tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38490880399653705332024-02-21T03:32:22.925+01:00AIDAN LARSONAidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-91490665072399965902014-11-05T20:20:00.000+01:002014-11-05T20:20:36.519+01:00America, America Part One<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Hi there. Long time, no see. I'm coming to you from miles and miles away from my dining table in the South of France. I've still got the table (it was shipped over with the rest of our worldy goods) and we're all five still eating dinner on it nightly and saying 'bon appetit' before food gets from plate to hungry mouth. This is a tradition we're all trying not to lose. In case you've been wondering, here's a snippet of what we've been up to over the past months. </div>
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It’s been five months since we said goodbye to France. Five months in which to get settled, find a house, start school, choose after-school
activities, and introduce America to my little immigrants. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DSMK0iQc10pg-VpOfkm5iG_NjlB1NdiK88EgXWJWChUoAU8eV7IKDVzEQgyK6cdraQVlctHcundHQVYM0k2YsXyt6c3KsDD6O-rDGwOBp4qnSYNwRMrDWdBUvO4IVZXfzWNY_uRRsDAF/s1600/boyspool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DSMK0iQc10pg-VpOfkm5iG_NjlB1NdiK88EgXWJWChUoAU8eV7IKDVzEQgyK6cdraQVlctHcundHQVYM0k2YsXyt6c3KsDD6O-rDGwOBp4qnSYNwRMrDWdBUvO4IVZXfzWNY_uRRsDAF/s1600/boyspool.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{American-style awesome}</td></tr>
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A friend of mine who is raising half-American, half-French children in France recently posted an <a href="http://www.babble.com/parenting/are-your-children-hidden-immigrants-12-tips-for-parents/?cmp=SMC" target="_blank">article on the hidden immigrant child</a>; children who don’t seem different from their national peers on the
surface, but who have a rich history of different cultures, social mores,
language, and mannerisms buried deep in their souls. My children have that, are
those little immigrants.</div>
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They’re not immigrants in the sense of the
little Malaysian girl I met while having lunch with the Littlest at school
today, nor are they immigrants like the family who just moved with three children
from Mumbai after a lifetime of their father shuttling back and forth between
the US and India.</div>
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No, they’re Americans by passport, birth right, and tangled
genetic history. They look like everyone else here, speak the language without
an accent (well, not much of one anyway), and have flipped the colloquial
switch to say things like soccer and garbage and AWESOME! with very little
effort at all. The Littlest maintains his diversity by proudly telling any and
every one he was born in Ireland but that his brother and sister were born in
Austin.</div>
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The Pledge of Allegiance is something we do at school here.
It’s like learning to tie your shoes; every American child learns it, but no
one can remember how or when. In my experience, it is a singularly American
thing. A few simple words strung together 122 years ago to celebrate
Christopher Columbus’ discovery. There have been a few alterations and
additions (the ‘under God’ part) over the years and questions arise about fealty and
national pride, indoctrination and patriotism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>In Ireland, the Catholic public schools have
the kids learn prayers before eating lunch, and later the catechism for their
Holy Communion and that comes close. French children learn poems and songs
weekly, and La Marseillaise with its armed citizens and impure blood running in
the fields is sung by even the smallest school child.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>My children weren’t
here to learn the pledge and so were at a loss when it came time to stand, hand
over heart, looking at the flag hanging above the bulletin or black board and
recite it. I’d tried a few times to teach it to them while we were away, but
like everything, without context or necessity things don’t stick. Kids won’t
learn to tie their shoes as long as they wear Velcro. </div>
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The first week of school, my little Americans were perplexed
by this uniquely American ritual. ‘What is the thing everyone says?’ ‘How does
it go?’ Now we had context. Paul and I went into pledge mode and recited it in
unison, hands on hearts (me with a typical tear in my eye. What’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wrong </i>with me?).</div>
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Texas ups the ante by throwing in the Texas Pledge right
after and so we all learned that one together too. The Middlest said that he’d
gotten by all that first week by repeating, ‘America, America’ over and over the whole
time and then the same again with ‘Texas, Texas’. My kids are immigrants in
disguise; card-carrying Americans just learning how to fit in and doing an
improvisational, resilient, awesome job of it. </div>
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They all know it now. The Texas one too. Of course they do.</div>
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Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-23306751794304165832014-04-02T09:42:00.003+02:002014-04-02T09:42:51.052+02:00JoleneOne of the reasons my posts have become few and far between is that after four years in France I have let myself become inured to what Quentin Tarantino so aptly called '<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/quotes" target="_blank">the little differences</a>'. I don't notice the mobile butcher that passes through my neighborhood every Friday, stopping in the middle of the street so the carnivorous residents who file out with coin purses and net bags from behind stucco walls can buy their weekend beef.<br />
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I have long since begun to ignore the Nanny Brigade: sexy <i>nounous</i> who push their charges <i>en masse</i> wearing high-heels and kitten heels, mini-skirts and short-shorts, usually sporting multi-hued hair. I forget to notice, to share it with you, to be bothered to snap a surreptitious photo with my phone. (I would have totally done that two years ago.)<br />
<br />
And then, inspiration strikes and something that simply cannot go unnoticed and unremarked upon happens while driving back and forth from either school or the grocery store or Pilates class. I was listening to the radio and Dolly Parton's original version of 'I Will Always Love You' came on. I love Dolly and can't help singing along, so there I was sitting at the red light belting out a very un-Whitneyesque version of eternal love, whispering in parts too, just like Dolly intended. After the song ended and I was well past the red light, tears inexplicably in my eyes, (oh, Dolly how you can write a song!) the DJ echoed my sentiments exactly. He was telling all of us in French radioland how much he loves her, how all her songs make him feel <b>something</b>, how he prefers Dolly's original whispered version of her most tear-jerking love song, and then he really hooked me. He said that his all-time favorite Dolly song was Jolene. I mean, come on! Who doesn't love Jolene? He had me right there, nodding and laughing through the roundabout and up past the boulangerie as he translated the gist of the song. Sharing the Dolly love with all of southern France.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1plvBR02wDs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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'<i>Jolene, tu est tres jolie, plus jolie de moi avec tes yeuxs verts et cheveux longs, mais s'il te plait ne prends pas mon mec. Je l'adore et je ne peux pas trouver un autre. S'il te plait ne prends pas mon mec!' </i>He was into it.<br />
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Let me tell you, hearing a French guy translate Dolly Parton's Jolene is something you just can't ignore. Thank you Mr. DJ. I needed that.<br />
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Go on, listen and enjoy. Everyone can use a little Dolly in their day. Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-13688205942122441232014-03-24T10:38:00.003+01:002014-03-24T10:40:36.071+01:00The Honeymoon, 1998<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I need to explain. This post is an excerpt from a little thing I worked on a couple of years ago. I was trying to put together a memoir, a memento of our marriage and France and how the two go together. We had just moved to France when I started this project, an adjunct of my blog that you've all been so kind and generous to share with me over these four years.</div>
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Lately things have been changing, shifting, and I have been trying to keep up. I continue to spend my time surrounded by words, dreaming up stories and making friends out of thin air; contemplating, reading, piecing bits together and searching, searching, turning the thing around and upside down, looking for the perfect combination. But things happen, time passes. It is important to revisit the past, to read those old words and ideas, to conjure the newness that must be left behind in order to move forward. </div>
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Thank you for indulging me. Back we go...</div>
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The Honeymoon</div>
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Marriage is one of those things I’d never seen done well.
Maybe you’re like me and you haven’t really either. Or then again, maybe you’re
one of those lucky people that I pray my children are among who grew up with
married love all around you, so thick and rich, such a part of you you
never even noticed. </div>
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You can’t really see marriage done well in popular
culture. They usually stop at the marriage part leaving us to believe that love, real love, the kind that can only be built through
years of give and take, excavation and discovery, trial and error and the
shared making of a life, is supposed to magically just happen after we’ve seen
the credits roll or read ‘The End’. </div>
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I confess in all
honesty that while I loved Paul when I said yes, I will marry you, and I loved
him when I nearly bounded down the Texas hill country aisle to him with a smile
plastered a mile wide on my face and a feeling of true bliss and wonder at what
we were doing, I wasn’t really ‘in love’ with him until we’d spent some time
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And so when I say that we fell in love on our honeymoon, it
is true. We are still falling in love, on the good days of this marriage, over fifteen
years later. Falling in love is all of the parts that come after. And it’s the crux of our French story too. The honeymoon is never over. </div>
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We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, numb from exhaustion,
husband and wife for less than 36 hours. Our luggage bumped through the
empty streets of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Meyrargues;</i> the
flutter of a lace curtain, a baby’s cry and the deafening scratch of cicadas our only greeting. I looked over at my new husband and wondered, ‘What in all hell
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Shutters were drawn, the village locked up tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A depressingly gray multi-window apartment block at the
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younger ones, the mosquito whine serrating the quiet of the sleeping Sunday village.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I know why. Nothing happens on Sunday afternoons in
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and starving as I did on the first real day of my marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not bode well. </div>
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I can see her, my 26 year-old self, wrestling with that
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More than fine, you’ll see. You’ll end up falling even more
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afternoon. Who might even flick the lace curtains to see who it could be
passing by, out and about at this hour, and on a Sunday? Eating will become your favorite past time. Reposing behind shutters
closed to the afternoon, your favorite time of day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You
will be utterly besotted. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Don’t worry, I want to tell her.
It will all be more than okay. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(to be continued...) </i></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-58902933508123014382014-03-24T10:38:00.001+01:002014-03-24T10:38:44.421+01:00The Honeymoon, 1998<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I need to explain. This post is an excerpt from a little thing I worked on a couple of years ago. I was trying to put together a memoir, a memento of our marriage and France and how the two go together. We had just moved to France when I started this project, an adjunct of my blog that you've all been so kind and generous to share with me over these four years.</div>
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Lately things have been changing, shifting, and I have been trying to keep up. I continue to spend my time surrounded by words, dreaming up stories and making friends out of thin air; contemplating, reading, piecing bits together and searching, searching, turning the thing around and upside down in search of the perfect combination. But things happen, time passes. And it is important to revisit the past, to read those old words and ideas, to conjure the newness that must be left behind in order to move forward. </div>
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Thank you for indulging me. Back we go...</div>
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The Honeymoon</div>
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Marriage is one of those things I’d never seen done well.
