I may be having a hard time landing back in the reality of my day to day life. I admit it. I want to drift back to Rancho La Puerta and remember the classes I taught and the good food made with just-plucked ingredients. There were newer recipes I’ve yet to share with you, and some of my favorites that you’ve seen but may want to revisit like shrimp, white beans and arugula, polenta fries, sweet and sour red cabbage and radicchio, kale and faro with toasted coconut, cabbage and beet borscht, red wine poached pears, my pesto trio, and the citrus cumin roasted carrots.  I’m dreaming of the glorious mountain hikes each morning, the packed schedule of fitness classes taught by impossibly good-looking, glowing, healthy teachers, the summer-camp camaraderie that develops with people you just met but vow to know the rest of your life as you are leaving. Did I mention the massages? I had one treatment called WASU. To say it was a massage that you get while floating in a pool maintained at 94 degrees F, would be like saying tea is a bunch of leaves thrown into hot water. There’s so much more to both of these that warms, relaxes, transports, reveals, stimulates and transcends.

This is a picture of the Cocina Del Canta, the gorgeous cooking school facility built on the ranch just 6 years ago on the grounds of the farm that provides year-round produce for the ranch’s main kitchen. You are looking at three kinds of kale, cabbage, both red and greet, and swiss chard as big as elephant ears, as demonstrated by my husband.

My husband, while an enthusiastic supporter of all that I do (and cook), he is no photographer, so I don’t have any great photos of the classes in progress, but here are a few. Then I promise, I’m going to stop. Next post will be in present time: Father’s Day Fried Chicken.