Dinner parties and miracles

Please follow this link to my post for today: Thank you for reading!

http://mindofahummingbird.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/dinner-parties-and-miracles/

Cooking again

With my shoulder pain most intense when I am cooking, typing or washing the dishes, we have been getting by with very little cooking this past week. Finally I felt rested enough and well enough to get back to the kitchen. Dennis had bought my favorite, fresh broccoli, so I set to making my ole' standby broccoli dish, a recipe developed by my mom:

After rinsing the broccoli I set it for proper steaming on the stove. Here is the most crucial part, you don't want to over cook the broccoli or let it boil rather than steam. I also salt my broccoli to taste.

I use a saute pan with olive oil and chopped onion, cooking slowly over low heat.

Garlic, glorious garlic!

Peel the cloves

Mince them up.

Add the garlic to the already cooking onions. Watch that the garlic doesn't burn.

The broccoli should become a lovely bright green when it's ready. Turn off the heat. I adore that little stainless steel steamer. It fits in any pan and keeps your veggies out of the water.

According to Bernard, pasta needs "many waters" to cook right, along with a splash of sea salt.

You can really use any pasta style you prefer.

Once the garlic and onions are cooked well, I remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough, I transfer the broccoli to the saute pan and turn the heat up low to warm everything up while the pasta cooks. I will sometimes add more olive oil at this point.

This is wonderful if you add fresh grated Parmesan. Sadly we were all out. Still, it is a yummy and easy lunch!

Paris-Day 2

I've been traveling quite a bit lately and because of that it isn't uncommon for me to wake up and have no idea where I am. So day 2 of Paris I did just that.  Blinked a few times, waited for my head to clear from the muddled dreams and as the fog cleared I heard traffic far away and the hammering sounds of construction.  I looked around the room and remembered....I am in Paris.  

Opening the window and stepping out into the brisk December morning, I drank in the sights and sounds, including the construction on the other side of our street where the Military Academy was. 

What to do with our brief, golden hours of daylight.  We head out to coffee.  Since we have been living in France long enough to understand the way things work, it wasn't difficult for us to find a cafe and order coffee and croissants. Paris isn't necessarily more expensive then any other city, its just as expensive. We drank our coffee and looked over our city maps while waiting for the croissants to come out of the oven. Well, we ran out of coffee before the oven could finish so, naturally, we needed more coffee.  Our bill for breakfast was as follows:

4 coffees

+

4 croissants

=

25 euros

or

$32.34

Needless to say, I wanted to dive out the window while Dennis was down in the bathroom.  Somehow, spending $32 on pastry and coffee seemed extravagant. Delightful but extravagant. 

After our breakfast debacle we walked toward Madame Eiffel to see how bad the crowds were at the tower elevators. And they were bad.  The tour buses parked on the side streets were a good indication. So we continued to the river where we discovered the boat shuttle that would bring you past 7 major sights and allow you to board and disembark all along the river, all day long. That was for tomorrow.

We continued across the river toward The Arc de Triomphe were we watched in fascination as eleven streets emptied out into the round about without direction or order. Complete chaos. I couldn't take my eyes away from the hornets nest of cars and buses, motorbikes and trucks swirling and vying for position around this massive monument that Napoleon commissioned in 1806 to pay tribute to his victories in battle. The foundation alone took 2 years to complete.  Sadly, the structure wasn't completed until 1836...not in time for the Emperor to see it for himself. However his remains were brought through the Arc before they were laid to rest in Invalides. You reach the Arc by passing through a tunnel under the crazy street above.  Walking around and through this beautiful 164 foot historical piece makes you feel tiny and brief.  For a fee, you can also walk up to the top and bask in the view.  It marks the beginning of the Champs-Elysees "the most beautiful street in the world".

Friday I'm in LOVE!

High Five For Friday! This week has been crazy for us. My mother-in-law has been in the hospital all week. Nothing too serious but severe dehydration and at her age (95!) it had to be treated by professionals. So between twice a day hospital visits, running our two online businesses from home, crocheting my crazy animals, writing my book, blogging and trying to exercise every day (plus the usual cooking and cleaning and walking the dog)...I am welcoming the weekend with open arms. Here is my list:

Five things I love!

1.  The way my puppy Anna does a huge stretch every time I ask her "Do you want to go for a walk?" She is so cute and the BEST exercise buddy!

2.  I love this little Fiat 500 and every time we see one I make my husband snap a picture of me next to it, acting like it's mine.

3. This little guy I just finished! He is a gift for my dear friend back home. The pattern is from www.planetjune.com and she has the best crochet patterns for adorable animals. Check her out!

