French Night Out

Last night on a whim, G and I decided to head out to a favorite French restaurant, Tersiguel's to use up a Living Social deal we had.  I booked a table using Open Table and in the special requests section I mentioned we had a 3 month old and that a table where we could get up to take her outside if she got fussy would be nice.  When we arrived, they had us in one of the smaller rooms (the restaurant is in an old, old house).  They made sure we were perfectly comfortable and let us know we were fine and to not worry about the baby being disruptive at all.

G bouncing Nora.

The night was great.  The chef had made up a special amuse bouche (translated to mouth amuser) of toast with a eggplant mixture that I actually liked (and sadly eggplant is the one veggie I normally am not so into).  We began with an amazing spread of hors d'oeuvres of calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp.  I ordered the frog legs and the tomato garlic mixture that was with them was heavenly.  G had a pot with a variety of ham and sausage and veggies with sauerkraut...a sort of stew that was incredibly tasty.

Grenouille!

All through this, Nora was pretty well behaved.  She's been very interested in our food lately, staring at it intently, watching us chew.  I've been holding up things for her to smell and she seems to definitely be our child, though she'll have to wait a few months to taste anything.  And the staff!  At one point the maitre d' came to tell us that the entire staff was in love with her, and that that was why they kept peeking in.  They were all incredibly friendly and did seem to want to come look at her and talk to her (complementing her leopard leggings at one point).  She did need to be held most of the time, but we worked it out.

We rounded out the night with coffee and their divine creme caramel.  Then the maitre d' brought us out some house made blueberry sorbet that he thought would be a perfect palette cleanser.  It was delicious as well.  We gathered our things up, Nora nearly asleep, the maitre d' helped us outside and told me that we had made his day.  I assured him that their excellent staff had made our night wonderful.

She couldn't quite make it through dessert.

It was nice to get out for a nice dinner in a place where they were more than accommodating, to sort of feel out how Nora would be.  It was different than it was when it was just us two, but we did still manage to discuss world events, political ideologies, the new church we're attending, etc.  At the end of the night the bill was more than we had planned on spending, but I assure you it was worth every penny.  In fact, I'd be bold and say the night was absolutely priceless.

Using Your Best

I recently read Lessons From Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott (of The Daily Connoisseur), and loved it.  I read the posts on her blog, so knew what to expect, but I love the expansion on the topics.  For the most part, the life she describes is already the one we live, with the other things being ones we're working on.

One topic is about using your best items, rather than saving them for special occasions.  From dishes to dresses you should be enjoying the beautiful things you have, rather than tucking them away in a cupboard.  I have always kind of lived this mantra.  I don't save my pearls for a special event, I wear them with jeans and a t-shirt.  I don't have any special treat I make that I would save for guests...I make those things for G as well.  And I use my china daily, which recently got commented on.

My friend called it my "wedding china" on Friday while over for coffee.  I looked at her perplexed, forgetting that I had indeed gotten the china for my wedding.  To us, it's just the dishes.  Lovely and oft used, we had made the decision when moving back to the States to get rid of our huge cereal bowls and corelle dishes because we rarely used them, choosing to use our china instead.  Once I caught on to what my friend was saying I laughed a bit, because it's true.  Whether take-out or an exquisite meal, we use our china.  And more recently we've made an attempt to really use our silver for meals as well!

I feel strongly that your best should not be reserved for guests but rather used daily for those you love.  This means everything from your manners (we all know someone who people think is much nicer than they really are because of a persona they adapt for the public) to your home items.  And more than anyone else, your best should be used for you!  Everyday is a special occasion, and you and your loved ones should be the most honored people you know!

Risque

I'm finishing up Paris Lunch by Elizabeth Bard, and have come to a part that struck me as so true that I felt the need to point this out immediately.  Here is the excerpt:

"The French have always known what I've long suspected: there is nothing sexier than watching a woman eat.  Men love this.... It's simple: Women who pick at their food hate sex.  Women who suck the meat off lobster claws, order (and finish) dessert-- these are the women who are going to rip your clothes off and come back for seconds.  I have a friend in the States who never considered herself a very good flirt, but I never worried for her, because she is a fabulous cook and an adventurous eater.  I never doubted that when the right guy came along she would devour him like a hot fudge sundae, and I was right."