Maybe you’re like me and you haven’t really either. Or then again, maybe you’re
one of those lucky people that I pray my children are among who grew up with
married love all around you, so thick and rich, such a part of you you
never even noticed. </div>
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You can’t really see marriage done well in popular
culture. They usually stop at the marriage part leaving us to believe that love, real love, the kind that can only be built through
years of give and take, excavation and discovery, trial and error and the
shared making of a life, is supposed to magically just happen after we’ve seen
the credits roll or read ‘The End’. </div>
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I confess in all
honesty that while I loved Paul when I said yes, I will marry you, and I loved
him when I nearly bounded down the Texas hill country aisle to him with a smile
plastered a mile wide on my face and a feeling of true bliss and wonder at what
we were doing, I wasn’t really ‘in love’ with him until we’d spent some time
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And so when I say that we fell in love on our honeymoon, it
is true. We are still falling in love, on the good days of this marriage, over fifteen
years later. Falling in love is all of the parts that come after. And it’s the crux of our French story too. The honeymoon is never over. </div>
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We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, numb from exhaustion,
husband and wife for less than 36 hours. Our luggage bumped through the
empty streets of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Meyrargues;</i> the
flutter of a lace curtain, a baby’s cry and the deafening scratch of cicadas our only greeting. I looked over at my new husband and wondered, ‘What in all hell
have I done?’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shutters were drawn, the village locked up tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A depressingly gray multi-window apartment block at the
edge of the village stared blankly. Nothing moved except for a clutch of
adolescent boys wheeling around on bikes. One with a scooter zipped around the
younger ones, the mosquito whine serrating the quiet of the sleeping Sunday village.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I know why. Nothing happens on Sunday afternoons in
tiny southern French villages. People <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">repose </i>after a long lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life quietly plays out behind shuttered
windows and doors. You are seriously SOL if you happen to arrive in a tiny,
French village like say, <i>Meryrargues</i>, jet-lagged, overwhelmed, newly married, over-packed
and starving as I did on the first real day of my marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not bode well. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can see her, my 26 year-old self, wrestling with that
overstuffed suitcase with no fancy wheels or swivel pull handle through that dreary napping village. I want to tell her of the story that will
follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to tell her it will be
fine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More than fine, you’ll see. You’ll end up falling even more
in love. Not just with Paul, but with a country and its way of life. Its food.
You will become one of the people who wouldn’t dream of going out on a Sunday
afternoon. Who might even flick the lace curtains to see who it could be
passing by, out and about at this hour, and on a Sunday? Eating will become your favorite past time. Reposing behind shutters
closed to the afternoon, your favorite time of day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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You
will be utterly besotted. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Don’t worry, I want to tell her.
It will all be more than okay. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(to be continued...) </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-53528883365695778882014-01-30T10:10:00.001+01:002014-01-30T10:10:42.105+01:00Simple Sunday LunchOur lovely French friends, Les Bons Amis, came for lunch last Sunday. We always have a wonderful time with them, speaking Franglish that gets louder and louder and louder...<br />
<br />
When we first moved here, I would fret. I worried over the menu, what to cook for a bona fide French couple who love to entertain and always pull off a long Sunday lunch with aplomb. The first time we had them over, about three years ago now!, I made hamburgers. It was a very messy, very American affair with too many sides and not enough flatware for a French family. They really do not eat things with their hands unless they're children or very relaxed and it's a galette or croissant or something stuck with a bamboo skewer for an ap<span class="st">é</span>ro dinatoire. They certainly would never eat a big old thick and juicy American hamburger with gooey cheese with anything other than a fork and knife. And even then, it wouldn't be pretty. Of course, at McDo, more and more French will pick up a burger and go to town; but someone's house for Sunday lunch is NOT the same as McDo. <i>(Shhh, they love McDonald's.)</i><br />
<i> </i> <br />
Another time, I felt compelled to share something from home so I made cheese enchiladas from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homesick-Texan-Cookbook-Lisa-Fain/dp/1401324266" target="_blank">The Homesick Texan </a>cookbook. (Dang, they're good!) They liked it, but its (mild) spiciness was far different from the cheese dishes they're used to like raclette, aligot, and tartiflette. <br />
<br />
I've gotten the hang of it now though. Last week I crafted a menu that pleased both me and my French friends very much. I followed the rules of nibbly ap<span class="st">é</span>ro, simple starter, main with a starch and one green side, salad, cheese, and then dessert. Of course there was champagne for the ap<span class="st"><em>é</em></span>ro, white wine with the starter, red with the main and then coffee after dessert.<br />
<br />
We talked so long and the children played so well that we indulged in a second dessert of the seasonal galette des rois or king's cake. The traditional galette is a flaky pastry concoction filled with almond paste and baked until golden and puffed. The baker inserts a small figurine called a f<span class="st"><em></em></span><span class="st"><em>è</em></span>ve into the uncooked cake and the person that gets it (hopefully without biting into porcelain or plastic) is the king or queen. He or she gets to wear the golden paper crown that comes with every galette des rois around. The grocery store has a section during this season devoted entirely to galette. You can buy them in various forms: filled with apples, made with brioche dough instead of puff pastry, dotted with crystallized toothsome bits of sugar, studded with candied fruit, or filled with the delicious frangipane or almond paste. They are all delicious. I know this because this January we've tried one of each. For our Sunday lunch, we bought one from our favorite bakery along with four of their delicious and perfectly crusty, doughy baguettes called Petrisane. The Middlest's best friend, Petit Ami, found the <span class="st">f</span><span class="st">è</span>ve and proudly donned the golden paper crown, proclaiming Ma Fille to be his queen.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Galette_des_Rois.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Galette_des_Rois.png" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Galette_des_Rois.png" target="_blank">Galette des Rois, source</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you'd like to have a nice, long Sunday lunch, you can't go wrong with this menu. Try it out on your friends, French or not, and enjoy the compliments. It should be duly noted that Ma Fille made the Raspberry Mousse entirely on her own and it was so delicious that Mme. Bonne Amie requested the recette. <br />
<br />
Simple Sunday Lunch Menu, January<br />
<br />
Ap<span class="st">é</span>ro of crispy potato chips, dried fruit, and nuts, accompanied with proper fizzy Champagne<br />
White Bean and Rosemary Soup <br />
Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Potato Gratin and French Green Bean Salad <br />
Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette<br />
Three Cheeses: One each of hard, soft, spiced or Bleu<br />
Raspberry Mousse with Whipped Cream<br />
Wait, talk, laugh, repeat....<br />
Galette des Rois <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rosemary-white-bean-soup-recipe.html" target="_blank">White Bean and Rosemary Soup (Barefoot Contessa)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe.html" target="_blank">Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin (Barefoot Contessa) </a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/good-old-french-bean-salad" target="_blank">French Green Bean Salad (Jamie Oliver)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/magazine/recipes-view.php?title=blackberry-mousse-with-vanilla-cream" target="_blank">Raspberry Mousse, adapted from Blackberry Mousse from Jamie Oliver January issue</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-71118270902125475172014-01-17T11:00:00.000+01:002014-01-17T11:00:39.638+01:00Tomber dans les PommesTomber dans les pommes. It's a playful expression that brings to mind young blonde maidens and curly-headed breeches-wearing shepherds laughing and blushing under apple trees in a hillside orchard, tumbling, tumbling. Falling into the apples.<br />
<br />
I learned this expression this week, and from Ma Fille. We were at the doctor's office and this was her way of explaining that when she stood up that morning she nearly fainted. 'Je suis presque tomb<span class="st">é</span><span class="st">e</span> dans les pommes.' Presque. Also one of my favorite words.<br />
<br />
All of this falling into apples and mentally cavorting in orchards was the result of one Mademoiselle Gripette. Our doctor described it as such, nothing more than la gripette, just a small flu, not to worry. Unfortunately, the mademoiselle made way for her bitchy older sister, La Grippe, and she found an in, just the tiniest twinkling of weakness in me, brought on, no doubt, by dancing until dawn in Aix-en-Provence the Saturday before. Naturally, this horrible thing is feminine, as are most destructive, chaotic, bring-you-to-your-knees words in French.<br />
And so, Ma Fille and I spent the week together, holding hands through the <span class="st">tempête</span> (f.), dozing and trying to loosen her grip.<br />
<br />
As I began to emerge from the aniseed-flavored medicine haze (all the medicine tastes like Pastis, why?) I craved purification, a detox. Something to flush it all away so I could face life anew, blinking, fresh from the cave. Thankfully, I didn't have to look far to find a recipe for detox tea last night that seems to be the perfect flu and its medicine hangover buster. And even better, (because there was no way I would have been able to to ask P to go to the store for cloves at 10pm) everything I needed was in the pantry: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cayenne, turmeric, honey and lemon juice. It's not actual tea, more of what the French like to call a tisane. They drink tisanes after meals, when they feel ill, have overeaten, need to sleep, to fight a bloated feeling, have tired ankles or generally need a little bien-<span class="st">ê</span>tre. I'm all for bien-<span class="st">ê</span>tre. Bien-<span class="st">ê</span>tre, all around!<br />
<br />
Of course you don't have to be wrestling with a virale (f.) <span class="st">sorcière (f.) </span>to enjoy it. It would be great on any cold weather day. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/flu-fighting-tea/" target="_blank">Flu Detox Tea (Thanks for the recette Tara)</a><br />
<br />