4. The flowers are blooming here and summer is on it's way! I love that!!

5. And with summer coming....I will soon be eating this again! My all time favorite food combination.

Happy Friday everyone!

In flux

I am trying to decide whether I should switch to a different blog setup. I want to get the most readers and followers I can and I wonder if a change would facilitate that. Since I know just about nothing about blogging and getting my blog visited, I'm really writing blind here. Any and all suggestions that you dear readers would like to make, I accept gratefully. And here is a link to a practice switch that I am thinking about.  http://mindofahummingbird.tumblr.com/  Please visit it and let me know what you think.

Should I stay or should I go?

Any excuse for fireworks!

Here in the outskirts of Menton, France we are enjoying the continued celebration of the Lemon Festival.

Last night was another parade night with the rumor of fireworks. So at 9:30 P.M. we drove our 1980s Mercedes down to the town and parked as close as we could to the road block. Walking towards the parade barrier, we selected a lovely little street side restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious cappuccino and the taster plate of miniature desserts. As our server pointed out, if we couldn't choose which dessert to try, try them all! From the brownie to the tiny tiramisu, I was enthralled.

Plus, the tiny desserts were served, not on a plate, but on a piece of slate!

Soon, the street lights went out, cluing us into the start of the fireworks. We paid our bill and dashed outside, joining the crowds on the street as they made their way down to the steps that lead to the beach.

With the waves of the Mediterranean lapping near our feet, we watched as Menton light up the night, in tribute to Lemons.

So much fun on a Thursday night in March.

Cheese and Bread, my friend and my foe

When we first decided to live in France, I knew that staying away from the cheese and bread would be hard. I knew that control would be difficult and that I had an immense struggle on my hands.

So I didn't struggle, stay away or control myself. I ate every piece of bread and sampled every chunk of cheese that was placed in my path. I even sought the cheese and bread out when it wasn't readily available. For example, while in Italy at an open market, I waited in line to sample the Parmesan, even though I had no intention of buying. I sampled several tables, in fact. Every table, to be honest.

I tried to rationalize, another sign of my addiction. "I will walk to the bakery and get the bread and walk back" as if that was enough exercise to justify the consumption of   the    entire    loaf!

Do you know how delightful a slice of goat cheese spread on a piece of warm sesame seed baguette is? What about adding an inch of butter between the cheese and the bread? How about topping it off with fig preserves?  Well, let me just say, I'm drooling as I type.

Well, the gluttony has caught up with me and I sit before you, a woman condemned. My jeans are tight, my coat won't button and a woman I know recently remarked on how much weight I've gained since moving to France.

So now, because of my lack of self-control, I am cut off completely from the cheese and bread. I sit at the dinner table, while the rest family enjoys the warm bread and plate of cheese..and I drink my water. Like a prisoner in my own home, I prepare the bread and cheese, watch others eat it and then clean up after them. Will I start fantasizing about what I can no longer have? No doubt. Maybe I will be able to enjoy the cheese in my dreams.  It is my own fault. I said yes yes yes and now its a world of no. 

In search of Mimosa

Mimosa is a fluffy yellow flower that blossoms in the winter season here along the southern part of France. It is used in the making of perfume and when you find enough of it, the sent is heavy in the air.

So for our Sunday drive, Bernard took us in search of Mimosa and we headed West-ish from Menton up and above Grasse.  Although the season of Mimosa is only just beginning, we found plenty of the bright yellow bushes to feast our eyes upon.

Along the way we also found a rural honey store where we stopped and made a purchase. Once on our way we stopped to pick some of the mimosa that was growing over the road..quickly and with stealth in case we were caught for trespassing.

The search for a perfect luncheon place ensued next but nothing we found had the combination of view, affordability and menu selection that the menfolk could agree on.

Finally, in one valley we found a local hotel that also boasted a restaurant where Bernard and Dennis could finally settle for our meal (mostly because the hour for lunch was late)

We were not disappointed. The service and care was superb and the meal was delightful. From the start to finish (the owner provided a round of drinks on the house as a treat) we sat for over three hours laughing, eating and drinking. I enjoyed my first roasted pheasant experience and had a taste of Dennis' mystery fish special which came filled in a pastry shell with a side of curry couscous. I may have eaten too much bread but it was so wonderful with this perfect chewy crust. I am ashamed to admit that when Bernard wasn't looking, I stuffed three extra rolls into my Michael Kors purse :)

I don't remember much about the ride home because it was A: dark and B: I was in a food induced coma.