Now, I do agree with this.  I think part of it has to do with the fact that women who tend to be more free with eating and not worrying about every little morsel they put in their mouths also tend to worry less about how they look while in the bedroom.  And the other part is that those of us who live life passionately, full throttle, be it cooking, art, dancing, etc., well it tends to spread across the board all throughout life.  As G always says, he takes my temper because it's also while I'm an insanely loving person and fantastically enthusiastic about everything I love, from theatre to cooking to him.

There is a phenomenal relief in being comfortable in one's skin.  To be blunt, I've never cared about if this bit or that bit was a little jiggly... if they're in my bedroom they better damn well appreciate it.  The same is applied to my food.  If I've worked hard and made it for you and you simply take it for granted... well, you won't be invited back.  I value myself and my time.  I live life passionately because any other way would seem half assed.  I'm pretty sure my husband appreciates this!

Now to ask... would you agree with the excerpt, or perhaps simply my reasoning?

Day of Indulgence

I rolled out of bed this morning and threw some clothes on (skinny jeans, navy tank, grey cardi, silver chains and leopard kitten heels). I made a point to try and do a bit more eyeliner (my favorite make-up item) and some taupe shadow (NARS Corfu) with lots of mascara.  I've been watching youtube videos like crazy, trying to learn to do some of my favorite looks.  Then it was off to the land of happy (a.k.a. the salon).

*Now, before we continue I think it should be noted that I apparently have no shame.  I found the whole process highly amusing and at one point was trying to figure out if I should whip out an eye pencil and draw a big mole on the side of my face because I was pretty sure that for a half hour I looked like something from the powdered days of France... you'll see.*

I went in at 1 and left at 4 and that alone is insane.  My next appointment is for a cut and color and I'm thinking that I'm going to be there a while.  I rolled up to the gate, beeped in, and then as soon as I entered the salon got some ice water and stalked the coffee percolator, waiting for my caffeine fix.  Made some coffee and settled in while Oriel mixed up the colors.  I went for a glaze base, then highlights and lowlights.  It's subtle, it looks natural, but a little less "cute" and a little more "badass."

Midway through. At one point he said I was like Lady Gaga to which I responded "that b**ch ain't got nothing on me."  There were also plenty of jokes about trying to hide from aliens.

I made this super weird expression. We dyed my eyebrows too (which I love because it really defined them and I think I like them for the first time in my life!)... hence wanting a mole.  I looked super pale with super dark hair and eyebrows.  Wish I knew how to photoshop better...

View from my cafe at lunch.  Love the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

Toulouse sausages, spiced lentils and grilled baguette with a parsley puree. 

Delicious berry tart.

Wait, what?  You wanted to see my hair?  Oh, sorry...

As you can see, it's not really as dark as the pics make it look.  Though it does look dark in person, nothing too drastic.  

Super shiny and had very little body thanks to how sleek the whole process made it.  We also put moroccan oil in it, and I bought some (holy moley it's expensive!) to use at home.  My hair felt so much like silk I kept running my hands through it.  And my lovely stylist spent the time kind of instructing me on how to dry it to get my bangs trained and to get some more fluff.  I'm going to be trying to make some sexy waves in it this weekend to see how that goes.  It's still long enough for a chignon and a ponytail for the heat.  

I'm in love with the color.  I'm even more in love with my eyebrows.  This was exactly what I needed when I'm feeling so frumpy.  Next on the list is going through my wardrobe, switching seasons out and re-visiting my Planned Purchases Database.  I really feel the need to hunt down the motorcycle boots soon.  Because my hair finally looks like "me."

French Friday Mini Adventure

 Blue necklace from 31 Bits, made by women in Uganda....I get compliments on it everywhere!

Yesterday we were out of power all day.  All the dang day.  It came on at exactly 3:25 this morning, waking me.  What a way to start the day! 

However, yesterday I had gone for coffee and window shopping with a friend.  At an antiques store I had spied a milkglass crucifix candle that was beautiful, but didn't pick it up.  It called to me last night and so today I spoke with G about it and decided to go back and get it before it was snatched up.  Luckily it was still there, and now is sitting with a beeswax candle in it (so I could show G).

Then I stepped in next door and found a carved wood frame that suits our home perfectly.  We're not shabby chic, and in fact, our home certainly has more of a chic with antiques, but not too worn look.  However these pieces are excellent to make it look a little less stuffy.  Look for it when I finish up one of our art walls.

