The Life Trade by Doe Zantamata

Trade your Fears for Courage.

Trade your Regrets for Lessons Learned.

Trade your Worries for Surrender.

Trade your Doubts for Trust.

 Trade your Sorrows for Joy,

Your Anger for Compassion,

and without even realizing it,

you will have traded 

your Misery for Happiness.

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This is Euphoria

The weekend brought with it much magic and enchantment. After months of planning, the day of the Euphoria Dining event that a handful of us hosted, finally fell upon us.

A mid-size gathering of 109 bold and beautiful souls took to the new and refreshing, sold out dining event that the city has been hungering for.

The fundraiser event benefitting Lean and Green Kids, was held at Tony D'Aula's oasis in the desert, known as The Fire Garden. Tucked away in the foothills of Bonsall, California, just on the far perimeter of San Diego County lies this magical oasis. 

For those of you don't know, Tony is a fine metal artist and is the man behind a wide range of unique works through his company, Fire Garden Metalworks. 

 firegardenmetalworks.com

He was also recently discharged from a hospitalization, yet managed to stay the course and champion through the greater part of the evening as he believed the show must go on.

The Fire Garden is an earthy, spiritual locale nestled amongst lush landscaping, and it serves as a place to escape from the mundane.

It was a certainly a uniquely, brilliant locale perfectly suited for entertaining and striking attendees with a magnitude of beauty.

 Photo Credit: Dean Huston

Photo Credit: Dean Huston

Guests were drawn from varied pockets of life including colorful beauties out by the abandoned piano park area,

and exotic lovelies who gathered beside the ambient glow of the fire tables.

Throughout the Fire Garden premises you'll find more of these gorgeous fire sculptures hand crafted by Tony. 

These artworks have been repurposed with antique brass pieces, plumbed with copper lines and mounted onto steel framework.

 The fire sculptures are propane powered, and add a certain degree of hypnotizing ambience.

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the elegance from a fire chandelier

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the warm glow of a fire screen

It was the dining fare however, that did much of the show stealing. 

Chef Evan Rumble, who was integral to the launch of the Black Label Table, San Diego's underground supperclub, carefully hand selected the finest of earthly ingredients to create a menu showcasing the most nutrient dense, plant powered ingredients known to man.

Longevity soup with a goddess salad

Just to give you an idea, one of the courses was made possible only after a maddening witch hunt for one exclusive ingredient that was finally unearthed after weeding through six Asian specialty food stores in the San Diego region! 

The excursion made for the makings of a full-flavored, soup medley consisting of grapeseed oil, shallots, shiitake mushroom, onions, burdock root, dandelion root, lyceum berries, fo-ti, fresh ginger root, ginseng root, ginko tincture, miso paste, buddha palm, fresh basil, summer flower, 

and of course, heaps of love.

Charmed Life Entertainment and DJ Frances from the Coachella circuit, were present to sizzle and dazzle Euphoria's guests, and that they did.

Photo Credit: Dean Huston

 Photo Credit: Dean Huston

Photo Credit: Dean Huston

 Photo Credit: Dean Huston

 Photo Credit: Dean Huston

 Photo Credit: Dean Huston

Chef Evan with Euphoria diner Lotty (who had the best hair, hands down!)

I'd say a colossal congratulations is in order here!

I'm really looking forward to passing through to the other side of the dining and performing art world here in San Diego now that the floodgates of Euphoria have been unleashed. 

I'm beyond pleased with how the event went. 

I'm also beamy and happyfaced now that's it's all said and done.

I hope you don't mind that I'm all twitterpated and floaty at the moment over here on my little champagne soaked cloud.

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The Egghunt of Humpty Dumpty

 lestoil.net

I'm not a human

I'm not an animal

I'm not a plant

I'm not an object

I'm just an egg

Sincerely, 

Humpty Dumpty

cinedor.es

You needn't be so cross, 

it's quite unflattering on you actually.

 lestoil.net

I can see why you're upset up there with your legs crossed like a Turk high up on that great wall.

After all, the King did promise to send all his horses, and all his men.

 flickr myeyeshots

and here you are, broken just as ever before.

for we all know what became of Humpty Dumpty.

mistermoodswing.multiply.com

I believe you to be a good egg, Mr. Dumpty.