Thank you Bernard for another enjoyable outing where we ate traditional French cuisine and drank in the scenery of this lovely country!

Paris-Day 2

I've been traveling quite a bit lately and because of that it isn't uncommon for me to wake up and have no idea where I am. So day 2 of Paris I did just that.  Blinked a few times, waited for my head to clear from the muddled dreams and as the fog cleared I heard traffic far away and the hammering sounds of construction.  "Construction? Where am I?" I looked around the room and remembered....I am in Paris.  

Opening the window and stepping out into the brisk December morning, I drank in the sights and sounds, including the construction on the other side of our street where the Military Academy was. 

What to do with our brief, golden hours of daylight.  We head out to coffee.  Since we have been living in France long enough to understand the way things work, it wasn't difficult for us to find a cafe and order coffee and croissants. Paris isn't necessarily more expensive then any other city, its just as expensive. We drank our coffee and looked over our city maps while waiting for the croissants to come out of the oven. Well, we ran out of coffee before the oven could finish so, naturally, we needed more coffee.  Our bill for breakfast was as follows:

4 coffees

+

4 croissants

=

25 euros

or

$32.34

Needless to say, I wanted to dive out the window while Dennis was down in the bathroom.  Somehow, spending $32 on pastry and coffee seemed extravagant. Delightful but extravagant. 

After our breakfast debacle we walked toward Madame Eiffel to see how bad the crowds were at the tower elevators. And they were bad.  The tour buses parked on the side streets were a good indication. So we continued to the river where we discovered the boat shuttle that would bring you past 7 major sights and allow you to board and disembark all along the river, all day long. That was for tomorrow.

We continued across the river toward The Arc de Triomphe were we watched in fascination as eleven streets emptied out into the round about without direction or order. Complete chaos. I couldn't take my eyes away from the hornets nest of cars and buses, motorbikes and trucks swirling and vying for position around this massive monument that Napoleon commissioned in 1806 to pay tribute to his victories in battle. The foundation alone took 2 years to complete.  Sadly, the structure wasn't completed until 1836...not in time for the Emperor to see it for himself. However his remains were brought through the Arc before they were laid to rest in Invalides. You reach the Arc by passing through a tunnel under the crazy street above.  Walking around and through this beautiful 164 foot historical piece makes you feel tiny and brief.  For a fee, you can also walk up to the top and bask in the view.  It marks the beginning of the Champs-Elysees "the most beautiful street in the world".

From here we took the Metro and arrived at The Louvre were we spent several hours walking through vast rooms filled with artwork that boggles the mind. From Mona to Venus...there is seemingly no end to the painting, sculptures and artifacts. One of the most mind blowing pieces for me was the Egyptian artifact that was dated to the days of Moses. How is that even possible?

In all the guide books and all the blogs you read the advice to plan in advance what you want to see, otherwise you will get overwhelmed and tired.  We tried to do just that but once you are there, surrounded by so much history and beauty, its impossible to stop looking. When you sit down to eat a special meal, you eat and eat until you are ready to burst. That is what we did in the Louvre. We looked and looked and looked until we were so full mentally of art and beauty that I thought I was going to burst. Thankfully the museum closed at 6 PM and we were forced to get up from the art and history table.

Even the view outside was breathtaking with Madame Eiffel always watching us, like the moon following the car. No matter how many times I photograph her, its never enough. I always want to take just one more shot, from just one more angle. When I look back now, I wonder how I managed to walk through Paris at all without tripping as it seems as though I never stopped looking through my camera. Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

Crocheting, Eating by the Sea and Food Shopping in Italy

Years ago I made scarves.  I made many scarves actually.  For myself and my family. I just started crocheting and made tons of scarves.  There is a drawer full of them in my basement room at my parent's house (the room I affectionately call "the hobbit hole")

Then the crocheting stopped, just as quickly and mysteriously as it had begun.  Like an intense rainstorm in springtime. And the years passed.  I painted and wrote....and arranged flowers.

Then several months ago....I felt the call of yarn..and I began to make crazy round animals. Pigs and owls and more pigs and then pigs wearing berets. Out   Of   Control.

Then for three weeks I have been working on my first baby blanket. Pastel yarn and patchwork patterns.  Pulling stitches out and hands going numb. But, finally it is done. Sigh

A total of 4 hours passed since the blanket completion until I picked up my hook again. Now...I'm making a scarf.  I can't seem to stop.