And then I stopped for lunch at a little place called Soups On.  It was pretty good food.  The asparagus salad with chopped eggs was delicious.  And they served Kerrygold butter with the bread, which took this place from nice to wonderful in 2 seconds flat.  These stores are in old homes with front porches (much like the homes a bit north of us).  So I sat outside on the porch to eat and watch the world pass by. 

A simple day, I'm home now browsing etsy for other pieces for our home.  I keep an eye out for chalkware statues of saints, antique christening gowns, and even came across a carousel horse G and I have both decided is a necessity for a future playroom (who doesn't want their own actual carousel horse?).  Life is beautiful.

Chic Monday

I'm finally beginning to feel like me again.  Whew!  About time!  I got up early (ahem, 11 a.m.) to run some errands.  I threw on some jeans, a simple black tee and added my Hermes scarf as a necklace (draped loosely around my neck) and a bracelet I picked up from Banana Republic a while ago (on clearance for $6!). 

Then I headed to my Common Ground meeting at church.  Common Ground is a group of 3 Catholic churches who are working towards inclusivity of anyone, regardless of their social/financial status, citizenship status, culture, or faith.  One thing we're involved with is immigration reform.  But it's also about including people of different faiths, inviting those who are homeless into our doors, etc.  Basically it's amazing.

And I found out that one of the churches has quite a few immigrants from Western Africa who speak French so our priest is hoping to eventually have 2 French masses a month.  I mentioned that I used to be fluent and am working on becoming fluent again.  My priest lit up, because that would come in super handy.  My goal now is to work to become completely fluent again so that I can be a go between with the language barrier. 

This is something that seems to be a Godsend for me.  Because I had spent some time when G was first gone thinking about how I might want to go into working in a job that would utilize my language skills.  Because of my accent I'm good at dealing with those who might have difficulty understanding the average French speaking American.  After we discovered the pregnancy it was mentioned that French language is becoming a bit more important to our government....precisely because of Africa.  But with the baby, I knew that that would have to wait for several years.  Now, here is an opportunity for me to really use this for the greater good and still keep me close to home.

Now it's Tuesday and I am trying to keep the chic streak up.  I'm off to beautify myself a bit and then head out for some coffee and Kindle time (haven't really tried it out much) before my bocce game tonight.  I'll try and snap pics of that so I can show you what it's like!

French Friday

Lunch today was a larger one, with a small portion of salmon, a pile of steamed broccoli, a small bowl of roasted red pepper and tomato soup, and a tiny little sandwich of fresh mozzarella on garlic parmesan French bread.  I finished that up with an apple.

I have to run some errands today (mainly a few packages to the post).  Dressed in skinny jeans and a simple black tee with a scarf and red flats.  I'm also stopping in at the local yarn place to sign up for knitting classes.  And then it will be home to indulge in a cup of coffee and curl up to continue reading The Help.

There are blue skies and a light breeze.  Perfect for a slow, take care of me day.

French Friday

Ahhh, another Friday, another new weekend to begin.  Unfortunately I was hoping to take the dogs out on a long walk this weekend, but we're expecting snow.  C'est la vie!

Today I slept in a little.  I've been trying to get more sleep, even if the timing seems abnormal (going to bed in the wee hours of the morning and awakening in the late morning/early afternoon time frame).  The eye mask has been a tremendous help.  But I awoke and got ready quickly.  A simple outfit of jeans with a black crew neck tee and black flats, livened up by the Hermes scarf draped around my neck loosely.  I kept my make-up simple, with just a little taupe cream eye shadow (Corfu by Nars) and some mascara and a light dusting or Nars Orgasm blush.  Then I was off to run down to base to check my mail and then head up north to have coffee with a friend.  We've both had interesting weeks, and it's good to have someone here who I feel gets that life is not always simple, but attempts to stay happy as I do. 

We parted to each go off into our evenings and while I needed to pick up something for dinner, I swung into TJMaxx to look for a third Euro Sham for our bed.  No such luck, but I did find something to put plants in.  I'm hoping to spend this summer turning our tiny back yard into a beautiful place to sit and sip iced tea or citron presses.  I think this piece will look lovely with greenery spilling out between the bars, non?

 It's about 2 feet tall.  Oh, and ignore the tuft of Sophie's hair....even though I've swept and vacuumed it's cold so the heat is on and blowing fun stuff around.  Grrr.