The recipe is at the link above, but as usual, I didn't get all follow-y, rather simply boiled the kettle, squeezed in some lemon, shook in the spices, (use the cayenne, it is a miracle) and then spooned in a bit of honey from friendly French bees (f.). That's something.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLStoAf37TF90dGgZOJa3yDJhyphenhyphenriQAGhgd_mLNyVF7y2Ph8A_28AUOy5AcnTNdI95O-cc-43aKYZa3arh7db9pQ3X6xk5EwgZbzOH2UmwFkfBveuWNS0fPiNENCsGRG4QtkFq26Wv3Bi4s/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLStoAf37TF90dGgZOJa3yDJhyphenhyphenriQAGhgd_mLNyVF7y2Ph8A_28AUOy5AcnTNdI95O-cc-43aKYZa3arh7db9pQ3X6xk5EwgZbzOH2UmwFkfBveuWNS0fPiNENCsGRG4QtkFq26Wv3Bi4s/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{that number may explain why dancing til dawn let me down}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here's very sincerely hoping that you and yours remain well over this winter season. Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-82294942104833531192014-01-06T15:37:00.005+01:002014-01-06T15:37:51.365+01:00Bonne Année2014 has a nice ring to it.<br />
<br />
I have to say that there was something not so bloggy about the last year, the one that's over, the one that has been unrung and ended with a 13. I did like it though. I got a lot done. But it sort of flew by in a way that, quite frankly, makes me a little nervous. My goal is to hang on tight to this one and ride it for all it's worth like the cowboys from my East Texas hometown. But, I digress.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_N_QAzlDzNqqXEpqCR8gVAHymZ2qgeOICviwdBNF_LF0UfmCCeOcU8udU7XnQwe0lq3yDJcrDaNVlO7AHSC2yeD-XTszWyePQDN7Ryw6hrgsDj_ZGHtibHON0AXyB7EJc6HNXZqRFPHC/s1600/IMG_2529+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_N_QAzlDzNqqXEpqCR8gVAHymZ2qgeOICviwdBNF_LF0UfmCCeOcU8udU7XnQwe0lq3yDJcrDaNVlO7AHSC2yeD-XTszWyePQDN7Ryw6hrgsDj_ZGHtibHON0AXyB7EJc6HNXZqRFPHC/s1600/IMG_2529+(Small).JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
One of the things that kept me away from blogging life was that (insert drum roll like in Christmas Vacation when Clark tries to plug in all his twinkly lights) I wrote a book. A manuscript. Women's Fiction novel. Whatever you'd like to call it, feel free. I spent the better part of the year wrapped up in someone else's life. Making new friends (in my mind...) and orchestrating delicious meals, complicated scenarios, make-out sessions and difficult decisions. It was fun. And a lot less boring and lonely than just staying put in the real world all the time.<br />
<br />
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I have it spit-shined and polished and it has been shared with friends and strangers alike. I have joyfully ridden the finding a literary agent roller coaster. I'm still on it and am very grateful to have a few lovely agents reading it in full now. It is incredible to know that my imaginings, painstakingly strung together words, and wake-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night ideas are being decided upon somewhere over there in North America. Thrilling! But, while I wait patiently for the feedback and possibilities of grand and wonderful opportunities, I have to keep on going. Eating more French food, feeding my family with flights of fancy combinations, learning to speak and understand the most beautiful language of all, and well, writing another book.<br />
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I've started putting new words together today. If you'll allow me, I will update weekly on my progress. But I will also share some more recipes, a few stories of family travel, maybe a thing or two about the beautiful snow-nosed Clementine, and any inappropriate things I inadvertently say to all of the French people around me.<br />
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Welcome 2014, come this way. I'm here with open arms. <br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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Aidan xoAidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-16131137178888149552013-09-12T16:28:00.002+02:002013-09-12T16:28:15.115+02:00Au Revoir Summer of 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{scuba kids}</td></tr>
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It's chilly in the Sud today and all I have to keep me warm are memories of summer.They've been all packed up and stowed away as we go about the crazy all-over-the-place business of '<i>la rentr<span class="st"><em>é</em></span>e</i>'. P-Daddy called it the 'summer of us'. Us, because he worked from home every single day, usually <i>sans</i> shirt, and just about drove me crazy. (Not really. It's nice to have him here.) <br />
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We stayed nearby and had a great time on the terrace with the visiting P-Quax and then we headed to <a href="http://www.ot-lelavandou.fr/" target="_blank">Le Lavandou</a> courtesy of a very brave and generous Viking, <i>Mme. Plongeur.</i>We sat on the terrace overlooking the bay of Le Lavandou and sighed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Ahhhh....}</td></tr>
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We drank the most expensive pink wine in France (well, maybe not the most expensive but it wasn't <i>pas cher</i>) from <i><a href="http://www.chateau-de-bregancon.fr/fr/" target="_blank">Ch</a></i><i><a href="http://www.chateau-de-bregancon.fr/fr/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">â</span>teau de Br<span class="st"><em>é</em></span>gan<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ç</span>on</a></i>, a beautiful vineyard along the Mediterranean Sea just a stone's throw from the Presidential summer digs of the <i><a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_de_Br%C3%A9gan%C3%A7on" target="_blank">Fort de Br<span class="st"><em>é</em></span>gan<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">ç</span>on</a></i>. A local in <a href="http://www.bormeslesmimosas.com/" target="_blank">Bormes-les-Mimosas</a> told us that <a href="http://lci.tf1.fr/politique/pourquoi-hollande-a-choisi-la-lanterne-pour-ses-vacances-l-explication-8245171.html" target="_blank">Holland doesn't really like</a> the house and Sarkozy only used it a few times. Chirac was the real beach bum, regularly spending <i>les vacances chez Fort</i>. I can just picture him sunbathing to a savage crisp on a Tunisian throw.<br />
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P-Daddy and the big kids spent an afternoon on a diver's discovery, wetsuits, oxygen tanks and all, plunging 10 meters around the rocks between two of Le Lavandou's offshore islands, Port Cros and <span>Porquerolles</span>.<br />
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We watched fireworks from the comfort of the hillside terrace (twice!) and clapped and cheered along with our unseen neighbors and honking boats in the harbor.<br />
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The Littlest and I spent an afternoon watching endless games of <a href="http://www.ot-lelavandou.fr/sports-loisirs/la-petanque/" target="_blank"><i>p</i></a><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"><span class="st"><em>é</em></span></a>tanque</i>. We ate ice cream every afternoon<i> </i>and surveyed the village from a Ferris wheel. 'I love this place,' he exclaimed as we spun at dizzying heights. That and 'I need a little break' as we climbed the mountain back up to said hillside beach house.<br />
Bestie K even came for her requisite four day visit, this time taking in Helsinki airport along the way. Grass doesn't grow under her feet. And boy, do I love her for it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Bestie K in Bormes-les-Mimosas}</td></tr>
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Birthdays and barbecues (sausage galore!), ice cream and gin and tonic, string bikinis and boobie gawking, snorkeling and diving; not too bad for the summer of 2013.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{going native}</td></tr>
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I hope you have a box full of memories from yours too. Take it out when it gets chilly and dark and bask in the summer glow of its warmth.<br />
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<i>Bisous <span class="st">à</span> tous...</i> Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-20649918235070096282013-06-10T14:45:00.000+02:002013-06-10T14:45:02.290+02:00Quick Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ice Cream This post is for Michel of <a href="https://sablethouse.com/" target="_blank">Sablet House,</a> a regular commenter and official new friend. It all started when I lamented the dearth of BIG jars of peanut butter chez France. Thank you, thank you <a href="http://sablethouse.blogspot.fr/" target="_blank">Michel and Shirley</a>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img4.cookinglight.com/i/2009/12/0912p66-peanut-butter-x.jpg?500:500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img4.cookinglight.com/i/2009/12/0912p66-peanut-butter-x.jpg?500:500" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://cookinglight.com/">cookinglight.com</a>}</td></tr>
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If you're not an American, and maybe even if you are, you may not get this PB love. But P-Daddy seriously loves it. And as a consequence, maybe of its unicorn-horn scarcity, so do the kids. They also love the sometimes bag of crunchy, finger caking Cheetos sent by the Beau-Parents. If we lived at home, maybe we wouldn't crave these things. Maybe we wouldn't even notice. Another example of my you-always-want-what-you-can't-have consumer envy comes from the advertisements in my American magazines. They make me want to try things. They might do it to you too, only you can simply head over to Target and get yourself some spray-on lotion if you fancy it. And fancy it, I did. I can't say why, other than it sounded cool, a fun time saver. I digress, but this is to show you how we miss certain American things.<br />
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Back to the Peanut Butter. Michel and his lovely wife Shirley thought to bring me some, carrying two super sized jars of it in their luggage from California to France. We met yesterday to do the drop off. They are the sweetest people and I am thankful to have met them, am happy to know people from all over with all their varied and interesting histories and lives, glancing off mine and making it fuller.<br />
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As soon as I got home with the loot, slices of bread went into the toaster. The butter knife thick with creamy peanut butter, we slathered it recklessly on warm toast and varnished it with a top coat of creamy honey. The Littlest likes sliced bananas on top of his. We ate it happily, greedily, oohs of gratitude for Michel and Shirley coming from our sticky mouths.<br />
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The feast or famine mentality has hit. I hid one of the jars and will ration it when the time comes, but for now we are indulging. Last night, after the kids were in bed, I remembered a recipe that I found the last time we had big jars of PB. It is so simple, yet so good. (I can't remember where I found it, even tried to find it again so I could share the link. Maybe I imagined seeing it, I don't know.)<br />
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I whipped it up and P-Daddy and I spooned it in, umming and licking our lips in clandestine enjoyment of this special treat. I will make it for the kids, too. Of course I will. And I am also sharing it with you.<br />
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Quick Peanut Butter & Chocolate 'Ice Cream'<br />
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jar of creamy or crunchy peanut butter<br />
your favorite chocolate ice cream<br />
individual glass cups or small single serving bowls (you know how<a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2010/12/une-etoile-for-chaque-frere-or-star-for.html" target="_blank"> the French</a> love to serve things in these little jars? what's happening to me?!)<br />
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Then, all you do is scoop a round ball of chocolate ice cream (we like dark) into the cup and cover with two tablespoons of peanut butter. Kind of spread it over the chocolate making a pretty layered icing with it. Then, cover right on the pb with a disk of parchment paper so it won't get all freezer funky and put the cups in the freezer. Wait as long as you can for the pb to get cold and then eat it while your kids are in bed, surreptitiously sneaking a bit of grown-up happiness undisturbed.<br />