I'm not sure why. Dennis had to be bullied into "wanting" this scarf. I needled him, quite literally, into agreeing that he MUST have a handmade scarf.  What is wrong with me?  (Please, that was strictly rhetorical)

We went for a drive today and whilst going along by the sea in Menton on our way to Italy for groceries, we decided..rather spontaneously..to stop for lunch. With Denise in her chair, all bundled up against the possible wind and sun-glassed against the possible strong afternoon rays, we sat along the sea. Between the road and the beach. Next to me was a lovely couple and their pug who was sitting along beside them, as if involved in the meal and the conversation. He was rather well behaved, although somewhat particular about getting lobster on his collar.  It was a lovely afternoon of muscles and fries, and bolognaise. There was a black helicopter coming and going, landing on the beach and then taking off again. No one seemed the slightest bit interested in this event, except for me...who kept snapping pictures of it for no good reason.  Our real destination today was Italy to buy groceries for some company we may have later. Being that it was Sunday, no stores were available in France so we finished our lunch and drove off into another country.

The store was small and incredibly stuffed with things to buy and people buying them. I think I may have knocked several people in the head (by accident of course) with my purse ("bang" "oh I am so sorry" I mean "Pardon" no that's wrong too, I'm in Italy) and was goosed several times (on purpose, one would assume)

We found everything we didn't need, including a basil plant that I am super excited about. I placed Mister Basil right next to Lady Olive Tree when I came home tonight.  They were chatting along quite well when I closed the balcony doors this evening. Our company never came to eat what we bought. So we will have to eat it instead.

Sunday night always makes me sad. The fun is over already. Monday is rearing his nasty head.

Cooking with Bernard

Recently Cousin Bernard came over to cook lunch on a Saturday. This is no ordinary lunch but since we are family and  it is the weekend, it takes on a life of its own. Bernard wanted to make mussels and fries (A French thing) for us because the fresh mussels were on sale for 1 euro a kilo but since I am not a mussel fan Bernard brought a piece of fish for me. Dennis and I went to Nice for our meeting and when we returned the house smelled of apple tart and white wine cooking. I did try the mussels and no I am still not a fan but the pot of onions and wine, garlic and mystery herbs smelled wonderful. We crunched on fresh bread and four different cheeses, two different wines and yes, apple tart for dessert.  But it didn't end there.  Bernard took our car home and returned Sunday morning at 10:30 to cook lunch again but this time, I was commissioned to assist him.

The menu? A starter of salad made from "lamb lettuce", which is some kind of baby green, chopped beets, chopped scallions, including the bulb, dressed in a creamy mustard like dressing.




The main course was a pork roast and together Bernard and I pealed apples and potatoes, chopped up garlic and onions and filled the area around the roast with everything. Bernard added pepper, salt, spices of Provence and "oil of olive"..water and of course, butter.  Cooking with Bernard is very peaceful. Since I speak almost no French and he speaks only a little English, we mime what we need to, laugh a lot, gesture wildly and the rest of the time we enjoy companionable silence. I stood between the sink area and the table in the tiny kitchen while Bernard sat at the table, we chopped and pealed while Anna sat just outside the kitchen watching our every move.

The roast was ready and so was the salad. While we waited the hour and a half for Porky Pig to be done, Dennis and I went out for apéritif liquors. The destination was the border store in Italy, just about a ten minute drive from us, if there isn't any traffic.  There we bought whiskey and vodka, Cinzano and Calvados. Well stocked with a box full of booze, we came home to eat and drink and laugh.

Bernard had set the table while we were out and the roast has done, just resting before he attacked it with this crazy electric knife that I am terrified of.  And he wielded it with grace, even after a few whiskey and cokes.

Anna was very well behaved and her reward was bits of discarded cheese and some pork roast with her dinner. Having Bernard with us is always a good time, especially when he brings dessert. The surprise was 2 different eclairs, chocolate and coffee.  Bernard cut the eclairs in half to have enough for each of us but as full as I was, I could have managed to stuff them all in. DELICIOUS!

After dinner, cheese and bread, salad and dessert, white wine and red had all been consumed, we tried some Calvados which is a liquor made from apples and we dipped sugar cubes into it. Wow.

 In total Bernard was with us until Dennis brought him home after 7PM.  Almost an entire day spent in eating and drinking. Ah, France.

Please pass the pamplemousse

One of the greatest loves of my love is food. Simple. I need it every day and I love it. That being said, I didn't really anticipate that this journey would revolve around food but it has.

In looking through my pictures today I realized just how much food I have photographed and consumed while being here in France.