I picked up some iris buds last night that are slowly unfurling and the hyacinth at the top of the post.  Hyacinth in my favorite floral smell.  I think it's heavenly.  And now whenever I smell it I think of two things:  my grandmama's garden, and my Aunt Karol.  When I went to visit during spring break when I was 20, my Aunt Karol and I explored Pike Place Market in Seattle.  They had hyacinth and I think I mentioned how much I loved the smell.  So my aunt picked some up and put it in the bathroom I was using while I was there.  So the smell reminds me of my childhood and amazing hospitality.   Some day I'm going to have a garden where there is rows of hyacinth and tulips and daffodils and iris.  Spring flowers always seem so happy to me. 

I had some frozen pizza for dinner.  Before you think, "But that's not chic!" let me explain.  Trader Joe has an organic red pepper pizza that has actually less ingredients that I would take to make the pizza (since I put a ton of ingredients in my sauce).  It's simple, natural ingredients, everything is pronounceable, and last time I checked I don't think it has any preservatives.  It's a simple delicious pizza that I normally pair with salad, but I've been avoiding bagged salad/lettuce (and theirs didn't look so hot anyway) so I grabbed some broccoli instead.

I'm off to begin my weekend tidying.  This impending snow will not get me down!  I'll just use the cooler weather as an excuse to make a big pot of soup!  What are your weekend plans?

From My Board

**I am on a French Chic board on Yahoo.  I have enjoyed the women there, and actually that's how I got some readers and met other bloggers.  However, I noticed that there seemed to be some anti-American thoughts when it came to food and I felt the need to respond.  After writing it and reading it, I decided I felt strongly enough about it that I've decided to post it here as well.**

I will be the first to stand up and say I sometimes over-generalize statements about Americans.  I'm a Francophile, Europhile, whatnot, and I know that things can be different.  However, I'm a little disturbed by our tendency as Francophile to over-generalize to the point that it comes across as all Americans  eat too much, are too lazy to walk anywhere, and don't eat enough of the "right" foods.

I'm an American.  Born and raised.  I've been lucky enough to have lived in Europe and to have at my younger age already done some extensive traveling around the world.  I've studied different cultures, both European and Asian and I have seen things that I think we as a country have seemed to have lost a bit.  But I'm also seeing studies showing that these same countries I admire, with every generation, are having just as much trouble as we are, though they're late to the game.

France and Italy both have more fast food, more cars, and more sugary drinks and desserts.  They're all seeing obesity levels rise.  Pretty much every major industrialized country is beginning to discuss how to change things as our health is beginning to fail at earlier ages.  A big problem in not just our country seems to be government protected/subsidized things like corn products.  As well as the fact that we as a world need to slow down and stop trying to be everywhere all the time.  Eating in your car seems like the only option when the only time you're at home is to sleep for a few hours.  But we've created a rat race that no one can win. 

I think it's incredibly important to eat smaller, more proportionate meals, taking our time to enjoy them.  We need to remember that vitamins and minerals come from things like fruit, vegetables, real meat and whole grains, not from a pill bottle.  And we need to learn to move more and start fighting for the right to not be sitting behind a desk so many hours of the day.  However, I'm hearing these same things from France and Italy.  And having lived in the U.K. I can assure you that we are not the only country who needs to put down the constant fried chicken and move more.  My husband and I actually got used to seeing overweight British people everywhere.  Not obese to the extent here in the U.S......yet.  But it's coming if we don't all begin taking our lives into consideration as a priority over cheap food and "getting our money's worth."

So, I don't mean to upset the apple cart, but it has become something I've noticed and was bothering me.  How can we support one another, American women (and yes, I know there are non-Americans as well), and just women in general, if we're saying, "well, Americans just eat badly.  They don't know how to eat right."  If that is the case, then perhaps it's time we step up and go out into our communities.  Volunteer to teach a class at a public space (like a school) on healthy, delicious foods proportioned correctly.  I think if we beat ourselves down it will be harder to get back up.  And as a world, we need to get back up.