<br />Or you can make as many as you like and serve them to everyone for dessert. You're probably better at sharing than me.<br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-85928221801006144812013-06-06T19:19:00.000+02:002013-06-06T19:19:31.415+02:00D-Day Remembered, Omaha Beach & American Cemetery <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-79214760861251443782013-05-25T11:47:00.001+02:002013-05-28T10:32:11.456+02:00Chateau de Montferrand and Pic St Loup à PiedWe've been on an adventurous kick. Hiking and biking and <i>randon<span class="st"><i>é</i></span>e-</i>ing all over the place. The kids humor us. The Littlest sings, 'It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and ro-oh-ohl.'<br />
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I make picnic lunches that sometimes include wine.<br />
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We have Stephanie to thank for lighting the spark, reminding us how much free fun is out there. She was our guide to the top of a garrigue covered colline and the medieval ruins of <a href="http://jean-francois.mangin.pagesperso-orange.fr/capetiens/fenetres_filles/chateau_montferrand.htm" target="_blank">Chateau de Montferrand</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Chateau de Montferrand}</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01qL5P-h2SC_5I9Pn5cEZlftXNEsD-TWepVdTXBrotxK1aOkqd1CcwrtijPbZUDoWV9JjescFyBa-vn9dW6ZHI7Ggp-8YL3Oig3ufOlbObBshyphenhyphen3_SMRhn9p6fC9_F0o71oaPPMeHICfly/s1600/IMG_1285+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01qL5P-h2SC_5I9Pn5cEZlftXNEsD-TWepVdTXBrotxK1aOkqd1CcwrtijPbZUDoWV9JjescFyBa-vn9dW6ZHI7Ggp-8YL3Oig3ufOlbObBshyphenhyphen3_SMRhn9p6fC9_F0o71oaPPMeHICfly/s1600/IMG_1285+(Small).JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{lunch with Stephanie}</td></tr>
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After that success,we decided there was no stopping us. Not even a pair of 4-year old legs. They are actually quite sturdy. <br />
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We took off. Armed with a picnic and hearts full of vim and vigor, to the top of Pic St Loup. It's a craggy clump of mountain covered in wild thyme, scrub oak and pistachio trees. There was even black lichen. Have you ever seen black lichen?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Pic St Loup peeking through}</td></tr>
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Pic St Loup is a constant presence in the H<span class="st">é</span>rault. Sitting firmly to the left of Montpellier, its ridged back ending in a finger point surrounded by vineyards.It was named after Thieri Loup, the oldest of three brothers, all in love with the same girl, Bertrand. She died while they were off battling in the Crusades, having never chosen her favorite of the Loup brothers. Each Loup, heartbroken and bereft, took up residence on three different peaks in the region.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO37i4WsigXtiAwTFBcewk6yYuR8gOLLy109YT_K-nS3_6wMvRjXf1oHLxAZcP1sjtE1MMV7VdOYOGBzs_GJuzorCSq33wAcUhMEyJR5HInbqN8elbWe4-eneWXNBb0qoKjE-egKdHai6X/s1600/IMG_1279+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO37i4WsigXtiAwTFBcewk6yYuR8gOLLy109YT_K-nS3_6wMvRjXf1oHLxAZcP1sjtE1MMV7VdOYOGBzs_GJuzorCSq33wAcUhMEyJR5HInbqN8elbWe4-eneWXNBb0qoKjE-egKdHai6X/s1600/IMG_1279+(Small).JPG" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.pic-saint-loup.com/pic-saint-loup-decouvrir-gb.php" target="_blank">Pic St Loup wines</a> have become quite popular in recent years thanks to vineyards like <a href="http://www.puech-haut.com/page.aspx?id=9&url=fr/actualites/news" target="_blank">Puech Haut</a> and neighboring <a href="http://www.vignobles-orliac.com/en/" target="_blank">l'Hortus</a>, he of the dancing man on <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2012/04/bon-weekend.html" target="_blank">my favorite </a><i><a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2012/04/bon-weekend.html" target="_blank">ros</a><span class="st"><i><a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2012/04/bon-weekend.html" target="_blank">é</a>. </i></span></i><br />
<i><span class="st"><i><br /></i></span></i>
<span class="st">The best place to start your hike is at the edge of the small village, <a href="http://www.escapadeslr.com/randonnees-l-ermitage-du-pic-saint-loup-cazevieille-herault-114.html" target="_blank">Cazevieille</a>. There's a parking area there with picnic tables. When we went there were groups of families set up for the day, playing <i>p</i></span><span class="st"><i><span class="st"><i>é</i></span>tanque</i> and swinging in staked hammocks. To the top and back is 6 kilometers. It took us, with the Littlest's sturdy legs and a bit of scrabbling near the top, around two and a half hours, give or take.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWF6hN4DsVGSKRbWtiLNHppFWNWcc_HR5TuxUtVtWJE3LNZ77NDvsoKKOWypK2iXb_upKICKwwJaEuyVrCObnYLsEV2_Lls1T2sDUyK2BWKwGMnuyiQnncMRLpizIg2EmxIAyf_KTZPkL/s1600/IMG_1378+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWF6hN4DsVGSKRbWtiLNHppFWNWcc_HR5TuxUtVtWJE3LNZ77NDvsoKKOWypK2iXb_upKICKwwJaEuyVrCObnYLsEV2_Lls1T2sDUyK2BWKwGMnuyiQnncMRLpizIg2EmxIAyf_KTZPkL/s1600/IMG_1378+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="st"></span>Getting to the top <i>is</i> the fun part. (Repeat this mantra to your pre-ado daughter all the way up.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN2qLZzKquja2-DxNYsw2nVNqol8tpkKZMcn4zMNKjrnYmfuJyKJnyILIA0O8Tqyn-PEW7P8EFLRO-agSBa-RbDco9QNuXmXEoRRfEeDTjlN4BC9NUIIMbEVGX0piPmF1-mF-5Wy-G1zN/s1600/IMG_1380+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRN2qLZzKquja2-DxNYsw2nVNqol8tpkKZMcn4zMNKjrnYmfuJyKJnyILIA0O8Tqyn-PEW7P8EFLRO-agSBa-RbDco9QNuXmXEoRRfEeDTjlN4BC9NUIIMbEVGX0piPmF1-mF-5Wy-G1zN/s1600/IMG_1380+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="st">The terrain is mostly small rocks and an easy incline under shade until the middle when you break out and can see the vineyards below and out to the Med. Then, you're back under oaks and pistachios, ready for the hairpin climb to the top.There's a ruined chapel turned makeshift memorial where people leave trinkets and messages to loved ones as well as a guest book to prove you hiked to the top. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{leaving proof}</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00ciYwthuMBfJFVyO-gCgVIJ9TVRxDHgzJl6JarxEUhUm9imkUwahe4fOWceQ13BaZV1_AJ_kAqmkoD2QlHMy14VMmx-4IiUMEemjZJOI6Wq9LElAEl4h9s03izIYC-FkIay_Pi3-sYR8/s1600/IMG_1395+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00ciYwthuMBfJFVyO-gCgVIJ9TVRxDHgzJl6JarxEUhUm9imkUwahe4fOWceQ13BaZV1_AJ_kAqmkoD2QlHMy14VMmx-4IiUMEemjZJOI6Wq9LElAEl4h9s03izIYC-FkIay_Pi3-sYR8/s1600/IMG_1395+(Small).JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="st">On the ridge, the views are breath-taking, the sheer drops nauseating. There is no guardrail or barrier of any kind.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6F3HSXI5cOWYW-krCR2hLF4xBVxAXhezDguhjjC8fD-d6n2lOWJZZBChq7ttF-oQDMavQ6bs9hVthZZdu3kBR23wGR13pTdAmxGHJ1raboPXhyphenhyphenXNUrxdRaOj1wvWHSOJmH8Tym5pX2oKP/s1600/IMG_1389+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6F3HSXI5cOWYW-krCR2hLF4xBVxAXhezDguhjjC8fD-d6n2lOWJZZBChq7ttF-oQDMavQ6bs9hVthZZdu3kBR23wGR13pTdAmxGHJ1raboPXhyphenhyphenXNUrxdRaOj1wvWHSOJmH8Tym5pX2oKP/s1600/IMG_1389+(Small).JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{nauseating. he's delighted}</td></tr>
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<span class="st">I was holding onto my people for dear life and kept thinking of that scene in Auntie Mame when Beau yodeled off the side of the Alps. There was a woman much braver than me lotus-posed on a rock, looking off to the horizon.</span><br />
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<span class="st">It made me want to hurl. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQY3_fJbVSzFMHGriFKhnAStHX-nfGHqu110sH7HgXsLAEqCy5v1z2NrbSPrCGUSG_DmnI-9VpVX2yYMSRcrIx75dWaNzUiiPO9MBF87z80vmL9SSbDFv6XqOP4zTv1KZjX4rxrKl8ldc/s1600/IMG_1385+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQY3_fJbVSzFMHGriFKhnAStHX-nfGHqu110sH7HgXsLAEqCy5v1z2NrbSPrCGUSG_DmnI-9VpVX2yYMSRcrIx75dWaNzUiiPO9MBF87z80vmL9SSbDFv6XqOP4zTv1KZjX4rxrKl8ldc/s1600/IMG_1385+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{look how I'm holding on}</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaxu5ru1HisnkTx_lSblAjjv8SpBCTSaZQG_IZJ2A_n3BEMGyOBcr2QUawb5tyxclMA0HSFz9cSn6CopRPxy78WVITaxi9EwaWQ0cJyjt3VtgPD7h317UjwNfkpMgJgvTCS2BaFjSPAvW/s1600/IMG_1391+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaxu5ru1HisnkTx_lSblAjjv8SpBCTSaZQG_IZJ2A_n3BEMGyOBcr2QUawb5tyxclMA0HSFz9cSn6CopRPxy78WVITaxi9EwaWQ0cJyjt3VtgPD7h317UjwNfkpMgJgvTCS2BaFjSPAvW/s1600/IMG_1391+(Small)+-+Copy.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{spectacular}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="st">For some reason the kids started speaking French on the way down and I noticed something interesting. They don't whine in French. The Middlest tells jokes and makes French puns. Something about boobies playing off the word 'St' in Pic St Loup. Ma Fille actually laughs at his jokes and calls him names, 'minus' for example, which don't seem to be as insulting outside of English. 'Hey, Minus!' See. No biggie.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Like my <a href="http://www.midilibre.fr/herault/montpellier/" target="_blank">Midi-Libre</a> randonn</span><span class="st"><span class="st">é</span>e edition says, <i>'Le Pic Saint-Loup, mille fois vu et sans cessse red</i></span><span class="st"><i><span class="st">é</span>couvert.' </i> </span><br />
<span class="st"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr-dMicCOg7URVHSAYCzFG_zXGnveCDUbpyXrcrBA-y0jrm9ABlVZ3Wm8pmEky5zo1hqth8iYsFg5ipswI4Ekg8lkHYCLTjKURUGiXfxAMnQkupSa7jXWeJm9L6HqRmriqX76EAIMm7Tw/s1600/IMG_1388+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOr-dMicCOg7URVHSAYCzFG_zXGnveCDUbpyXrcrBA-y0jrm9ABlVZ3Wm8pmEky5zo1hqth8iYsFg5ipswI4Ekg8lkHYCLTjKURUGiXfxAMnQkupSa7jXWeJm9L6HqRmriqX76EAIMm7Tw/s1600/IMG_1388+(Small).JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Littlest looks wrecked, I look crazed, Big Kids look great}</td></tr>
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</span><br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-44611748774123216732013-05-10T18:08:00.000+02:002013-05-10T18:08:04.935+02:00Hooray, Hooray, the Month of May!My friend Rachel, aka Ms Butt Bumper, taught me a saying. She learned it from her septuagenarian mother-in-law. It goes like this: 'Hooray, hooray, the month of May! Outdoor f***ing starts today!'<br />
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She's from Vermont. I think they go a bit loola up there when the snow stops falling.<br />
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I do love it though, I do. Don't you?<br />
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May in France is especially perfect for this saying thanks to all the extra outdoor time they give you in the form of school and national holidays. There are so many bridges (<a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2011/06/how-to-make-bridge-french-stylee.html" target="_blank">see this post</a>) in France this May that we go, no lie, the entire month without a regular work or school week. That's a lot of kids and P-Daddy. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtnu2cNgW085Buxq2oJZPsILQV9zu_FXVdM2UR_srCVMH_ykDa4kHXhIWzHwdgGpQ49yH5hlA_OrHTK1Wjmjymfbqdd31O2pa25eAaSN-JoX81yk1l3D0p1T7pHsUdrGj-gz9jvLJC0Au/s1600/285697_3372452826178_25287130_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtnu2cNgW085Buxq2oJZPsILQV9zu_FXVdM2UR_srCVMH_ykDa4kHXhIWzHwdgGpQ49yH5hlA_OrHTK1Wjmjymfbqdd31O2pa25eAaSN-JoX81yk1l3D0p1T7pHsUdrGj-gz9jvLJC0Au/s320/285697_3372452826178_25287130_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{happy birthday Clementine}</td></tr>
