!!! How cool are they?!?!? My housemate recently bought them and they are like those little love candies that are around for the upcoming V day. I do LOVE these plates and rumor has it, I may be receiving some soon! Can't wait to serve some raw love on them for my friends! LOVE!!!!

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9. Homemade face masks! Tomorrow night for V Day, the single ladies are gathering at our house and I'm making fresh face masks for everyone! I do love putting what I eat onto my face! Something kinda strange yet satisfying about it! LOVE!!!!

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10. Vodka and Cranberry! Last night I went out and drank this all night and today I have NO hangover! I'm convinced it's because the cranberry has Vitamin C that helps the body to recover (well, that's what I'm sticking with!).  LOVE!!!!!

eat; raw curry pumpkin soup

commons.wikimedia.org

Day 2 of my raw week was this raw Curry Pumpkin soup. I used the left over bits from the pumpkin pappardelle pasta I made and the other half of the pumpkin. Nuts are a huge part of raw 'cooking' and this recipe calls for raw cashews. They are always soaked before using them as it brings out the enzymes that aid in digestion.

Serves 4

What you need;
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut pumpkin
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups cashew milk
1/2 cup  fresh orange juice
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped fresh corriander (cilantro) and paprika to garnish
Cashew milk
1 cup raw cashews
2 cups filtered water

To start, soak raw cashews in filtered water for 2-4 hours. Drain and place in a food processor with 2 cups of filtered water. Whiz away until smooth. Strain through a sieve into an awaiting bowl.

In a blender add all the ingredients except garnish ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more filtered water if the consistency is too thick. You may need to do it in batches so have a big bowl waiting.

Once smooth, pour into individual servings and sprinkle with a little paprika and top with chopped fresh coriander.

Buon Appetito!