**Yes, I do believe as a country we've been self-indulgent for far too long.  But just speaking negatively about our country's food habits isn't getting change made.  We need to be more active in our own health, and slowly expand that outward.**

Luxuriate

G and I decided the other day to explore a nearby town that we were considering making our next home (in about 6-8 years).  It seems a little silly to look so far in advance, but I've told you that we like to dream and plan.....and the main street there, dating back to the Revolutionary War has been recommended many times to us as a place to go explore.  So off we headed and we were not disappointed.  If anything G has informed me I can stop looking into other areas because we'll be moving there as soon as possible.  And one of the draws was a restaurant I had happened to come across a review of on a blog that just happened to be the corner we first walked out on from their city parking lot.  It's Tersiguel's in Ellicott City, Maryland, a french country restaurant.  Hungry we decided to splurge and drop in for a late lunch.  It was seriously so good that it sealed the deal, with us envisioning coming there for the next 50 years and eventually having "our table."  (Because I'm totally going to be that eccentric entitled old lady with a hat and spectacles!)  

I am a big complainer of modern American dining.  It just simply pisses me off.  I don't want to have to be looking around wondering if our food will ever arrive while my water glass sits empty, but I also don't want to have my food brought out so quickly and to be encouraged to move along quickly.  If I'm paying for a meal out when I can cook restaurant quality foods at home I want the experience of being able to relax.  I've recently had an excellent meal that they're lucky I was enjoying a glass of wine and had ordered food that I would have no problem eating cold because we weren't halfway through our appetizers when the main course came (and for perspective this was a restaurant where our bill for two was higher than say a bill for 4 at a chain place).  I get frustrated because it shouldn't be that hard to gauge where the diners are and to tell them to begin our main course once we're halfway through our appetizers.  I don't mind sitting, letting my stomach digest my first course while waiting for my second.  In fact, I prefer it.  It was a harsh re-acclimation when we first began dining out here in the U.S. again and the reason we tend to go to small locally owned businesses.

 Pate with spicy mustard, cornichons and olives.

Chickpea crepes with roasted peppers, black olive pesto, anchovies, herbed chevre and olives.  Tres bien!

So imagine my delight when my indecisiveness didn't seem to phase the waiter in the least.  In fact he was willing to recommend, ask questions, answer questions, but was not too chatty or hovering.  We ordered our meal and a bottle of wine he had recommended and it was like a perfect dance.  Another waiter kept an eye on our water glasses, keeping them full.  Our waiter would occasionally quietly slip in and refill our wine glasses.  Our first course was brought, we ate slowly and he would occasionally look over.  We had sat there for a little bit finishing off the first course and he came over and quickly cleared it away for us, barely causing us to pause our conversation.  Our main course was brought out maybe 5 minutes later.  It was perfection, it clearly had not been sitting under a warmer and we ate it pretty much all up (G ate quite a bit of my pasta because I can't handle that much food, whereas he's like a bottomless pit).  

Duck confit, shitake mushrooms, lardons, and red potatoes in spaghetti with duck jus and parmesan. 

 Their version of a croque monsieur.  Slow cooked pork confit with creamed cabbage and a dijon aioli on house made bread.

While clearing those plates we were asked about coffee and dessert.  Having already conversed with the couple next to us about their desert (the woman was foreign, European and I kept glancing out of the corner of my eye at her enjoyment of what terrifies some women: sausages and warm potato salad...a delicious meal) we knew it was the one to order.  And here is where I explain that this place was closing very, very soon.  And yet, no hurry.  I even mentioned not wanting to make them stay and he waved my worries away.  We enjoyed a cup of coffee and our dessert (a creme caramel so amazing that even the spoon gently touching it cut into it but it didn't fall apart).  And after we finished dessert the water came over and refilled our cups after they were closed!  We tipped him very well, and after having discussed this on my French chic board I will be sending a thank you note to the restaurant.  It was truly the most relaxing meal I've had in a long time.  I would have never thought of it, but now wonder why we don't do that more often?  The restaurant is family owned, their son is the head chef and I am sure they like to know their business if much appreciated.  

Have you ever sent a thank you note to a restaurant or store?  

* Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the 2011 leather planner HERE! 

French Friday

 Image from sloeginfizz on etsy, click on image to go there and pick up a great perky print!  I found it yesterday and fell in love!

Bonjour!  I've been up since 5:30 this morning (which is not so early for some, but it always is for me!), and so I gave myself a pass and got a pumpkin spice latte rather than just some coffee.  And I ate a croissant.  And relished in it's buttery-ness.  Mmm.  If you have to be up this early you should at least be able to revel in a petite dejeuner!

I've got a tour to attend this evening for which I am am wearing a simple outfit of a long sleeved black thin sweater, a couple Uganda bead necklaces, a colorful scarf draped like a long necklace, and skinny jeans with black boots.  I'd take a picture, but I won't be in it until later.  There's a chance I will be meeting some of G's co-workers so I am wanting to look chic but casual.  

