Meeting the Sesslers; Almond Nog, Sun Dried tomato Chili, Carob Pudding and a Durian fruit

Tuesday night my husband Kevin and I went to the Sessler's home for our first informational dinner on raw food.  We were greeted by the younger of the Sessler's 3 children; daughter F (6 years) and son J (4 years). I will use initials to protect their identity. What I have read from comments on the Sessler's online resources, and what you immediately notice, is how healthy their children are. Whip-smart, too! Also completely satisfied to be walking around munching on a persimmon or half an avocado filled with mustard. Mustard! I never would have thought to put that on an avocado.
We wait a while for everyone to show, realize other people there are our neighbors; chat about various reasons people do this, and anticipate our first non-cooked meal. Jerrod arrives with his oldest son G (8 years) and the recipes we need for dinner, and immediately the house jumps into action. With a raw food dinner, you can't exactly say that you are cooking; more like pulverizing. Nikki began adding ingredients to one of the 2 VitaMix blenders on hand, Jerrod gave a demonstration on the easiest way to open a raw coconut, and a few minutes later we were sipping on a nutmeg-laden Almond Nog.
My husband Kevin, a financial planner and, due to the economy over the last year, continually exhausted, was snuggling up to me as we stood in the kitchen; partially to keep himself standing and also because he hasn't seen me all day, and the two oldest children saw Kevin with his arms around me, head on my shoulder, and G whispered to F in a loud voice, "GROSS!".  They ran into their play area, grabbed a drawing they had made of a house, came back to us, and F proclaimed in a loud voice "This is what a married house looks like!". They then ran over to their mom to ask if we were married and Nikki confirmed that we were and asked them to please stop making a scene. I whispered to Kevin that we were making the kids uncomfortable and we tried to reduce the PDA the rest of the evening. Later, while Kevin and I were sitting on the couch together, F said, "I bet they kiss at home!" I admitted that it was true- after all, we have only been married a year.
Entertainment aside, I learned a lot from Jerrod about the quality of the supplements available through Hallelujah Acres, what is an ok transitional food, and from Nikki what some delightful raw food recipes taste like. The raw chili she had made was delicious; earthy, crunchy, and the combination of ingredients made the mushrooms in it taste like cheese. It also contained sprouts and had a base of sun dried-tomatoes, and was so good I had two helpings. They had also made a carob pudding for dessert; made simply from avocado, dates and carob powder. My grandma used to feed us carob chips when I was a kid, so I looked forward to the malty aftertaste, but Kevin didn't like it at all. I got to finish his.

As things were wrapping up, Jerrod brought out a Durian fruit. If you've never seen one (which I hadn't) they look like a cross between a pineapple and a Medieval weapon. The fruits originate in Thailand and are banned in all Asian hotels because they smell so bad. I found a photo to show you; it is above.
The inner fruit tastes, in consistency and flavor, a lot like custard. They do stink though! Whew-ee! The trick is to breathe out through your nose as you put a spoonful in your mouth. I was so delighted by all the food I literally dreamed about it in my sleep. I am a foodie and I love to cook, so this new raw thing is a fascinating challenge for me.