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Other wonderful May things to consider: birthdays, lilacs, strawberries, asparagus, temperate weather (a-hem), <a href="http://www.frenchvillagediaries.com/2013/05/silent-sunday.html" target="_blank">naked gardening </a>(here's to you <a href="https://twitter.com/loubille" target="_blank">Jacquie</a>), pink wine, hiking, cycling, anniversaries, first swims of the season, painted toenails, and sunshine.<br />
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I love May. We begin to relax, warm up, slow 'er down. Yep, it's pretty much perfect.<br />
And as the saying goes....<br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-54875659124825717502013-04-26T12:33:00.001+02:002013-04-26T13:10:41.473+02:00Confiserie Auzier Chabernac Thank you blog, thank you.<br />
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Just had to get that out there. My thanks are for the people I meet via this blip in the ether some of you are so kind to visit and comment on regularly. Some of you, I only know virtually, but even so, my life is richer for your acquaintance. Others, I get to meet in person and that's always fun.<br />
<br />
And so I thank you blog for introducing me to St<span class="st">ép</span>hanie, a beautiful, feisty French woman with perfect English in an impeccable American accent. St<span class="st">é</span>phanie lives in the US, but is visiting home, which just happens to be a small suburb of Montpellier. And while she's here we decided it was time to meet for a coffee. So we did. And, no surprise, we liked each other just as much in person as we do on the page.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMjsPMWmVLmIWsxHzIKYdevwLOaMNYm346SDY2V-fuHoLnjyc6ZVn2IM15mF6Gm2mS9FYNwsVlUihi2xRFMGcjDjb86nQjP9j3UQrjXGvtDRm1RIHn2evQCx-YMvRlsdJInz-s6UjIqZ_/s1600/136+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMjsPMWmVLmIWsxHzIKYdevwLOaMNYm346SDY2V-fuHoLnjyc6ZVn2IM15mF6Gm2mS9FYNwsVlUihi2xRFMGcjDjb86nQjP9j3UQrjXGvtDRm1RIHn2evQCx-YMvRlsdJInz-s6UjIqZ_/s640/136+(Small).JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{St<span class="st">é</span>phanie, with her bag of goodies}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After our first coffee meeting, she invited me and the Littlest on a trip to the candy store, <a href="http://www.auzier-chabernac.com/fr/entreprise-historique-p2.html" target="_blank">Auzier Chabernac</a>. This particular candy store specializes in vanilla licorice, which St<span class="st">é</span>phanie loves. They also make sugared almonds or drag<span class="st">é</span>es in beautiful colors. I have to admit I did some Littlest bribing before our outing. Candy is a powerful enticement.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp5C1QEVrr-t4Jr_HZwjW8G54nD6dC8Zh-dzuRTWYMVnFET8jUHLjXPvilPY_KMAvEEzl7NXIJDS-4VhEVrdNUCyKEgVEIufi5g0yDymrcOap-S9G0dNG2coJVKfDVGSLv4IkwUphxc5i/s1600/130+(Small)+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHp5C1QEVrr-t4Jr_HZwjW8G54nD6dC8Zh-dzuRTWYMVnFET8jUHLjXPvilPY_KMAvEEzl7NXIJDS-4VhEVrdNUCyKEgVEIufi5g0yDymrcOap-S9G0dNG2coJVKfDVGSLv4IkwUphxc5i/s640/130+(Small)+(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{drag<span class="st">é</span>es in assorted colors}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They let us taste the varieties of almonds, from the upscale and more expensive Sicilian Avola almond to the basic flat Spanish almond, all covered in candied sugar. They also have sugared hazelnuts and candied nougatine, which I bought in combination, not only for their nutty, sweetness but also for the pretty color combination of white and cream.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuxLO5ZiRkxNX7p1UKieAmDPcEYJ8mwLX-HLpbCrZOAyyGoVXJao5jS5CC5DQ2qtWfd0q58WnsT2SGvUn6iNRZ7zVPyS-oKOzrT7W7O0FZBkGJBlOv7DDSYd5zMx3s7WKo89IYlFMpJwT/s1600/138+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuxLO5ZiRkxNX7p1UKieAmDPcEYJ8mwLX-HLpbCrZOAyyGoVXJao5jS5CC5DQ2qtWfd0q58WnsT2SGvUn6iNRZ7zVPyS-oKOzrT7W7O0FZBkGJBlOv7DDSYd5zMx3s7WKo89IYlFMpJwT/s400/138+(Small).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{Littlest with our loot}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMR9RpWTEf6mCsw6XgHJkxMwkH7CtVRb2OEeFwUj6AGLOM5Jzhkit2t-0HCdQfs6EHTgCjx2FA5b9h1wxIB_KNKEHjZKYo36nyeBhOa4bbuhnrbsqvY07pWaY3SeiG8VJSMP6qmhy0N5MA/s1600/131+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMR9RpWTEf6mCsw6XgHJkxMwkH7CtVRb2OEeFwUj6AGLOM5Jzhkit2t-0HCdQfs6EHTgCjx2FA5b9h1wxIB_KNKEHjZKYo36nyeBhOa4bbuhnrbsqvY07pWaY3SeiG8VJSMP6qmhy0N5MA/s640/131+(Small).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The Littlest fell for a mixture of sugared, chocolate covered fruit
candies in a combo of five flavors: lime, coconut, cherry, mandarin, and
banana. You can see them bottom left next to the exotique blend that were the most expensive thing at 40 euros/kilo. <br />
<br />
The candy is sold by the kilogram and so can mix and match to your heart's content. They had packages for baby showers and weddings and we waited for a bit while two large orders were being filled for parties. My sister Kate over in Arkansas asked me to fill an order for the grand opening of her design store, <a href="http://www.freshfrenchhome.com/" target="_blank">Fresh French Home. </a>(She saw me sneaking nibbles from my candy bag while we were on FaceTime.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tWw_DSc7T3MzCLCwXCgmlJBCkPYgF9h2SmHDHWR9Mv6JzoNVa9GW2MTticDyzYTfbcQRcQdjkYYhemzIgmNjKptIpJnMgLMDaofMiZEE7q1HGHMXB5vcHjA2xKcOT3DuNa5aPtohOznY/s1600/135+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tWw_DSc7T3MzCLCwXCgmlJBCkPYgF9h2SmHDHWR9Mv6JzoNVa9GW2MTticDyzYTfbcQRcQdjkYYhemzIgmNjKptIpJnMgLMDaofMiZEE7q1HGHMXB5vcHjA2xKcOT3DuNa5aPtohOznY/s640/135+(Small).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can visit the store in <a href="http://www.auzier-chabernac.com/fr/contact-magasin-montpellier-p17.html" target="_blank">Montpellier</a> centre ville or head out to the factory store in <a href="http://www.auzier-chabernac.com/fr/contact-magasin-st-gely-du-fesc-p8.html" target="_blank">Saint-Gély-du-Fesc</a> like we did and get a good deal on factory cast-offs of honey licorice and sugared fruit gums that weren't pretty enough to make it into the boutique in town. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGS5-zQXLu_q1FR5y4EktrmxrNa8HUbUHeFNAll-AOCQMQu2TWE4CSciR0guJ_Xwuemc9onavxOeczofCt2vtXjJbIjyx2iWf3rptAF7_LlJNK3A7whZUPuNCQl-KnhiQ7iuXiA7iONGQ/s1600/137+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGS5-zQXLu_q1FR5y4EktrmxrNa8HUbUHeFNAll-AOCQMQu2TWE4CSciR0guJ_Xwuemc9onavxOeczofCt2vtXjJbIjyx2iWf3rptAF7_LlJNK3A7whZUPuNCQl-KnhiQ7iuXiA7iONGQ/s400/137+(Small).JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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How can you not enjoy an outing to the candy store? Thanks again, St<span class="st">éphanie. Tu est belle!</span><br />
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<span class="st"> </span> <br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-70779832696401829252013-04-17T18:43:00.000+02:002013-04-17T18:43:55.522+02:00Chocolate Chicken Boobies + Yummy Brownies It's been chocolate city around here lately. The French would say that I have a family of <i>gourmands</i>.<br />
That just means that all my people really like sweets in general and chocolate specifically. Me, I can take it or leave it. Chocolate that is. But show me a tarte au citron and I'm a glutton.<br />
<br />
Do you remember my neighborhood boulangerie? I talk about it often. It even got a valuable minute or so on our House Hunters International episode. If you saw it you'll remember the patisserie and chocolate; the glass case filled with delicate nibbles of airy meringues, pink marzipan piggies, and diminutive chocolate tarts with whipped cream crowns.<br />
<br />
You may recall too, that they do a lottery for a gigantic chocolate sculpture at Easter. If not, you can read about it<a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2012/04/french-easter-traditions-tombola-de.html" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br />
<br />
This year was different in that they had two chocolate prizes to win.<br />
<br />
First Prize was a BIG chocolate mama chicken surrounded by adorable chocolate baby chicks in yellow fondant hats and cardigans with sugar pearls for lace trim and buttons. Sweet.<br />
Second Prize was a smaller (but still over a foot tall) chicken, with a big head and a round belly covered in a pink fondant bustier with fondant ties just barely covering two chocolate chicken boobies stuck right on the front, practically bursting off the coquettish chick's chest. I have to tell you that every time we went into the boulangerie for bread, the Littlest had to be coaxed out in a hypnotic state, mesmerized by sugary boobies.<br />
<br />
So, we bought our square in the tombola or lottery this Easter, like we've done for the past two. And then we bought an extra square, just because.<br />
<br />
You know what's coming, right?<br />
<br />
That's right, baby! Lucky number 51, cinquante et un! We won the bustiered, boobied chocolate chick.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYkRPb-6cGWQqkSgkg3HlaUx3NA7uFq36CzfJGggmprxtwliBBwJ_FS046jeeLxOWW9A4h40mc3CiHsctxsFEvGdFmrTL46zedqoaVoVdbt5_i6qRswdOtt1miXY04fzYJDw33RTfhURt/s1600/525189_4714696621434_90594833_n+(Small).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYkRPb-6cGWQqkSgkg3HlaUx3NA7uFq36CzfJGggmprxtwliBBwJ_FS046jeeLxOWW9A4h40mc3CiHsctxsFEvGdFmrTL46zedqoaVoVdbt5_i6qRswdOtt1miXY04fzYJDw33RTfhURt/s640/525189_4714696621434_90594833_n+(Small).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{see, i wasn't lying about the bustier!}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You can't imagine the hysteria that ensued. Everyone was in a frenzy of chocolate bliss, like the scene at the end of Chocolat when the ascetic Paul finally succumbs to chocolate temptation and gorges himself, weeping in cocoa laden ecstasy inside the chocolatier window.<br />
<br />
The boobies were the first to go.<br />
<br />
And, because I'm in a sharing mood, we have found the best ever brownie recipe that must not be made now that the weather has turned nice and it will be too warm for anything but a swimsuit soon. They're aptly named, Mmm-Mmm Better Brownies. <br />
<br />
The last time Ma Fille made them, I found this note in the brownie tin.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/31443_4668995478934_1116765569_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/31443_4668995478934_1116765569_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
She says it was meant for P-Daddy. He is the worst gourmand of the bunch, it's true.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to try them, here's the recipe from allrecipes.com<br />
<br />
<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mmm-mmm-better-brownies/" target="_blank">Mmm-Mmm Better Brownies</a><br />
<br />
350F/175C<br />
Grease a 9x9 inch pan and put line with parchment paper. <br />
<br />
1/2 cup vegetable oil (we use sunflower)<br />
1 cup white sugar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( we use white sugar from a jar that we keep vanilla beans in)<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup flour<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt <br />
<br />
<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">In a medium
bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine
flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg
mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the
batter evenly into the prepared pan.</span><br /><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Bake for 20
to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of
pan. </span><br />
<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-2933260432638409662013-04-12T10:41:00.000+02:002013-04-17T18:45:01.761+02:00Computer Phone Call Scam Comes to France--PSAThis really is a departure for me and my little blog, but I had to write it for you today.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi1XvMPQXWeSije5RraLF-hA3Txrc5DJdSiVk4rRtHRNtEbuTU-An13P6-r63igh8BCEaFkkHpvlfgInV2GaF-w9uFQf-OGAUOp0wB6R2Hkos1DjsIFkEbwGE6sAMiXfbG09m_LtxasVXW7KGA8Ikq5U_K6vAQNhgT6-Z2I2bng49sDMYtNAg6fboTUWEovdn2aaiLMiB4jw1uSnYjYRTLRb1H4axJXUaDweB1qy0K1cMW7uAUGH5nGeZOTvCPON0wpoFTe=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi1XvMPQXWeSije5RraLF-hA3Txrc5DJdSiVk4rRtHRNtEbuTU-An13P6-r63igh8BCEaFkkHpvlfgInV2GaF-w9uFQf-OGAUOp0wB6R2Hkos1DjsIFkEbwGE6sAMiXfbG09m_LtxasVXW7KGA8Ikq5U_K6vAQNhgT6-Z2I2bng49sDMYtNAg6fboTUWEovdn2aaiLMiB4jw1uSnYjYRTLRb1H4axJXUaDweB1qy0K1cMW7uAUGH5nGeZOTvCPON0wpoFTe=" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://us.cdn2.123rf.com/168nwm/soleilc1/soleilc11111/soleilc1111100004/11275096-telephone-and-communication-icons-and-symbols.jpg" target="_blank">source</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This morning I received a phone call on my French land line. I usually don't answer it at all because it's mostly French telemarketers, and who wants to deal with telemarketers in their own language, much less one you barely, by the skin of your teeth, understand? Not me.<br />