Right from the start the trouble or pleasure began. We flew Delta on their business class and let me tell you, I can't imagine going back to coach. The moment you sit down they hand you glass (not plastic cup) of champagne. So instead of getting yelled at to put my purse under the seat in front of me, I am sipping champagne. Next they give you the menu FOR YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR DINNER. Have I mentioned that we are still attached by the jetway and not even moving yet? Naturally I chose cheese for my dessert and it hasn't stopped since then.

Now that's not to say that we ate out every night but the food everywhere we did go was unbelievable. Maybe it was the surroundings that made it so. Like this sandwich I had at a tiny restaurant that sits along the olive grove park in town. Just ham and swiss cheese, on the best bread ever baked. Some pink wine and I'm stuffing my face. Wonderful! Plus the knife they give you is fun.

Here, staying with my mother-in-law, food is a 3 meal a day event. Although breakfast is a easy, coffee (2 lumps of sugar please) bread

(cut into small pieces and toasted in the oven, thank

you) and assorted jams (blueberry, strawberry and fig)

However, lunch is at 1 and requires a full out meat and veggie along with a paired wine, fruit and dessert. Here I learned that my mother-in-law loves my potato salad and that celery greens are edible.

Here I just smashed some garlic spuds and put it with an amazing salad (amazing because of the cheese on top and Dennis makes the salad dressing in his lab) and this is added to the turkey breast. Notice my bitten piece of bread..sitting there as a testimony that I couldn't wait until I had taken the photo before devouring it. Bread glutton.

We did purchase along the way pieces to add to our meals. Cheese in Italy, desserts from Nice.

Actually, desserts by a general rule were always bought. I did absolutely no baking while in France. There was simply no point. Even the boxed cookies were amazing with hazelnuts or lemon bits in them. We found a particularly heavenly

coconut macaroon, soft, sweet and

wonderful at the grocery store. They even come enrobed in dark chocolate. I contrived many reasons that we needed to head down to the store but my real drive was for more coconut cookies. Even before we had the car, I would willingly trek the 3 miles in the hot sun of mid day so that I could have a supply in the fridge. Dennis got wise to that and soon put an end to my tomfoolery. So I spent my time and energy making meals, Dennis focused on buying the wine and we let France herself make the dessert.

Here we have the stove I managed to do all the cooking on during our stay in France. I found the knobs to be very disconcerting as well as the temp dial. Rather then try my hand at the math, I just guessed.

Some how though, everything worked fine. It must have been the wine.

The salads tasted better here....some how the daily fresh veggies just melted in your mouth. Biggest decisions of the meal were back balcony or front? Usually we chose the rear facing balcony that gave you the view of Monaco and the mountains. It was hot at mid-day so we tried to eat by 1PM and avoid too much sun.

And a word about the ice cream....it is worth

walking 3 miles for. Whether you get the frozen yogurt and enjoy in its lemon/citrus tartness or you combine the coconut with the dark chocolate... you won't come up for air until the entire cup is GONE. They serve it to you with this tiny plastic shovel-like spoon, I think it's to slow you down. But I was still able to stuff my face with every cool morsel, I just had to work quickly.

Almost every restaurant has something called "The Menu" which is their meal plan for you. It usually includes the starter (including a house drink) main meat choice, salad or pasta choice, dessert of choice, wine and bread and coffee. It ranges anywhere from 18 Euro to 200 Euro and up depending on where you eat it. I like the Menu because it takes the decision of what to order out of the problem and I can just sit back and enjoy every lovely surprise they bring me. Here is one menu we did in a restaurant at the Castle village before the concert in Monaco. Every bite was incredible.

We have also been able to enjoy the local flavor of friends that Dennis has known for years who have invited us to eat with them. Always an event and the flavors are unforgettable. The

highlight of this meal was shelling the little guys myself. It made me feel like I worked for the food. And the addition of the pink grapefruit (pamplemousse) in my salad was a summery surprise that paired so well with my white wine, my berry iced tea and the sweetness of the glaze on the fish. YUMMY!

Truly a wonderful experience, with something delicious to eat every single day. For 6 weeks I sat for every meal at a table, with a view and a tablecloth. Never once did I "take something to go" nor did I eat while getting dressed, driving or standing. It was a treat to enjoy the food, every single bite. I had to learn to relax and allow the time to float by. Getting your check here is almost insulting to the wait staff. You have to flag them down and beg for it. Once they have you in their restaurant they never want you to leave. But there is no iced coffee. That's my only suggestion. Other then that.....perfect. And for the record, if there was bread placed on the table, I ate every piece. I had to. It would have been a disgrace not too. I mean, look at it!!!

Thank you France, for feeding me so well. If you ever come to stay with me, I promise I will try just as hard to make you as happy as you have made me.