In fact, I've often wondered how you were able to stay perfectly balanced up there for so long with those huddling masses below.

 andtomorrowcomesagain.com

Perhaps now this is your one fighting chance to pull yourself back together, 

and feel alive again.

seantucker.co.uk

For it is difficult for us to accept when we fall,

but falling down is very much a part of life, 

and getting back up is very much a part of living.

maisonduloup.com

So go now, pick yourself up,
dust off the muck from your fine dress, 

and escape to a better place to find yourself whole again.

mistermoodswing.multiply.com

Go now,

be unabridged, 

be intact, 

be accomplished, 

be complete, 

 pinkglitter2

and be a fantastically eggtastic, better you.

Besides, 

wherever did it say that Humpty Dumpty was an egg?

emmisch.blogg.se

It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, 

but at night it is another thing.

- E. Hemingway

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Love the Humiliation -Yehuda Berg

When we get embarrassed our ego shrinks,
but our soul blossoms.

Let’s say we make a big mistake.
If people take notice, our failure is exposed,
so we may react in an effort to cover it up.

...or we could recognize this as an opportunity to wipe out our ego.

Try to love humiliation.

In the end, your soul will shine and your ego will hide,
then people will see you for who you really are.

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Life in green

The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us,
the less taste we shall have for destruction. 

-Rachel Carson

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Indulging in food porn fantasies

My teen is away on a summer break, and mother here has been indulging in naughty bits of sultry food porn. The kind where teriyaki chicken is the missionary position, and a miso-glazed black cod in coconut broth is a daring attempt at the passion propeller.

 myrecipes.com

You see, while childless I have free roam of the kitchen and dining out options. I have the luxury of making my own dining choices free from naysaying and objection.

 anthologymag.com

Which means that I've quite taken to enjoying some more exotic foods that would generally find the teen squeamish. I'm taking great delight stimulating my palette with newfound tasty delights, while tempting my senses with feasty aphrodisiacs.

sandiegored.com

fndwggn.tumblr.com

 ecorazzi.com

I'm also free to delight in a the sensual positioning of food plating and acting out some girl next door fantasies with my chosen meals.

 cdn.buzznet.com

a sexy grilled cheese?

I mean lets face it, we're a food-obsessed nation.
Countless television programs are dedicated to food. To watching it, to preparing it, and to traveling to the far edges of the earth searching for the most unusual of it.

Everybody's doing it.

Why take for example this delicious, plump and juicy tomato...

 redbubble.net

With sweat beads forming on the surface of its skin, it's like a submissive lover vying for affection.

Then there's the (dare I say?) provocative navel orange that's just waiting to be lovingly undressed to reveal its ripe flesh beneath. It longs to be devoured so that it may have the chance to release its citrus juices in a cascade down the length of a lonely arm.

treehugger.com

A she-wolf of a dangerous siren, I say.

A vegetable medley is a close to a feast of unruly indulgence as one can get without the guilt, as one takes in all that doused olive oil in a celebration dedicated to sensual enjoyment.

 fithealthyandhappy.tumblr.com

And if you're a carnivorous type, the warm underbelly of roasted pork will serve you well.

 simplecomfortfood.com

The drink?

A refreshing item certain to get the mouths to watering. A nine year old, oak-barrel fermented, scotch whiskey from a small glen in Scotland when the long day is done.

buzzle.com

A drink for only those who can appreciate the most sensual of luxuries.

Then there are the sweets.
The extraordinary desserts.

The sticky and messy goodness of creme filled donuts.

glutenfreeonashoesting.com

The delicately sweet mixed within a flaky shell becomes a food fit for lovers. A climax of perfect bedfellows where chocolate oozes, and crumblies careen down onto a sea of bedsheets.

 mybakingaddiction.com

Followed only then, by spoonables fit for feeding hungry sweethearts.

...and then there's the trio of sweets.
A perfect, decadent Ménage à Trois, begging and screaming to "Eat me" like a steamy food scene straight out of 9 and 1/2 Weeks.

 perrysteakhouse.com

Perfectly suited for ultimate indulgence.

You my friends,
are now indulging in food porn too.

Get it while you can.

 anthologymag.com

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to experiment with a little Debbie Does Salad.

but not before I leave you with this...

*biting on my knuckle*
Ahem...

Off now for a cold shower.

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