I answered though, because I thought it might be important. Can't say why, 'cause I don't know.<br />
<br />
The first thing that was totally off about it was that the person on the other end began speaking. And I could understand him. I could understand him because he was speaking English; heavily accented call-center English, but nonetheless. It didn't make sense. People who call my French number do not speak English.<br />
It freaked me out!<br />
<br />
His spiel rolled out like this:<br />
<br />
Him: 'Good morning madame. I am calling because we have detected a very serious problem with your computer and I would like to help you fix it.'<br />
<br />
Me: 'Uhm, why are you speaking English?'<br />
<br />
Him: 'Because English is the universal language and I am allowed to speak English.' (weird. allowed?)<br />
<br />
Me: 'But you are calling my French number. How do you know I understand English?'<br />
<br />
Him: 'Because we have access to your computer files and we can see that the language setting is English.' (WTW) That just means WTF in a nice way.<br />
<br />
Me: 'Hold on for a moment please.'<br />
<br />
This is the moment I ran downstairs and handed the call over to my computer-savvy, technology-job-having, work-from-home (merci!) genius of a very skeptical husband.<br />
<br />
The problem with me is, usually I'm all trusting, expecting marigolds and kindness to be the thrown at me like sunshine. P-Daddy does not. And since I had a weird feeling because of the English talking and Mr. Call Center being able to see into my computer thing, I deferred.<br />
<br />
P-Daddy asked all the right questions and strung the scammer along, delivering the final coup de grace when he asked if he had a number where he could call him back after giving this invasion into our personal computers some thought. The guy from 'Computer Maintenance Service Department' at some adjunct of 'Windows' did not like this question. P-Daddy was getting to him. He does that. <br />
<br />
Mr. Call Center said he didn't have a number where he could be reached and that maybe P-Daddy was 'wasting his time'. Wasting his time?! No joke.<br />
<br />
After a quick Google, I discovered that this is a well-known scam in the US, a throw-back from a couple of years ago, only now finding its sinister way to European shores. I wonder if they have a French-speaking division. If you get a phone call about your CLS id, HANG UP! I'm sorry. Didn't mean to shout. But, really. Don't give them anything. <br />
<br />
Here's one of the <a href="http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/208193750/" target="_blank">articles</a> I found for your perusal.<br />
<br />
And here's a marigold. There's some kindness is thrown in there too.<br />
Bon weekend.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhziNl0dt-zrWt9kFUaJ1O_BmhN9TDkubZXD2UvQcieSOt0IFZN_ZOLd4JgEIn-pg8ygltznwCshe0Y5krYJEIezGdY7AwVyfPP788YIx6YJMXnCRG2YUw1e4Aov-oFpUnGDyeQlgUk89FUgy82ZZP7p-NL8zWfipF9i4QPXcMTULLi8LFu4ZcERf9nDzHyYrQT3mlK=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhziNl0dt-zrWt9kFUaJ1O_BmhN9TDkubZXD2UvQcieSOt0IFZN_ZOLd4JgEIn-pg8ygltznwCshe0Y5krYJEIezGdY7AwVyfPP788YIx6YJMXnCRG2YUw1e4Aov-oFpUnGDyeQlgUk89FUgy82ZZP7p-NL8zWfipF9i4QPXcMTULLi8LFu4ZcERf9nDzHyYrQT3mlK=" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow_French_Marigold_Flower.jpg" target="_blank">Yellow French Marigold</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Why so settled, anyway?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCezATWka3X8YOuOlaowgx6uxXvlat_fjtx71wM68JEfm1Kyevg-EBKtPcq0QrJ8tFoh6T7KteYcmCutQinA2tWe3IoCgZ6fWrzhc278qHK3a_8y_RDNw7m9LfMfbd40qhE7-INea6LqQM/s1600/IMG_4377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCezATWka3X8YOuOlaowgx6uxXvlat_fjtx71wM68JEfm1Kyevg-EBKtPcq0QrJ8tFoh6T7KteYcmCutQinA2tWe3IoCgZ6fWrzhc278qHK3a_8y_RDNw7m9LfMfbd40qhE7-INea6LqQM/s640/IMG_4377.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{wild abandon}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back then I used to drive (yes, I meant to say drive, remember the <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2010/10/lot-of-diesel-time-money-were-wasted-in.html" target="_blank">diesel fiasco</a>) headlong into foreign situations, push the boundaries of Great White, say all manner of ridiculous, yet hopefully, endearing things to the people around me.<br />
Now, I just stand at the gate, staring ahead, shuffling my feet. Everyone knows I botch their language and so they either patiently listen or cleverly ignore me.<br />
<br />
This settling in is what makes we wanders wander. Things aren't as fun when you've figured most of it out. It's an addiction; this looking for mistakes to make, social mores to test, laws of physics to defy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MP14Gs4Gl4A1T0YttEgukFVRcLZ2mmeb1oeFe87-fBX1kdj50zvUIwe2ipmMfQctn6B-Hnar3FiB_dcRxrNFsqlWbV-AzTMaZshX-FDAF8IGINn7VHC0FgMfcReFh1ftOlEOshBDzTa-/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7MP14Gs4Gl4A1T0YttEgukFVRcLZ2mmeb1oeFe87-fBX1kdj50zvUIwe2ipmMfQctn6B-Hnar3FiB_dcRxrNFsqlWbV-AzTMaZshX-FDAF8IGINn7VHC0FgMfcReFh1ftOlEOshBDzTa-/s640/header.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{more wild abandon}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And so, today I'd like to look back, relive one of my favorite botched, bumbling, beguiling, (work with me) blunders. If you've never heard <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2010/06/boss.html" target="_blank">the story</a> of the Ikea bed, Great White, the Baby and the Boss, then I hope you enjoy it. If you have, I hope you don't mind indulging my need to feel vibrant, unsettled, and alive with newness again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
The Boss and The Bed, originally published in June 2010 </h3>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
I’m really bad at spatial relations. It’s one of those things my brain
just can’t do. I can’t judge what would fit where and always cut off
either way too much or way too little wrapping paper and therefore it takes
me an awful long time to get through Christmas presents.<br />
<br />
We’ve been waiting for a month for our bed frame. It’s not because it’s
some special, made-to-order item. Just that IKEA didn’t have it in stock
until Friday.<br />
<br />
Tired of sleeping on the floor and looking for more projects for P-Daddy
to tackle this weekend, I decided to take the bull by the horns, pack
up the Baby, and go get it myself.<br />
<br />
I arrived before they opened and waited with all the other affordable
(cheap) yet well-crafted (that depends on who’s following the
directions) and attractive (nothing here) furniture junkies. As soon as
we got in I made a bee line for beds only to find myself waiting with a
sweaty and impatient British couple, a young French guy, and an American
couple who kept trying to cut in line.<br />
<br />
It was while I waited that the screaming started.<br />
The Baby, not me.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FTBYm38Vf_c/T2CuNBRipLI/AAAAAAAABfI/pzCgBfP2zqE/s1600/IMG_4568.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FTBYm38Vf_c/T2CuNBRipLI/AAAAAAAABfI/pzCgBfP2zqE/s320/IMG_4568.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{don't let this face fool you}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started sweating, yet tried to look serene.<br />
<br />
The screaming drew glances, stares, and thankfully, another person to
the second register. It was finally my turn and I got the paperwork for
the bed.<br />
<br />
Downstairs to pick up the box for the slats.<br />
I had the Baby in a small shopping trolley and had to get one of those
long, big merchandise ones too. Pushing one with each hand, I maneuvered
the box onto the big trolley.<br />
No problem. I was feeling very organized and competent.<br />
<br />
Next stop, <i>retrait merchandise</i>, where you collect your bigger items.<br />
When my number was called and I saw the box I panicked a little bit on
the inside but decided not to show it. The box was BIG! If you’re
thinking that I shouldn’t have been surprised then you’ve forgotten
about my problem.<br />
<br />
Pushing a trolley with a 180cm x 220 cm box balanced on it while pushing
a screaming baby in a smaller shopping cart is not recommended. I
miraculously got to the car but this was only the beginning of my
problems.<br />
<br />
Undaunted by the sheer size of this box compared to the size of the back of my car, I carried on.<br />
<br />
After I successfully wrestled the Baby into his seat, I set my sights on
the box. ‘No problem, you can do this. Don’t panic. Just don't panic!'
I kept repeating to myself.<br />
<br />
As I tried to fit this very large square peg into the round hole, a car
full of scarved Muslim women pulled up behind me, parking so close to
the back of my car that the box bashed into their hood. Oh, for goodness
sake! Now I’m sweating, stressed out, and have banged my box into a car
and will have to explain this, <i>en francais</i>.<br />
<br />
I have to tell you that I was not happy.<br />
<br />
I usually try to see the good side of things but the entire production had gotten on top of me.<br />
Angry Aidan was rearing her ugly head. With what could only be described
as a scowl, I started complaining to them, saying how the box wouldn’t
have fallen on their car if they hadn’t gotten so close to me while I
was obviously struggling to achieve an impossible feat.<br />
<br />
Before you get carried away, all of this was spoken in English and most likely very fast.<br />
<br />
The next thing I knew, the oldest of the group ran up to me, grabbed a
side of the box and started fluttering at me something about how it
wasn’t ever going to fit. It took me a second to realize she wasn’t
unhappy with me at all. Relief!<br />
<br />
Someone was actually taking pity on me.<br />
<br />
She began ripping open the side of the box while telling me what to do
and flapping her arms and ordering the others around too. She was now in
charge.<br />
<br />
Everyone started ripping and tearing open the box. It was a frenzy of
activity to a soundtrack of super-fast French. I couldn’t even get in
there and ended up standing aside while they went at the box like some
sort of ten-handed, French speaking machine.<br />
<br />
They took out the pieces, threw aside the box, and started cramming the head and foot boards into the back of my car.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ecnW8V9jaHU/T2Csg9fD8ZI/AAAAAAAABfA/n81yEx5iZ80/s1600/IMG_4779.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ecnW8V9jaHU/T2Csg9fD8ZI/AAAAAAAABfA/n81yEx5iZ80/s320/IMG_4779.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{the offending bed, delivered safely}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
‘Oh, no…there’s a baby in there!’ said one.<br />
<br />
‘You must move the baby. You must move the baby!’ cried the boss.<br />
<br />
Oh, dear. Where? Where should I move the Baby to?!?<br />
<br />
She looked at me with such patience as if to say, ' You poor child, you really are a bit soft in the head aren’t you?'<br />
Why in the front seat of course!<br />
<br />
<b>‘Move the baby, move the baby, or leave the bed behind!!!’</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
So I moved the baby.<br />
<br />
I undid the car seat from all its protective harnesses and moved the Baby, gulp, to the front seat. This went against all of my American girl
who had babies in the past 10 years training. <br />
<br />
Two minutes later the entire contents of the enormous box were somehow
contained in my car and the Baby was delighted to be up front with me.
