*open hearth kitchen*: ladies who lunch.

late arriving, thea and i hastily wrapped our colorful aprons around our waists as we climbed the hill to carey's house just south of san francisco, our chefs knives tossed haphazardly into the tote bag that hung off my shoulder. the occasion for our rush was the fourth meeting of our monthly cooking club, a club which is really just a thinly-veiled excuse for recurrent culinary hedonism.

we met for the first time in november at thea's house in oakland where we learned to make a sicilan caponata with pine nuts and raisins, lemon-ginger salmon, halibut with roasted tomato chutney and a skillet apple pie (seriously awesome. right there in the cast iron skillet. like a tarte tatin but not as complicated). also, we drank plenty of wine.

we skipped december and january, but reconvened in february at stacey's tiny apartment in the mission. there, we learned how to make tostadas (fried in coconut oil) with homemade pinto beans (pressure cooker!) and only the freshest fixins. we also made flan from scratch and had the most delightful time swirling the bottoms of the ramekins with the sweet sugar syrup.

in addition, we drank a good number of margaritas.

in march, i led the crew of four other women (thea, carey, stacey and molly) in making homemade veggie burgers from seasonal vegs, homemade brioche buns (egg love!) and fun accoutrements like guinness mustard and meyer lemon mayonnaise.

for dessert, we braved the intimidating air of choux pastry and made profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce.

of course, we had some fantastic beer that night.

last night, carey was hosting (pix to come!) and on the menu was fresh-from-the-garden pizzas, some seasonal side dishes, and a rhubarb fool for dessert. we arrived right as they were starting a demo on how to make a foolproof thin-crust pizza dough (an ever elusive skill for me) using a recipe from the Cheeseboard Collective.

carey sprinkled active dry yeast into the bowl, poured warm water atop it and waited for the little fungus volcanoes to start erupting. when they did, we added olive oil, Caputo chefs flour, a little bit of salt, and then started kneading. hand heel push, pull back, quarter turn, repeat. flour surface as needed. after a few minutes, we had a slightly sticky dough, just what the recipe called for, that we turned into an olive oil coated bowl. we covered that with plastic wrap, set it near the oven and let it rest while we moved forth...

chopping onions and zucchini, cutting fresh golden corn off the cobs, peeling and slicing warm golden beets...harvesting cilantro, basil, chard, arugula and mint from carey's bountiful backyard garden paradise...shredding cheese and slicing sausage...chopping the chard and garlic and sauteeing them with a little lemon and tamari...sprinkling olive oil and balsamic on the beets, a little salt, too, and garnishing them with torn mint leaves...our ten hands, working feverishly, excitedly in the warm kitchen.

meanwhile, the dough we'd left to sit had started pushing with determination against the plastic wrap which held it down. so we released it, punched it down and cut it into three portions. beautiful, supple, golden discs. we stretched, pulled, pushed...then slid them onto the pizza stone which we'd covered in cornmeal. a sprinkle of mozzarella, slices of zucchini and onion. a little more mozzarella and then the corn and a dash of chili pepper flakes. a few crumbles of feta and then into the hot, hot oven for 10-15 minutes. after baking, the finishing, essential touches: a garlic-infused olive oil brushed on the crust, fresh cilantro torn and sprinkled all over the pizza and one whole lime's juice squeezed atop...heaven.

as if the gardening, mid-afternoon wine and laughter were not reward enough, we then got to eat. the pizza's crust was perfect. upon lifting it from the stone, it kept its form despite being perfectly thin. no sagging, no wilting. at last, a trusted thin crust recipe! the sweetness of the corn supported by the rich creaminess of the mozzarella and contrasted with the acidity of the lime and the saltiness of the feta created a flavor experience that we could all only describe with somewhat inappropriate moans. this pizza, this pizza! i can only imagine it being better if the corn and zucchini, too, had been perfectly in season...and at that, it would only taste better because i'd feel more in sync with mama nature...sigh. like i said, an excuse for culinary hedonism. on the side, we had the beet salad and the garlic/chard sautee...and wine, of course.

it was another healing day in the kitchen, with food and close to nature. i feel so grateful that i know where to go and what to do to find peace and to feel closer to myself right now. living in a city can be quite a challenge at times for a country girl at heart, but i can still chop, whisk, and mix. and meet my women each month and converse in recipes. and ride my bike on sunday mornings to the farmers' market, filling my panniers with ranunculus flowers and chantenay carrots.