Today I'm hoping to speak with the owner of a European boutique in D.C. in connection to some posting I have planned for early December.  I'd tell you what it is, but that would ruin the surprise!  But he's French and that alone makes me eager for his call!  I could listen to a French accent for hours.  And since his boutique has some of the most divine French imports this could make my day!

We'll be talking food this weekend.  I'm hoping to get my kitchen all nice and sparkly and perhaps finally upload a cooking/baking video.  Indian food is on the menu, and I want to show you how easy it is to cook delicious, restaurant quality food at home.  Other than that, à bientôt! 

Long Beautiful Day

So, I know, I know, I don't have any photos of me showing my new haircut.  Suffice to say I thought I cut about 6-7 but G is estimating a lil closer to 9.  But it looks great.  I just haven't taken any photos of myself at all.  We tried.  The camera died.  Go figure.

This is the only photo G got before the camera died.  Too much light, and my bangs aren't even visible!

But we did make it to the farmer's market, and even picked up some pea shoots that taste like English peas and are delish in this fall season.  Then we tried to get home.  Huge mistake.  The Baltimore Marathon (very poorly marked) held us up in traffic.  G spoke to an officer who said there was absolutely no way for us to get home.  For real.  Lovely.  So we headed to a wine store to kill time for over an hour.  Made it home just in time to print off the groupon for a men's place here in Charm City where G got a hot lather shave and his horrid low quarter military dress shoes got a nice shine without him having to do it! 

 Then it was up towards the shopping center and the grocery store.  Stopped into Sephora, picked up a Givenchy eye quad (more on that later), and also dropped into Burberry where G got to try on some suits.  We like the Brit cut, and he looked amazing.  And I have all the information on it for when I'm ready to get it as a gift for him.  Also spent some time at Nordstroms, including the Le Mer counter.  Picked up a very generous sample of the cream and their concentrated eye cream to try at home on a clean face. 

Stopped in at Barnes and Noble for the French Vogue's 90th Anniversary edition.  It's as thick as a novel, but I'm excited to begin trying to translate as I work my way through it.  The cover is a gorgeous photo I plan to frame for my closet.  A little risque, but I love the lace eye mask (their anniversary section has a thing about galas/soirees with a bunch of masked women). 

Planning to make a pumpkin black bean soup (Indian sorta flavour) tomorrow night for dinner with some grilled chicken breasts, a salad, and a cheese course (including an ash goat's cheese).  For now I'm just relaxing, getting a foot rub, and settling in to snuggle and watch a movie. 

Impressed

G has slowly but surely been making his way through the Rosetta Stone program.  We have the entire set (all 5 levels) so that eventually he and I will both be completely fluent.  But I've been skeptical.  Sometimes weeks will go by without him finding the time for it, though lately he's been trying to use it daily, and he's getting ready to complete the first level.  So we were lying in bed the other evening, me reading Entre Nous because I can hardly listen to him speak French without reading about them as well!  And if we're being honest, he hocks on the words more than a comedian doing a French accent.  His accent is a little harsh, but I figure it will get better as he gets a better grasp on the language (and if not, perhaps we'll meet up with the French group here and he can catch on from them).  So his studying tends to be interrupted occasionally by me correcting him because if he says it incorrectly for the 15th time I might have an aneurysm.  But the other night I looked over because he was in the spelling section where he was typing.  And damn if he wasn't typing words that I didn't even really know.  (well, I knew what they meant by guessing, but they were different variants of words I knew.)

So I'm impressed.  He's been taking his own sweet time, going back to lessons he didn't do so hot on until he does.  And suddenly I'm thinking our dream of a bilingual household may be possible. 

Grenouille

I have been much more adventurous with my cooking lately.  While at the seafood counter at the store, perusing the swordfish steaks, I looked up and saw a sign:  "Frog Legs."  G got very excited and decided he would like them for dinner to go along with leftover roasted potatoes.  So for dinner we had Provencal Grenouille with roasted potatoes and steamed zucchini.  It, along with a glass of white wine, was delicious.  Garret proclaimed it one of the best meals I've ever cooked.  He told his mother it was like something he would order in a restaurant, and her response was "Great.  But why does that not surprise me?"  I blushed after that!