He just kept giggling and pointing, the happiest he’d been all day.<br />
<br />
As the spatial relations angels left me in a dizzying whirr of arms, squeezes, and <i>ça n’est pas graves</i>, the boss kept calling back over her shoulder, ‘Roll up the windows or the bed will tumble out! <b>You must roll up the windows!!!’</b><br />
<br />
I laughed all the way home.<br />
<br />
You never know where help will come from and it will always come when you least expect it.<br />
<br />
Bless you boss lady, <i>merci beaucoup a vous</i>, wherever you are.
<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-34435946422213131862013-03-26T09:40:00.002+01:002013-03-26T09:40:57.316+01:00Expats Blog ContestDo you remember my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3849088039965370533#editor/target=post;postID=2859802588022707145" target="_blank">tell-all interview</a> (I'm feeling very dramatic today aren't I?) over on Expats Blog a couple of weeks ago? Well, the friendly people there are having a <a href="http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/331/top-10-life-lessons-ive-learned-from-the-french" target="_blank">contest</a>. And I entered.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4yJvBCXBASE/T2MWPzjow8I/AAAAAAAABfw/K-xAmBGaNmQ/s1600/February+2012+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4yJvBCXBASE/T2MWPzjow8I/AAAAAAAABfw/K-xAmBGaNmQ/s640/February+2012+058.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The idea was to write a Top Ten list sharing a unique, creative and informative insight into living in your chosen country. I couldn't resist writing about the 'Top Ten Life Lessons the French Have Taught Me'.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/331/top-10-life-lessons-ive-learned-from-the-french" target="_blank">contest</a> is live on the Expats Blog website now and lasts for only a few days. The prizes are pretty good, too. I would love to win some do-re-mi so I can buy P-Daddy a case of peanut butter from amazon.com!<br />
<br />
This is where I ask for your help, right? Right. All I need you to do is to share my Top Ten list through Twitter, Facebook and any other way you see fit. But only if you like it, which I sincerely hope you do. And if you feel like commenting on my post on their site, please do that too.<br />
<br />
<br />
If those links up there weren't enough,<a href="http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/331/top-10-life-lessons-ive-learned-from-the-french" target="_blank"> click here</a>. I hope you enjoy my hard-earned life lessons.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-21118207161848847702013-03-20T11:44:00.000+01:002013-03-20T11:44:00.241+01:00Living France April IssueI'm delighted to tell you that I am the featured expat foodie in the <a href="http://www.completefrance.com/magazines/living-france" target="_blank">April issue</a> of Living France magazine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/get_image.aspx?pbid=795d20a0-9cdd-4dd4-b3de-d5afaca71037&w=120" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/get_image.aspx?pbid=795d20a0-9cdd-4dd4-b3de-d5afaca71037&w=120" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{April issue}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
It's on UK newsstands if, like me, you like to feel your magazines, in <a href="http://appshopper.com/newsstand/living-france" target="_blank">app form</a> for your tablet, or online where you can buy a single print issue or a <a href="http://www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/France-Magazines/Living-France" target="_blank">yearly subscription</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>'<a href="http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=f5d38355-9141-4d58-9a3c-f1e323b75c9e" target="_blank">Living France</a></em> is the indispensible source of information and
inspiration for those who are passionate about moving to France, or who
already live there. It is the perfect combination of sumptuous guides to
destinations across the country, comprehensive expert advice on the
practical aspects of moving and living there, and fascinating stories
from expats already living the life they have always dreamed of across
the Channel.<strong> Living France is published 13 times a year</strong>.' {<a href="http://www.completefrance.com/magazines/living-france" target="_blank">Living France website</a>}<br />
<br />
Get your hands on the April issue and let me know if you think mine is a 'fascinating story from an expat already living the life they have always dreamed of...'!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-4480904412267907362013-03-13T10:27:00.000+01:002013-03-13T10:27:37.569+01:00Far, Far AwayOne of the troubles with living far from home is that when things happen, as they will, you are, well...far, far away.<br />
<br />
This past weekend I was faced with the worst case scenario of far far away when my dad became very ill from complications following back surgery. Complications escalated into full throttle as he fought for life and some very difficult decisions demanded to be made. My sister, who lives six hours from him, rushed back to his bedside. I could only call and thankfully, FaceTime while we cried, weighed options, and had to make the hardest decision of anyone's life. The hardest decision. No question.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the time difference, I was on middle-of-the-night duty. Well, I put myself on it and tried to believe that it made some kind of difference to anything at all as I called every three hours for updates while my sister, living on East Texas time, tried to sleep.<br />
<br />
Who knows why, it's one of those bizarre mysteries, but against it all and proving the doctor that told me I was going to have to 'call it' over the phone on Friday, my dad has made it. He is one tough, opinionated, stubborn old nut. (That description will thrill him when he's able to read this, by the way.)<br />
<br />
He has surprised everyone. His regular doctor had tears in his eyes when he realized the extent of his improvement. I owe Dad some posts. Before he got so sick, he specifically asked that I write about the last two chateaux we visited back in October. I will write them for him, as soon as he's ready to read them.<br />
<br />
Being far, far away has its wonders and joys and I wouldn't trade it for another life. But when things like this happen, I am so grateful for technology. For connections like this blog, texting, email and most of all, video devices like FaceTime. I was able to talk to my dad using FT. My sister took her phone into his ICU room and he heard my voice, smiled, mouthed my name. He knows I'm calling the hospital in the middle of the night Texas time. He knows I am thinking of him every minute. He knows that even though I'm in France and so far away that I am still with him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
PS Do you have a living will? Does someone know your wishes and have a legal voice to express them should you not be able to? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-28598025880227071452013-02-21T14:31:00.000+01:002013-02-21T14:34:16.035+01:00Easy Expat Interview (It's Not Like It Sounds)<a href="http://interviews.blogexpat.com/blog/2013/02/21/from-texas-to-montpellier-conjugating-irregular-verbs?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Blog Expat</a> is an online community, life abroad guide, and support system for all stages of your expat adventure. The lovely Erin asked me to answer a few questions for their fun and insightful Expat Interview series and I was thrilled to do so. Mine is the feature interview today.<br />
<br />
Click <a href="http://interviews.blogexpat.com/blog/2013/02/21/from-texas-to-montpellier-conjugating-irregular-verbs?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">here</a> and you'll be popped over to the site where you'll find my interview. P-Daddy took the profile photo at Chambord back in October and loved it. Now, I'm wondering if maybe I should have sent in a photo where I was at least wearing some makeup! Oh, well. What you see is what you get.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogexpat.com/images/logos/tagBlogExpatInterview.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Expat Interview" border="0" src="http://www.blogexpat.com/images/logos/tagBlogExpatInterview.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
I wonder if any of my answers will surprise you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-77692017755456320962013-02-14T10:13:00.000+01:002013-02-19T14:12:45.259+01:00Murder Mystery Birthday Party Ma Fille is officially eleven years old. Really, I don't know how it happened.<br />
<br />
I can see a photo file flipping through my mind of her as a newborn, bobbing around in the Texas summers with her chubby tummy and curly halo of hair, holding her baby brother while they watched Sesame Street in the mornings, hiking around Ireland as brave as you please, wearing her burgundy pinafore and necktie to Catholic public school, pigtails, ponytails, another baby brother, French bob, braces, gangly growth spurts, bravely learning a new language, making new friends, holding hands, swimming and diving, running and laughing, sitting at the edge of it all, sparkly painted toes on the precipice of teenager. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
She loves Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and recently Nero Wolfe, which she watched while home from school with this last batch of <i>la grippe</i>, so she asked me if she could have a murder mystery party this year. It couldn't be something easy like bowling or bouncy playscape, and not outside because the weather in February is unpredictable, moreover her first choice, the ice skating rink, was booked through April. And so that left us with me writing a murder mystery to be solved by eight pre-ado French girls.<br />
<br />
You may remember when we first moved here and I bravely (stupidly) wrote a treasure hunt birthday party in French for her 9th birthday. You may also remember the incident of the <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2011/02/tableau-noir.html" target="_blank">dumpster blackboard</a> that was questionably abandoned and fortuitously reunited with its previous owner. But still, I persevered and started searching around on the Internet like crazy for mystery themed party ideas.<br />
<br />
There are loads! But they mostly come in ready-made packets, in English, and at a price. I had to do it on my own. So, I took the idea of Clue and its five questions to answer: 1) who 2) why 3) where 4) when and 5) with what and got to it. I wrote two sets of clues, one set that led teams of two to the big five questions that had to be solved from riddles and word play. We decided on a flower theme and each girl was given a flower to dress as--tulip, jasmine, hyacinth, daisy, rose, you get it....<br />
<br />
For example, I placed the 'who' clues in an envelope in the washing machine but in order to get the teams there, I wrote a poem about blood being spun free of clothing. They liked it. And so did I. I have to admit that I had the best time ever coming up with it all, writing it and translating, cutting up paper to distort messages, and keeping it all in order in so many blood-red envelopes. The best part was watching them figure it out. They had a ball running around the house, whispering and gathering clues that led them to the gruesome discovery that the birthday girl, Mademoiselle Rose had used her thorns to poison Monsieur Bouquet, a role played by her very own brother, the Middlest. <br />
<br />
If you'd like some ideas or help pulling off your own murder or <i>sommeil profond </i>party, just ask me. I'd be delighted to help. In English or French, <i>ce que vous voulez</i>.<br />
<br />
My favorite moment? When Ma Fille said, 'But you didn't actually write it all? Not the poem about the washing machine?' To which I happily replied, '<i>Mais oui!</i> Yes, I did.' Anything for you, my love.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Oh, yeah, Happy Valentine's Day. Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-32594941096514701452013-02-07T10:02:00.001+01:002013-02-07T10:02:39.793+01:00Paris Sur Vespa, 2 Wheel ToursI'm an optimistic sort, as you know. As the days get longer (they have, have you noticed?) and sunshine teases us with soft <i>bisous</i> on our cheeks, I think of Spring. I know it's coming. It always does. Romantic Springy thoughts turn to Paris. Everyone talks about it. Paris. In the Springtime, April in Paris. You've heard the songs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT06c7MY13TddUidFEkBs30Co3qOBsi6XEjkUOyi3jPY9WD5k5Nnw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT06c7MY13TddUidFEkBs30Co3qOBsi6XEjkUOyi3jPY9WD5k5Nnw" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT06c7MY13TddUidFEkBs30Co3qOBsi6XEjkUOyi3jPY9WD5k5Nnw" target="_blank">source</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, I ask you, what better way to see Paris, in the <i>printemps</i>, or any time for that matter, than on a <a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/" target="_blank">Vespa</a>?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/550/1e/28/46/1e2846ce3325d7c5b562fe0ab187fc74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/550/1e/28/46/1e2846ce3325d7c5b562fe0ab187fc74.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/550/1e/28/46/1e2846ce3325d7c5b562fe0ab187fc74.jpg" target="_blank">source</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A Vespa?! Why, what a marvelous idea.<br />
<br />
Yes.Yes, it is.<br />
<br />
It is <a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/" target="_blank">Xavier of 2 Wheel Tours, Paris by Scooter's idea </a>. He is a charming, professional, English speaking <i>Parisien</i> who will show you the sights of Paris and even out to Versailles, following along behind him on a Vespa. You can hop on with him, holding on like a romantic movie heroine, scarf billowing behind you, or you can rent your own. Either way, I think there is probably no better way to get around Paris. Especially in the Springtime.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/paris/scooter-rental-paris.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://parisbyscooter.com/paris/scooter-rental-paris.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{<a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/paris/scooter-rental-paris.png" target="_blank">source</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The lovely <a href="http://www.ellacoquine.com/2012/03/day-313-be-tourist.html" target="_blank">Ella Coquine</a> wrote about her <a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/" target="_blank">2 Wheel Paris</a> tour <a href="http://www.ellacoquine.com/2012/03/day-313-be-tourist.html" target="_blank">here</a> and while she was cold (it was the middle of winter) she still had nothing but wonderful things to say about Xavier and his business.<br />
<br />
I have to admit I'd like a re-do of the <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2010/11/wet-paris.html" target="_blank">Bestie Paris trip</a> just so we can ride on Vespas with Xavier! I would love to see Bestie A on the back, holding onto Xavier while Bestie K and I relived our Italian tandem bike experience sur Vespa. Or maybe P-Daddy and I could hop on the train again and follow along behind Xavier, getting an insider's view of the Paris we've never seen. I would love to bump happily down <i>Montmartre</i>'s hill while scooted all close up to P-Daddy; billowing scarf included.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sp0lLGbSswXjPybOJeNHJ_6E1_2QgnOT7QcahO-z__vo8vCmhOHoU_jj6Sk3PUevMkebbbI_mM7V8aI079Rq7BqKUm4ptg-H4WsaEfmmGlK5fQbYVBPJYSp0y8qnR16DE0dqdeBxA8d4/s400/Vespacream2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sp0lLGbSswXjPybOJeNHJ_6E1_2QgnOT7QcahO-z__vo8vCmhOHoU_jj6Sk3PUevMkebbbI_mM7V8aI079Rq7BqKUm4ptg-H4WsaEfmmGlK5fQbYVBPJYSp0y8qnR16DE0dqdeBxA8d4/s320/Vespacream2.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{2 Wheel Tours' Vanilla Vespa, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sp0lLGbSswXjPybOJeNHJ_6E1_2QgnOT7QcahO-z__vo8vCmhOHoU_jj6Sk3PUevMkebbbI_mM7V8aI079Rq7BqKUm4ptg-H4WsaEfmmGlK5fQbYVBPJYSp0y8qnR16DE0dqdeBxA8d4/s400/Vespacream2.jpg" target="_blank">Ella Coquine</a>}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you'd like to turn your own <a href="http://parisbyscooter.com/" target="_blank">Vespa-touring through Paris</a> fantasy into a reality, just let <a href="mailto:paris@parisbyscooter.com" target="_blank">Xavier</a> know. <br />
Have you booked your tickets yet? Paris is waiting...<br />
<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-16335518257671960102013-01-31T10:32:00.000+01:002013-01-31T10:34:02.443+01:00Go Abroad's Top Expat BloggersIt's nice to wake up to good news, isn't it?<br />
This morning's good news is that I have been given the assignation of <a href="http://www.goabroad.com/blog/2013/01/30/goabroad-top-expat-blogger/" target="_blank">'Top Expat Blogger' by GoAbroad.</a> They gave me that nice looking badge over there (just to the right, do you see it?) to make it official. <br />
That's cool. Thank you GoAbroad! Thanks so much! And thank you for getting my blog's name. The best of life is in those tricky verbs. <br />
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There are nine other great bloggers on the list, Canadians in Germany, British in Australia, Americans in Spain, that you should check out. It is a great website for study abroad programs, teaching English, and everything in between; like families with three kids thrown into French speaking school and flourishing. <br />
<br />
If you'd like to see the full story, it's<a href="http://www.goabroad.com/blog/2013/01/30/goabroad-top-expat-blogger/" target="_blank"> here</a> on GoAbroad's website. Travel, learn, love and grow. There's nothing like a life abroad to change your point of view. And to make you homesick for a miga, refried bean and hash brown breakfast.<br />
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You can follow GoAbroad.com on <a href="https://twitter.com/GoAbroad" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoAbroadCom" target="_blank">Facebook</a> too.<br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-57742665264358711362013-01-25T16:01:00.000+01:002013-01-25T16:01:22.877+01:00Lemon-Yogurt Cake, RevisitedThe Littlest's teacher has the flu. There weren't any substitutes available so he just stayed with me. And that's okay. He's still little and has been working so very hard. When we found out yesterday morning and were on our way home after waving goodbye to the big kids, he cheered, 'I'm free!' How could I mind?<br />
<br />
We've been keeping busy, he and I. He's been my shadow; holding my hand, pushing the miniature-sized cart at the grocery store, and spontaneously saying, 'Mommy, I love you.' like a verbal pinch. He can't believe his luck.<br />
If I've done it, he's done it with me. We discovered a very rocky path on Clementine's morning walk that he felt was just the right amount of 'scary' and 'cool', stomped through ice crusted mud puddles ('slippery') at the lake, played at the playground (we were the only ones there), read the same French story about a bunny a million times (in French and also on the fly translated into English) and have fallen for each other like only a mommy and her Littlest can. <br />
'Littlest, I love you.'<br />
<br />
Today, we also made lemon yogurt cake. It is the same lemon yogurt cake <a href="http://www.conjugatingirregularverbs.com/2011/01/seasonal-sunday-lemon-yogurt-cake.html" target="_blank">we made together two years ago.</a><br />
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Turns out the Littlest and I like lemon yogurt cake in January. This time we made it with blueberry yogurt rather than the passion fruit of the recipe back then. We did the rest the same, although he was able to hold the electric mixer on his own this time around. He's grown.<br />
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If you've got someone at home with you who likes to make cake or if you just feel like a little sunshine lemon in the middle of winter, may I suggest, lemon yogurt cake.<br />
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Lemon (Blueberry)Yogurt Cake<br />
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Butter a bundt pan.<br />
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Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C.<br />
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1 cup vegetable oil<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 cup each, natural Greek yogurt and blueberry yogurt (2 cups yogurt total)<br />
3 teaspoons lemon zest<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
4 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
4 cups all purpose flour<br />
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Mix the vegetable oil, melted butter and sugar with an electric mixer
until well blended.<br />
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.<br />Add the yogurt and blend well. Add lemon zest, juice,
and vanilla extract.<br />
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Mix dry ingredients and then add to the yummy lemony yogurt mixture. Blend very well.<br />
Pour into a greased non-stick bundt pan, wiping any excess off the sides.<br />
Put into the pre-heated oven and cook for 50-60 minutes.<br />
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If the top appears to be getting too brown but the inside is too moist, turn the heat down to 325.<br />
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Allow to cool completely and then turn onto a serving platter or cake stand. (This is important and was not heeded by me this time. I'm terrible for reading directions. Even my own!)<br />
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With the blueberry yogurt added in it tastes like the best blueberry muffin you've ever had. So, so yummy.<br />
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<br />Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3849088039965370533.post-76752161747650243662013-01-22T14:23:00.000+01:002013-01-22T14:23:58.808+01:00Beef Shanks with Garlic and Fresh Thyme<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I've always thought that the ritual of preparing, cooking and eating food is similar to the rituals I was taught as a young girl in the Episcopal church. I learned how to kneel, what words to whisper, how to let the
unleavened cracker melt on my tongue, hands crossed just so, before sipping the
wine. This was communion. And I performed it under the watchful eye of my Grandmother. Afterwards, we would go to the parish hall, joyful and renewed. My sister and I would eat cake and drink sugary juice while the grown-ups drank black coffee drained from the spigots of grand, silver urns. All the while knowing the lunch was back at home in the oven, waiting.<br />
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When I cook something like beef stew or braised shanks, I think of those Sunday afternoons and ritual.<br />
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Today I performed it in my kitchen. I put on my apron, gathered the few, delicious and perfect ingredients--garlic, fresh thyme picked on our walks through the Garrigue and organic beef stock--and let the meat rest outside the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature before salting and peppering each thick, meaty side. Clementine stayed close by, watching and waiting, hoping for a bit of goodness to come her way. 'Not now, sweet girl.' I said. 'Later, after the kids have spooned the rich marrow from the bone, you can have the rest.'<br />
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I browned the beautiful meaty rounds, marbled with slivers of white fat, on the stove in olive oil, two minutes on each side and then I removed them, crusted and darkened from the pan to wait while I sauteed wafers of garlic and tiny petals of thyme. Then I added the beef stock and scraped up all the goodness that was stuck on the bottom of the pan from the browning of the meat. P-Daddy came upstairs about then, drawn by the smell of beef, garlic and thyme from his home office and joined Clementine. 'That smells so good! What is it? What are you doing now?!'<br />
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I shooed him away, along with the gurley and put the browned meat back into the pot with the rest. Three simple things; garlic, thyme and stock.<br />
Then I laid some parchment paper right on top of the meat and covered the pot with foil before putting the lid on and putting the whole thing in a warm oven to cook.<br />
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After a few hours, the garlic will have gone all soft and sweet, the meat will fall apart with spoons and the bone marrow inside will be sticky and rich. We will fight over those later.<br />
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Now the house smells divine and I can enjoy the glorious smell while I sit in my little chair and type, forever trying to make the story better.<br />
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To me, the best meals evoke reverence. Eyes closed, appreciative murmurs, ritual played out again and again
over dining tables of all shapes and sizes, indoors and out, season after
season folding one into the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People carry out this ritual in France every day. It’s not a
stretch to say that to some, food is a religion.<br />
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I am enjoying my tiny piece of cake and cup of tea with joyful anticipation. I'm patient, knowing that a delicious dinner is in the oven, waiting. </div>
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Beef Shanks with Garlic and Fresh Thyme</div>
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2 or 3 beef shanks with bones</div>
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one head of garlic</div>
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a few sprigs of fresh thyme </div>
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olive oil</div>
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Pre-heat your oven to 350F/180C.</div>
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Pat dry, salt and pepper your room temperature beef shanks.</div>
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Heat a small amount of olive oil in an oven-proof pan until quite hot.</div>
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Peel and slice half of the head of garlic.</div>
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Crush and peel the rest, leaving whole.</div>
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Remove two sprigs' worth of leaves from the thyme and leave the rest intact.</div>
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Brown the meat one piece at a time, 2-3 minutes per side in the warmed olive oil.</div>
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Remove to a plate and turn down the temperature before adding the sliced garlic and thyme leaves to the pan. You may need a tiny bit more olive oil here, you will be able to tell.</div>
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Scrape up any bits of meat stuck to the bottom and be careful not to let the garlic brown. </div>
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Pour in the beef stock, preferably warmed, over the garlic and thyme and continue to scrape the bottom of the pan. Don't let any of the good meaty bits left there go to waste.</div>
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Return the browned meat to the pan. Add the peeled and smashed remaining cloves of garlic and sprigs of thyme. </div>
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Cover all of it over, down low in the pot, with parchment or baking paper. Then add a layer of foil at the top of the pan before putting on the lid if you have one. </div>
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Put it in the oven and leave to cook for at least two hours. After that time, lower the temperature a bit more and leave it for even longer if you like.The longer it stays there, the more tender it will become. </div>
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Serve with mashed potatoes or potato gratin and green beans.</div>
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Aidanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16518167933001080635noreply@blogger.com12