For dessert I cut up some organic strawberries I had picked up at the market (we decided to try them since berries are sprayed with a lot of pesticide) and G whipped up some fresh whipped cream sweetened just ever so slightly with some homemade vanilla sugar.  It was so flavorful!  

Served in a tea cup.

Now I'm looking at my kitchen thinking, "Well, I don't want to clean up!"  Perhaps G will take pity on his humble cook?

*I tried to take a video of the frog cooking, but the sound of the sizzling was louder than me! Too bad!  We had a great bit of fun naming them.  Needless to say, none of them tried to escape the pot!

Courses

I think the one thing that differentiates my husband and I from many others we know is that we delight in extending a meal as long as possible.  To help with this, we eat in courses.  Tonight for instance I had a bunch of veggies to use up, and some leftover turkey kielbasa.  So I cut up all our red potatoes (it turned out to be enough for about 4 meals for both of us!) and began roasting them in the oven.  While they roasted, I sliced thinly a white onion I had on hand and in a pan with hot olive oil began to caramelize them. (Later, once they were caramelized I added chunks of the kielbasa to brown a bit.)  While that continued I cut up the broccoli and cauliflower we had, grated leftover Gruyere, and sat that aside to await time in the oven.  I put a pot of water with corn on the burner to boil.  Finally I sliced up the 1 1/2 portobello mushrooms left from Saturday and quickly sauteed them in a bit of butter.  While that cooked (shortly, so they were still firm) I sliced a tomato, plated it, drizzled our new amazing olive oil (it's literally green rather than golden, and tastes like the nectar of the gods) along with a bit of balsamic.  

Our first course was the sauteed portobello mushrooms on a petite plate.  It was delcious, full of flavor, small in quantity.  Our second course was a two inch piece of the kielbasa on top of a scattering of caramelized onions and a side of 8 small pieces of roasted potatoes with sea salt.  Our third course was the roasted cauliflower and broccoli with Gruyere.  Then we moved onto the fourth course of a half of an ear of corn, no butter.  Instead we ground salt and pepper onto our plates and squished the corn into it before each bite.  Our final, fifth course was the tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic.  

Our dinner took us about an hour and a half.  We ate very small portions of many things, and neither of us was full when we were done.  Instead we were both wonderfully satisfied.  I quickly squeezed the remaining half of an orange (from the fruit salad) into a glass and made an orange presse for G and I to share.  He headed out to continue weeding our jungle of a backyard, and I came in to watch a chick show.  We had enjoyed a leisurely meal along with a very small glass of red wine conversing about world politics (I hadn't heard about the attempted assassination of Iran's president....serves me right for not reading The Post today).  

We normally would have coffee or tea afterwards, but with the heat we thought it might be unwise.  What do you do to extend a meal? 

Un Croissant, Un Croissant

Hee hee hee, hon hon hon!  (sung to the Le Poisson song from Little Mermaid....no it's never too early for Disney!)

(Wearing a silk scarf for coffee out with the husband beforehand, I kept it on for baking at first.)

So, I began the croissants last night and then let them rise for the 5 hours I slept.  The recipe is from The French Market, so another recipe down.  The process wasn't difficult, a lot of rolling out, folding and letting sit (3 different times).  So while the recipe says it takes 3 hours so much of that is resting.  

Ingredients at the ready.  All weighed out on my handy dandy scale.

Yeast in the center of flour.

Butter patted/rolled out between wax paper.

This took up most of my counter.

Folding the dough into a nice little package.

Ready to rise!

Golden brown, hot from the oven!

I think these turned out fairly well.  They were pretty tasty with coffee this morning, but not flaky enough for me so we will be making the ones from French Women Don't Get Fat next.  I tried these first since the others take a few days to make.  I'll let you all know how it goes!

Bastille Day! Viva la France!

Today is Bastille Day!  Though Sarkozy will not be holding his huge party this year (thanks to government overspending in an economic crisis....ahem....Mr. 15 grand on cuban cigars), this is a day to celebrate!  On July 14, 1789 the French stormed the Bastille fortress (prison).  It was seen as the "uprising of the modern nation."

So what does it mean in our household?  Escargot and champagne of course!  (or sparkling wine because G did not understand I wanted French champagne, but eh, I'll let it pass)  And perhaps tonight I'll get around to making those croissants!

Un Café

This morning, after having trouble sleeping due to sore muscles, my wonderful husband started coffee before he woke me up.  As I hopped in the shower he poured the water into our French press and had coffee waiting for me when I got out.  I even snapped a pic!

( I actually snapped the pic because heavens to betsy my hair actually went up in a knot with a tiny clip.  This never happens, the humidity must help.)

BistroChic did a great post today on coffee and how to order one in France.  I've been trying really hard to stick to a more European schedule when it comes to coffee, in order to save my stomach (the acids in coffee can be a bit harsh).  This for me means café au lait in the mornings, with a wee bit of sugar.  And then in the afternoon perhaps an espresso and then a coffee after dinner.  It's hard because I love coffee and could drink it all day if I let myself (such as this weekend cleaning).  I have found that I enjoy it more when it's a special thing in my day rather than just something I drink all day.  And in this hot weather I really need to be drinking more water!

I won't criticize anyone for their coffee choices.  I have a friend whom I am pretty sure has a frappuccino dependency, if not an outright addiction.  Myself, those are too sweet and make me nauseated.  I also understand that espressos can take some getting used to (and I admit fully to adding a petite amount of sugar to them).  But try a Turkish or Greek coffee and espresso will seem completely smooth and mild!  I used to be the girl who put 5-6 sugars in one cup of coffee, along with cream.  I now put maybe one, and at Carma's it's so nice I don't put any.  

But more than what you drink it how you drink it.  You should enjoy the coffee, take in it's flavor and it's caffeine.  Enjoy the heat and the sense of a calm moment.  To rush anything to do with food or drink is a no no in our home, and something we try to actively avoid.  This morning G was gulping down his coffee so he could go pack up our lunch while I got dressed and I stopped him.  I asked if he was enjoying it.  He shook his head.  So I suggested he take it back downstairs with him to drink while putting the lunch together rather than trying to finish it off beforehand.  Not ideal, but more enjoyable at least!  And don't we all deserve to begin our day with a little joie de vivre?

Pearls

Some say diamonds are a girl's best friend (and let's face it, I wouldn't turn down nice ones!).  However I have always and will always love pearls.  So when I saw a 64 inch strand online of 8 mm freshwater pearls  on a site that I had store credit I decided to ask G if I could splurge on a bauble for myself.  His answer was a resolute yes (he loves me in pearls and black dresses).   So now these babies will be mine!  I am already picturing wearing them in Paris next year, but I won't be saving them until then!  

And, as Ms. Chanel is the photo inspiration for the day I must mention that I am in a panic, because my Coco Mademoiselle eau de parfum is nearly gone.  I still have the parfum left, but because of it's high concentration (and tiny little bottle) I save it for special occasions, and in this heat it would burn off too quickly.  I checked the base store and of course they are out!  Hmm, perhaps no5 will become a more frequent scent.  

Staycation Break

So, while I take a mini break from my staycation (G is unloading and reloading the dishwasher), I thought I would post real quick about how it's going.  Thursday pate and wine was amazing, but we were so tired neither one of us remembers going to bed.  We were there and then we woke up (really early, we fell asleep by maybe 9:30).  Which was nice, and very well needed as neither one of us had slept well last week.  


Friday was spent being lazy, reading, heading to Indian for lunch (we closed them down after having been there 2 1/2 hrs).  For dinner we had leftover veggie soup with bread.....and wine of course.  Woke up early today to head to the market where we picked up more broccoli, sugar snap peas (most of which we devoured immediately), garlic, red potatoes, peppers, romaine, and radishes.  Headed to coffee afterwards and enjoyed flipping through my new Vogue (the one with Marion Cotillard on the cover).  Then dropped off the veggies and headed out to the library.  


On route to the American Visionary Art Museum we stopped off in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, picked up The Washington Post, and stopped at a Bistro for lunch.  Three hours later, completely sated we headed to the car, only to stop at a park bench to sit and read more of the paper.  Finally we headed to the museum where it was firmly decided in my mind that most modern art just isn't for me.  Walked along the water, took in some sun, then headed home to finish off some wine.  


Dinner was simple.  After spending the evening consuming nearly all the peas, plus going on a nearly mile and a half run, we were hungry, but wanting something simple.  French bread, goat's cheese, caramelized onions and a tiny bit of fresh time made a delicious meal.  I also made tomorrow's lunch and dinner, but you will just have to wait and see what that is!


Now we're sipping on watermelon coolers (watermelon, lime juice, crushed ice).  Perfect in this hot weather.  Staycation has been an amazing success so far, and we're only halfway through!